Grimy kitchen cabinets (and walls) aside, there is much to be grateful about our new house — including some of the changes the previous owners made.

Near as we can tell, they opened up the kitchen design — and it looks much better than an old photo floating around the internet from the listing prior to their purchase. Another thing we love: the wood cabinets they installed in the great room. Aside from being handsome, the cabinets evoke the mid-century modern origins of the house.

I was reminded of this when WordPress dredged up a long-forgotten post I wrote about a renovation of a mid-century modern house in Lodi nearly a decade ago. That house was in far worse shape when my in-laws purchased it — there was a hole in the roof and kiddie pool to catch the water, among other things. And in the process of turning the house around for new owners, they (or their partners, can’t remember) ended up stripping out some of the groovy interior design, from a retro lamp evoking the 1967 Debbie Reynolds movie “Divorce American Style” to a kitchen that evoked “The Brady Bunch.”

Our new house isn’t nearly as stuck in time, and there are many other things about it that we love. More on those later. In the meantime, I vow to appreciate all the good features of the house … even as I wrestle with home improvement projects before we move in.