Inside ... ohmigod. But the house does have good bones. And the absolutely ugliest panelling in the living room. But lots of nice woodwork and trim. I think the previous decorators were going for the western hunting lodge effect and actually did not a bad job of it. If you like that sort of thing; I don't. And for this neo-city person, that wood/coal stove had to go. After I figured out that it was the heating system for the house, it still had to go - it didn't come with directions! I had not a clue.

The bedrooms were okay - tiny, but hey, a bed will fit. Or a computer desk and a bunch of books and dogs. And the piano will definitely fit in the living room.

The kitchen and bathroom looked okay - water had been shut off, of course, so I didn't know until later that the water and the pipes had very little to do with each other. And the burlap walls in the bathroom were interesting. I really liked the separate shower stall, and I didn't discover the hole water seepage in front of it had made in the floor until I stepped out the shower much later. The laundry room was, shall we say, petite. But the hot water heater looked newish and there were hookups for washer and dryer. And the computer room door opened onto a deck overlooking the big backyard with the big fence.

So I bought it. And five days after I settled on my Fells Point house, five days gratefully spent homeless on Celia Rocca's couch with the dogs in a kennel, HUD finally got its act together and settled and I moved in July 1, 2003.

It's been one joyful discovery after the next ever since.

But, progress!