Tue 2 Sep 2008
Like the squares in a Mr. T Super Brain Teaser prepped for action, nothing in my home is in the right spot. My office appliances are scattered around, propped up on chairs and milk cartons, their power cables snaking over my futon bed. Our winter blankets were never put in storage for the summer; they were carefully strewn about the library, lovingly heaped on the floor by the dresser, and even carried out to the car (?!) for a change of scenery apparently… I’m not even making this up!
Since the first rainfall of the season my home has been in disarray, completely shutting down plans to record the next album. Everything in the basement was removed to protect it from water damage (Some electronic items were rescued before the power was even shut off! I guess if Darren’s computer fails he has nothing to live for anyways…) and the resulting shift has affected every single movable item beneath my roof.
I was away for most of last year and had intentionally planned an empty summer. I had not unpacked my suitcase for 11 months and I was looking forward to nestling my toothbrush in an actual counter-top toothbrush holder! I was excited to have some time in Winnipeg to be domestic, to sweep my own floor, to be inspired by familiarity. But my down-time has been spent barking my shins on the overturned desk in the foyer and cautioning the children to stop treading all over the clean clothes.
So fix it dear Liza!! – you might say… Unfortunately my areas of expertise are somewhat less practical than building and repairing healthy shelters. And there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of dunces like me to keep all those tradesfolks in trucks and hammers. AND being a musician who chose a “no-income” summer, I am at quite the disadvantage when it comes to negotiating or enforcing a punctual deadline.
This is the summer of confrontation. Citifinancial, incompetent government organizations, petty returns, eavestrough guys, cement guys, landscaping guys… Why can’t you just do what you say you’re going to do?! The only person I’m not fighting with is my usual antagonistic muse (of Knife Song and Scorpion fame). It’s all topsy-turvy!
I was going to write this blog about sewing in my
dining room and obviously being inspired by the locale:
Clearly the chaos in my surroundings is catching…
Cat girl,
I was trying to do the exact opposite with my garage. I have put almost all the really good stuff nicely away on hooks and even some brand-new, self-built(!) shelves. I had sorted the contents into Keep, Recycle, Donate, and Trash piles. Just about everything that wasn’t keep got left outside and rained on!
Now, of course, most of it is back in the garage (well, not the Trash pile!). I can’t seem to clear my schedule enough to HAVE that garage sale. Fortunately, my church will be holding one in a few weeks, so I have a bigger Donate pile now.
Maybe my chaos was trying to balance out yours. If so, take heart: your chaos may also be coming to an end soon.
take care,
doug