Endless Knots

Wheat House is on the market and the Boston Globe likes it

 

 

 

The Samuel Wheat House
399 Waltham Street, West Newton, MA

In about two weeks' time, my house will look like this again. The peonies, which I transplanted from the far edge of the property to the front garden some years ago, always bloom around my birthday, the moment that may be Wheat House's most glorious.

Why Wheat House? Read on. But first: the house is on the market and Boston Globe reporter Eileen McEleney Woods gave it a very nice write-up in Sunday's Globe Magazine. Scroll about halfway down the article and you'll find this description:

PROS Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Samuel Wheat House, a pre-Revolutionary Georgian built in 1735, exudes warmth: Much of this gambrel, particularly the kitchen, is sunny, five rooms (including two bedrooms) have fireplaces, and the original wide-plank hardwood flooring is golden. Amid all of this history (the dining room was once used as a doctor’s office, and the original doorway, ornate and stately, still graces the front entrance) are modern conveniences, such as the stainless appliances in the kitchen and the sink in a mudroom closet. It’s a five-minute walk to the commuter rail. CONS Take care pulling out of the driveway.

Thank you, Ms. McEleney Woods. It's heartwarming to read such a glowing description of the abode that our family has loved so deeply for so many years.

There are houses that people live in and there are homes that even the one-time visitor remembers. Looking at comments on my Facebook page where I first posted about the house being on the market, I find a number of visitors who were there perhaps once or twice.

• I will miss your house dearly!
• Love your house. 
• The house looks amazing Jessica, I have a lot of fond memories ...
• I have MANY very fond memories of that house, even before you moved in... don' t forget to tell people about the bomb shelter under the back yard!
• I remember that lovely home very well.....and leading the seder at your dining room table during college!
• I will always cherish the first time I went to your home it was wonderful and I love the house.

It's an instant nostalgia machine, a great place for gatherings, and a very easy house to live in. It's also in walking distance of the famed West Newton Cinema, one of Boston's premier movie houses; 10 places to eat including Lumiere, Blue Ribbon, The Local, Shogun, L'Aroma, Comella's, and West Newton Pizza; the commuter rail; the express bus; and at least 45 banks (a new development).

And further to two of the Globe reporter's points: 1. It is indeed sunny because, wisely, those pre-Revolutionary builders knew what solar advocates today seek--it's the only house on the street that faces south (all the rest face east and west); and 2. Yes, when a road is built around a house that went up nearly 200 years before there even were cars, then driveways can be a problem, which is solved by creating a turnaround so you're always facing out.

 

 

Having lived here for so many years, I know every nook and cranny, every detail, like these facts:

• What is now the den has seven doors (to the second floor, to the cellar, to the china cabinet, to the playroom, to the dining room, to the kitchen, and to the passthrough);
• There are four giant linen drawers outside the second-floor laundry (the best place for a laundry);
• There's a plug in the middle of the dining room floor because that's where the doctors who previously lived here had their offices;

 

 

• There's a third floor with a full bath and two bedrooms or studies or studios or whatever you want there that are so far away from the kitchen that it's as if you're in a different building;
• The original horsehair insulation is so good that until it's well over 90 for a few days running you don't even need air conditioning;
• What was the sixth bedroom is now a walk-in closet, making for easy living;
• The closets overall are large, plentiful, and unusually ample for an old house;
• There's a coat closet under the front stairs;
• With six rooms on the ground floor, a hundred people can still circulate at a party;
• The post in the northwest corner of the kitchen is actually a tree trunk;
• The wideboard pine floors (18" and wider) in the former dining room were installed in the early 1800s (you can tell by the nails, one refinisher told me); 

 

 

• The yard in back feels like a secret garden and, once inside, you have no notice of the street; and,

• Bucky Fuller had dinner here on February 10, 1977.

 

It's a treasure and it's hard to part with.

I pulled together a history of the house for use by the real estate agent (this link takes you to all the pictures). There are relatively few houses in the US with this kind of provenance that have survived intact.

The fine condition of the house is a testament to the quality of the materials and the skill of the original builders. In all the years that we owned it, we never had a major repair, just the typical things that householding brings: painting, replacing appliances, the occasional clogged sink. And so, herewith, culled from a variety of historical records, including the Massachusetts Historical Commission's superb compilation of multiple sources, and which I quote extensively here, though without the quote marks as I rewrote it somewhat extensively--thanks MHC!, I offer...

Wheat House, A History

The house at 399 Waltham Street, known as The Samuel Wheat House and named for its first owner, Dr. Samuel Wheat, has been owned by eight families since it was completed in 1735.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this pre-Revolutionary Georgian retains architectural details typical of the period, including a steep gambrel roof and narrow side elevations. Evidence of alteration includes chimney additions and a six-over-six window sash in the 19^th century and such 20^th-century additions as the garage and library in the 1930s, and the sunroom in 1985. Even with these changes, the house remains remarkably intact and is considered to be of major historical significance.

Samuel Wheat and his wife, Hannah, whose gravestone lists her as a “professor of religion,” were reported to have had 17 children. Dr. Wheat, who came to West Newton in 1713, was the village doctor. First one of their sons, Samuel Jr, and also a doctor, and later their daughter, Catherine, who married Capt. Thomas Eustis, owned the house, which eventually was sold at the turn of the 19^th century to the Davis family, perhaps the same people for whom nearby Davis Avenue is named.

Briefly owned by the Woodford family (he was treasurer of Second Church), the house then became the home of Samuel S. Kilburn (a designer and an engraver) and his family, who lived here until the turn of the 20^th century. In 1898, Mrs. Edward Augustus Holyoke Allen, moved into the house with her children, following the death of her husband, who was a first cousin of Nathaniel Allen, who taught at the Allen School on Webster Street, where the educator Horace Mann also taught.

In 1929, the house was sold to the Baker family, who made a number of renovations, including turning the woodshed into the library, adding the mudroom, the garage, and the sun porch, removing the side door on Waltham Street, which is now where the shelves are between the dining room and the den, and planting the gardens, many of which specimens still survive. The Bakers owned the house until 1955, when they sold it to Dr. Nick and Joyce Stahl, who were married in the garden.

Mary and Richard Burack (who was also a doctor) bought the house in 1959, raising their five children here. During their tenure, they removed the old bake oven in the den, built the fireplace and paneling that now surround it, replaced the front sill, replaced clapboards on the front of the house, and built a bomb shelter in the backyard.

They sold the house to authors Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps on April 18, 1972, three months after they were married, and who renewed their vows in the garden in 1986. While previous owners had previously used the current dining room as a doctor’s office (an electrical plug remains in the middle of the room for the former examination table), the new owners converted several bedrooms to studies where they wrote many books, bringing the first computers into the house when they moved in.

They added storm windows and doors, enclosed the sun porch making it a four-season room, opened an interior window between the kitchen and the den, added 220 wiring throughout, removed all the peeling wallpaper, installed first a woodstove and then a fireplace insert in the den, stripped, stained and polished the mantel around the den fireplace, lined the chimney, replaced the roof, added wood flooring to the kitchen, planted the decorative flower and herb garden in the front yard, added the 1868 bell to the front door, installed brass and porcelain locks on the first floor windows, converted one bathroom to a laundry room, converted a half-bath in the mudroom area to a utility sink for gardening, added Italian glass tiles to the half-bath off the dining room, and returned the house to its original color—red.

They raised two daughters here, Miranda, born in 1977, and Eliza, who was born in the house in 1980; held many birthday parties, meetings, and gatherings; hosted many weddings and wedding receptions for friends; and celebrated the publication of many books of their own and for those of friends.

The house is being sold for the first time in 42 years.

 

Lifetime Learning in Newton -- beginning Sept 16

I got one of those delicious little gigs this summer, the kind that's satisfying to do, short in duration, and which puts you in touch with great people. Such was the situation when my friend, Ed Hauben,director of Newton Community Education (my hometown, the one and only Garden City, Newton, Massachusetts, just outside Boston for my global friends), asked me if I could find speakers for Newton's Lifetime Learning program.

The Dr. George Altman Distinguished Speaker Series has been going for 34 (!) years, drawing scores of local notables and listeners from 40-some surrounding communities. The program is aimed at the "older folk," people from their late-60s to late-90s, and it draws crowds up to 250! Former Mass Governor Mike Dukakais is emblematic of the type of person who speaks. And, the program is paired with the Harriet Altman Classical Music Performance Series. Here's a link to the brochure, which includes the music program as well.

So if you fit the profile (Gen W? or before, i.e. boomer and beyond), mark your calendars for Monday mornings, beginning Sept 16, and head for Wilson Chapel at Andover Newton Theological Seminary. For the record, I "sourced" the speakers through networking: first I wrote to a handful of friends whom I knew would be great; then I wrote to another handful of people whom I knew would know great speakers. Kudos to Ray Elman, who recommended two of those below: Denise Blumenthal and Stephen Kinzer. Ed Hauben knew Bob Gerst; Ruth Nemzoff and Judith Kurland are friends of mine; and Marion Stoddart is a friend of my sister-in-law, Susan Stamps. Here's the list of speakers -- all very interesting! I'll be there for some if not all of the sessions. See you there?

• Ruth Nemzoff, Brandeis Scholar and author, on intergenerational relationships
• Judith Kurland, Director, UMass Boston Center for Community Democracy, on what to look for in candiates
• Denise Blumenthal, Director, WGBH Education Department, on educational technology
• Bob Gerst, Mass College of Art, Liberal Arts Chair, on the movies
• Stephen Kinzer, veteran NY Times correspondent and author, on the Dulles brothers
• Marion Stoddart, 85-year-old activist, on "The Work of 1000" 

 

Hard-drive crash #2

Call me unlucky (but it is a story ultimately about virtual teams, so thanks, sort of, computer).

For the second time in just about four years, I've had a total hard-drive crash. I documented what happened in 2009 here and here and here and here. There are likely even more posts but that's enough to get the drift.

So in the past two weeks, my brand-new (9 months old) superfast solid-state drive crashed as did my logic board on my MacAir, which is a toddler -- about two-and-a-half years old. The first offending item:

I could go through every step of this. Suffice to say that it's all taken place in 90+F degree heat, meaning everyone is cranky, and that the backup systems that I thought would handle everything are of course not working perfectly. In fact, I think it would be accurate to say they're working imperfectly.

But along the way, I've had some good customer service. Committed Endless Knots readers know that I'm a fan of the Apple Genius Bar. On this round, they did their best, which wasn't all that much, since the problem was hardware. Here's a picture of the nice team of people at the Chestnut Hill (MA) Apple Store -- Josh, Justin, and Melissa (l-r).

(I didn't take a picture of the not-so-helpful store manager whose name I will not mention but who refused to have a technician look at my machine when I was 14 minutes late for an appointment, even though I'd called and said I was held up in Fourth of July traffic and that I'd raced three-and-a-half hours--a trip that normally takes 2-1/4--to get there in time. No, person-whose-name-begins-with-C-and-ends-with-l, I won't mention your name.)

But the story involves Computer Loft, which had sold me the original OWC Aura 480SSD, and which ultimately replaced it (under warranty), along with the logic board (separate repair covered under AppleCare), and which is, even as I type, helping me restore my files from Carbonite, which went out of its way to hasten the restore process.

Long short, because my repaired machine is at the Computer Loft and, guess what, I'm not, we had to find a workaround whereby Carbonite's technician could have access to my machine, which required my setting up a gotomeeting, inviting Craig Marin at Computer Loft, then giving him control after which he downloaded a file from Carbonite, which allowed the Carbonite tech, Michael M in Lewiston, Maine, to access my machine, with me watching the process all the while via gotomeeting.

Here's a screen capture of the chat between Craig at Computer Loft and Michael at Carbonite from my machine as operated by Craig and as seen through gotomeeting on mine (my old machine that is, the one whose hard drive crashed in 2009).

The restore will take approximately three days, yes, DAYS, during the biggest heat wave evuh (remember, this is Boston), so, what do you think, a power outage might be a possibility? Just sayin'...

If you're the meditating type, please use the following mantra: May Jessica's machine receive all its files peacefully and without further unforeseen (and never before seen--I've heard that too often in the past two weeks) problems.

If you're the praying type, add in your appropriate religious figure/deity for good measure.

Thank you.

And please send me your email address as I've likely lost all of my email from the past 2.5 years, including all the mail I sent and received during the time my husband, Jeff Stamps, was dying. That's the real loss, the very poignant communication from that period, i.e. if you've got any mail from me, please send me that too.

Everything else is just material.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear killed in my neighborhood!

I live the village of West Newton, in a city of 85,000, eight miles from Boston. The Massachusetts Turnpike runs through it. As do trains, cars, bikes, and a whole lot of people. Yet on Sunday, a 120-pound bear was found in a tree about a quarter of a mile from my house.

Adding to the wildlife roster: deer, coyotoes, fox, howler cats... what's next?

I'm also sad to learn that the bear was killed rather than sedated and saved. And the outcry has begun. Surely the Newton's police could have come up with a stun gun when the Department of Environmental Protection's police tranq gun jammed (the official story). After all, the Newton Police Department is literally across the street from where the bear was found.

Newton's first bear, but certainly not the last.

 

 

 

The New Newtonville Books!

photo from Newtonville Books website -- thanks

Like many others who live on my side of this lovely metropolis, I was sad to learn that our beloved Newtonville Books, the last independent bookstore in Newton, was decamping to Newton Centre.

Now for those who don't live in (or love) this unique city, it may not sound like much of a difference. One Newton may seem like the next (or the other 13). But our 84,000 residents occupy 13 villages and each is quite different. While Newtonville, where the bookstore opened a dozen-plus years ago, is not as thick with restaurants and high-end shops as Newton Centre, it has its own charm -- an excellent coffee shop, now thriving after five turns in ownership; two bakeries; a vintage jewelry store with no parallel; a good women's clothing store; a thrift shop; a great new diner; a Japanese restaurant; the place where I've bought my glasses for decades; a pet shop that's been the fave destination of generations of Newtonians and where we acquired two dogs; several salons; and of course 45 banks...

Beside all that, it's walkable from my village and so Newtonville Books was a regular stop on my frequent Newtonville visits. Newtonville Books absquatulated to Newton Centre? Harrumph.

Then yesterday there I was in Newton Centre, visiting my favorite cobbler (Pelham Shoe Repair; quick, excellent; and just nice people), when I remembered that I needed to pick up our next book club book (Mistaken by Neil Jordan; positive review; order it from Newtonville Books).

And then there I was in the BEAUTIFUL new Newtonville Books. Just beautiful. Spacious -- and the bookshelves are on wheels so they can be pushed back to make space for readings. An expanded children's book section. Room to step back and read the labels of the sections. A good card section. Lots of light. Just beautiful.

I had the chance to chat with Mary Cotton (co-owner with Jaime Clarke), whose pleasure with how things have turned out is evident from her smile. There's more foot traffic, more evening bustle as people flock to the many restaurants in Newton Centre, and, of course, the advantage of being right on the T, which means people can easily get there without a car (sadly not true on our side of Newton, which only has the commuter rail that, true to its name, only really runs at commuter time). I re-upped by membership on the spot -- and bumped into an old friend.

Just the kind of place that book lovers will linger. The only thing missing is the coffee bar...

 

 

 

 

Ganesh will not be televised

And while we're on the subject of The Cove, back in October we spotted something very strange along the shore, a statue of Ganesh, the Hindu god with an elephant head (how he came to have the head is rather gruesome so I'll just leave it there). We first became acquainted with Ganesh at Apple, yes, the Apple, when we were consulting to its newly formed International Software organization (hello, Steve Teicher).

The year was 1995 and a new facility was being set up in Bangalore by Ashok Khosla, who had to do everything including finding a place, setting up the infrastructure, negotiating contracts, moving his family there, and on and on and on. He began one of his initial presentations with a slide of, yes, Ganesh, "the remover of obstacles," as he put it.

So fast forward 15 years and there is Ganesh sitting along the shore of the Charles. I started snapping shots one after another but every single one of them was too dark to use. Once back at iPhoto, I did a bit of bar sliding and this is what I finally came up with, for your enjoyment, especially should you need some obstacle-removal, The Lord Ganesh:

 

And for the record, we never saw him there again.

Skating on very thin ice

The River Charles as it is sometimes archly called runs the Boston Marathon -- from Hopkinton out into Boston Harbor. Naturally, it borders our beloved city of Newton, which makes for some mighty nice walking, especially when it's very cold, which means there aren't a lot of other walkers (not that I mind other walkers, just that it's nice to have rivers to ourselves sometimes). One of our fave walks is at The Cove in Auburndale, one of Newton's villages. Technically, the Cove is just a little inlet of the Charles, with a much-used park on one side and lovely houses on the other. In between, the water in question.

Two days ago, we first saw this:

And then we noticed this:

They were beautiful, graceful, and swift skaters. We hope they stayed dry.

 

"A Word from the Field:" (Old Friends) Farmer's Block

I've never been to Old Friends Farm but I love their stand at the Newton (Tues) Farmers Market so much that I've posted about them before.

Their weekly newsletter has, naturally, news from the farm, recipes, and this time a reflection on farmer's block, if such possibly could exist. Inspired, so to speak, by writer's block, which Casey, who writes this edition, clearly does not suffer from:

A Word from the Field:

It may be the three hours of sleep, but I believe I am suffering from a common case of writers block. This is not to be confused with "farmer's block." "Farmer's block" we definitely do NOT have.

There is so much beautiful produce coming out of the fields. What would farmer's block look like? Well, maybe it looks like our husk cherries. We invested so much energy in them, and never got to the chapter when we get to harvest them.

Or maybe it looks like our carrots: we think they are going to germinate like a good idea, then they vanish like a thought you didn't get out in time.

Maybe, just maybe, it looks like a pond full of water without the ability to get it to all the fields. Ok, so we might have these mild cases of farmers block, but without them, wouldn't we be bored on our perfect little farm? Where's the challenge? The hardship? The angst? The sleep? All those successes (greens, ginger, potatoes, leeks, bok choi) wouldn't feel so special. So, I hereby say "cheers!" to farmers block, and shoo the writers block away!

Ships ahoy

Kids from Lowell Elementary School in Watertown, MA, built and lauched their vessels on the Charles River a few days ago, just around the bend from the falls in Watertown Square.

 

Last post on water emergency, I hope

Latest from Mayor Setti Warren on our water problems in Eastern Mass:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR POST-BOIL ORDER

Residents are advised to flush their water following the lifting of the boil order in order to clear plumbing of potentially contaminated water. 

Flushing your household and building water lines includes interior and exterior faucets; showers; water and ice dispensers; water treatment units, etc. 

Please follow these guidelines:

Cold Water Faucets: Run tap water until the water feels cold, 1 minute or more, before drinking, tooth brushing, or using for food preparation. 

Hot Water Faucets: To clear hot water pipes and water heater of untreated water, turn on all hot water faucets and flush for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot water tank and 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger. 

Never use water from the hot faucet for drinking, cooking, or other internal-consumption purposes. 

After this flushing, hot water is then safe to use for washing hands, and for handwashing of dishes, pots and pans, etc. 

Refrigerators: Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed by at least one quart of water. 

Dishwashers: After flushing hot water pipes and water heater, run dishwasher empty one time. 

Humidifiers: Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water. 

Food and baby formula: Be sure you have discarded any baby formula or other foods
prepared with water on the days of the boil order. (If unsure of the dates contact your water Department.) 

Ice cubes: Automatic ice dispensers should be emptied of ice made during the boil order. Then, discard ice made over an additional 24 hour period to assure complete purging of the water supply line. 

Due to the flushing of the lines by residents and the flushing of the hydrants, some customers may experience a lack of water pressure and/or discolored water. However, this is an expected result and does not pose a health risk. 

Contact Newton Customer Service at 617-796-1000 if you have any questions.