As the “Tiny House” grows in popularity, I’m forever surprised that some of these old Sears designs are not being re-invented and re-created. Some of the designs - such as the Avalon - are just as pretty as they can be, making optimal use of small spaces.

In the 1920s, apparently many other folks thought so, too.

The Avalon was offered from 1920 - 1928, and judging by the number of these found in America’s cities, this was a popular design for Sears.

Looking at the photos below, I’d love to know - how many of these Avalon homeowners knew that they had a kit house?

To learn more about bungalows, click here.

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To learn more about Sears Homes in Richmond, Virginia  click here.

To read more about Sears Homes in Oklahoma, click here.

Here in Virginia, some call it “The Crab Theory.”

In Germany, it’s known as Schadenfreude. It means, “enjoying the misfortune of others.”

Growing up on an estuary off the Elizabeth River, we often went crabbing. And we learned that if you put a lone crab in a bucket, that crab will do all within its power to climb out of that bucket. The trick is to put two or more crabs into your bucket. When one starts to climb out, the other crabs will snag him and pull him back down.

Sadly, there are times when homo sapiens behave more like crabs than human beings.

Years ago, I really struggled and prayed to overcome envious thoughts and feelings. One day, I saw an article in the Christian Science Sentinel about a woman who’d spent decades truly cultivating the habit of gratitude. According to the article, her mother had taught her - by word and deed - that she should learn how to feel genuinely grateful when good things happen to other people, because each “good thing” was a divine promise that, “If it happened for them, it can happen for me, too.”

Buddhists call this Mudita. It’s the practice (and discipline) of finding joy in other people’s happiness and success.

In the anonymous, faceless world of the internet, I’ve noticed that people sometimes engage in very negative behaviors, saying things that are better left unsaid. In short, they’re behaving more like angry crabs than intelligent human beings!

I’m starting to wonder if the anonymity of the internet is making us a little too callous with our words. There are those who seem to delight in “pulling others down,” rather than lifting them up.

Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) is credited with saying that the “kindest thing we can do for our heavenly Father is to be kind to His children.”

I don’t think Saint Teresa of Ávila would be a fan of the ugliness that sometimes appears online. 

Imagine how much sweeter the world could be if we practiced the discipline of “mudita” in all of our communications, both online and in person.

Maybe we need to abandon the crabby habit of schadenfreude and work on cultivating the saintly habit of mudita.

To learn about Sears Homes (a very happy topic), click here.

To see more pictures of my cute dog, click here.

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Schadenfreude is a German word that means delighting in the misfortune of others. Here in southeastern Virginia, we call this “The Crab Theory.”

Put a lone crab in a five-gallon bucket and Mr. Crab will do everything in his power to scale its smooth wall and crawl out of that bucket. Put two or more crabs in a bucket and when one starts to climb up, the others will grab him and pull him down. Unfortunately, sometimes humans exhibit the same negative tendencies as crabs.

In my own life, I’ve struggled mightily with envy.  And then one day, I read a story in the Christian Science Sentinel about a woman who’d spent a lifetime cultivating the habit of gratitude. She said that her mother had taught her to feel sincerely joyous and grateful for the good things that happened in other people’s lives, and to take it as a personal promise from God that, if it happened for them, it could happen for her, too.

The Buddhist have a word for this: Mudita. It’s the practice of finding joy in other people’s success and happiness.

For years, I enjoyed participating at a handful of internet forums, but recently, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend, as more and more people seem to engage in a myriad of negative behaviors, such as might be exhibited by a pair of angry crabs in a five-gallon bucket. Sometimes, I’ve gotten caught up in a heated debate and posted things that were better left unsaid.

I’m starting to wonder if the anonymity of the internet is making us all a little too callous and way too careless with our words. There are those who seem to delight in “pulling others down,” rather than lifting them up.

And I surely don’t want to be one of them.

Saint Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) is credited with saying that the kindest thing we can do for our heavenly Father is to be kind to His children.

I don’t think Saint Teresa would be a fan of the “pulling down” that often occurs today on the internet.

Who among us hasn’t lost our temper and said something we deeply regret? Who among us hasn’t wished that we’d waited just a few minutes more (or hours) before hitting that “submit button”?

Maybe we need to abandon the crabby habit of schadenfreude and work on cultivating the saintly habit of  mudita.

Even on the internet.

To read about Aunt Addie, click here.

To learn about Sears Homes (a very happy topic), click here.

To see more pictures of my cute dog, click here.

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Many people have still not  heard about the EPA’s “Old House Decimation Act,” also known as EPA RRP. According to this legislation (which went into effect Spring 2010), if you’re disturbing more than six square feet of wall area (inside or out) in a pre-1978 house, you must engage in all sorts of ludicrous, over-reaching abatement procedures, including (but not limited to), tyvek suits, respirators, crime-scene tape and yellow warning signs posted at the corners of the property, warning all your neighbors that your house is now eligible to become a super-fund site. (As this author writes, “The EPA just declared war on contractors, remodelers and homeowners…”)

Failing to abide by these onerous regulations can result in fines up to $37,000.

Recently, I got a sneak peak of the 2012 revisions to the EPA RRP regulations. Everyone should be aware of this new legislation. It’s quoted below.

Effective July 1, 2012, EPA’s new “Biome Protection Act” adds an additional layer of protection to delicate ecosystems in our communities, including any and all surrounding wildlife potentially impacted by the adverse health effects of lead paint.

Any and all “at-risk” wildlife at the work site (including but not limited to insects that fly, crawl, creep and wiggle), must be humanely captured (in EPA approved containment vessels), tagged, and be outfitted with size-appropriate half-mask respirators with a HEPA filter, TYVEK suits and steel-toed shoes and then released.

Upon completion of construction project[s], impacted wildlife must be recaptured and all articles of protective gear removed. To insure the safety of said animals, blood samples must be obtained and then submitted to the EPA for review.

If elevated lead levels are found in surrounding wildlife, contractors will be held liable, and subject to fines not to exceed $12 billion.

Below is a picture of a contractor who just learned of the newest EPA legislation:

And  a new promotional campaign from EPA:

To learn about Sears Homes, click here.

To write your representative about this business-killing legislation, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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Not only was Addie strikingly beautiful, but she was also a snappy dresser.

And apparently, this proclivity for beautiful outfits started early. Like, at age two.

And another advertisement from the same magazine:

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To learn more about the Fargo Mansion, click here.

To learn more about Addie, click here.

If you’ve any information to add about Addie’s beautiful clothes and/or styles of the day, please leave a comment!

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When I originally posted this blog, I misidentified the retreat as Pine Knob.

The indefatigable researcher (and old house aficionado) Mark Hardin sent me an email and said, “The name is not Pine Knob, but Pine Knot,” and he also sent me a link that contains much contemporary information about the place, including an address!

This early 20th Century version of Camp David is located at 711 Coles Rolling Road, Keene, Virginia.  According to that website, the 15-acre farm was purchased by Edith Roosevelt (Teddy’s wife) from the estate of William Wilmer, and included a fairly new “worker’s cottage,” which would become their first couple’s little love nest.

It was Edith that named the property, “Pine Knot,” and it was Edith that hired workers to do a little upgrading to the property (although it’s hard to imagine what these “upgrades” could have been).

Total cost of renovations and property: $280.

The website states, “After their first visit there together in June 1905, Teddy Roosevelt wrote to one of his sons, ‘Mother is a great deal more pleased with it than any child with any toy I ever saw.’”

Edith and Teddy’s retreat is (and was) extremely  primitive, lacking indoor plumbing and electricity.

The amazing story of this “new” retreat first appeared in the Spring 1906 issue of American Carpenter and Builder. The article included photos about the new presidential retreat, built for president Theodore Roosevelt (26th president, 1901-1909).

This amazing piece in American Carpenter and Builder also included photos of the staff, and they were a pretty rugged looking group.

To learn more about life in the early 1900s, click here.

To read about Addie Hoyt, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

To read part II of this piece (and see more photos), click here.

And I found this in the December 1905 New York Times.

Part II of this story is here.

To learn about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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By today’s standards, Teddy Roosevelt’s presidential retreat would be described as extremely primitive. Situated on a 15-acre parcel in the Piedmont area of Virginia it was known as “Pine Knob,” and lacked indoor plumbing and electricity.

The amazing story of this “new” retreat first appeared in the Spring 1906 issue of American Carpenter and Builder. The article included photos about the new presidential retreat, built for president Theodore Roosevelt (26th president, 1901-1909).

Apparently, Pine Knob was close to the Virginia/West Virginia border, near Harrisonburg, Virginia. I’ve also included photos of the staff, and they were a pretty rugged looking group, and no one had matching uniforms. And where’s the Secret Service?

Actually, I think the security staff is comprised of the quadrupeds, otherwise known and described as bloodhounds.

I’ll bet the cell service out there was miserable. Oh wait, they didn’t have cell towers. In fact, the article below says they didn’t even have PHONE LINES.

Update! Mark Hardin found a contemporary website dedicated to preserving the history of this rustic retreat and found that the proper name as not Pine Knob, but Pine KNOT (which makes a lot more sense). Thanks, Mark!!

To learn more about life in the early 1900s, click here.

To read about Addie Hoyt, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

To read part II of this piece (and see more photos), click here.

And I found this in the December 1905 New York Times.

Part II of this story is here.

To learn about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s book, click here.

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The beautiful pink house on Gosnold is now a closed chapter in our lives, and we’re delighted to be settling into our new home in another section of Norfolk. The big pink house was fun, but we’re grateful to have handed over the reins to a delightful young couple that have an inherent understanding that they are not just “homeowners” but caretakers.

There are countless blogs at this site detailing the work we’ve done to our 1925 center-hallway, Colonial Revival, so this blog will be all about the new house!

The new house is ideal for us, at this time in our lives. It’s a smaller house and a simpler house, and it’s all on one level. The best part is, the beautiful back yard adjoins a small canal off of Lake Whitehurst. For most of my life, I’ve dreamt of living on the water, and that dream has now come true.

When I was a little girl, my mother would walk through the halls of our home saying, “I’m so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. Just so blessed.” Such things leave a deep impression on a little girl, and I’m sure that my mother’s enjoyment of that home is a big part of the reason that historic architecture became my career.

And now, walking through the splendid rooms of my recently purchased 1962 brick ranch and gazing out the many windows at the beautiful yard with its water views, I hear my mother’s words return to me.

I’m so blessed to live in such a beautiful place. Just so blessed.

To learn about the kit homes in Norfolk, click here.

To read more about our new house, click here.

C. S. Lewis said, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

For more than 10 years, I’ve pondered the spiritual meaning of that awe-inspiring quote. Now I’ve started to ponder its literal meaning as well, and that’s a very lovely thing. Maybe by experiencing the literal meaning of that quote, I can better understand its spiritual meaning.

Soli Deo Gloria.

To learn more about Sears Homes, click here.

To buy Rose’s books, click here.

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Christmas 2007, my husband surprised me with a painting of our new home at 3916 Gosnold Avenue. It was one of the best gifts I ever received. The painting occupies a place of honor alongside our staircase wall. A couple weeks ago, a dear friend was looking at our home, as she knew someone who might be interested in purchasing it.  She saw the painting hanging on the wall and said, “Oh how beautiful! And now when you move out, you’ll always be able to take a little bit of your home with you.”

In addition to the painting (done by Kay Gillispie of Arbovale, WV), we’ve also been involved in the “Out and about Norfolk Plein Air Paint Out,” for the last three years, where local artists spend a day creating an artistic masterpiece of some Norfolk landmark. The second image came from such an event! It is an oil painting done by Gina Warren Buzby.

The third and fourth images were done by Morgan Sarah Ringer, and given to me as a gift. All four of these artistic works are among my favorite possessions on earth!

To learn more about our house, click here.

To see the pretty paintings, scroll on down!

To learn about Sears Homes, click here.

To learn more about 3916 Gosnold Avenue, click here.

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When I give tours of my home, I usually tell people, “This old house is actually a beautiful piece of artwork, and wood was the artists’ medium of choice. And this wooden sculpture is incredibly practical, because we get to live inside of it.”

That’s an honest assessment of how I think of this grand old house.

And Sunday, you can come see this old house. There’ll be an Open House here at 3916 Gosnold Avenue on Sunday from 12-3 pm.

We’ve invested more than $45,000 in our beautiful pink house doing a faithful restoration of this grand old manse. As an architectural historian, I’ve gone to great pains to make certain that all the work performed on this old house was done with painstaking care, forethought, and to my personal exacting standards.

And it might just be the most environmentally friendly old house in Norfolk. With its super high-efficiency gas boiler (94%+), high-efficiency central air (14 SEER) and a dazzling rainwater harvesting system, it’s a delightful blending of the best of old-world craftsmanship with modern technology. In short, you’ll have the unique pleasure of living in a beautiful old house with none of the environmental guilt.

17 Really Good Reasons to Buy The Big Pink House

1) Low electric bills - average budget bill of $115/month (and we love our air conditioning!).

2) High-efficiency central air (14 SEER) with all new ductwork, and electrostatic air cleaner (installed October 2007).

3) High efficiency, top-of-the-line gas-fired boiler (94% efficient) installed March 2011.

4) Thorough restoration of original (Buckingham Slate) roof, with new copper flashing and copper cap at roof ridge. Roof repairs will be required again in 2085 (or so). (About 25% of all the construction debris found in landfills is roofing materials. Slate is the “greenest” roof in the world and with occasional maintenance, it can last forever.)

5) Seamless 6-inch (extra large) aluminum gutters and downspouts.

6) No worries about old plumbing! Entire house replumbed with new copper lines in 2007.

7) Electrical service updated (some new wiring and new panel) in Spring 2007.

Fresh paint, too! Two coats of Sherwin Williams Duration (25-year warranty) cover the home’s cypress clapboards.

9) Eleven new high-end replacement windows have been installed within the last two years. Windows on home’s front are original (to preserve architectural integrity).

10) “Move-in ready” for your favorite quadruped! Custom-built picket fence surrounds peaceful back yard.

11) Who doesn’t love a little house, especially one with a slate roof? “3916-1/2 Gosnold” is a custom-built “mini-house” with a 9′ ceiling, floored attic, built-in ladder and vintage windows.

12) When it’s time for the morning’s ablutions, step into the bath and back in time. Faithfully restored second-floor bath features porcelain sconces, vintage medicine chest, and a Kohler Memoirs sink, sitting atop a restored hex floor. Also has elegant wainscoting, Danze high-end faucets and solid brass vintage towel rack.

13) Modern kitchen is full of light with seven large windows, stainless steel appliances and a brand new Kenmore gas range (May 2011).

14) Harvest Time is nearly here! Tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, strawberries, zucchini and flowers thrive in three separate raised bed gardens in spacious back yard.

15) Handy rain-water harvesting system already in place for those thirsty plants, with more than 200 gallons of available storage.

16) Bibliophiles delight! Built-in bookcase on sunporch is more than 9′ tall and 6′ wide, with 27 sturdy shelves.

17) The house was custom built in 1925 by William Barnes, owner of one of Norfolk’s largest lumber yards. His grandchildren recall that he hand-selected every piece of framing lumber that went into the house. And it shows.

House is 2,300 square feet with three bedrooms, 1-1/2 baths, and a large sunporch.

Asking price is $309,900, which is $35,000+ below city assessment. If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment please contact the Realtor.

Ready for the tour? Enjoy the photos!

To read part two (more photos!), click here.

To schedule an appointment, leave a comment below or contact the Realtor.

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