The delight of history

An old Amy Grant song comes to mind…

“If these old walls, if these old walls could speak
Of things that they remember well
Stories and faces dearly held
A couple in love livin’ week to week
Rooms full of laughter
If these walls could speak
If these old halls,
If hallowed halls could talk
These would have a tale to tell
Of sun goin’ down and dinner bell
And children playing at hide and seek from floor to rafter”

Unfortunately old walls cannot speak. That’s when it’s delightful to get to know the neighbor who didn’t move; didn’t relocate. The one who has seen it all as others came and went. In  my case, that would be Jerry.

Over the fence yesterday Jerry and I chatted as the final touches were made on the ductless heat pump installation. While talking about ceiling insulation I wondered aloud about the cathedral ceiling I love so much. They weren’t “in” during the late 40s when the house was built. They weren’t in during the early 70s when the house was remodeled either. Where did the cathedral ceiling come from?

The answer: Adam.
Adam was a few owners ago and he apparently must have been a sportsman who bagged quite a trophy moose. It’s not too hard for a moose to be “too big” and this one fit that category. Adam was disappointed to have the head taxidermied and mounted for all to see hung on a wall only to discover that hanging it as high as possible on the wall still left its chin brushing the floor. Yes, the living room was remodelled to have a cathedral ceiling so that the moose mount could be displayed in the living room.

If my walls could speak, they’d be cracking up!