House in Huntsville

Thirty six years ago today (November 8th), we moved into our new house in Huntsville. We had a 20 month-old toddler and his three-week old baby brother. Our house seemed so big - over 1,000 sq. feet!

We qualified for a 'farm home loan', but there were stipulations - you had to buy or build outside of Ogden City limits. For weeks we looked for ground in Plain City and Far West. We drove up the canyon and around the Valley. We finally put some interest money down on a building lot in Nordic Valley. Shortly after, custodian Karl DeVries was pushing his broom through the art room at Weber High. He started a conversation with Steve, and found out we were planning to build a house. He said "Well, I have a couple of acres in Huntsville. I'll sell you one."

The next afternoon, Steve and I drove down 6900 East, a seldom-used narrow dirt road with a couple of tire tracks. Steve pointed to a field of snow. "There's the ground, what do you think?"

"But all I can see is snow"

With Songer wisdom, he replied "Well, there's gotta be something holding up that snow."

There was. And we paid $4,500 for it. ( @ 8.5% interest )

Our parents thought we were crazy to want to live 'clear up in Huntsville'. "Think of the drive!" "Think of the snow!"

It became a spiritual experience to live in such a rural and secluded place. One of the first mornings we were here, I glanced out the kitchen window to see the first heavy frost on the ground. The low, early sun pierced through the pine trees and cut a swath of light across the fenced pastures. Minutes later, I noticed that all the different animals had made their way to the warmth of the morning. They were standing in a row of sunlight with frost on their backs and their breath creating a fog around their heads. The quiet beauty of nature was stunning.

So - Happy 36th Anniversary to our Huntsville home!!!