In the midst of election insanity, obsessive news checking, and exhaustion, I cleaned the bathroom yesterday.
Ummm….Claudia? We do this all the time, what’s the big deal?
Well, as you know, I detest cleaning the bathroom and years ago Don vowed to take on that job. He has a been successful at times. But in all honesty, he has to be reminded.
About ten times. And then I sound like a nag. So I do it.
I bit the bullet and cleaned like a madwoman, which was a great way to channel all my anger and frustration and general angst into something positive. Then I cleaned the kitchen. And then I sorted through things in the den, cleaned up clutter, and urged Don to go through the mass of stuff on his desk upstairs. He did.
That happened after we ran out to our local antique store to find a little table on which to set this:
I’ve been wanting to move it from the desk because it takes up valuable real estate there. We found a little bench, most likely meant for a dressing table, and the mini studio has finally been moved off the desk. Pictures maybe tomorrow. But first we have to haul all the boxes of books out of here and take them to the library.
Then I’ll tackle the closet in the #office/studio/whateveryouwanttocallit.
As is:
In the corner between my desk and the cabinet. That’s a very, very large Fiesta platter in red/orange. It’s vintage, from my collection that I sold many years ago. I have no idea where to store it. So it’s landed there.
Vintage fire screen in the upstairs hallway. And some paintings and prints that were moved out of the living room when we rearranged everything. Now they’re waiting to be hung elsewhere – maybe on the gallery wall by the stairs. But they’ve been propped up against that wall for over a month.
Where pillows go when Don and I are sleeping.
You know that we chat with Little Z several nights a week. Lately, when we answer, he does the perfect imitation of the message on our voice mail. Down to the beep. He also says his full name at the top of the message along with the words, “I’m getting almost big.”
I love that boy.
Ann Marie, a longtime reader of this blog, sent me a link to this article about the Nancy Drew books. You may find it very interesting! It makes me happier than ever that I’m collecting the earlier editions and now I’m anxious to read them again. There are differences in the details of the storytelling, depending on who was writing, rewriting, and editing the books.
And of course, you know that Carolyn Keene was a pseudonym for more than one author/editor, right?
Okay. Another day to get through. Then another. Then another. Then election day.
Happy Saturday.
At least you are channeling that energy into something worthwhile! I’ve been just hiding in books and easy to read not much to them books at that. Today I will stay with the Grands while Sara & Blake go to a memorial service for a friend who took her own life this week at the young age of 25. So much sadness. So much grief for her family and this community who loved her. She babysat with my Grands often and was a favorite person in Tiger’s life. I don’t understand the decision to end her own life. Just breaks my heart. Sorry for the downer comment my friend. Hugs.
Oh, how incredibly sad. I’ve lost friends to suicide and there is simply no explanation that makes sense. My love to you and your family at this time, Linda.
I find cleaning very cathartic! There are many positives here. First there is the clean room itself….then, cleaning also leads to purging that which we find no longer necessary in our lives. Now that we’ve purged…think of all the charities, libraries, thrift stores that will benefit from our “burst” of energy, even if that ” burst” is technically a response to the crazy world in which we live!
That’s such a pretty platter…no where to display? Thanks for the link to the Nancy Drew books…I’ll check on it later! Enjoy your day! ;)
Exactly! I always feel better when I purge and I have a couple of big ones coming up – the closet in the office and the closet in the den!
No room to display the platter at the moment, though it’s been on display in the past.
Whatever it takes to make it through these days……. my husband keeps saying that something will come out about him this weekend…… I told him that with all of the horrific headlines he has made in the past 17 months (plus all of the years before that), things so sick that it boggles the mind that people are calling him their savior ~~ there is no “thing” or headline that can bring him down. The nastier the better is what the people seem to be clambering for to lead them. I am sad to know there are so very many angry and bitter people in our country. People who believe it is ok to belittle and marginalize, and that bullying only makes people (and thus our country) stronger. I have been so naive. I feel a bit stupid that I did not see this coming. And living in this state, I should have known……
My daughter, home from London, said that people there are in disbelief, and are very very worried about the implications on trade and security. This is not only our OWN country we are voting for/ about ~~ it is, indeed, the world.
And the stock market has plunged because of fears Trump will be elected. What does that say?
I am ashamed that so many citizens of this country are filled with hate and bigotry. I feel very, very depressed by the whole thing.
You are a cleaning/organizing dirvish, Claudia. I’m still moving furniture around in my head, preparing for the few pieces from my Uncle’s house. I think I know which existing pieces to rearrange now. I’m still sorting and re-organizing my fabric stash, and identified at least a boxful that I won’t use. Fabric scraps will go to the elementary school’s art supply closet. I often wonder when my house will not look like a bomb full of arts and crafts, books and papers exploded in my house. Trying hard to contain everything….me thinks I need to get rid of more stuff…
I have so much yet to do, Wendy! The big projects are the closets in the office and the den. I have to be ruthless and toss stuff, then reorganize everything!
My HUGE albatross of a project is my late husband’s music memorabilia. My closets are pretty cleaned out and organized. The sewing/craft room is getting there. It’s amazing that I actually feel physically better when I take the things away to donation or resell. Talk about a weight of one’s shoulders.
I do, too. We just took 4 big boxes of books over to the library. I was happy to donate them to our small-town library.
This comment is only intended as comic relief…wondering if anyone here saw Dana Carvey on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon? He made a slight joke about both candidates being arrested on election day and dragged away in shackles. I have to admit, the thought made me laugh out loud. I for one, wonder just WHAT the orange one with wild hair could possibly look like in a prison orange jumpsuit? I think we all need to pour a stiff drink and wash the stress away–and I don’t even drink!!!! What on earth will there be to report November 9th? Even the political reporters seem drained of all their energy.
I almost wrote the same thing on yesterday’s post, Jeannine! I don’t drink, neither does Don, but I could sure use one right about now!
The image of the orange one in an orange jumpsuit is too perfect for words!
I love seeing the project formerly known as the TSP…and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans!
I also hate to clean. Can’t decide if I only clean when I’m mad or if it’s the cleaning that makes me mad. Seems to be such a thankless time waster, though it does feel good for an hour or so after it’s done.
In other news, crossing my fingers and counting the days. Also, hoping against hope that when it’s over, it will truly be over.
Me too. But somehow, I doubt it!
too bad you can’t put the platter on your coffee table. I would have put it there and kept mail or magazines on it. But I imagine you already thought of that.
It’s been a lot of different places in the house, Jan. It was simply time to put it away for a while.
Claudia, are you aware that much of the old red/orange Fiestaware, and some other early twentieth-century pottery, may be radioactive? The glazes contained uranium and lead. When I was in school, my friend brought one of her mother’s red Fiestaware dinner plates to our science class. This was a plate that her family had been using on a daily basis. The teacher’s Geiger Counter went wild. My friend told him he could keep the plate. Maybe you can find someone with a Geiger Counter to check yours out.
http://chemistry.about.com/od/nuclearchemistry/fl/How-Radioactive-Is-Fiesta-Ware.htm
I’m aware. It was only a potential danger if you scratched it and eventually people were told not to eat off of it. But much of that information was exaggerated at the time. One plate isn’t going to harm me. We don’t eat off it. In fact, I never used any of my Fiesta for dining. There are far more dangerous things around than that plate!
I had a very large collection of Fiesta that I sold many years ago for a lot of money. I know pretty much all there is to know about Fiesta, because I love to research, though I no longer collect it.
Thanks, Nancy.
I bet you don’t really need one – or have space for one – but that orange Fiesta tray could be made into a little coffee table or something. It’s massive – wow! Might be nice on a terrace, patio – someplace outdoors since moisture wouldn’t be a problem for it. Oh well, just me thinking out loud.
PS – love your little 3-drawer aqua and white dresser. I need something just like that for all my placemat & napkins sets. I’d have to change the aqua to a sage green or something else that would complement my dining room china. Did I ever mention that I inadvertently chose the same china as Princess Diana? Royal Worcester “Evesham” Except I think Diana has the gold-rimmed pattern, and mine is microwave-safe forest green. I read about her china somewhere a few years after she died & was stunned to learn we had the same pattern. Psych!! 🍁
I wouldn’t want to break it and I fear it would be broken if I used it for something like a table!
The dresser was found on the street in Cambridge many moons ago! It’s been gray, then yellow, and now aqua and white. Love the story about your china!
“I’m getting almost big”…That is priceless Claudia….That little guy is a treasure…I’m anxious to see the new/old stand for Don’s mini studio…the two of you find the nicest things…My things to tackle this weekend are the laundry room and the bathroom which I also hate…He used to do that for me…Luckily they are both small rooms…Happy cleaning!
He is a treasure, Nancy. I just adore him. He makes me laugh!
Thanks for the Nancy Drew link; she was a favorite of mine long ago, too. Now I have a yarn bag with her on it, given to me by a friend. I agree that these last few days of waiting are tough, and I sure hope things turn out well and that we can get back to some normalcy. We even got a concerned email from a German friend weeks ago; it’s hard not to feel extremely embarrassed by the current situation. Fingers here are crossed for a good resolution!
I have a bag with her on it, too – I think Don got it for me at Barnes & Noble.
I am completely embarrassed by all of this – praying for an election of hope and moving forward.