Apartment living has been wonderful. The sofa looks great (yes I know I need to POST photos), positioned catty corner in the living room with a reading lamp between it and the hallway to the bedroom. I haven't had time to lasso a few good men into carrying the bookcase downstairs yet but have I had a minor fiasco in trying to find a suitable rug. There was a cable wool rug featured in the most recent West Elm catalog that had possibilities. I bought (2) 3x5's in gray thinking that would afford me more flexibility on placement. What a mistake. For one, the rug (pile) was too thick. Second, the color (gray) was all wrong, it didn’t offer enough contrast. I decided then and there to bring them back to the store (of course they are still propped up against the wall in the living room but there is intent!) As I rolled the one rug up and back into its plastic sheath, I discovered an even better reason to not keep them: The rug shed more than two Tiggers together!
Sharon suggested I get a leather shag rug from Overstock, it sure 'looks' great but I'm hesitant to order it without the opportunity to touch and feel.
Lisa suggested a Berber rug though to be honest I'm not sure it will look any different from the cable rug.
Then I had a brainstorm, maybe I could get away without having a rug at all. But then I started to think about the change of seasons and the thought of winter, cold feet and sitting on hardwood floors vanquished that thought straightaway. I wonder if I went back to IKEA for additional sheepskin rugs if that would suffice. They are certainly fluffy enough and together with the floor pillows it would create extra comfort and seating. Something to think about....
I haven't had much time to devote to free associating design ideas for the apartment, or for the blog for that matter. Sorry about that! It feels good to be catching up on things. There have been a lot of changes at work including added responsibilities (be careful what you wish for) and people announcing their soon to be departures. I haven't even been there four (4) months yet and there have already been so many changes (one of our tech guys is also leaving to get his Master’s at Stanford). Though I can't (or won't) complain. I'll take this any day over the stagnant waters Conde Nast.
The greatest challenge with the move is an establishment of boundaries for both my dad and I. Tigger's placement (meaning where he lives) is an issue. He appears to be confused about where he belongs (why else would he talk so much). After months of telling him not to go downstairs (for fear of any unnecessary accidents), he now finds me living there without him. And though he comes to visit now and again, for the most part he remains in the heart of the house. I would love him to be downstairs with me but then he would be alone all day. Staying with Dad upstairs allows him (3) floors to roam but I'm sure Dad would be none too happy with having full responsibility Tigger , and lord knows Tigger’s diet would go the way of the Chia pet. Dad would most certainly forget (yes, that's starting too) the feeding schedule. And, I would miss Tigger terribly; there’s nothing quite as comforting as your 18-lb. hunk of love offering the kitty march massage when you’re feeling blue. Last night we cuddled on the couch together, Tigger’s body is no joke the same length/depth as the couch. And of course I realized I’ll need to cover the twill with a sheet…I really wish he would let me brush him more.
Anyway I’ve learned to train myself to enter and exit through the apartment entrance (rather than going through the house). The door jamb has consistently proven to be an obstacle. It's nearly impossible to close the door with ease. There is hardly any room to get a good grip on the door knob and the clearance to pull it shut is worse than a tight parking space. Dad has plans to fix that, so we'll see.
Then there is the closet situation--the onus here is on me. Besides having to coordinate with Ingrid to utilize her organizational expertise, I have been moving very slowly in bringing all my clothes downstairs. I never realized how much stuff I have. Maybe I can tackle that this weekend.
Lastly, the greatest impediment to full independent living is that I still don't have a full working range and therefore when I am home early enough to eat, I have to go upstairs. Who knew once the contractor was 90% complete that it would be an effort to carve out time (on both of our schedules) to get back on track and complete the job? Heck I still owe him money, surely that alone would be an incentive. Then again he and his wife did just have twins (they also have a little boy), and from watching Rich & Caroline with their brood of three, time goes out the window faster than the creation of the speed of light.
Just another chapter in the Zen of patience...
No comments:
Post a Comment