It's time to rethink the single-family home as the American dream, author says

[CTyankee]

93. Yes. That family was probably living very simply. It was unimaginable to me.

With that upgrade other things could be done such as air conditioning.

I am glad that we had gas in the kitchen so I could get a new gas oven. The old one had to be lit with a match, if you can imagine such a thing! I'm glad now, tho, because my newer gas range is a much better way to cook, and somewhat prized even!

Then came the windows which were old pulley and sash and when the rope broke from age the window had to be propped open with books!

Then we got central air conditioning put in.

Now these houses are in demand because of their prewar construction "bones." But it took a helluva lot of money to get up to modern living. Of course, you have to spend lots of money just to "keep up" with advances made in the way we live now. We had a way to go just to keep even.

No homes and no cars were made for nonmilitary use during that war, I have learned. Every factory had to be converted to war time production. So people had to sacrifice. I don't think folks realize what that generation had to just live through in order for use to win war on two fronts.