A message from Micky & Joe, June 20, 1999:
Hello!
We've had quite the busy week. A virtual whirlwind in the last 96 hours. We're making the move from our 1200 sq ft house in Plymouth to our 4100 sq ft 1772 farmhouse in Goshen, CT! Caught you by surprise, we did, huh? Well, we've always dreamed of an authentic colonial, not that we didn't feel safe in our 1953 concrete nuclear bombshelter, but it wasn't our dream. We're upping our acreage from 7 to 10 and our fireplaces from 1 to at least 5 and most likely 8. It's such a wonderful house complete with chestnut floors, 14 rooms, wainscoting, the original paneling around the fireplaces, 1 huge barn, 1 lean-to, a detached 3-bay garage, and an attached 2-bay garage which will be converted into Grandma's house because we're thrilled to tell everyone she's coming with us. She'll have a living space connected, yet independent to ours. The field is luxurious-5 acres of meadow and the remaining woods for exploring. Now I know you're asking yourself, "The pool?" Well, not yet. Notice I said the word yet. Hopefully next spring. Can it get any better??? Yes. We are a five-minute walk to the local elementary school which is part of the region where I teach so I can transfer over when the time is appropriate. It's only a 25 minute commute for Joe to work right through the heart of Litchfield and about 20 minutes for me to get to Warren Elementary. Add central vac and central air on the first floor and...We are thrilled!! My cheeks actually hurt from smiling.
Not that it's not without work. When you look at the picture you'll notice the nasty pimplet to the left. It's a hideous greenhouse/room which will be delightfully torn down by the new owners in order to transform it back to the porch, which was a wrap-around, in the 1800's. In addition, eventually those dormers will have to go. Eventually. One thing about having a house this immense, there will always be a project and no rush to do them all because there's not enough time in any one person's lifetime to complete all of the projects. We have a lot of yardwork to do to spiff it up. A lot of cosmetic work-ripping up of carpets to expose the beautiful hardwood underneath, a lot of stripping of wallpaper and painting. The kitchens and bathrooms are as good as ours. The house is very livable. We could go in now and not have to do a thing and live quite contentedly but we are going to work really hard to restore it to its grandeur.
So why Big Oak Farm? The Pratts used to own a farm in Plymouth on Maple St. with the same name. Hopefully we'll find an oak on the property. If not, we'll have to call it Little Oak Sapling Farm. And when will the laborious move occur? Well, we'll move our house in late August and Grandma in sometime in November and the rest of our outbuildings pretty much by spring. We don't anticipate putting the houses on the market until the spring. There's a lot of work involved in separating it all out.
And that is our REALLY BIG NEWS! We can't wait to have you all up to see our new spread! Of course, if you'd like to help us move...you'll get a special tour and maybe a taste of Pratt's Big Oak Ale that will be on tap...
Fondly - Micky and Joe
And now the rest of the pics - click on a thumbnail to view the full-size photo:
Finally, click here to see a picture of the house as it will look in a little while . . .
