Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Corners of My Home


It occurred to me recently, as I was trying to find a clean spoon in my kitchen, that my house is sort of a mess.

Because of my commitment to summer fun and choosing pleasure over soul sapping drudgery, things are a wee bit out of hand here in the Weston household. 

I have seen blogs that share "corner of my home" type posts. I am generally completely jealous of these sweet little nooks and crannies. But let's face it. These are the nooks and crannies that are fit for public consumption. I mean, who in their right mind would want to post a photo of their home that looked like this...


Now, to be fair, this was, like, a whole summer's worth of tiny bugs caught in this creepy, gauzy, dusty, cobweb. It's not like our house is infested with bugs or anything. I mean, who do you think I am? And honestly, the camera adds like, 50 bugs to the cobweb, at least. It really doesn't look so horrendous in real life.

Now here's a shot of my home that's not so bad, right?


But, as we all know, looks can be deceiving. So, without further ado, behind curtain number one...


...is an absolute pigsty. Not a surface left uncluttered. And let me assure you, that stove top is pretty skanky! Even my mother-in-law, who has just a wee bit of that obsessive-compulsive thing going on, tries to help me out when she is at the house alone with Kieran. I say a little prayer, when she makes that follow-up visit, that she won't need a glass of water or a cup of tea. Because then she will see the kitchen has reverted back to shithole status. Oh, the shame of it!

Now, moving on, let's look at a couple more charming nooks and crannies of the Weston abode.

In my defense, this cobweb is generally covered by a curtain unless being photographed for a blog expose. Out of sight out of mind, right?
Our bathroom is my least favorite room in the house. It is the least finished of all the rooms. Actually, it's not even close to being finished. You could call it just-sheetrocked-chic. So, besides the most basic of chores, I try not to give the bathroom too much notice. However, earlier this summer I began to take note of a cobweb shaping up near the sink. I promised myself that the next time I came up to the bathroom I'd bring along a broom and swipe it away. Naturally,  I didn't get around to it. I mean, come on, did you get a look at my kitchen? One day, I met the spider that I would eventually name Flora.

Flora the Friendly Spider

There is absolutely no way I'm getting rid of this cobweb now. I'm no homewrecker. Besides, I'm attached to her (or him). A moth found its way into her web earlier this evening, and Patrick thought he'd found a new playtoy (the web is right at his eye level). I frantically had to boot him out of the john for fear he would destroy Flora's home.

Flora has a buddy on the other side of the bathroom. I think it's a boy (or girl) but I haven't named him yet. But I will eventually.

Isn't he a beaut?
Speaking of critters, look what I discovered in one of my bags the other day.


It looks to me like a little miniature hornets nest! Right there in my beautiful tapestry bag! Now have you ever in your life found a hornet's nest in your home? I bet not. But that's just the kind of thing you'll find here in the Weston household. It's like a zoo in here. I should be charging admission!

I guess I never realized that the pursuit of summer pleasures would come at a price. But hey, look at all the fun we've been having lately...

Sweet moments with my boy...


Boat rides...


Hiking...
Great Wass Island, Jonesport Beals




Thrift shopping...

Celebrating the Eastport Salmon Festival with my friends and community...

Kieran makes art while listening to music.

Kieran and his friend enter their drawings into the silent auction at the Eastport Arts Center.

Wonderful Anne and Cecelia. I was the successful bidder for this piece drawn by Anne. Yay!
I'd have to say that this summer's experiment of fun was a smashing success. Yes, my house has been disorganized and downright dirty at times. Yes, I live with umpteen cobwebs and creepy crawly insects. Yes, my laundry has remained in piles for days and days at a time. And yes, hornets or some other as-yet-unidentified creatures are making homes in my tote bags. But I think... no, I know, that this is the best summer I've ever had. Learning to let go of things that don't really matter all that much?  Making family, friends and fun a priority? Absolutely liberating.

5 comments:

  1. I think more people should expose the not-so-perfect corners of their house! :) Rob and I definitely let dust, dirt, and clutter infest our space, and our colors don't all match and our furniture is a hodgepodge of styles, but you can walk into our house and know exactly who lives here, and I think that's better than all the matching vintage teacup collections in the world! <3

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  2. love this post! my house is the same way... and i don't have any children and my husband is gone half of the time... !

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  3. I love this! Your house looks just like mine, although I do admit I'm not as nice to spiders when they're in my house (I'm fine with them outdoors!) I admire your hospitality. :) So important to do the things that make you happy, hornets nest in your tapestry bag aside! ;)

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  4. Lindy--I LOVE your post! I have been too busy with life this summer to clean much and this is quite out of the ordinary for me. It has been so worth it to spend the time doing other things. You are completely and 100% correct--absolutely liberating! :)

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  5. I love this post! Your house is "lived in" which always in my books is more inviting! makes you feel like you can breath... with out breaking something!

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