Spirited

I always knew the girls were spirited but seeing them like this is a little bit...haunting...don't you think?  Overexposure and a too-open shutter will do that to you, I suppose. 

But it was kind of fitting for the occasion.  We helped welcome my brother's family into their new home --  a beautiful place on a big stretch of land full of fruit trees and wild grasses and weathered buildings.  The barn is magnificently aged and worn, but the house itself is entirely refinished and comfortable.

And just the slightest

bit

frightening. 

Hear me out: there are hidden closets and passageways and trap doors.  There are secret entrances and deep closets.  It's a hide-and-seeker's dream.  I know the girls will have the MOST fun playing there with their cousin, but it was all I could do to walk through the empty rooms without shivering -- on a hot day. 

Once they get furniture arranged and family accents placed, it will not be frightening at all. 

Except for the basement with its steep, narrow staircase. 

And the tiny, child-sized door leading to the attic from the upstairs bedroom. 

And the way the little gabled cutouts seem to hide the barest whisper of a shadow...

Old farm houses are awesome, as long as I'm only stopping by for frequent visits.  Because peeing my pants each time I tiptoe past a trapdoor or over a creaky step would just not be conducive to my cool-mom status.  I need to guard that diligently as I fear it's already waning; my spirited kids see right through me. 



What do you think?  Would you love to live in an old farm house?  Or are you more likely to be a skiddish, pants-wetting visitor?