It was the predilection of the inhabitants of Manny Panbroke’s neighborhood to put new siding on their little houses every single year, for no good reason, laying it right over the old. As a consequence, the walls, originally stucco or clapboard, then red brick, then aluminum, then California redwood, then white brick, followed by veneer then stucco again and so on, were nearly three feet thick. The effect created deep-set windows, long entrances and houses that looked much, much larger than they really were. Manny Panbroke’s house was no different. He rose before dawn each morning, and as the coffee […]