I was slightly overwhelmed this spring.
Between selling a vacation home and leaving for a trip, I found myself completely behind in June. The garden needed attention, the house was littered with cartons, and then our air conditioning died. This made it hard to unpack, but wanting to make some progress, somewhere, I decided: Let’s schedule painting!
This seemingly counterintuitive move blended seamlessly with a plan that evolved over the three years we had our cottage on the market. I would integrate our favorite things from Wisconsin into our Naperville home. Timing, however, is everything, and in our case, the moving truck deposited its largesse the same week I was ferreting through travelers’ safari-wear at the local fish and game store.
Home-fluffing and organization, like a giant jig-saw puzzle, is best approached from multiple angles, I reasoned. Fresh paint. Out with the old and in with the new. It motivated me that when each piece was finally in place, the entire tableau would come together.
All went well until the preparation phase. The point of unloading depressingly dingy closets may be to allow them to be painted, but these had not been emptied in thirty years. Now was my chance to sort. What had been previously contained behind closed doors was arrayed in the hall, the living room, and on the dining room table. A true mess of the greatest degree! This clean-up was so daunting that it could only be accomplished as a couple. As added motivation to keep us on-task and off the golf course, we had the prospect of imminently entertaining overnight guests.
Pots of basil, petunias and black-eyed Susans nod on our patio now. Most of the house is sorted, too, if you don’t count the garage. I sat on the chaise lounge today, reading recipes and catching up on the news.
Summer has finally arrived. It’s time to breathe, relax and enjoy the ride. (c)
