visiting an old friend, as I became familiar with the variations in the colors of the art glass, the turquoise one, the purple and green one, and the little brass numbers embedded in the wood frames. We had storm window inserts made for the house after our first cold winter there, and what a job it was to “do windows,” not just washing and mounting them, but lifting and storing them, exchanging storms for screens. At times, my sons and their friends or a house guest would offer to help. It was a chore with some heavy lifting but it would have been downright uncomfortable without the storm windows in place for the winter months. Once the storm doors and storm windows were installed, we were toasty. The hot water heat in the radiators gave off a cozy warmth. The passive solar heat added a great deal to it. The house had no air conditioning during our time there, but we seldom missed it. Once in a while, if there was no wind and the summer heat became too oppressive, I would go sleep in the cool billiard room on the first level, but usually the cross-ventilation on the upper levels was enough to keep us comfortable. storage a few original screens for every level, and a screen door was on the bedroom balcony. Although both house and garden were labor intensive, and coming in. After moving in, we had found in
certainly added to my bodily deterioration, they also preserved my well-being, mental and physical, maintaining my agility and balance. Washing all the
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