Our Old House and Its Blue Herons

There is a fine blue heron who fishes the stream (a branch of the little Wolf River)a half block from our house. While Jon was building the second story of the garage last year, he would see the blue heron fly overhead, so low it was almost scary. We see him often standing still as a statue waiting to make his catch.

I want to know how many years blue herons like the one we see fished in the stream? Is that why the original owner/builder of our house John Olsen Wrolstad and his wife Mathea featured etched glass doors of 3 herons on the front porch?
Above: Front Door features a large blue heron

Above: 2 Herons at Dining Room Door to Front Porch
Even stranger is our story. We saw our old house for the first time in 2000. Jon said, I want to show you an old house I think is neat. When we first saw the house, we learned the house had been vacant for almost 40 years. We saw the house from the driveway and didn't notice the front doors with the etched glass (1 heron on the front door), and 2 herons on the side door to the dining room.

The strange part of the story begins now, as I tell you about our former home and beautiful flower beds, fountains, picket fences, etc. In 2003 or 2004 I don't remember the exact year we bought a statue for the yard--it was 3 herons.

Above: Our former property on Elm Valley Road and the 3 blue heron statue/fountain.

Forward to February 18, 2007 Jon and I had our first walk through of the old house (after pining for it for 6-1/2 years). When I entered the dining room, and walked straight forward toward the front door in the foyer I saw the 1 heron etched glass door, and then immediately to my left as I was still in the dining room I caught the image 2 herons etched glass door--the dining room door leading to the porch. My eyes filled with tears as I immediately thought of our own 3 heron statue at home. Coincidence I know, but at that moment I felt connected to the old house we were about to buy.



Seven minutes into the walk-thru in the upstairs hallways I smiled at Jon and he smiling back turned to the realtor and said, "we'll take the house".

We moved the 3 herons statue from the barn location yesterday, to a spot in the west yard where I can look out my kitchen window and enjoy it now during the fall and winter months.