When last we were together here . . .

When last we were together here—two weeks ago—we lived in a different world. A world where, dare I say, many of us were mostly oblivious to (or disinterested in) a virus making people sick in China. And I may have heard something about Iran.

But I was flying to Texas for my parents’ Diamond Anniversary!

And for several days, Mother, Daddy, Sister and I had a lovely time celebrating, digging through family photos, reminiscing, laughing, and staying up too late. Yes, I know how fortunate I am to have parents who continue to stick it out together through good times and bad!

But by the time I returned to the airport a week later, everything had changed.

Countries were closing their borders, Spring Breaks were extended, Renaissance Man’s international travel was canceled, and social media showed toilet paper, rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer . . . gone from grocery store shelves. Thankfully, there hasn’t been a run on chocolate!

If you follow @smalltownvictorian on Instagram, you know that before I left on my trip, Renaissance Man and I had just moved the porch renovation to the top of our old house to-do list.

We didn’t like what we saw.

Standing water and wood porches don’t mix!

We looked a little closer . . .

I left town thankful the task ahead isn’t worse than it is. It certainly could have been!

The porch foundation looks better than expected, but some previous repairs were done poorly and need to be redone. Also, when previous owners re-floored the porch, they used the wrong type of wood AND they didn’t treat it properly. And you already know from the photo above that they didn’t slope the porch to drain.

My first few days home were spent playing catch-up after being away. But all of the social distancing-related cancellations made those things quicker than expected, so we were left—like all of you!—with unexpected time on our hands.

So we decided to eliminate one of the “unknowns” in this crazy-new world we’re experiencing.

Previous owners put vinyl siding on our old house. Whyyyyyyy? When we bought the house a year ago, we wondered if the original wood siding was still there (we assumed so) and what condition it was in.

That was THE BIG UNKNOWN.

But after we moved in, we discovered (inside a bathroom closet in space that was once the back porch) original wood siding—and it looks great! So we decided to take our chances and pull off the vinyl siding as part of the porch repair/renovation.

When vinyl siding is put on a house, it “flattens” all of the original details. Pretty curved corners are covered up; windows and doors lose their visual depth. It’s unavoidable. And on a pretty old Folk Victorian farmhouse, it’s flat out ugly.

If we hadn’t had these days of slowing down and reflecting on the project, I don’t know that we’d have removed the siding. Probably not because, truthfully, we’d already talked about it and were a bit concerned about opening that potential can of worms.

But I’m so glad we did!

Fortunately, what we found behind that 1980s siding was beautiful, original 4″ wood planks. And they are in “best case scenario” condition! The paint is in good enough condition that we think we can do a gentle power wash and call it “good” until someday (no idea when!) we’re able to remove the siding on the rest of the house and repaint. Sure glad I don’t have to think about house colors today!

Details! Curved corners. Half columns fully visible. Evidence of previous shutters. Proof of previous window sizes.

This old house was built in 1908 and has seen a lot of uncertainty in our world, but she’s sure breathing easier now!

This post is already long enough (so I’ll show you the full front view later), but let’s chat about one more thing.

I know you wonderful readers live all over the world. Some of you may be sick with COVID-19 or have friends or loved ones who are—or whose health is already fragile. Some of you may be out of your home country and feel isolated. Some of you may feel afraid, vulnerable. Some of you live in “hot zones” for this coronavirus; others like us (so far) are in areas where exposure is low.

Some of you are on the front lines in various medical roles.  Thank you for your service! Some of you are leaders making tough decisions that affect other people. Some of you are parents (or grandparents) trying to reduce anxiety for your children—while acknowledging your own.

Every single one of us is affected in one way or another by this new (hopefully temporary) reality we’re experiencing.

It’s easy to say “we’re in this together”, but harder to know what that looks like.

For starters, be assured that you have been and will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. God already knows the fears—and needs—of each of us, and we can trust him to meet us right where we are.

If you want me (and other praying readers) to pray specifically for you, please leave a comment.

During these days of social distancing, let’s reflect on the needs of those around us. Are there neighbors we can call to check on? Are there children whose primary meals are eaten at school? Are there single parents who need help with childcare? Are there comments you can leave online to encourage? Everyone’s situation is different, so the things we may be able to do are different, but let’s practice some creative caring!

Let’s all look beyond ourselves, our economic uncertainties, our fears of “what if”, our unknowns.

Let’s all stay informed in this moment-by-moment changing situation and be wise. Let’s take advantage of this unexpected downtime!

Now’s a good time to:

• Make the most of family time
• Write real cards and letters to family or friends—or send emails to check on people and offer encouragement.
• Organize digital files and photos
• Read a book—or start writing one!
• Plant some flowers—or weed your flower beds
• Work on your genealogy
• Launder or inventory your linens ( You didn’t think I’d pass up an opportunity to encourage that, did you?)

Be strong. Be safe! Be smart.

I’ll see you soon.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:26 NIV

Related posts:

FOSTER FAMILIES: Day 22 of 31 Days of Creative Caring Painting My Old House Porch: The Rest of the Story THE GIFT REGISTRY: Day 20 of 31 Days of Creative Caring THE FINALLY FARMHOUSE THAT WASN’T . . . When one adventure ends, another begins