One Decade Plus Four

 Who would have thought? 14 years. May 1, 2007, I crossed into Tennessee,  on my way to Memphis , where I intended to put down my roots. Didn't happen. My roots are, to the chagrin of the populace, sunk into Ripley soil.

Flashback memories: Being enthralled with Serendipity when I first saw her.  Awnings and fretwork, magnolias, high ceilings, hardwood floors. Later I would learn that I also had a tulip tree and a pecan tree.  There is a hackberry tree  (so I am told) and one which I tend to forget.  Two columns at the head of the steps which, I am told, were hitching posts from the Town Square, bought and installed by the previous owner. They had glass globes attached which you could turn on at night from the house. Wonderful. Of course they didn't work and no electrician wanted to tackle the job. Humongous coach lanterns which, I am told, came off of a funeral wagon. "I am told" because there doesn't appear to be a written history of the property. I discovered and uncovered, through hard work, a brick patio at the rear of the house and a brick pathway which winds from the front to the back. 

There is an article about the earliest owner on record,  Presley T. Glass, a major in the Civil War and who also served in the U. S. Congress.  Thank goodness that he was a Democrat.  Some people refer to it as the Glass House, or by the name of the previous owner, the Savage House. I, however, refer to it as Serendipity or the Blackman House.  Jimmy used to say that no matter how long I lived here that it would always be known as Mrs. Savage's house.

My, my, it is a shame that everyone who knows the history of the house is deceased. However, Kate Johnston Peters, chair of the Lauderdale Library Broad of Trustees, compiled and edited Lauderdale County from Earliest Times, in 1957.  In her mention of Serendipity, she writes:

Col. P. T. Glass, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Palmer and Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy and others lived at times in the home now owned by Mr. and Mrs. W. T, Savage This home is over 100 years old. 

If you've been with me on this journey, you know that the majority of these years have been spent in rehabbing the property, trying to learn the ways of my neighbors (not too successful in that arena), and making a new life. I was not prepared for small-town life. That everybody is related or knows someone who is related or knows your business before you do.  My goodness, I'm not from around here. How was I supposed to know that the person who ticked me off royally was the aunt, cousin, sister, mother, niece of the person to whom I was talking? And just why would I bring my big-city ideas to Ripley and think anyone would be interested?

But while my social life is virtually non-existent (Covid-19 certainly didn't help there), I became active in the community. Some will say that I became a pain in the patookus but sometimes things just need to be said. Gained my certification as a Master Gardener (no, I have not mastered the art of gardening), obtained my notary license (haven't notarized a thing), opened and closed a business, and entered into the retired life. 

What happens next? Perhaps I will get the drive to finish the many projects waiting for completion. There's a hallway that needs to be painted, bushes to be trimmed, bookcases to be organized, pictures to be sorted, and...and, you get the drift. My heart will never heal but I've got miles and miles to go before I sleep.

All the best.