Buying a House in a Kit!?

In response to my post about the old 'farm cottage' homes here, Red mentioned buying a house in a kit from a catalog.  In fact my grandparents did just that when they retired.  For 30+ years, right through the Depression, they ran the general store in Kilsyth, a few miles west of here.  That's where my dad grew up.  When they retired they bought another property in the village, a small old home with a huge garden and a small barn.

They ordered a simple small house from Eaton's catalog, not unlike the homes in my previous post, but with out the roof dormer, and built it on the front of the little old cabin that was already there.  This is the home that I remember visiting as a child.  I loved the big raspberry patches in the garden!

Here's that little old house today.  A dormer has been added, as well as a swimming pool, and the garden is gone.  You';d never know it was an Eaton's catalog house!  The big old maple I swung on a tire from as a child is dead though.

I had an elderly aunt who never married and lived with my grandparents all her life.  She lived a lot longer than they did, so she's the one I remember best.  She was the postmistress in the general store, and when they moved kept a small flock of chickens in the small barn.  If I was lucky I'd get to go and help her collect the eggs. 

I have a lot of deep memories of that old house in Kilsyth.  And when my aunt finally died, and the house had to be sold, Mrs. F.G. and I, in between grad school and my first job, got to go and live in that house for s summer, keeping it looking good while it was up for sale.  It was perhaps the best summer of our lives.

Meanwhile, to keep you amused, here are some pix from the street.

The first Tulips.

And the first geraniums.

Our neighbour's beautiful pink Magnolia.

And their Japanese Maple.

Another neighbour has this beautiful Serviceberry which turns white for far too few days.

Of course we've had our share of Dandelions, which were all bright yellow two weeks ago.  Then suddenly they turned white and set their seeds - almost as pretty as when they're yellow!