24 little hours... ha. And wowee at the response to where should my new office space be and what should I do with it. Thanks so much. I heard the gamut of responses, too, which was heartening. Not everyone said: "Girl! Schedule an intervention! Do the Right Thing! Hire a professional organizer!" hahahaha. (Actually, this post was very helpful!)
So many of you remarked on my "treasures" that "tell a story." I had never thought about them that way, but you're right. I am conscious that I create "little altars everywhere," and that they comfort me. And I'm not sure I'll be able to create them in the same way, with this bedroom.
But I have bought some second-hand furniture for the living/dining room, you see. A buffet, a hutch, a chest of drawers for linens (no table yet). And so I am going to give it a try, here in this bedroom with my office, and see what happens.
Christmas is now totally put away. I only need worry about the papers still in boxes, as you can see, but that will entail a frosty afternoon in front of the fire or watching a movie, going through boxes. The room needs painting... any suggestions? I've already started collecting paint chips. I've got my friend
Jim Williams coming this morning to look at lighting (that opening photo on his website is my kitchen!)-- I need a pretty ceiling light in that closet, and an outlet for a lamp, maybe. I need my bulletin board hung. I need to get rid of the wall ducks the previous owners left me. hee.
I've read about writers who are building their writing cottages on their property (and my friend Toni Buzzeo
just posted a YouTube video about the construction of hers). I think they are lovely, and yet I think they are not for me. I want to be connected to the place where (as E.B. White put it) the household tides run the strongest. I want to be surrounded by stories, little altars that hold the memories, moments, and meanings that have shaped my life and my writing. If I need to get away from home with my writing, there are cafes that suit me --
Zen Tea is one. So I'll chronicle my progress in this new room and we'll see if it sticks.
What's sticking today is a getaway. Already! I'm
heading to Mississippi this afternoon with my good friend Marianne Richardson. Marianne teaches 7th graders at the Heritage School in Newnan, and she grew up in Greenwood, where book two of the Sixties Trilogy is set.
It's time for me to
return to Greenwood. I know my story now, and I know so much more about
Freedom Summer. It's time to do a second research trip to fine-tune what I've discovered since
my last trip to the Delta
The links above will take you to photos of my August trip to Greenwood, and to a great book about Freedom Summer by Bruce Watson. If you read the intro on that page, you'll know more about the revolution I'm writing about in book two. You'll be hearing much more about that revolution as well as my progress -- and process -- with book two.
I've got my dslr camera, my video camera, my notebooks, research and more. I've got a great good friend to accompany me. I've got friends waiting for me in Greenwood. We are off on an adventure, peeling another layer of the complex onion that is Mississippi and the deep south, the layers of Freedom Summer. Come along.
Wow - lookin' good Debbie! I have a soft yellow on my walls. It's from Ace Hardware and it's called "Cornbread." Might be a good fit for you too. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHey, you. Thanks so much for yesterday's comment as well. I will check your "cornbread." I'm also thinking of going with an earthy purple/brown... you'll be seeing it all, right here, you lucky duck. :> argh.
ReplyDeleteWow is right! You certainly want a warm, homey color on the walls. I love yellow, which I used on my kitchen, but a warm taupe-ish shade would work, too, esp. with white trim.
ReplyDeleteAs for the ducks, I've seen worse. My BIL & SIL bought a house that had four bedrooms (one teeny). Three had wallpaper on one wall: circus (red & blue), old dolls staring, and camoflage/airplanes. The latter became known as the war room and turned into storage.
Happy redecorating! Happy travels!
Could you maybe run a narrow shelf along the wall over the window, as a place to display treasures? Or multiple narrow-ish shelves at varying heights.