The House Where Time Stood Still
It couldn’t stand still forever
There once was a house that remained virtually unchanged for decades. Wood paneling coupled with orange and brown striped wallpaper still graced the basement walls. One bathroom was a shade of green that only existed in the 70s. Almost every piece of furniture and every knickknack had been planted before I ever stepped foot through the door a quarter of a century ago, never to move.
The same couch sat in the same spot. The same beds with the same comforters. The same glass-top kitchen table and chairs. The same rugs, the same pictures on the wall, the same tv on the kitchen counter, the same ceramic birds and glass dish on the same coffee table. The same lamps. Heck, even the same kitchen utensils.
Even the food was consistent. There was a wood bowl on the basement coffee table, and it was always filled with a mix of little Hershey’s candies. You could count on a glass of wine or Crown if you prefer something harder. Fried chicken was the go-to, with strawberry yogurt, deli potato salad, containers of mashed potatoes, strawberries with whipped cream, and boxed mac and cheese.
For the grandkids or great-grandkids that stayed the night, there was toast with Rotella’s bread (the best toast, I’m told, because of all the butter), frozen waffles, or, sometimes…
