Secret Room

Trying to navigate Blogger's new format today, so I hope you'll bear with me. To give you a little progress report in the midst of our lovely zombie plague, I finally broke down and called REI and wonder of wonders, they were having a sale on kayaks that were either in stock or could be ordered fairly soon. 

One was completely in our budget and the other was a little more - but we decided to bite the bullet and should have both by the middle of August.So at least there may be a little freedom in my future. Or at least, the promise of it.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering today about secret rooms, as it seems we have one. Of all the houses in the world, I would never suspect our sturdy mid-century home of harboring a secret hideaway. I mainly think of secret rooms and passages in homes from the turn of the century and before--like Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables. I remember reading that book on my (first) honeymoon and wishing I'd find a house like that. 

In fact, I did find a house like that during my (second) marriage. I miss that house, though it had it's ups and downs. This house is terrific, but it doesn't have anywhere near the charm and beauty our old 1914 house had. And what on earth is it doing with a secret room?

We only found the room because when we were house hunting, there was a gap between the concrete staircase built by the owners and the house itself. My husband looked inside and said there was a room in there, mostly cinder blocks and concrete, and definitely not finished. 

There were no stairs leading anywhere and no secret passages. At this point, the gap was filled in, but we know it's behind a wall with a mural in our basement. 

Why DID people have secret passages? What were they hoping to do in them, escape? Why would you build a house if you wanted to escape from it? Have a secret love affair with the maid or butler? 

Wouldn't you need more room for that, or is that where the passage would lead to? Of course there's always the ghost room, where a ghost is hanging out waiting... for what? Maybe to scare visitors to death so he or she would have company.

What are WE going to do with our secret room? I don't know. I'm not sure I want to leave it alone in the dark though. I would very much like to know what's IN there--even if it's nothing but cobwebs and dust balls. I don't like the idea of there being secrets I don't know about in the walls of my house.

If I do meet a ghost in there I'm going to tell him in no uncertain terms the house is too practical for a spirit and he (she?) needs to find a better one. Do you think that will work?

I'll leave you to ponder that while I tell you my one and only triumph this week. Remember I was trying to find a word to rhyme with Connecticut? I already found etiquette, but now I have a new one.

Predicate.

Made me smile, and I needed one this week.

Maybe I should write a song.

Secret room photo: Steven Miller