The old window above my desk
When The Deer Hunter and I built our house almost 27 years ago we tried our best to do it as cheaply as we could. We went with a simple ranch style house and Pap and The Deer Hunter along with friends and family did almost all the construction. The only thing I can think of that they didn’t do was the sheetrock.
Keeping our limited finances in mind served us well in pretty much every way, but there was one area we should have expended a little more money. From the beginning our cheap windows gave us trouble. In the winter they were always dripping with condensation and on really cold days and nights they had a layer of ice on the inside. Eventually every window became permanently fogged.
I disliked not having a clear view, but I also hated the windows looked dirty no matter how clean they were.
A few years back we saved enough money to do the windows in the kitchen and living room, but that’s as far as we got.
We were set to replace the rest in the spring of 2020. Once the pandemic hit we put it off since my job and the girls seemed like they might disappear overnight.
A year later when we decided the time had come we couldn’t find windows anywhere and were forced to order them and wait. They were finally delivered in January.
Last week the rest of the windows were replaced.
When the girls were in high school they decided they wanted their own rooms. My office slash guest room was the only room available so I had to move my whole Blind Pig operation to a very cramped corner of our bedroom. I went from having plenty of space to spread out to having to hold any sort of reference book I wanted to use in my lap and try to look back and forth from it to the computer screen. Not to mention the small amount of space left between our bed and my desk chair—I have to practically climb over the chair very night.
I don’t remember the exact day I looked up from my computer screen and seen a perfect heart in the fogged window, but after I noticed it, every time I’d get frustrated by my cramped work space I’d see the heart and be reminded of all my many blessings and realize typing with a book in your lap isn’t all that bad.
Now that Chatter is married I’m working on moving back to my old stomping grounds. I could already be in there, but The Deer Hunter encouraged me to fix it up a little. He got an old desk that was headed to the landfill for free. It’s huge! And it’s so sturdy with lots of room to spread out and wonderful large drawers for storage. He also made me a dandy shelf to go above the desk. It’s so deep and strong I can’t wait to fill it with all my Appalachian reference materials. Now that we’ve got the garden laid by hopefully we can get the room painted and move the Blind Pig & The Acorn back to where it was born.
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He sings “Mary Lou” instead of “Mary Jane” but the rest of the phrase fits!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfKe8K1A3JI
We had cheap windows in the modular home we bought in 1989. About eight years ago we were able to replace them with double hung, really nice windows. They’ll have to last us, and should, for the rest of our lives.
My son’s old bedroom is now my sewing/reading/napping room, but in my mind’s eye I still see his bed, his inexpensive chest of drawers and his toys scattered everywhere. Whenever I woke up at night, I’d walk to his room, just to check on him and make sure he was okay. Sometimes when he’s here, he still goes to his old bedroom to look around. I guess he still sees it the way it used to be when he lived here. He still wonders why we moved the drinking glasses to another cabinet, why the silverware is in another place, why is the bread in a breadbox now instead of the pantry cabainet. 🙂 Oh, my sweet son. I’m so thankful he has good memories of his old home and remembers it so well.
Good Morning, a beautiful story, thank you for sharing it. May you enjoy your new space. Best wishes Chris.
Ahhh. This whole story made me smile. You have such a wonderful, descriptive way with words, very vivid and visual, colorful … we can ‘see’ what you’re describing. WHAT COLOR WILL YOU PAINT THE ROOM? Hope you take us along for the transformation. How lovely to come full circle with where Blind Pig and the Acorn started.
The underlying theme is the self sufficiency of Appalachian, country or Southern people that is evident in this story. I have repurposed items most of my life and put new life in old items. Our first house. we did much of the work and I have helped on 4 other houses that friends were building. Most people could not see the use of an old desk. This winter tell us how much warmer the house is.
That’s a lovely view out of that window with the heart. I know how important it is to have your own space. Mine is a sewing and craft room and I am getting close to finishing up organizing it! We have painted the walls, trim and doors and I have put up beautiful curtains. I can’t wait to get to sewing and doing my paper crafting again!
What a precious story! I’m so happy for you and the Deer Hunter and what a thoughtful, caring husband. I often wonder as we get older, why we don’t like change. But more often than not, change is good, and this opportunity for you to have a new space again sounds great! I love the heart and if you don’t see it in the window, you will always see it in your memories!
I have those old windows, too, and agree, don’t like that they always look dirty. I’m very happy for your new windows and office and love your heart – the Lord loves to bless us, even in our sometimes pokey circumstances, doesn’t He?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nUks4I5ifM
Thanks ED.
Whenever I start to resist change, I like to remember this verse.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1
I believe Pete Seeger wrote a song using the first 8 verses of Ecclesiastes 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4
Hearts are always nice to keep close by. I remember your ‘it’s not having what you want, it’s wanting what you have’. Somehow it ties in together. Anyway, enjoy the change and remember the heart!
LOL, my desk is also crammed into my bedroom, surrounded by sagging bookshelves jammed full of books, old jars and bottles, sycamore bark, pieces of colored glass, unique rocks… well, you get the idea. I feel excitement for you, getting to plan out your own space just how you want it. It sounds like you have an excellent interior decorator!
I replaced the windows about five years ago and heating/cooling the house was like night versus day, saves us a lot of money. It’s also quieter. The wind is fierce up here during a storm, it pounds the house and used to rattle the windows like it was trying to get in. They even rattled when the trains rumble through the valley below.
Tipper, Cheer up. You have a nice, new, big office, and you already have good memories from its creation. The heart will mend and you’ll remember scrounging around for a bigger desk and the work you and Matt put into creating this new space.
No need to save the window. Just print the picture you posted and put it in a frame.
That is a great idea : )
I agree with KW, your idea is great!
You showed us a glimpse behind the scenes of your sacrifices for the BP&A and for your girls. I doubt if you ever thought the sacrifices were remarkable. More like, “What, that? That is beyond common for parents.” Just life and coping with what comes up and not expecting to have just what you want when you want it. Have to scale back wants to ability, the adult way. We have lived that way to, fifteen months without water in the house one time.
So glad now for you all for both the new windows and the bigger space. We have lived small to, four of us in 864 square feet. I am curious though about what formed the heart and whether it was there all the time or came and went. In the picture it looks like condensation. Curious.
Ron-the heart is a permanent part of the fog in the window 🙂
I’m so happy for you and your new space. I have one suggestion. Get that picture of the special window enlarged and frame it to put up in a place where you can’t help but smile when you see it. Maybe even get The Deer Hunter to make a very plain frame then have him and your daughters carve into the frame.
I’m so glad you got new windows. There’s nothing worse than having your first big snowfall and not being able to watch it out of foggy windows. That happened to me in my first house while I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner.
This reminded me of my cramped space in my sewing room in my old house , The one great thing was my view out my window. I know you will love your new space.
I love this post. I love how The Deer Hunter thinks of ways to help you. Hearts that show up like that have to have a God connection. Another example of a heart I will share. My friend lost her husband and she was at the gas station filling up an old vehicle he collected when she just looked on her upper arm and saw a perfectly formed bruise in the shape of a heart! This gives me chills to even write this. A bruise in the shape of a HEART! She sent me a picture, how amazing is that.
Congrats on getting your office back AND the new windows. You will really feel the difference in the heat of the summer and the cold of winter for sure!!!
Oh, my dear, that is wonderful news!! And hugs to your terrific Matt!
What a sweet story! Your Deer Hunter is a keeper for sure, but you already know that. You will really enjoy your new digs! Your writings and musings are such a blessing to so many! Thank you!
I agree with Rita!
You’ll miss that heart, but oh the changes and good things that are happening!
May I suggest that you use a glass cutter and carefully use it to save that portion of the window? There is also fine emery paper to sand the edges so it can be handled without danger of cutting yourself. It could be mounted in a piece of wood with a groove cut out deep enough to keep it from falling over. Possibly you have a picture frame that would fit it as well.
I love this story. Not sure why. Maybe it’s about life coming full circle. Or maybe because of the tiny ways God pops up and says “Hi” to each of us. Or maybe it’s that your husband so kindly offered to fix up your new office, which was very sweet. Anyway, it touched my heart this morning. Thank you for sharing. You’re so very blessed in every way in this world.
Love the story of your windows, but hate you lost the heart!
I know exactly what you mean on old windows. Mine condensated, had cracks near the glazing on the storm windows and mine even smelled damp and dank. I cannot believe the perfect heart in the window overlooking your lovely garden! It sure is a sign to you about all a mother gives- her heart, soul and even her cherished space so her baby can spread its wings. I’ve often thought I’d take all my girls heartaches, pains and trials myself to keep them in a safe cocoon, but that’s not even close to God’s plan or realistic. So I am here to listen, share and go through their tough times beside them best as I can. Here folks are painting scenes on old windows and hanging them from chains. Maybe you could do that with the heart window. It could be really something with a painter’s brush and a mountain scene! BTW CONGRATS on the new windows. I’m surely happy with mine although I’m now in the depleted savings area… but what’s new there? Lol
The ‘little things’ to others might mean the ‘huge’ things to us. And in the grand scheme of things, we are all of a different ‘breed of cat’ so to speak. I am so happy for your expanded digs and know that it will bring a smile to your face and to your heart and others with want to know what the ‘smile’ is about. You might or might not relay what you have posted here and always know that God and your fans have your back….way to go Deer Hunter.
Love how you try to look on the bright side of things, Tipper. We all could use a reminder to do so, from time to time. I feel your pain about the windows. We had the same issues, as our windows were about 30 yrs old. We squeaked in right before the pandemic & had the guy out here doing the financial & measuring end about 2 weeks before anyone had even heard of any virus. But then they were delayed – their factory for making the windows shutdown, & yada yada. A few months later, they did get installed & what a difference! We were like you….we had to save up to do everything, do everything so economically that sometimes we could not have it the way we truly wanted it. We finally got the house new vinyl siding last year (hubby did it alone) – it was still the original clapboards from the late 1800s. The thing I am still waiting on is a huge cast iron farmhouse sink. When I am canning, the dinky little stainless steel double basin thing ain’t working!!!! I cant really even fit the canners down into it. I have been begging for years for something different – who knows when it will happen. Glad you’ll get your office back & new windows someday!
It will be nice to have a roomy office again. Like you I downsized mine yo my bedroom. Forever banging my elbows. Bet you eill miss that window though
Aw, that is really something about the heart—a reminder of how much God loves you & how He will always see you through. I am sure you must feel bittersweet about the new windows & knowing you will no longer see the heart. I trust the Lord will continue to give you visibles of His love for you in other special ways now that the window is gone. God bless you and your family.
Wow, 27 years! Two girls born and raised, and one business born and brought to a glorious maturity. The girls are grown and self-supporting and finding their own place in the world…and doing it very nicely. Then there is your other grown child, The Blind Pig. Just look what it has become with time and your loving care and dedicated work.
Please pat yourself on the back for these jobs well done!
The heart is yours!