New Door!

Last Friday was finally the day they delivered and installed our new door! For anyone not familiar with the story, when we first moved into our house 30+ years ago, we already thought the door was ugly. It was perfectly functional - which was a good thing, because until now we couldn't have afforded a new one - but it was just, well, ugly. Plus, it was a steel door, so it was heavy, and also provided very little insulation.

Note: For anyone who has ever sent me something in the mail, you may be wondering why the house number is "2127" instead of the number that you have for my address. That's because door is on a different street. Long story, which I'll explain sometime. But rest assured, the address you have is our official address! 😊

You may also remember that I had originally hoped that our new door could have some small windows at the top, to let in some light, since our house can be very dark. But due to the fact that our door opening was extremely small (Philadelphia rowhouses, I tell ya!), it wouldn't be possible to have the windows. I was truly disappointed at first, but I told The Tim that I wanted to make up for it by finding a good door knocker.

In any case, the two workers arrived Friday morning ready to tear out the old door and install the new one. Originally, they said it would likely take until around 4 pm, but they were finished and on their way by shortly after 2 pm. And best of all, we now have a door that we just love! (And a new outdoor light installed a few weeks ago when the electricians were here!)

And I'm not sure if you can really see it, but we did get a good door knocker - it's a bumblebee! We are beyond pleased with how nice it all looks, and what a HUGE improvement it is. Originally, we were floored at the cost of new doors, but we agreed over the weekend that it was worth every penny.

One funny thing is how many neighbors have gone way out of their way to tell us how nice it looks. The Tim said that now that he thinks of it, he's betting that all of them were saying, "Thank GOD they finally got rid of that eyesore!"😂

And the thing that cracks us up the most is our one set of next-door neighbors and their reaction. This couple moved in about five years after we did. They are great neighbors and really wonderful people and we love them dearly.* But they are also the kinds of people who, regardless of what they do, wear, have, etc., it is always just right. For instance, the woman in the couple is one of those people who looks nicer after she has done her morning run than most people look on their wedding day. I'm sure we all know at least one person like this. 

Anyhow, last fall, they completely renovated their house, inside and out. And in a major way, top to bottom. It looks great, and as you can imagine, every single thing is best quality, etc., being that they are not just really well-to-do, but the guy is an architect, so he has all of the right contacts for home improvements. 

Well, she was out of town on Friday at the vacation house they are having built (did I mention they were well-to-do?), and when he got home from work on Friday, he saw the door. He sent her a photo, and apparently also sent her a very specific photo of the bumblebee door knocker, which he specifically liked. She texted me saying how great it looked, etc., and said "now we just HAVE to find a good door knocker, too!" On Saturday morning, I went out and he was out there, and he said, "You would not believe how many door knockers we are looking at! We saw yours, and now we absolutely have to find one we like!" 

So now, for once and quite possibly the ONLY time in our lives, the next door neighbors are trying to keep up with US! 

In any case, we could not be happier with our new door. Every time we go in or out, we comment on how perfect it is. And then we say how it's now worthy of being part of the pair of front doors we have (see Note earlier in this post).

But that's not all - on Saturday, we got a new tree! You'll have to wait for another post for that story. But a new tree, right outside of our new door - as I said to The Tim - "Everything's coming up Milhous!" (That's a reference from the TV show "The Simpsons," in case you're wondering what the ___ I'm talking about.)

*We always say that it's good that they are wonderful people and good neighbors, because they are so perfect, it would be easy - and possibly quite enjoyable - to hate them. 😂😂