This house

I can't put my finger on it--what makes this house so wonderful? I would like to buy one like it in Massachusetts, but they don't exist. Of course, everything costs more in Massachusetts, so that's one factor. They also are mostly older houses, at least where I want to live, and so they are two stories, without a bedroom or bathroom on the main floor. Sometimes, they have remodeled and may have added a half bath, perhaps by taking out the coat closet or the pantry, but I like those things too. This house is on a dead-end street, not far from a major highway. When I step outside in the morning to take the dog for a walk, I can hear the traffic. It's not loud enough to be annoying, especially not inside. If you walk up to the end of the street, though, where the highway is just behind the row of houses on the cross street, it seems very loud, enough to keep me from wanting to live there. They are offering one of those houses for rent for $3000! It is newly remodeled, with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, but right in the backyard is a giant brick wall hiding a super-highway! Our house is much nicer, even though it has only 1 1/2 baths. It has a large fenced yard and we would probably try to rent it for $2000. As I walk back to the house, I admire the two giant oak trees that are in front, on either side of the lot, near the street. There's no sidewalk here, but we do have a fire hydrant right in front. It's a pretty narrow lot, room for the house and carport, with a narrow band of yard on either side. When you are backing the car out, you have to watch for the big old tree on one side and the fire hydrant on the other. Ray has done it enough now that he has a system to make sure he doesn't cut it close on either side. I'm a little cautious still. As long as we don't forget! The drive is gravel, but there is a paved walk from the front of the house that makes a right angle to the driveway. It amuses me--why a paved walkway there? The porch is low, with built-in benches on 3 sides. When the sun is low in the sky (on winter afternoons, for instance), it is nice and warm. The dog loves to lie there. I was there a few days ago, but I was thinking, "we need a comfy chair for sunny days on this porch." Sitting on a hard backless bench and reading is not for me any more, although it's great for putting on my shoes. The house is brick, low, and the front door is painted orange! How fun! It is kind of a 60s door, with 3 blocks of glass separated with bands of orange. When it's really warm, we leave it open and let the afternoon sun come in through the storm door. Right inside the door is the living room. It's small, with 2 windows on the right wall. There is a wood floor. To the left is a big front window, with a small table in front of it. That's the eating area, no separate dining room. There is a door to the carport on the left wall and the kitchen, open to the eating area and the living room, is right there. It is painted a light green, all the cabinets. The floor is dark gray or black slate squares. The counters are black, too. Amelia says they are made of paper! I don't know how they make them durable and heat-resistant but they work great. There is an island with the stovetop built in, facing the front window. The oven is over to the right, not under the stove, but next to it. It is a good big oven. In addition to the green cupboards, there is a built-in cabinet next to the side door, near the table, with more cupboards and a surface where we have the microwave oven. Against the kitchen wall is the refrigerator and the sink and some counters and cupboards. That's where the coffee machine lives. There's one more little cabinet built into the wall acroos from the kitchen, a shallow spice cabinet. You'd be surprised how many things fit there--spices, of course, and teas, and some canned goods and small boxes.