The dream house as it looked soon after it was built in 1917.
When we’ve told family, friends and colleagues about our purchase of the Dream House, the reaction has typically gone like this:
“Wow! Congratulations! Where is the house?”
“In Iowa.”
(Pause. Eyes widening and mouths falling somewhat open.) “Iowa? Isn’t that kind of…far?”
“Well, yes it is. But it’s a very special house. ”
Our first official piece of mail (not counting bills and flyers) at the Dream House was a lovely congratulatory card from Mr. Blandings’ parents, with a $20 bill enclosed. We’ve saved the card for our house scrapbook, but have already spent the $20 on a celebratory lunch out “on the town” (at a restaurant in a nearby town, that is). In this day and age of email, it is such a treat to get an actual, handwritten note or letter! And to walk from one’s house into town to the post office, and find such a note waiting in your box!
— M. Blandings
Image: Mr. and Mr. Blandings
Mr Blandings and I spent our Thanksgiving weekend walking around the dream house, cleaning, working on projects, knocking back Bloody Marys and pinching ourselves to prove that it’s not just a dream. If you had been near the house you might have heard, “We bought a house!” being exclaimed every hour or so.
Now Mr. Blandings has gone back to the city for his day job and I’m staying behind at the dream house to work on projects. After spending the weekend together in the house, it feels empty and lonely without Mr. Blandings. One of the intentions behind the dream house was to give us a place to devote to us. We did plenty of that this weekend, which explains the vacuum of good tiding in the wake of the mister’s departure.
This seems like a perfect time to give you a tour of the dream house. I want to show you all what we’re working with and it will remind me of all possibilities (and work) that lie ahead of us.
When we signed up for internet for the dream house, we were informed that we’d also have to have a land line. How quaint, right? Mind you, we haven’t have a land line in almost seven years. If we’re going to have telephone service in the house, we may as well have some fun phones! We already have a vintage rotary phone but, of course, we’ll need more modern touch tone phones as well.
We came across this Michael Graves-designed phone in the same thrift store where we found our glassware. (Only $2!) As I helped an older patron carry her purchases out to her car, Mr. Blandings had this conversation with the cashier.
“Oh! What a fun phone!” she said.
“Yeah, I couldn’t resist,” Mr. Blandings said. “It’s so fun.”
“You know, I use to be the one who said “number please,” she said as she looked at the phone.
Mr. Blandings asked, “Oh, so did you work for the phone company?”
“Yes,” she proudly said, “for $1.50 an hour — and that was big money back in 1967 — people would pick up their phones and say, “Give me such and such number” and I would connect them. Sometimes I would tease people, because I knew who it was, and when they’d ask if it was me I’d say, “Oh, I’m sorry, I can only give out my operator number!””
“So,” Mr. Blandings asked, “did you continue working for the phone company after they started direct dial calls?”
“Well, no! Once everyone could dial directly, there was no need for us anymore!”
We’ll think of you every time we place a direct dialed call, thrift store lady.
— Mr. and Mr. Blandings
Image: Mr. and Mr. Blandings
We’ve been in the house for less than a week and we’ve already started scoping out the best secondhand and thrift stores. I stopped into this little thrift shop in a nearby town last week but it was five minutes shy of closing time. From even the quickest perusal, I could tell that this store might be a secondhand goldmine. I couldn’t wait to get back and dig in a little deeper.
Mr. Blandings and I stopped by the store yesterday but, alas, they were closed for the holiday. (I love the anti-Black Friday notion of that.) We made our way back there again this morning and they were finally open. As I suspected, this is indeed secondhand gold. Exhibit A: This complete set of Libbey glassware, in their original box, all 24 of them in perfect condition for just $5. Sold!
I mentioned in a previous post that we plan to decorate and stock the dream house on a budget and this is exactly how we’re going to do it. I’m sure we’ll end up an interesting hodge podge of household goods when all is said and done, but every item in the house will have an interesting story.
What story will l tell when I use these glasses? Probably the one about how we waited in line to buy our box of glasses and listened to the locals and regulars talk about their holiday. And I’ll share the story of helping an older lady carry her purchases out to her car and how she was so delighted when I offered in the first place. I’ll mention how we talked about the weather and how her car seats were lined with bed sheets covered in dog hair.
That’s the kind of story I want to tell about the stuff that fills the dream house.
— J. Blandings
Image: Mr and Mr Blandings
