Update

I had totally forgotten this blog.  Where to fill in ...

In  Sept. of 2015 we sold the old girl to a nice young family following my retirement.  In the intervening years, wow.

She painted up beautifully, gold with forest green and burgundy trim, black window frames.   So nice.

But in 2009, my husband got a job out of town and we bought another heritage home, an 1860 Greek revival in excellent shape, for him to live in.  Who wouldn't want two 100+ year old homes to take care of?

In January of 2010 the water main failed.  $7K later we knew that there were no water mains on our street, that it came via gravity feed from the cross street to the north, and that the sewer line ran via gravity to the cross street to the south.  We bought a rider for the insurance to take care of the sewer line, should it fail.  It didn't.

The kitchen turned out to be lovely.  Such a large, functional space!

Fantastic electrician Jon continued to work his magic and we left the house far safer, and with far better wiring, than we found it.

Lots of small projects gave us a beautiful, functional interior.  Perhaps the best rehab was the gut of the main bathroom, which finished with a beautiful space, reminiscent of the early 1900s with its vintage sink and tiny tile floor.

And the garden.  Oh my. Our garden became a showplace for the neighborhood.  I wish I'd kept count of the number of people who complimented us on it.

Even better, my parting shot to the city was spearheading a movement to create a historic conservation district to protect our old lady and her neighbors.  We got that through city council on a unanimous vote and to my everlasting pleasure, I know she's safe.

I have to confess, I absolutely adore that house, even after we're gone.  The warmth of the woodwork, the cozy spaces, the huge kitchen, I suspect it will be my favorite even to the grave.

We now live in an 1881 Italianate not-quite mansion on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.   It's wonderful, formal, classy, very big, and totally renovated.  I love its arched, 6' high windows, double arched front doors, and large, airy rooms.  It needs no work, which is a big reason we bought it.  But it ain't the old Mellicker Place.  God love her, she felt like home.  Godspeed!