Another Time...

 

I’ve written before about the Instagram account “Bryarton Farm” and all I’ve learned from Sara Jo about her family’s quest to restore their 1893 farmhouse to its original glory. (If you go to this page, you can read more about their efforts and see some truly amazing before and after pictures.)

            One thing I learned from Sara Jo is the difference between remodeling and restoring. They didn’t buy this house to flip it or make it modern, though it does have modern conveniences. Everything they’ve done to the house has been deeply researched and carefully approached to bring it back to the way it was constructed when it was built. On one of her recent posts, she even talks about trying to find a working antique tea kettle for their kitchen. Everything she does is beautiful and thoughtful, and while it may not be a way of life for everyone, I think it’s charming.

            I’ve been asked before – if I could live in any time period other than the one in which I actually live, what would I pick? That’s not an easy question, is it?

            Ryan would probably tell me not to go back farther than the invention of the air conditioner, because I’d be unlikely to survive, and he’d be right about that. But for our “just suppose” conversation, we’ll just suppose I don’t have a broken internal thermostat, and I can survive some warmth.

            I honestly think my first choice would be somewhere in the late 1800s or early 1900s. Maybe I’ve just immersed myself in too much Little House, Anne of Green Gables, and Bryarton Farm on Instagram, but there’s something so simple and lovely about those times. I know, I know…there was a lot of difficulty, determination, and grit, too, but maybe that is part of the draw as well. Maybe there was something extra special about a time of life when people had to work and everything wasn’t automated and easy.

            As I’ve watched Sara Jo strive to live in ways that honor this very time period, I’ve grown to appreciate quietness, beauty, and nature. I find refreshment in this simplistic way of life, and it pushes me to find ways to incorporate it into our lives.

            I plan to keep my electricity and indoor plumbing, but I am not opposed to sitting outside at sunset, reading a book instead of watching TV, and bringing in flowers and greenery for a little centerpiece on the table. Cooking from the garden has certainly brought me some beautiful simplicity this summer, too.

            If you had to choose to live in a time period other than this one, which one would you choose?

            (Ryan said he would choose the fifties so he could drive a cool car. Happily, that is my second choice for an alternate time period, so maybe we could live together in Mayberry!)