Another day cool enough for a walk. It's amazing the difference in my ability to enjoy a walk depending on temperature and humidity. I guess that would be a big "Thanks, Captain Obvious!"
Even after living here for so long, the way the oak tree limbs look against the sky still thrill me. It's hard to imagine a time when I would be so jaded that I don't still feel this way or that I'm so used to them I don't see them anymore. I hope I never do. There are certain places on my walks that I feel as if I should take a picture every time I pass them, just for that sky-scene, stitched across with branches.
I am keeping track of this house which is being overgrown so fast with grapevines and other plants that I fear it's going to disappear before summer's end.
It's so empty and alone now. There is one fern hanging from the porch which goes to show how relatively recently it was inhabited. I think the house still has good bones and is not yet beyond renovation but I have a very sad feeling that's not going to happen. I wish I knew more about its history. As you can see, it has a giant oak in the front yard.
Today has been slow and fairly lazy. I did a little tidying and I changed up the bark cloth I use as a curtain in our bedroom window because the one I was using was such a deep green that it didn't allow enough light into the room to suit me. I loved that piece I was using. It was heavy and dramatic but the new one is nice too. We didn't use to have anything in that window but a lace curtain but then the next door neighbors cleared out that side of their yard so that we were visible from their property. Pissed me off but it's their yard, their decision. They seem to be more interested in taming the Jungle of Lloyd than we are and keep things cut down, cut back, and mowed. They have a much smaller lot than ours so it is easier. Plus, they are younger. And their place does look tidy and neat which you certainly cannot say about ours.
I also tried to figure out where to put my Holly Braffet painting. I tried to somehow fit it into this collection of things I love hanging on the wall in the hallway.
These are mostly things done by my children and I tried moving them around and I put Holly's painting here and there but the problem was that it got lost. Of course.
No. No, no, no.
So I put everything back, mostly where everything had been before but I did clean up and dust the pictures and it does look better now.
I went on and did a few other things and then I decided to take it to our room and see what it looked like right beside my bed because that is where I'd really been imagining it, although hardly anyone else but me would see it and it wouldn't go with a damn thing but it would be the last thing I saw at night when I got into bed and would bring me great pleasure with its presence there.
No. No, no, no.
So I put everything back, mostly where everything had been before but I did clean up and dust the pictures and it does look better now.
I went on and did a few other things and then I decided to take it to our room and see what it looked like right beside my bed because that is where I'd really been imagining it, although hardly anyone else but me would see it and it wouldn't go with a damn thing but it would be the last thing I saw at night when I got into bed and would bring me great pleasure with its presence there.
And so for now, that's where it is.
Does it clash with the bark cloth I have on both window and bedside miniature dresser where Monkey Mama and Baby sit?
Ummm...
Probably.
Do I care?
Not at all.
I am not an interior designer. I do not pretend to be. I am also not Martha Stewart. Nor am I a Bohemian artistic type. I am just someone who finds great joy in surrounding herself with the things she loves. Anyone with a major OCD outlook would pass out, seeing what I have here. Also, anyone with an allergy to mold and mildew but that's another story.
I do believe that as we make improvements to our house, I will be getting rid of a lot of things I've had hanging up for many years. I am craving a bit more simplicity but I'm not at the point yet where I'm ready to truly start taking things down.
Almost though.
Almost.
Ummm...
Probably.
Do I care?
Not at all.
I am not an interior designer. I do not pretend to be. I am also not Martha Stewart. Nor am I a Bohemian artistic type. I am just someone who finds great joy in surrounding herself with the things she loves. Anyone with a major OCD outlook would pass out, seeing what I have here. Also, anyone with an allergy to mold and mildew but that's another story.
I do believe that as we make improvements to our house, I will be getting rid of a lot of things I've had hanging up for many years. I am craving a bit more simplicity but I'm not at the point yet where I'm ready to truly start taking things down.
Almost though.
Almost.
But if I am following Marie Kondo's advice about only keeping things that spark joy, it's going to be hard. And that painting right beside the pillow where I lay my head sparks a whole lot of joy.
Okay. Let's talk about tofu some more. I ate my leftover tofu for supper last night and I decided that boiling it before I airfried it had indeed given it a very nice texture.
And the garlicky soy and sesame sauce that the recipe included really was pretty perfect.
I'm going to make sweet and sour tofu again tonight and I do realize that eating too much tofu is not necessarily a good thing. That said, if tofu is what ends up killing me, I'll be astonished.
I'm going to make sweet and sour tofu again tonight and I do realize that eating too much tofu is not necessarily a good thing. That said, if tofu is what ends up killing me, I'll be astonished.
I'm not boiling it tonight, just pressing it and that will be good too.
I was going to say a few words about RFK, Jr. being skewered and grilled over a hot fire by Senators today but just now I've seen that the Department of Justice (what a misnomer that is these days) is attempting, on behalf of Trump, to justify the firing of Federal Reserve Governor, Lisa Cook due to mortgage fraud.
I can't. I just cannot tonight. It's all way too fucking much for me to take in at this moment.
In the spirit of Scarlett O'Hara, I am aware that tomorrow is another day at which time I shall possibly think about it all.
Love...Ms. Moon
That tofu looks amazing! Your new painting is simply beautiful and what a perfect spot. You'll be able to fully enjoy it there. -Nicol
ReplyDeleteYes, Ma'am!
DeleteThe trouble with that sparks joy idea is that for some people practically everything does! Me, practically nothing does. I'm more interested in making than owning. Winnowing isn't hard because it leaves psychic space for ideas and making as well as physical space. For you, I know, not so much.
ReplyDeleteI do have a conch shell in a bathroom, though, given to me. It's my soap holder. The shell you gave me is at the kitchen sink holding soap and a veg brush.
DeleteActually, I have a lot of stuff around that does not spark joy in me but often I feel I can't get rid of it because perhaps someone gave it to me and I don't want them to notice it's no longer where it was! (These things were not given to me by my children.)
DeleteIsn't that crazy? I am attached more to the giver than to the gift.
I love hearing you use your shell. Those things come in handy sometimes!
You know Mary, as we bring things from the old house to the new, it has involved some hard decisions. Not everything can fit. And so I find myself really studying each thing, turning it over in my mind. But there is a quiet happiness in sitting in the new house surrounded by my favorite things.
ReplyDeleteYes. I know there must be, Debby, and I also know it must be hard to decide what to bring and what not to.
DeleteI rented a small storage unit- I have put my wool in there and a few things that I need to know where they are in case I hava a creativity attack. I hasve stashed some of my favorite things to see if I think about them ever...It works for me. See through plastic bins with lids , on sale, at the hardware store have been great for this clearing out - It is not GONE - Marie does not know what she is talking about- it is just out of sight for a while. I have been looking at you tube videos of artists apartments in NYC and LONDON, tiny and totally maxed out in beloved objects, fabrics, art- crammed , curated hoard- and they do spark joy.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, Linda Sue!
DeleteI tread a fine line between being overwhelmed with things and wanting the comfort of their presence. But I do have things that I used to feel far more affection for than I do now and I don't think I'd miss them if I passed them on.
So I'm not the only one who keeps favourite objects where they're most often seen! Our framed photo of the grandchildren, among other treasures, is in the bathroom to make me smile while brushing my teeth.
ReplyDeleteNope! Far from it, Kate! And I absolutely have some of my very favorite things decorating the walls of my bathroom which may well be my favorite room in the house.
DeleteI think that's a good place for the picture, the cloth and the painting are floral with similar clours and the black frame goes nicely with the black lampshade. You found the perfect spot. I'll read the rest of the post now..
ReplyDeleteThe colors are similar, aren't they? But one is old tropics and one is Dutch Master which some might say would clash. I know that lampshade looks black but it's green. That's just the way the light falls on it.
DeleteIgnore Marie Kondo, her "joy" spark is most likely clear uncluttered surfaces and drawers with no more than "one in use and one to spare". We are not she and I am glad we are not. On the other hand, dusting would be so much easier, maybe I should? Nah!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't dusting be a joy? As it is, I don't even really ever try.
DeleteThe oak trees are unbelievable. I do love the new painting and where it’s placed. I also want the monkey lamp. The art wall is a joy. Tell us about the painting of the five family members. I’d hang that here!
ReplyDeleteHank did the painting before Jessie was born! So that's Glen on the left, Hank beside him, me on the other side of him, then go down and there's May and then Lily. I think she must have been a toddler at the time. I love that picture so much. We look happy, don't we?
DeleteIt's a lovely painting no matter where you put it! My bedroom walls are covered with lots of memories - pictures by my children, grandchildren, memories from travels, photos, prints I like, memorable sayings. I love it all.
ReplyDeleteAnd that is the way it should be!
DeleteThe goat rodeo continues. When will trump die? When will the american people come to their senses? You already have sense, don't worry, I know that:)
ReplyDeleteThat painting is beautiful and I agree with you, it should be where you can see it often. I have a photo I took of a beautiful fox hanging above my recyling bin in the mud room, because I see it several times a day. I love it.
Tofu. I can't eat it. Actually I can, but what the soy does to my gut flora, or rather what my gut flora does with the soy is unspeakable. The smell of those farts can strip wallpaper.
And Marie Kondo now has three children and has a more flexible idea of tidying up:) Three kids will do that.
When WILL Trump die? No one knows. I am fairly sure that many wish it to be sooner rather than later.
DeleteI have some of my favorite things hanging over my washing machine for the same reason. And not only do I see them whenever I'm doing laundry, but also when I walk through that room which is between the main part of the house and our bedroom and bathrooms.
I guess some people just can't eat tofu. I really don't have any foods that I avoid because of what they do to me although raw broccoli has given me horrible stomach cramps. I just don't eat it anymore and so have no idea if it still does. I don't like it anyway.
I read that about Marie Kondo!
I don't think there is a single thing hanging on my walls that I would get rid of. It's a slowly accumulated art collection plus some of my own work. As for your new painting, it goes wherever you want regardless of what's around it. I've seen many many interior decorator decorated homes and none of them seemed really warm and cozy to me. Pretty, even beautiful but not someplace you'd snuggle up on a couch. My daughter had a friend in high school whose home was cold, they weren't allowed to even touch the walls.
ReplyDeleteI guess I wasn't through...so give me cluttered and dusty surrounded by life.
DeleteMy best friend in high school's family had a formal living room that the children were only allowed in to practice piano and take their lessons! But they did have a very large, very friendly family "kid" room.
DeleteI remember once seeing a picture of Betsy Johnson's apartment and she had hung vintage slips in the windows for curtains and I fell in love with her.
I think your new painting looks absolutely perfect there! Not sure if that may be natural light......or light from your lamp? that just caressess the painting with such gentle, beautiful light...... good job!
ReplyDeleteSusan M.
That is light from the lamp.
DeleteThe oak tree against the cloudless blue sky is gorgeous. It could be a painting.
ReplyDeleteYour new floral art looks very well-placed.
I should declutter but there are so many other things I'd rather do. My clutter is organized, so I tell myself. Behind closed glass doors, in bookshelves, in drawers, in closets...Truth be told, I look organized but there is still too much stuff.
Oh well. Looking organized is 99% of what's important, I think.
DeleteThat is a lovely pain and I like where you've displayed it. It goes well with the curtain.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to not think too much about the crap going on. It pains me. But next week I'm doing training on how to help migrants and what to say to any ice criminals should I see them. Trump's personal Tontons Macoute.
Oops, a lovely painting!!!
DeleteGood for you, Celie! I really admire you for doing that.
DeleteI don't think the painting clashes at all. In fact, I think it matches! Is the slowly-overgrown house for sale?
ReplyDeleteNo, Steve, it's not. Not that I know. I've heard that there's a guy who owns a lot of property in that area including where the fally-down house is. I believe he has had dreams of making the big bucks by selling if for a Hardees or something. I don't know if he owns that piece of land, though.
DeleteHolly's painting looks absolutely amazing right where it is...and sparks joy in me just to see it placed right where it is.
ReplyDeleteHey! How about you and Glen buy that house, spruce it up and rent it out as an Airbnb? Then we could ALL come visit you! However and on reflection, I may want to rethink that suggestion. X
At least for now, that painting is where I want it.
DeleteUh...as to an Airbnb...ummm, no. Too much work for this lazy soul.
I do like Camille's idea above! I do have to defrag a few things myself when I get home, but clutter is like iron filings to the magnet of me at times.
ReplyDeleteYour second sentence there is perfect.
Delete