My neighbor has a nice pair.
She actually has a sweet half dozen.
As I was barbecuing some sausages last night, she dropped around a bag of tomatoes from her garden - as a thanks for the bag of cherries we supplied them a couple weeks ago. It is the neighborly thing to do after all, and I like that we have a relationship that is not just conversations over the fence. We haven't had them around to our place yet, but we have extended an invite for once the kitchen is ready so they can have a look.
They have lived in the area for around sixty years and now both in their 80s, have a wealth of history of it, but I think the last time they were in our house was in the 70's, so it should be interesting for them, and for us to hear some of the stories from the past, like when back in the 80's there was a quite famous Finnish composer living here and singers would come to compose with him. And party.
I am not much of a history buff in general, but I do like that our house does have some history and each family that has lived under its roof, has left its mark in some way. It has evolved and taken on characteristics and requirements of the time, only to have them changed again as the next set adjust for their own lives.
For example, it is quite a big house by Finnish standards and at one time, actually housed two families, with one upstairs and one down. They both shared the sauna and washroom in the basement, but had separate toilets and each a kitchen. There used to be a potato storage where my daughter now has her bed. And, while there is no longer much that remains of those times, our address still occasionally reflects it, as in some registries, it is still marked as two apartments, so mail and deliveries often indicate the past.
But despite the size, now there are only two bedrooms, which is all we need and probably all many families need these days. We do have an office that could be converted in a pinch of course, but I think for us at least, that isn't much of a chance anymore. And, there are also two loungerooms, with a "formal" downstairs one and a family room upstairs. It is just a big open area, so again in a pinch, it could be divided to accommodate another room.
The family that were here before us used it pretty much as is as a bedroom for one of their two sons, but that would have been quite awkward at times in my opinion, as there is literally no privacy possible. And you know... boys.
I like how living spaces evolve over time and change with culture. It goes to show how we are built to progress and repurpose and even when something is "built to last" like our home should, it doesn't mean it is going to remain unchanged. Cities do the same of course, where they are going to shift markedly over the years based on the behaviors of the people, the government policies and of course, the way technology influences building possibilities.
Very few cities are built from scratch as a city from the start, which means they grow into a city and by the time they are complete, the renewal process is going to start again, removing some aspects of the old and replacing with the new, whilst leaving others. So, at any one time, while new buildings and structures are being developed, they will live alongside old structures, and when they are replaced, it will be in a newer style again.
My wife and I wanted something with character that we could build on and renew, but a lot of what we have done has updated to a more modern style, with elements of the old poking through, making it a little blander in many respects, but more suited and functional for us. However, perhaps most "new" in terms of residential property is actually pretty lame, as it quickly becomes ubiquitous of the time, making it all pretty average.
As the time burns and it starts to be adjusted and evolve on the changing conditions though, that character starts to develop, just like the laugh lines and scars on a person's body. It starts to become a "map of life" that survives to be read for as long as the structures are standing, with much often hidden beneath the skin, the visible surfaces of the walls, floors and ceiling.
Through this, those "cookie cutter" homes and apartments that are so often built these days in new development areas, will too evolve over time, with each becoming its own "breathing" space in the future, as the insides grow or degrade and the gardens are tended to or neglected by the owners at any given point.
I like the variation and while we haven't been very adventurous in our choices of styles, that is a testament in itself to us too, where form has to meet function, and function has to be suitable for us, not anyone else. Because of this, the next owners might find that some of our choices are unsuitable for them, especially if they are tall people. Hopefully though, the next owner will be my daughter anyway, so then she will know exactly what works and what doesn't having the brush to repaint the home into a space that suits her lifestyle.
Fingers crossed it doesn't become a drug den.
And also fingers crossed that there is at least the level of neighborly behavior we have now, if not more. I would love to have more "community" built into the behavior and culture of society, but over the last decades I feel it has eroded far more than it has built. People are strangers now where they used to be acquaintances, acquaintances in places that used to be friends. At least in my own experience, I get the sense that circles are shrinking and becoming more homogenous, rather than building out and including wider diversity in personal relationships.
And what this has done to home design seems to have put more emphasis on separation from others and privacy, than connection and social interaction. We seem to increasingly be looking to avoid each other, which is going to trickle into more fear, more misunderstanding and ultimately, more conflict.
That will leave its mark too.
We want things easy. We want to be able to go to the shops and buy what we want, when we want, not having to worry about where or how it gets there.
But those tomatoes are far better than any available to buy.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]