Thursday, July 20, 2017

poem home...


so...you know i've been decluttering a bit this past year.  and i've made a lot of progress...so much free space now!  but i'm not aiming for minimalism...my true goal in all of this clearing out is simply to whittle my possessions down to just the things that i truly love.  the things that are special and meaningful to me.  it can get tricky with sentimental items.  sometimes a little re-do is necessary.

i have had this dollhouse since i was a tiny girl.  my older brothers built it for me and i had many years of enjoyment out of it.  it had grown a bit shabby and had been relegated to the cellar years ago.  but it was always in the back of my mind.  i definitely couldn't part with it.  so for a couple of years, i experimented.  i painted it green.  not crazy about that.  back to the shelf.  then i painted it pink.  not great.  back to the shelf.  then i painted it white.  better.  i discovered chalkboard paint.  i painted the roof with that.  then i considered painting the whole thing with chalkboard paint 'cuz you know i love that stuff.  but no.  back to the shelf.  i don't what the final inspiration was...perhaps it was from falling asleep while reading a good book.  i woke up one day and decided to write on it.  four ultra fine sharpies later it went back to the basement.  not finished, but it needed something.  then one day i wrote myself a note.  "stop overthinking it...finish the damn dollhouse already", it said.  so i dug up a couple of thick sharpies and added some more words.  added some vines around the windows.  put a tiny chair inside.  done.  done enough.  


now...i love it again.  it wears a collection of some of my favorite poems and lyrics and ramblings from books i've read.  and yes, even books that i've fallen asleep while reading.  it's a new life for a very special memento from my past.  a better life.  not on a far away shelf.


after i took these photos, i put it on the small table in my foyer.  yes, i have a foyer.  it is small, but there is room for a small table for keys (and dollhouses) and some hooks for jackets and a place for shoes.  on a side note, i love my foyer because my tiny house (the one before this one) had no foyer and in fact, only one person at a time could fit in the tiny space just inside the door.  so yes, i am really darned grateful for my foyer.  


anyway, my little house is the first thing i see when i walk in.


an unusual piece of art.  to inspire me every day.


with a chalkboard roof for impromptu notes.

it's a happy little poem home...





Saturday, July 8, 2017

a tribute...


my little buddy, Dexter.  14 years and 2 months of friendship.  he was one of the happiest dogs i ever knew.  his barking was a song, an ode to life.  his tail constantly wagging...iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou...it seemed to say.


he was there through thick and thin, never wavering in his loyalty.  he was always eager to celebrate in the good times, sharing our joy with enthusiast leaping.  he offered quiet comfort in the dark and sad times...nudging me with his wet nose and staring up at me with his soft brown eyes, imploring me to pet him.  a wise distraction that worked every time.  


this past year he was a warm, sleepy, lump of love.  wherever i went, he went and i made sure he had a soft bed in every room.  he was the perfect companion in my quiet life.  i have an empty feeling deep within me that is going to take some time to heal.  tears spring up unexpectedly.  a little tuft of fur drifts across the floor.  no early morning greetings.  no click-click-clicking across the hardwoods...the house is silent.  i miss him.   


"He taught us the art of unqualified love. How to give it, how to accept it. Where there is that, most other pieces fall into place."
- John Grogan, Marley and Me