A “mid” summer night dream
At the beginning of 2020, I had a vision to start Mildred and Mary, lots of ideas, tons of plans I was ready and then, well life happened. But I’m not going to get into any of that this blog is about a dream. I fell in love with a brick house in the little town of Cadillac, Mi. I contacted the realtor only to find out the house was about to close, I told Sara that if anything fell through to please let me know. I went back to my day to day routine and shelved all the plans I had made in my head for the brick house. It was about a week later when I had a very strange and clear dream. In the dream my grandma Mid (aka Mildred, yes that Mildred) was her young fashionable self standing on the front porch of the brick house waving at me to come join her. Mind you, I had only seen photos of the house I had never set foot inside. Mid silently opened the front door and when I walked inside she was the Grandma I remembered from my youth. She never said a word she just quietly lead me across the room, opened the door that was before her and smiled at me. Not just any smile, THE SMILE. My grandma always had a little secret smile just between the two of us. Inside the room it was decorated for family to stay, warm, cozy and full of love. Then Grandma slowly turned and walked away, that’s when I woke up. It was such a clear dream, it left me disoriented as I shuffled to the coffee pot to start my day. Two hours later the phone rang. It was the realtor who had listed the house informing me that the buyer had backed out 3 days before closing as his job had fallen through and asked if I was interested in taking a look at it the following day. Woah……..Yeah right?Interested to say the least! Just days earlier I had scrapped any notion of moving and so lets just say my excitement wasn’t exactly felt by others. Yet anyway…………..My friend and my parents accompanied me and it was the longest 45 minute drive ever. There were conversations that were meant to not arise hope, that it was an old house, and we’ll see when we get there. By the time we arrived it was the 4th showing and there was already 3 cash offers. Yikes! But I had to see it. My father was reluctant to see the house at first until I told him about the dream. After all that was his mom! As soon as I walked inside, I knew I was home. This was it, Grandma had found my home. It was perfect and under the firm scrutiny of my father, I knew it had his approval when he’d look at something and then ask “how much”? The bones were amazing, the yard spacious with a tiny courtyard that reminded me of my beloved NOLA. New roof, new furnace and new windows along with an updated kitchen were just a few of the perks. I made an offer, it was accepted and it was closed within 5 days! It was mine. What started out as a dream turned into a beautiful adventure. And a lot of work.
That porch right? I was lucky enough to be able to put my own touches on the house before I moved in. Utilizing Facebook Marketplace, I was able to mix in pieces I found on the internet with what I had already owned. I surrounded myself with things that I love, I decorated each room with loved ones in mind and I lovingly named her Lady Commodore. If you have to ask why, it’s because she’s mighty mighty and she lets it all hang out.
Built in 1918, Lady Commodore sits close to the river walk by downtown Cadillac, close to the highway and a 45 min drive away from my parents so I can visit and still head to Leelanau county or Lake Michigan as both are easy drives from Interlochen. Today I’m going to show you the porch and the yard. I haven’t done anything with the yard yet but it has tons of potential.
For being in town, the back yard is huge! Hoping for croquet parties and barbecues in the future! The shed was an absolute bonus to this house. It’s a prototype from the 50’s made of straw and plaster and it’s awesome. I just have to remember to keep the big bad wolf away if the 3 little pigs ever decide to visit. And finally there is no garage. There is a remnant of where there used to be one but after enduring a winter (albeit a very mild one) in Northern Michigan I will be adding one this spring. Now for the front porch, my little oasis as seen decked out for fall.
The front porch is inviting as it looks. Covered for rainy days, it looks amazing with Christmas lights and it’s a great place to hang out, kick up your feet and enjoy your favorite cocktail (weather permitting of course)
Congratulations Marla – sounds marvelous!
As a lover of houses with character I can see why this place had to be yours.