Thursday, April 12, 2012

Neighbors, Part 3 - The Knoxville Home

Our first home, The Knoxville Home. Very interesting story here. When we were married our intention was to save and buy a house. The Hubby could not stand to owe ANYONE and rent counted in that category. He thought you were pissing away money. 
We got a phone call one day from one of his mother's best friends, Myrtle, who lived (rented) in the house to the right of this picture.  Myrtle thought we might be interested in the house.  The man that lived in the house had passed away and they were going to sell the house in probate.  It was a tiny 900 square foot house and I really don't remember even going inside to look at it before we bought it.  As it turns out The Hubby used to mow the lawn for the couple that lived in it.  I think their name was Penrose and they had no children.  In fact, I think he died in the house and they were the first owners, we were number two.  My grandfather, being in real estate helped us to facilitate the process and I believe part of the down payment.  When we three kids were born they bought insurance policies and as we needed the money in special ways they cashed them in and gave us the money.  We paid $15,000. for this little cracker box of a house and lived in it for 10 years.  We had two children and ran our business out of it.  My father thought The Hubby was crazy moving his daughter from the quiet small town of Broken Arrow to Tulsa and then to NORTH Tulsa.  Daddy just didn't understand the beauty of the little neighborhood.  We loved it.  The house next door saw a few changes too.  Myrtle had a daughter and son, dear friends of ours now.  The son had already gone to college and the daughter lived with her mother there for a couple of years.  It was awesome to have a mother figure close by and her daughter that was close to my age.  When Myrtle moved out her son moved in and he was single.  PARTY!  He loved to play the drums and being young I did not mind at all.  It was great fun having him next door.  Then he married and moved to Arkansas.  New neighbors!  The house, which was a rental was then inhabited by a young guy our age, Craig.  Craig was dating a girl, Susie, whose grandmother owned the house.  Craig and Susie married and began their family there.  They bought the house from her grandmother and they still live there to this day.  We are still dear friends with them watching their children grow and now grandchildren.  What great friends they are.  


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh! I've never been in a home for very long to come to know neighbors coming and going and their lives -how interesting and wonderful! - I've moved so much in my life. But now, I am here to stay, though there aren't many neighbors 'round this cove *laugh*

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Interesting story of the house. Nice that you knew and go along with the neighbors so well.