Living in century-old house has features, quirks

Friday, July 11, 2008

It has a number of very attractive features, including hand-carved mantels and details on the staircases and here and there on various pieces of trim, original pine floors which have taken on a patina that you just can’t buy at a store, a wraparound screen porch which is basically another room three seasons of the year and big, airy windows, from before air conditioning, when you just had to have big, airy windows to survive August in Southern Maryland.

Though most of the time we love it, there are some problems, though nothing approaching the problems of the folks (bad segue alert!) the below item is aimed at.

Apparently people in the early 20th century didn’t have as much stuff as they do now. There are only two substantial closets, both underneath staircases (which our perfect daughters call the ‘‘Harry Potter cupboards”).

There are no closets in two of the three bedrooms, and the other one has two closets, but they are less than a foot deep. Did folks back then have skinny clothes?

Was the custom then to hang clothes parallel to the closet door, perhaps for some obscure superstitious reason? Enquiring minds want to know.

Also, as time went on, the former owners added little bits and pieces on to the place, and they were still decorated in the fashion of the period in which they were built. This means we had a handsome, old-fashioned looking bathroom, but a kitchen painted a most vivid shade of 1950s green.

Our long-ingrained habit of procrastination doesn’t help anything, nor our preference for outdoor projects involving animals and heavy equipment. We have a barn to finish and many a tractor task to play with, I’m afraid, before we get around to de-greening our kitchen.

And after a while, the shade kind of grows on you. Like a fungus.

Bar associationhas foreclosure info

With 25,000 foreclosures expected in Maryland this year, and one in every 200 homes now in some stage of a foreclosure proceeding, many families across the state face losing their homes.

To help these thousands of people, especially in light of new state foreclosure laws, the Maryland State Bar Association has just released a newly revised foreclosure proceeding legal information guide and is giving it away free to Maryland consumers, according to a press release.

MSBA’s ‘‘Foreclosing Proceedings in Maryland” public awareness brochure offers assistance to consumers facing or fearing a foreclosure. The free pamphlet provides legal information to help the public better understand the new foreclosure law, effective April 4, which offers additional protections for homeowners.

It explains the new law in basic terms and outlines the steps of the revised foreclosure process.

‘‘Foreclosing Proceedings in Maryland” is one in the series of 24 legal information guides offered by MSBA’s Public Awareness Committee at the www.msba.org⁄departments⁄commpubl⁄publications⁄brochures⁄index.htm.

Waldorf Jaycees sets summer fun events

The Greater Waldorf Jaycees will host a car show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and a 1920s murder mystery show and dinner at 7 p.m. July 25.

The car show is open to cars from model year 1980 and older, and prizes will be awarded to the top 25 in the show, best paint, best engine, best interior, best unfinished, spectators choice and best in show for foreign and American models.

Registration before the day of the show is $12, $15 day of the show, with spectators $5. Kids 12 and younger get in free.

All proceeds will benefit Special Olympics of Charles County. Music, food and door prizes will be available.

The murder mystery benefits the American Cancer Society and the $50 tickets include dinner, dancing and the mystery, acted out in the audience.

Call 301-645-4546 for information on both events.

TEAM mates needed

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking enthusiastic adults to become Teaching Environmental Awareness in Maryland, or TEAM, volunteers.

TEAM DNR is a volunteer program committed to educating elementary and middle school students about the Chesapeake Bay and other environmental issues.

‘‘TEAM volunteers are helping to create the next generation of environmental stewards,” said Amy Henry, a conservation education specialist at DNR, in a press release. ‘‘Volunteers help students understand the importance of conservation and restoration through hands-on activities and presentations.”

TEAM Volunteers provide an important link between DNR, schools, and students. Currently, TEAM offers schools free classroom programs on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, streams, oyster reefs, horseshoe crabs and Chesapeake watermen. For information, go to www.dnr.maryland.gov⁄education⁄teamdnr.