Zen and the art of office design

For many many years, I have had a divided self – torn between the practical and the spiritual, the creative and the logical. I’ve tried so many ways to work it – mostly, by giving a chunk of my time to “work” and another chunk to “art. I grew up seeing this division in the … read more Zen and the art of office design

The weight of my books

I’ve been through a lot with my books. They moved across the country from Ohio to Seattle, across the Pacific Ocean to Dubai, then at last across the Atlantic and up the mountain to our house. Between Tom and I, we have many hundreds of books. One of the things we loved about Azalea was the … read more The weight of my books

Drawing near the hearth

It’s gotten bitterly cold at night. I can’t wait to be back in my basement office at Azalea. The temperatures there plummet every winter. The corner where my desk sat was the coldest square footage in the entire house. Using a thermal gun, I learned that this corner was 10 to 12 degrees colder than Tom’s office. I poked … read more Drawing near the hearth

The bed’s too big

When we’re staying here in the rental house, I think of Joni Mitchell’s song “My Old Man“: But when he’s gone, me and those lonesome blues collide, the bed’s too big, the frying pan’s too wide… Even when my old man’s here, the bed’s too big. And too wide. Because it’s a king, not a queen. … read more The bed’s too big

Scrap heaps

I waded into a quagmire today – and spent six hours in it. It’s been five weeks since the plumbing went to hell, and the pile of wet carpet and water-damaged stuff on the lower deck is starting to stink. Gypsum dust coats everything in the basement and a lot of the main floor, from the drywall cutting for the … read more Scrap heaps

My clutter, my self

I had written “toilet paper” on my list a couple days ago. Today I was clearing some shelves in the basement, and discovered a package of 20 rolls. Must have put it there in some misguided attempt to reduce clutter under the sink in the main floor bathroom, where we usually keep the toilet paper. Clutter … read more My clutter, my self