A living room at last
I'm not a nester. I have always watched with baffled curiosity as my friends transform their living space into comfortable and attractive homes. Fortunately I have a friend, Michael, who has stepped in whenever I've moved and done amazing things with whatever sticks of furniture I happened to have. Alas, Michael lives in the Pacific Northwest in the islands and hasn't yet come to visit me in the Delta. I'm on my own.
Amber chewed up the sofa we had in Oxnard--that was during her puppy days; she hasn't chewed on furniture recently. It would have been too large for our little cottage anyway, so I thought that what we needed to create a living room would be a love seat, the two seater version of a sofa. But my search for such an item had not met with any success. The consignment stores that had anything at all were asking prices in the range of $300 to $400, which was not that much less than what furniture stores were asking for new love seats. I was willing to get a new one, and visited several furniture stores, only to find that there seems to be some sort of competition to see which manufacturer can produce the ugliest sofas, great lumpy overstuffed things in dismal patterns.
Jacob suggested Craig's list, and there it was: the love seat of my imaginings in a town called Acampo. A phone call determined that Acampo is on Highway 99 just north of Lodi. Nellie volunteered to take me there in the van on Saturday. We left about 10:00 a.m. so we could stop at the dog part in Lodi, which we did. Amber had a good run and then we set off for Acampo. The love seat is leather, in perfect condition, and just about exactly the same shade of tan as the wainscotting.
The family was selling it because the son, his wife, college age son and a toddler and an infant were moving into the small house with his parents and they needed every inch of space. Outside in the yard was an extensive yard sale in which prospective buyers examined furniture, clothing, tools, and all the other artifacts of a household that no longer held. The yard was also full of police cars and policemen since the son, himself an off duty policeman, had shot a pit bull belonging to one of the neighbors. The dog had evidently come charging into the yard and was deemed a danger. In the midst of all this the father and a fourteen year old son loaded the love seat into the van. On our way out of the yard I got five blouses and a purse. It is not possible to leave the house any more without encountering amazing examples of the collapsing economy. Direct experience indicates that the situation is far worse than even the news media indicates. Would we take to the streets if we knew how bad it is and how there is little or no chance of it getting anything but worse? I doubt it since people are making such heroic efforts to carry on: moving in with relatives, living in cars, working two or three minimum wage jobs, selling their belongings.
We drove back to Rio Vista where Jacob met us at our house, and one of the young men from the 'hood came running over to help move the love seat into the living room, which now actually is a living room. Two rocking chairs and a coffee table just weren't convincing as a living room. You need to have at least one sinfully comfortable place to sit, which we now have.
Amber chewed up the sofa we had in Oxnard--that was during her puppy days; she hasn't chewed on furniture recently. It would have been too large for our little cottage anyway, so I thought that what we needed to create a living room would be a love seat, the two seater version of a sofa. But my search for such an item had not met with any success. The consignment stores that had anything at all were asking prices in the range of $300 to $400, which was not that much less than what furniture stores were asking for new love seats. I was willing to get a new one, and visited several furniture stores, only to find that there seems to be some sort of competition to see which manufacturer can produce the ugliest sofas, great lumpy overstuffed things in dismal patterns.
Jacob suggested Craig's list, and there it was: the love seat of my imaginings in a town called Acampo. A phone call determined that Acampo is on Highway 99 just north of Lodi. Nellie volunteered to take me there in the van on Saturday. We left about 10:00 a.m. so we could stop at the dog part in Lodi, which we did. Amber had a good run and then we set off for Acampo. The love seat is leather, in perfect condition, and just about exactly the same shade of tan as the wainscotting.
The family was selling it because the son, his wife, college age son and a toddler and an infant were moving into the small house with his parents and they needed every inch of space. Outside in the yard was an extensive yard sale in which prospective buyers examined furniture, clothing, tools, and all the other artifacts of a household that no longer held. The yard was also full of police cars and policemen since the son, himself an off duty policeman, had shot a pit bull belonging to one of the neighbors. The dog had evidently come charging into the yard and was deemed a danger. In the midst of all this the father and a fourteen year old son loaded the love seat into the van. On our way out of the yard I got five blouses and a purse. It is not possible to leave the house any more without encountering amazing examples of the collapsing economy. Direct experience indicates that the situation is far worse than even the news media indicates. Would we take to the streets if we knew how bad it is and how there is little or no chance of it getting anything but worse? I doubt it since people are making such heroic efforts to carry on: moving in with relatives, living in cars, working two or three minimum wage jobs, selling their belongings.
We drove back to Rio Vista where Jacob met us at our house, and one of the young men from the 'hood came running over to help move the love seat into the living room, which now actually is a living room. Two rocking chairs and a coffee table just weren't convincing as a living room. You need to have at least one sinfully comfortable place to sit, which we now have.
Maybe I should think about curtains?
I think your little cottage is so cute and comfy looking. Curtains would be good. You could probably find a sewing machine on craigs list and make some very nice ones.
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