Good humor makes all things possible.
-Charles Schultz-

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.
-Shakespeare-The Merchant of Venice-

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Measure twice. At least.

I haven't written a post in six weeks because #1 I've been busy, and #2 I haven't been any fun.  Posts are more fun to read when I am fun to be around. In October I went to Chicago where I was a barrel of monkeys, but I was busy, so here we are back at obstacle  number one again.  Lately work has just been one long dark coal mine with no apparent light at the end of the tunnel. Without too many depressing details, lets just say things have a slight possibility of looking up.  I hope.  If nothing else, I have been reminded that I have a good team who are supporting me.

So through a long series of card tricks, I have become the proud owner of shelves.  Lots of shelves.  Two are elegant white laminate commercial display shelves, six feet square, with twenty-five square boxes each.  They are beautiful (and enormous.)  The other two are rough wood, sturdy and homely, and will live in the garage as a workbench and storage area.  I couldn't be happier. Well, turns out, I actually could be a little happier.

One set of white shelves MUST live in the garage.  They replace a few flimsy old Sauder wrecks filled with crap like catfood and potting soil and paint. They really are too lovely to live out there but  as you have read here before, my house is already quite full.  The only way the other set can move in is if  [many many] more items move out, which is a someday goal, so the garage is their new home.

Sam's old lair, the cutest of the three small bedrooms, is just begging to become a library full time and house all the books, the loveseat, and a TV. (There are four TVs in this house, only one of which I purchased.  TVs are like cats; and like cats, some are better than others). The giant white shelf is idling in the living room (it weighs as much as a refrigerator, more or less).  The old PC resigned itself to a trip to the dump a farm.  I am saving up for a Mac, really and truly.  A. and I had planned and measured the final location and at the last minute, decided to measure the doorways and hall, just to make sure.

And now you know WHY I could be a little happier.

The shelves would fit through the door of the gray bedroom, now a spartan guest room.  They would also slide right into the blue bedroom which is filled with miscellaneous items and will eventually be painted the same pale cocoa as the hall bath.  But neither room sings 'I am the perfect library and you want to sit in here all the time!' like the brown bedroom. It has to be that room.

A. is a good sport with a fine imagination and promised that he could disassemble, relocate, and reassemble the shelves in the room where they will live until the end of time.  He recently went on thyroid replacement and has more pep than a water polo team.  My original complement of thyroid provides just enough energy to complain and procrastinate, but he believes this will work.

So that's where things stand.  Highlights: Hauling a truckload of wobbly, puckery home-assembled shelves AND Sam's old captain's bed (which stood on its head for ten years holding up boxes) AND the old hand me down PC to the transfer station. Hosing down the garage floor and displacing a snake, which I had not noticed before because I was covered with spiderwebs and, possibly, spiders ( I have reason to feel vulnerable around vengeful spiders). Flying to Chicago for four days with Lillie and Sam.  We saw Billy Elliott, our favorite movie-turned musical.  We shopped and wandered and had the Best.Time.Ever.  Lillie and I had birthdays.
    Sam and Lillie live in this house in that town

And as soon as we get those shelves moved, I'll report back.