The way back machine

Long, long ago - in a land far, far away, we bought a house. It was a nice house, it was a big house, it was a cool house in the desert. Two giant air conditioners, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, dining room AND breakfast room, large kitchen, living room, and a family room the size of Rhode Island.

The family room was so big we could have a sit down dinner party for 25 in just half of the room. . .

The family room was 25x42, with a jacuzzi in one end, a gigantic (so big you couldn't get it out the double sliding doors) work table with storage all around and a wall of cupboards, floor to ceiling. It was a nice house, it was a big house, it was a cool house in the desert.

The house looked small from the front - but it went back and back and back -the house took up almost a whole city lot . . .

And I planted roses in the front yard - oh how the roses grew in the desert . . .

We divided the family room into two parts - one for the kids to use for watching tv, playing board games, diddling around on the piano - kid stuff. The other half was my sewing studio - oh the glories. A sewing studio with a big stand up cutting table, more storage than anyone can even dream of - a window looking out on the back yard with bouganvilla blooming and and orchard of citrus trees. I sewed and sewed in that room - but that's another story.

bouganvilla - wonderful to look at - but watch out for those thorns . . .

kids in the orchard . . . by a grapefruit tree . . .

Rusty and his dog, Timothy Ann, in the orchard


Lori swings in the orchard - see, I told you they were nice kids . . .

And they never got put in jail - well maybe once, in the old Yuma, AZ territorial jail . . .

We moved into the house and the 4th of July, we had two teenagers and one almost-ready-to-be-a-teenager. Nice kids, helpful kids. Don had just lost his job and I spent the next 18 months supporting our family and this crazy house, with my crafts business - again - a story for another day - this is the story of our house, it was a nice house, it was a big house, it was a cool house in the desert. Or so we thought.

Sure they were nice kids - sometimes they got a little rowdy at parties (New Years Eve, playing games) . . .

And sometimes they got a little messy (streamers from New Years Eve)

And sometimes they painted their lips blue with frosting . . . but they were nice kids . . .

One week after we moved in the house had a heart attack - it just couldn't take those teenagers - at least that is the reason we gave - surely it wasn't the adults it was reacting to. We swept the floors, washed the windows, cleaned the walls - we were the nice people - surely our new house liked us. We don't know why the house didn't like the teenagers!

Well - that is for you to judge - why do you think our house had a heart attack? First it blew both of the 5 ton air conditioning units. Not both at the same time, mind you, one at a time - one week apart. Well, in a house that big, one AC unit is not enough, so we had several of hot weeks to live through.

Two of these babies . . .

First one unit was replaced, and not wanting to feel left out, the second unit decided to throw a fit and get some attention. Believe me, you give AC some attention when it is throwing a fitin the desert. This one starting by making a noise loud enough to wake the dead - then it smoked some and finally it just stopped. Call the AC man (they are very busy in July in the desert), order another new unit, wait for it to arrive, wait and wait for the installation and then wait for the cool air. Ahhhh, now to settle down in our pretty new house, cool as a cucumber, this is the sweet life. It was a nice house, it was a big house, it was a cool house in the desert.

Lots of ice in the freezer, cold drinks in the fridge, nice cold water in the water dispenser. What???? You say the ice has melted? The drinks are warm, and something is running out from under the fridge? No - no - no - tell me it isn't so. Well the twin built in, lovely, matching refrigerator and freezer wanted some attention, they didn't think it was fair that we gave all of our money to the big air conditioners that sat outdoors - they wanted us to spend some money on them, share the wealth - if there was any wealth - and remember - Don had no job - just odds and ends at this time while he searched for a job in a town with over 30% unemployment!!

Pretty, pretty matching fridge and freezer - and pretty, pretty daughter doing dishes . .

Of course our kids needed cold drinks and we needed ice in the desert - so off to get a new fridge and freezer. No, that one won't fit - this one will, but there is not a matching freezer - oh the trauma of finding something pretty to keep your food cold. The original fridge had no freezer compartment - where did they find one that was all fridge? Finally they are purchased, the wonderful boys from the appliance store bring them out on their truck and hook them up - oh wait - they don't hook up the water to the automatic ice maker. Oh well, Rusty and Don can do that - long copper tubes - lots of grunting and sweating - and finally automatic ice maker is hooked up and making ice.

See how the new fridge doesn't fit the space from the old fridge, it's a bit too short, but I'll fix that by putting a basket on top of it - ohh ooops - someone is drinking from the carton of milk, does her mother know she does this?

Ahhhh, now to settle down in our pretty new house, cool as a cucumber, with ice and cold drinks and a watermelon chilling, this is the sweet life. And I leave you with these sweet thoughts, a cold drink and a dream of life with three wonderful kids in a wonderful house - oh yeah RIGHT! Wonderful kids, true, but what is that house up to next? I think this is all you can take at one time - I know it is all I can take - so - to be continued . . .