The Blacks' farmhouse was cozy yet modern, lived in but clean, with exposed boards crisscrossing over the high ceilings that matched the polished grain of the floors below. What looked like handmade quilts lay draped over the two couches in the living room. The flat-screen TV against one wall showed wavy lines over what looked like a recording of a really old soap opera.

"Please, call me Gran," Grandma Black said. "Everyone else does. Can I get you some peach iced tea, sugar?" ...