The Story of Annie

A vintage window greenhouse

There once was a girl named Crystal. She was a dreamer. She loved animals, big open skies and adventures.

There once was a boy named Bentley. He was a do-er. He loved cars, hockey and building stuff.

They met. They laughed. They talked and talked and talked.

They fell in love and eventually got married.

They laughed until Crystal would cry.

They talked and dreamt and planned.

Crystal loved garage and estate sales. She often called Bentley to pick up her latest finds when they wouldn’t fit in her vehicle. Like lots of old iron gates and fence pieces.

Or this enormous old iron chandelier.

She met so many interesting people, like the man who had recently gotten out of prison and had tears tattooed under his eye. His story made her cry and has stayed with her to this day.

One day she began collecting old windows. Her favorites were the ones that opened or had many panes.

Bentley got in on the window collecting and one day he surprised Crystal with a matching set of windows that were five feet tall and eight feed long and had many panes. Crystal was in heaven. She realized these two windows would make great walls and the big dream began.

They would make perfect walls for a greenhouse!

“A greenhouse?” Bentley exclaimed!

“Yes a greeenhouse! I want to have a pretty little greenhouse that makes me smile every time I see it and then I can start seeds in every spring. And I want it made out of these old windows you and I have been collecting.”

“That will be impossible to put together” said Bentley.

“I know you will figure it out” said Crystal.

And he did. He laid out the windows and started putting them together like a jigsaw puzzle. It was hard and he got frustrated but he worked and he worked. Where there was no window for the spot, he cut a piece of glass, made a frame and suddenly it all fit together.

What to do for the roof though? Crystal scanned the classifieds and what did she find? Railing glass! Bentley quickly picked up this prize of a find and there…they had a roof!

She was so pretty, but there was one thing missing. She needed a name. They pondered and thought and when they came together they both had the same name in mind…Annie. Annie was Bentley’s mom and she loved to hit up garage and estate sales and bring home all her treasures to fix, clean and sometimes repurpose. So in remembrance of this amazing woman, the sweet, pretty greenhouse was named.

Annie (the greenhouse) travelled with Bentley and Crystal from house to house. Each time Bentley would take her apart, always forgetting to draw a sketch of how to put her back together. They would arrive at the new house and Crystal would impatiently wait for Bentley to put Annie back together. It took time, he would get annoyed but eventually Annie would spring to life in her new location.

Crystal delighted in dressing Annie up for all occasions. Check out the post “Stroll through a Christmas Past” to see her all decked out for Christmas.

She lived in a field.

She lived on a peninsula.

Finally she found her perfect spot. Perched up on a rocky outcropping, overlooking a vast lake under a big open sky. The property came to be known as Sweet Valley Acres and Annie was the crowning jewel!

Crystal was a dreamer who loved big open skies.

Bentley was a do-er who loved building stuff.

Together, Annie, the greenhouse was their creation.

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