Oops -- I Bought a Rug

Just finished measuring and cutting shelf paper -- fun! The task involves math and cutting in straight lines, neither a skill I possess, but it's done. So be it.

More fun was shopping for a metal basket that clamps to the wall by suction cups -- perfect to hold the electronic toothbrush charger -- and a stacked fabric shelf thingy to hold tee shirts in the closet and a second attempt to purchase a plastic bin to hold ice in the freezer. Making ice is one of my specialties, and a person needs a bin to keep it in.

"What's your recipe," asked Joel, pretending to care about my hobby of making ice.

I could not retort with a "Nyah, nyah" because he was in the bathroom constructing an over-the-toilet etagere with shelves to hold makeup and whatever else one keeps on shelves in a bathroom. It's been so long since I left my HUGE bathroom with two linen closets and miles of vanity counter surrounding the sink that I can't remember what I used to have out, but now I have a new place to have it. Out.

Yesterday I met a lovely family selling a sturdy tv stand (one with places to put DVDs!) on Craig's List for just $40. I bought that, though the family's 3 year old worried about what he would use as a train table once it was gone. "We have a lot of other stuff," said Keri (the boy's mom), "like rugs." Susan (Patricia's mom) and I meandered into the garage to have a look.

The next thing I knew, I had purchased a beautiful wool Oriental rug to go -- well, I wasn't sure where it would go, but it was incredibly appealing at the time and we liked it even better when we got it back to the apartment. The rug likely will help define the "Let's Sit and Stare at the View (or the TV)" space, but right now it's lying in the middle of the room and when I'm at the apartment, I really want to lie on it for hours and just imagine living there.

I'm not living there yet -- my Stuff was loaded on a truck today in St. Louis. Tomorrow someone else's stuff gets loaded on the same truck and then the driver maps out his route. And so I wait.

Joel has been referring to my apartment as "The Hut" and "The Cottage." I announced today I like "The Crow's Nest" because I am so high up. A moment passed and he said, "The Crone's Nest," in reference to my advanced stage in life as a crone, which comes after maiden and then mother. That has some appeal. But it's so not nautical, and here I am surrounded by water! Speaking of which, with the binoculars, I can clearly see the lighthouse at Bonita Point from my wall of windows.

While I was out playing "And Then I Bought..." I briefly considered a welcome mat for the entryway just outside my door. I don't like welcome mats that say, "Welcome." I did see one that said, "You are here," which is funny, but in the end I spent money on new cabinet knobs. The ones in the apartment are brass and huge and very flashy -- not that different from my old door knocker -- so I have changed the tone of that for now. Obsessing over cabinet knobs really annoys me, so I didn't spend a lot of time at it.

Next on The List is to get a driver's license, get a library card and join a gym. But first, maybe I'll spend some time lying around on the new rug. Stay tuned.