attic antics

The grandeur of Tanner Manor belied our humble lifestyle, but we were rich in some ways. Because Mom and Dad trusted us, they gave us a very long leash to play and discover things on our own, making us rich in freedom. We didn’t have to go much further than the walls and halls of our own home to find adventures. Consequently, no nook or cranny of Tanner Manor went unexplored. 

​​Take our full-length attic, for example. More than the typical, dusty repository of old things, the attic in Tanner Manor served as our gymnasium, play room, and hideout where we could safely escape the din of the house. Just before I was born, a house fire ravaged the attic necessitating the family to move out for six months while the insurance company made good on the claim. According to Mom, the cleanup gave the old place a fresh upgrade. What kind of shape the attic was in pre-conflagration is a mystery, but it did get a fresh coat of silver paint. (Why silver is a mystery to me!) Nonetheless, the wood floor had no insulation and the rafters were left exposed and rough.​

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