Oh, I forgot - we also had a wood stove in the middle of the living room that got used often.

This house's HOA prevents us from putting up an outhouse, which I resent. So I want to build a woodshed, and put the little cutout in it so it looks like an outhouse. Because I'm an ass like that. But seriously, it is so beyond me how I can be in Arizona so rural there is no road maintenance on one stretch because no one can agree on who owns the road, and yet have homeowners covenants more restrictive than when I lived in downtown Wichita or Indianapolis.

Composting toilet!

When I go all off-grid fantasy land, it always involves a composting toilet, because I hate outhouses with a passion.

Almost as much of one as my hate-on for HOAs.

If I move into my grandmother's apartment, I'll want to find out why she has her fireplace blocked off, when my parents' upstairs works fine. (I'd bet she hates it because of dirtiness.) (I mean, I wouldn't move in their until after she dies, and who knows when that will be -- I still think she could outlive us all.) (But the point is, I would like to have fire in my living room.)

On my wish list for our Forever House are a fireplace, a screened porch, and a really high-quality dishwasher. (On the kids' list are a treehouse, front AND back yard creeks, and a Giant Pacific Octopus living in the back yard creek.)

My fireplace is not really safe to use, so I've nver had a fire. I want to make a custom bookshelf to fit in it.

I did indeed make it to Chicago last night. Eventually and very late. People keep asking me to think and string words together today, which is just cruel.

I grew up with a wood stove. My dad would chop down trees, cut them up with a chainsaw, and we'd haul the logs back to the house with the tractor. Then we'd toss the wood into the log splitter and stack the split wood along the fencerow. We'd haul some of the wood to a basement window, and when the rack by the stove got low, we would stand on a chair to pull more wood inside.

My great-grandmother had a wood stove in the kitchen, and she still cooked on it.

The house before the one I remember didn't have running water, and I'm not sure about electricity. My dad spent all his summers there, and in high school my mom went with him, outhouse and all.

I have a gas fireplace. With no chimney. The gas line is capped and there's no way I'd be able to install a new grate, because SO not up to current code. But it is the original design, and a friend does still have a working one in her house. She uses it sparingly. It freaks me out!

An aunt who lives out in the boonies has a composting toilet.

On my wish list for our Forever House are a fireplace, a screened porch, and a really high-quality dishwasher.

Fireplace, claw-footed tub, ENOUGH BOOKSHELVES AND CLOSETS, and maid service. Those are on my wishlist.

Fireplace, claw-footed tub, ENOUGH BOOKSHELVES AND CLOSETS

Also butler's pantry, dumbwaiter, and turret room. I also loved the push-button light switches from the '10s and '20s.