Aladdin Homes


I used to live in a house like this, a kit house from the early 1900's. Aladdin Homes were precut out west and shipped by railroad to the buyers across the country. Aladdin Homes had a slogan of giving the buyers a dollar for any knot found in the wood. A dollar in 1916 was a lot of money. The house was a bit over a thousand dollars to purchase knocked down. If you're interested in reading about Aladdin Homes company's history, click here.

This past weekend my brother told me that the present owners have taken off the yucky aluminum siding that someone tacked on in the 1960's. Present owners are a nice young couple with preschool children. I said,

"I love it when someone else
lives my dreams."


I was trying to be a bit witty, but the comment has stuck with me a bit. When I lived in that house, I used to sit and dream about ripping off the aluminum and seeing the wood underneath. In the end, we decided to move to a newer house that needed less work. Our present house fits our needs in a way that the old house couldn't. In this house I have a "creativity zone" and a playroom and a garage.

I still love the old house, though. It's where we as a young couple settled when we were done with graduate school, and where we had our children. It's where I rocked newborns in the wee hours of the night, and saw them learn to walk, and eventually to talk. It's where my oldest son had countless hours of at-home therapy, and where we had meetings with therapists to talk about how to help him learn to communicate. It's where I planted many, many kinds of heirloom tomatoes. It's where I learned about perennials, and gardening. One of the owners from the 1920's had worked at the University of Maine in the horticulture department, and had planted some wonderful specimens, the most beautiful being a mature magnolia tree. It's where I started selling on Ebay - mostly to try to make room in the house!

Yesterday I stopped by and slipped a note under the door to the cute couple that owns it now and said, "YAY for you! It looks great!" They called me and I went over to meet them. The young wife asked for help in identifying plants and it was like going back in time. I do so miss that garden! I planted many of those plants over a period of twelve years. But I'm so happy that someone who really cares for the house owns it now.

1 comment:

The Feathered Nest said...

What a wonderful post Dixie!!! I love that you left them a note and that you were able to go visit them...that was such a neat thing for you and for them! xxoo, Dawn


"Do not let what you cannot do
keep you from doing what you can do."

John Wooden