Friday, March 19, 2021

Still Happy at Home

Sakamoto is reminding me of a shop cat, or a library cat. I don't dwell too much on things I miss from traveling, from leaving the house. Geoff wants me to think about all the things you want to do when we can move about, again, and it hasn't been that easy to make a long list. Of course, I'd be happy to hug family, friends, to visit places I always want to visit, like Oregon, Wisconsin, the Redwoods. And my interest in traveling to further places, like New Zealand, Scotland, Hawaii, Japan, hasn't diminished. So far, all I have requested is Let's go to the Madonna Inn and bring home a red goblet. But just now, seeing Saki like this, I want to visit places with shop cats, and explore places with bric-a-brac, eat from a small cafe, then walk all day, moving in no particular direction, like a cat. Like a cat, I enjoy exploring, and like a cat, I enjoy my same spot, cozy, safe, familiar.
Geoff came home with a treasure, from a school auction. I should say another treasure from a school auction, because he has success with those. This time it's something we have always wanted, always admired... library card catalog drawers, and from a school we both attended, which is kind of extra special. It's remarkable that I have known Geoff since we were in high school, and we have shared our likes and hopes, our wishes, for all of these years, and everytime we get to make a wish come true, it is amazing to me. William went with Geoff to bring home the two cabinets and all those drawers! And to their surprise, some of the drawers are still full of cards! It's a good thing William went with his Dad, because it was a lot of work loading all of this up! Back home, I was trying to figure out where in the heck are we going to put more furniture?? And this entailed a lot of shuffling stuff, reimagining where we keep things, etc.
We feel like there was a little serendipity in the fact that we all watched The Booksellers the night before, and loved it. If you love libraries, book shops, collections, history, oddities, and curiosities, then you might love the documentary, too. Geoff and I were certainly excited for our wonderful aquistion, and when the young people saw what we were bringing in, they joined in our enthusiasm. We all worked at making space, and figuring out the necessary adjustments to make things fit... of course the new toy is getting all the attention and appreciation, and the rest of the house is in need of as much time and fussing to get things back in some kind of order. Ahem. We don't know exactly what we are going to organize, but my art and craft supplies are top of the list, and Geoff is super excited to laser cut labels for each drawer! I wonder if anyone would guess our favorite feature, the one each of us practically squeals over?
The number one favorite of our new found treaure is the pencil sharpener that was affixed to the top of the second cabinet! And we are pretty tickled over the pull out tables, as well. But. The. Pencil sharpener! They're still the best kind of sharpener, those hand cranked kind, that we all used in school. I wonder if Geoff has already ordered a fresh box of Ticonderoga #2s? I have certainly been picturing a "a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils." It's no wonder I am happy at home.

6 comments:

Cat said...

It sounds like your "after" list is cautious. That's not a bad thing! Husband and I figure that just small things would be fine (haircut!!), so no rush to do a world trip the second you can... I would love to have a card catalog, but I wouldn't have space for it at the moment. But that would be neat to have!
Cat

gretchenjoanna said...

Oh my goodness!!! This is so much fun, it makes my heart beat fast just thinking about you having that piece of furniture, that is so much more... to think that it came from a school you both attended??? Wow.

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Cat, yes! "Cautious" is a good word. I know that even before the lockdowns and pandemic, I was in the frame of mind for laying low and staying home... for better or worse, I got exactly what I was craving!
As for room, even for things we love... I can imagine others coming to the same conclusion about our space: "No room!" I don't think we have room for them, either, but here we are, with stuff all squeezed in. I have read that the new trend or fashion, or whatever, is "Maximalism" and nothing could be more appropriate for us! And you helped me remember one more thing I look forward to... purging! I will be happy when we can safely visit our thrift shop and make lots and lots and lots of donations!

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

GretchenJoanna, thank you for sharing in our thrill! It's a strange and funny thing to be *this* old, that our school memories and experiences are relics and antiques... hahahahaha!

Teresa Kasner said...

Oh my goodness.. what a wonderful score! I can so relate at trying to find a place for a new cabinet and those together do take a lot of space but it's great! I used those all through school and it's amazing how time has changed how we research.
((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

I thought you would appreciate our *dilemma,* Teresa! I am still shuffling things around, and trying to decide what will go into those drawers, but it's so worthwhile! Back in high school, I feel like it was always a 50/50 chance, or worse, that I'd find the book I was looking for, or that it would even be a helpful source. Research is incredible now... the resources we have at the tips of our fingers cannot be beat. It does make me appreciate, more than ever, all of those marvelous librarians that managed things as well as they did.