Ayn's Multiple World

Turning over the Tide

Good morning. I'm not sure where we are this morning. We've been up and down a bit already and it's only quarter after 4 am. We'd like to write, but I'm not sure of the audience yet as to FB or blogger. I think that the important part is that I just write. I've not been able to do that for a bit.

What's been going on most the weekend is work toward getting the place ready for it's changes. This has been heavily documented on FB. There are a bunch of pictures that haven't made that media yet, but they've been taken none-the-less. The pictures detail EVERYthing in the house. I think there might be like over a hundred pictures, but even thinking of it now it would be hard to believe. Not so really important as world matters are concerned and might be just a part of our obsessiveness of late. But, then too I know that now we have a camera anything is fodder for our madness.

So many places we've owned and not all places have even one picture to lay claim to their reality. It's kind of amazing now because they feel just like a shadow in my history. No one is there to really confirm or deny what's happened in my life. At least now with the writing and pictures, I can look back and say these things or thought or images were real and in part I am real. That's something in doubt. There was a point this weekend when we had gone from working on the web page for the sewing business to when Rich came home and reminded us that this all was OUR project - that of redecorating. We had a very large sense of unreality - that all that had gone on before was something that was going to happen. I think its in part that when some parts are out, they are not all out ... so as things progress people sneak out to catch the progress, but from whichever point of view they are coming from life in front of them is changing and there's not stopping to regret ... things just progress as they will due to parts who've stepped into life's normal fray.

I'm not sure my fogginess even now. The room's been made skelatal. There is just the couches, the bookshelves and the TV sitting on the coffee table. There's the vacuum and a couple blankets too, but that's about it. There was a funny part last night where Rich and I were both here. It was between loads of clothes that he was washing and we both were folding. I sat down on this end or the room where my lounger sits in front of the TV. Normally Rich sits down on the right side of the couch with that arm rest, but at this point it was about 12 feet north. It was like HELLO down there! How ARRRRRe you?

It was a bit odd, but he was going to call his mother and didn't want to interrupt the TV. I don't know maybe it gave him an amount of privacy. Later it was worked that he set up pillows in the middle of the couch so he could get his head and shoulders, or feet and legs rubbed down at my end of the couch. For a long while we were just laying on his shoulders appreciative of him. He represents so much stability in our life. It's pretty incredible.

We went through some changes in our minds between Rich and us as to how things would be arranged. I'm pretty much fine with how we've got things going, but then Rich is like ... well, what happens if we try this. His latest thing has been to get the book shelves back to the original walls on the south side of the room. I think this latest pattern will be to readadjust the one at the SE corner in an angle so that we can squeeze one more shelf set in it. I like the part where more of the set is kept together, but then that leaves the other two. One is accounted for in the kitchen, and we're thinking now that one will be going to Maury's bedroom. I'm a little worried about how much we can put in there, but I KNOW that if we don't put the books back along the back wall like we'd originally thought that there is just going to be so much room for the shelf units.

It's hard because in our transfering of books, we emptied out the first and then shuffled the others from one set to the next so in the end the full bookcases traveled to the middle of the room and are now full again. We can only move one at a time this way so we can't play too much with one idea or the other. There's one thing for sure though. The kitties have been loving the changes. Maybe I spoke to soon ... they just took that last game a little too serious and there was some hissing involved. The thing is that with the bookcases in the off-center part - they've been using them as an island to run around. Chief likes to win the game though and Missy is not to happy about being a cornered cat. Ok, enough of that!

Ok, enough of that. I'm trying to think now if there would be a better reason to keep the extra shelf set in the kitchen instead of trying to push it in Maury's room. I think already that his room is going to be taken up with the double couch. Originally, just one corner was going in there, but now we're going to have a double section going in there. I think that if we did bring bookshelves into the kitchen we would have to empty them ... that would mean that we'd have to put some more books in the CR-V to go up to CS. I'm not sure if I could use that much space though as to holding space. The room appears big enough to hold it at the moment because the sewing machine isn't in there and the table is smaller, but I'm not sure if the room would hold out for being spread out.

I do like the part that there'd be some continuity in having a set of shelves, just I'm not sure which walls they would go to. Maybe I should take a walk back there and try to figure that out. I could see holding the table differently and then putting two shelves in the NW corner off the island, in that case we'd have to put the sewing machine in front of them and the table might need to be off-centered from the lights. I'm not sure if that's such a good deal. The other option is to separate the two shelves. Hmm, I wonder if there'd be enough room to make a full run of shelves, sewing machine and then shelves on south side of the room. in that case it would be the table in the NW corner. The lights would still be off, but I could see a definate advantage as to having the sewing stuff together and in minimizing the table to a lesser priority in the room.

When it is small it really doesn't take up a whole lotta room. But, there is another consideration. I know we could pull it out if there was company, but that might be frequently now in that Bob is starting to come over and I think that's going to happen more and more often. He had steak with Rich and us last night. There was some strangeness in all sitting around a table that was that small, but then there was a certain restaurant closeness to it too in that speaking wise everyone was close especially afterward when people were elbowed up to the table and leaning in satisfied with the meal and conversation. Let me see if that would work ... hold on.

WooHOO!!! It works! Well at least theoretically. We'd still have to test it out with Rich. I think he might go for it. I really think that it's too much for Maury's room because he's already getting such a big piece of the couch. I brought the table over to the corner. I can get to the three chairs and the fourth is buried unless the table is pulled out, but there is enough space along that wall that it could be pulled out if there were full guests. The really cool part is that I needed 30" for the bookshelf, and then 40" for the sewing machine, and then another 30" for books - AND, with that of course being added up to 100" - it turns out we've got about 103" to work with. That will account for the baseboard heat on the east wall. WooHOO!!!

This is much more than I thought I'd get in the kitchen as to having a nice space. Plus the table is easy access to the sewing planning needs. The secret is to keep it cleaned off. I think once we get a better bedroom set-up then Rich can drop his "stuff" somewhere else. I know that I will be able to take my bags to the cutting area or there about. I thought we'd both be plugging in our machines near the TV because we have extra shelves for that. The coats would be another deal, but what I might suggest is that in that space not being used next to the table between it and the door - is that we get a coat tree. That leave less bulk by the table. I'd still have to figure out ideally what we'd want on those book shelves. I don't have that much sewing stuff yet to justify having that much space. I really would like to get all the bookkeeping stuff to the desk so that no paperwork is being done there or needs to be stored there.

I suppose for a while we could leave books there and that would prevent having to send them to CS. But I think the secret there would be to make a nice space ... not just an overrun space. But for now we gotta take a moment to get in the shower ... be back soon ... Oh AND the quilt will then go on the north wall. It be really nice there and the bookshelves would take up all but 40" of space. We could work on filling that space up nicely enough with quilt stuff ... CS has some smaller ones she wants me to work on that are seasonal. We could do something like that. There is one for each month. Man this is soooo cool!

Ok, good. We took our shower and started to get Rich up ... I think he's going to take the slower route looking at 5:50 am as it isn't 6:00 am. He'll be up soon enough. I hope the kitchen area doesn't scare him because half of it looks SOOO bare. I'm thinking maybe what I might do is if Rich approves of the plan ... we could fill the bottom two shelves for the time being with our more journal like books that require full space. That seems more appropriate than bringing real books back there where obviously you are not going to read. That way I can save the upper more decorative spaces for sewing ... I think I'm going to need getting some baskets back there too for supplies like scissors and such, but maybe for the time being I can just spread them out on the shelves. I got plenty of space to work with for the time being.

I just want to say that much now. I am really amazed with the space we are gaining. I'll have extra book space, and there will be desk space, and file space - plus some TV space. Wow that's a lot. I'm pretty amazed when things get moved around as they have this last weekend. I find that I own very little when it comes to stuff. There has been some little stuff on the shelves, but I don't think I will put much of that back - there is more candles than anything, but some stuff just ended up there out of default not because it looked or belonged up there. The only thing I really could use up there is the boys pictures. It be nice to have Rich's kids too. Part of that is that I think it slows down dusting if you have to fight to move things around.

We did 98% of the book moving yesterday while Rich was doing other stuff. He had to go to the store, stop by at the cleaners get his mail etc. We both worked to move the shelves which slid pretty well. He had gotten something for that from the store. I took down pictures and Rich vacuumed and then he did the hard part of the clothes and we helped fold and hang. I picked up in Maury's room which took about 6 minutes, and tried to clear up little things as they popped up.

I think we can think of our life pretty much categorically. There's the books and magazines, we both have paperwork, He's got some map and fishing specialities and I've now got sewing and computer. He as well has a computer interest though not as big as mine. Business-wise though he's got a need for that space too. Otherwise there is nothing really of ours in the back bedroom except now we're using it for suitcases since Maury isn't using well his closets. I guess you could say there are pictures too and then furniture and appliances. I don't know what else people have in their houses, but there really isn't much more here. I guess there's dishes, blankets and pillows, and clothes. Hmm, some cleaning and bathroom things.

I look so forward to the day that everything is put away proper. And, if one day we do move? I'm glad to think there just won't be that much clutter. For now though with the new stuff coming in and the hope of getting bedroom furniture before too long, I'm really happy with being here. Yesterday after Rich and I took off the drapes we stood back and looked at our space ... without the visual barrier it seemed that we gained 3 feet of space in looking out and seeing the next barrier as to the outside balcony railings. I really like the feeling of being up high. I was always the kid who wanted the upper bunkbed. Hehehe thinking now of our college years. As a sophmore we had the upper bunk of a triple bunkbed. I used to like going up and over and doing somersaults to get off. It was something I was proud of.

I guess for now though I should think of leaving. Sister is going to want to chew me up today and I probably deserve it I had forgotten about a staffing on Friday. Hopefully Rich will be able to stay around here until the painting gets settled. I felt some regret about not getting the bedrooms painted, but then maybe when we get the new furniture in there too. I think Rich is going to need being here on Thursday too. Maybe Wednesday he'll be out with his son. I think part of today is going to be spent with Bob golfing. *sigh* what a life! Tonight we'll have to move some of the furniture back and some out to the kitchen. I'm thinking today too we've got the draft table coming in. I might want to go down the front way and leave a note on the door for that. Better get going then ... It's almost 6:15 am. It's been a very nice 4 days off - including a little daytrip up to WI. Really looking forward to having a life with my sister doing my sister's kind of stuff. I don't know why sewing became so important, but it feels now just around the corner :)

posted by Ann Marie @ 10/13/2009 06:14:00 AM Comments: 0