Follow the signs – you really don’t want to get lost out here
I didn’t even edit all the shots from this final house. I’ve been processing shots since Sunday afternoon, and photos of houses and whatnot aren’t my usual fare – so by the time I got around to this house I pretty much quit caring. Sorry.
4447 Rusk house (and Doug)
It’s rather fitting that it happened with this house, and perhaps the house itself is part of the reason why I lost interest. My husband commented after walking through it that the owners must have some pull in the neighborhood to have even been included, because it didn’t have any particularly significant improvements or details, and it wasn’t very impressive. The living room, den, and kitchen were nice enough, and the front porch and gardens were pretty, but nothing about it was memorable. Except that the owners were incredibly friendly, they were baking cookies, and they clearly owned a home that was geared towards community involvement and making connections with others.
Free library in the yard – take a book, leave a book
Aside from the “little library” in their front yard, where neighbors can leave books or pick one up, they also had numerous books about the area displayed inside the house for people to peruse, and a coffee display table that clearly represented their political affiliations – you can barely see it in this shot, but it was chock full of Democratic bumper stickers, buttons, adverts, and other paraphernalia from as far back as LBJ (I took a close up picture of the table, but I am writing this post from work and it’s on my computer at home):
Den with original fireplace and shelving
Here’s another shot of the den. Again, it was nice enough, but not nearly as refined as the other houses on the tour.
The Rusk house was small, but very homey. Lovely den
I did love the formal living room – those lace curtains reminded me of my great-grandmother’s house.
Living area at 4447 Rusk
The kitchen did boast original cabinets, with their glass faces:
Original glass-faced cabinets
Kitchen – this house had a lot of the original cabinetry still intact
And the front porch, as with all the other homes, was lovely:
The porch at 4447 Rusk
“If you have a garden and a library then you have all you need”
Annnnnd that’s IT for my Nostalgic Neighborhood Home Tour. In other news, those of you who follow me on Flickr or Facebook probably already know that our old cat Ramone is missing. I’m being a bit premature, because it hasn’t even been 24 hours, but he’s 14 years old and has been losing weight for some time (we’ve had him tested but they couldn’t find anything except his age to be causing it). I hope if he’s gone, he went peacefully, and that he’s not suffering wherever he is. But I’m distracted today thinking about him, so this post might not be up to my usual. And please don’t tell me I need to keep my cats inside. Number one, that’s not helpful to me right now, and number two, I already know that’s best. But Ramone was Doug’s cat before he was mine, he was already accustomed to going outside on the regular when I moved in, and anyone who’s had a cat knows once they are used to going outside, you can’t stop them. He hasn’t wandered any farther than the backyard in years, so that’s why my concern level is high. Keep him in your thoughts as I’m worried about him today! I’ll keep you all posted.
mareymercy. 
I’ve known indoor cats. I think it is hard on them to be so confined. Ramone is probably taking care of something he needs. He has been on my mind all morning. I will hold positive thoughts. The photos are lovely and your posts are always great, no matter the circumstances. xx
I’ve already contacted the neighborhood website to put up a post. I’ll probably print some flyers when I get home and try to put them up. I just don’t see how he could have wondered off and gotten lost; he NEVER leaves the vicinity of the house anymore. 😦
Is it possible he climbed into some nook or cranny to keep warm? Birds do that when they are under the weather and then you have to go looking for them all over the house. Maybe outside, under an eave, etc. or in a rafter in the garage or attic?
We did look, and at this point it’s just not like him at all. He never wants to go more than a few hours without eating, and he is always nearby. He didn’t used to be this way, but as he has aged it’s become his pattern to be near us, near the kitchen in particular, or in the backyard close by. But of course, anything is possible, it’s true. My instincts are just not good on this one. It happens, and he’s older, but still he has been OK aside from the weight loss, which the steroid shots seemed to control. So for him to disappear now is surprising.
(Maybe post a flyer nearby?)
I remember we had a cat that was an inside outside. He used to bring home dead birds and mouses. We then brought him to the barn where horses where and he loved it up there much more then our house.
Maybe he left because he did not want to be around when he passed. Hopefully that is not the case and he will return home soon. 😀
That’s what my instincts are telling me; it’s just odd because aside from the weight loss he hasn’t been acting any differently lately, but who knows. He never wanders far from the house and is always wanting food after just a few hours, so I can’t imagine what else could have happened. He avoided streets, I’ve checked all around our street and seen no cats in the road – I dunno. To me, it doesn’t look good and I am sad, but this is how it goes when one has pets. I know that the next cat we get, I will insist on putting a collar on it right away with ID and I will insist he not be let outside. I always hated it that Ramone had those two issues, but he was stubborn and we could never get him to wear a collar or stay in the house.
Ya its almost a thing at to do when they are little. Hopefully you will find out what happened to him. A lady my dad works with her cat ran off and was also a inside cat but went out and he never came back.
Maybe someone found him. Its even worse if he had no collar harder for someone to call if they find him. Sorry this is happening.
Yeah unfortunately by the time I moved in with Doug Ramone already was grown and had never worn a collar. There was no way I ever could get him to wear one unfortunately.
Ugh well I hope wherever he is he is ok. Hugs
Hope all turns out well with Ramone.
This “Home series” has been spectacular. Great photography. Makes me feel like I’m there.
Thank you – we will have to wait and see with Ramone but I still hope for the best.
Good luck with Ramone. The architecture and details you showed were quite a revelation,
in that I don’t see any of these applied to new construction here in the NE states. Such
common sense application to climate and comfort before “AC”.. I can see why the
neighborhood is subject to gentrification. Many thanks