After The Rains

Creative Space at Home

As we approach the end of Mercury Retrograde, I find that I have “gone underground” as it were, in that I tend to discover new depths of creativity during these periods.

Usually it manifests itself in my writing – and it has this time, as I’ve put together the final draft of my synopsis for Throwing Rocks at God and have reworked the first two chapters – and sometimes it presents itself as a deep dissatisfaction with the world around me.  A kind of impatience for things to get moving, to change.  This is one of the character traits of us Geminis.  Sometimes it makes us seem flighty, unstable in our lives, at least on the surface.  Deep down, it’s feels a lot different.  Here’s some inner dialogue that tends to happen during this period:

Yeah, yeah, we’ve seen this already.  Don’t you have something new?  Fresh?  Exciting?  Where’s the pizzazz, the chutzpah, the je ne sais quoi? Can’t we do something different today?  Hey, let’s move the furniture!

Sometimes, it’s like having a tree full of monkeys instead of real thoughts.  This entire past week has been like that — the mental chatter reaching fever pitch.  The only way to quell it is to focus on something different creatively.

I’ve been itching to build a real creative space in the new home, and began to shop around.  Here’s one idea that I really liked.

Home Office Idea (click to embiggen)

This is from Pottery Barn.  Since I don’t have a bajillion dollars lying around (but hey, maybe the Federal Government can bail me out!), I merely took the idea and then looked around for the materials to build something similar without going broke.

Today I’ll move the current space into the dining room (a room, I learned, that I never use for anything other than to store my backpack and mail when I get home from work during the week), and slowly add elements until it looks like I want it to.

It’s so different owning my own place.  There’s less of a sense of urgency to get things done now, so I can be patient and craft a space I can thoroughly enjoy.  Well, me and Christian’s angels.  (my new nicknames for the pups.  There’s Kelly, Sabrina, and Chris.  My friend Karen calls them “the triplets.”)

These Are The People In My Neighborhood

Today is the one-month anniversary of officially moving into the new place.  My enthusiasm has not waned one bit.  In fact, I find that I have to talk myself into going to work every morning, for I’d much rather stay home and revel in the beauty and the ambience the place now holds.

I’ve met many of the neighbors and many, if not all, of the pups and kitties that live near us.

You’ve met Michael and his wonderfully gentle dog, Oko. (Australian Shepherd mix) Michael is the didgeridoo player and musician with whom a great friendship has begun.

I’m in the process of purchasing a digital camera, and hope to have pics of everyone soon.

Sandy B. moved into a place catty-corner from mine.  In fact, hers was the first place I looked at when I decided that I wanted to live here.  She moved in shortly after we did.  Two days ago, she adopted two kitten siblings from a breeder here in Colorado.  We have yet to meet the furry little rascals, but Sandy says she hasn’t seen hide nor hair of them since bringing them home.  Sandy’s a talkative one, and is often seen wandering the neighborhood, chatting up people, or tending to her beautiful patio garden.

Seanna was the very first neighbor I met way back at the beginning of August, at the neighborhood barbeque.  She works several jobs, so we don’t see her very often.

I’ve mentioned my upstairs neighbor and newest friend, Derek. This past weekend, I took care of his awesome dogs, Chance (Blue Heeler mix) and Burton (looks like a Chow and mutt mix). They are two of the sweetest, kindest dogs I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.

We met Vickie recently, and her elderly Dalmation, Sarge.  Vickie is a dog-lover, and fosters strays.  Sarge was one of them, but they bonded so completely, he’s been with her ever since.

We also met Lee and his quite-chatty Sheltie, Barney.

Margo is Billy’s human.  Billy is a ferocious pup…that is until you meet him in person.  Then he’s sweet and kind and loving.  I believe that Billy is a Australian Sheepherder mix.  He’s white with startling black spots.

Roxie is Billy’s best friend, and belongs to the twins, Richard and Shelly.  Roxie is a ten-year-old black lab and adores Ozzie. (my dog, not Ozzie Osborne, silly)

Jordan is the cutest pup, looks like a Doberman/Lab mix, and is sweet as pie.  She belongs to a guy I just met and whose name I have mentally misplaced. (note: his name is Nathan, and his brother’s name is Josh…found out late last night) Jordan’s friends are Otis and Rufus, two Daschunds who visit often.

Oscar is an adorable Chocolate Lab puppy who belongs to Fred and his girlfriend.  Fred is a law student at the University of Colorado.  Oscar is quite intelligent.  You can see him figuring things out with his incredibly intense eyes.

Another neighbor, Shawna, belongs to BoBo the Chihuahua, who barks like a big dog, but wiggles with excitement when you pay attention to him.

We’ve got eccentric Audrey, who just turned eighty-something this past week, and who lives with Tweety, a gorgeous Calico kitty who likes to sit in the window and watch the hundreds of birds that flit about in the lilac bushes outside.  Audrey is very funny, very sweet.  She reminds me of the actress Audra Lindley, who played the original Mrs. Roper on the 70’s sitcom, Three’s Company, and not just because of the similarities in name.  Audrey is very active and much-loved in the senior community, and seems to have adopted me and the pups as grandchildren.  She gives great hugs and the pups seek her out every time we leave home.

Suzanne Somers, Audra Lindley, and Norman Fell

Recently, we met Maggie, a beautiful if overzealous King Charles’ Spaniel.  We found her wandering on her own down by the creek the other day, and called the number on her tag.  Her human, Christina, came a-hunting for her and the two were reunited after about an hour of doggie tag.

Rosie is another dog-lover who rescues pups and fosters them until they can be adopted.  She’s currently got a Chihuahua, a Fox Terrier, and a female American Amfordshire Terrier (Pitbull), who is so incredibly sweet, it’s like having a doting child living with you.  All three were dumped in a field (separately, not together) and came to live with Rosie, who I immediately fell in like with.  Rosie is a flamboyant, outspoken New Yawker who fell in love with the Colorado mountains on vacation one year, and has been here ever since.

There’s Pascha, also a student at the university, and who sings opera.  I’ve mentioned him before.  We’ve only seen him once since we moved in, but often in the afternoons, we hear him practicing his arias from his second floor living room.  Beautiful, and surprising, since Pascha is thin and nerd-ish with this great big, booming voice.

There’s Brownie, a Scottie-mix, whose human isn’t the nicest person in the world, but her dog is.

There’s Gloria and her personality-plus little guy, Charlie. Charlie looks like a poodle/Bichon/Daschund mix…and he’s groomed to give him a little pompadour right on top of his head.  He’s a cutie and a charmer.

Gizmo lives around the corner, a small, Yorkie/Scottie mix.  His human is somewhat nice, but isn’t the most social person in the ‘hood.

Robert lives next door to us with his mother and his two children.  He has the most amazing rose garden in his back yard.  Puts all the rest of the gardens to shame!  He’s on the Board of Directors for the HOA, as is Vickie (mentioned earlier).

Jeff is also on the Board, and rides a sweet little scooter around town.  He lives with his girlfriend, whose name I don’t think I ever knew.

Oh yeah, there’s also Marcella and her Maine Coon cat, Poochie-boy. He’s like a hundred years old, but very stately and sweet.

Most recently, we met Eluria, a South American woman who has satellite gardens on several patios around the neighborhood, including her own, in which she grows enough vegetables to keep everyone in fresh stuff for months.

The pups introduced me to James who lives two doors down with his eleven year old daughter, who was too shy to come chat with us. (the daughter, not James.) James used to be an ER nurse, but now works with medical supply companies installing much-needed equipment into homes and businesses.

I’m probably forgetting someone…but all in all, it’s been a great month meeting everyone, traipsing across the countryside, and relishing our new lives here.

Christian’s Condo Chronicles VI – The Final Episode*

As promised, here are some shots of the condo with as many pics as I have available.  The kitchen isn’t completed yet, but the rest has been painted, the furniture feng shui’ed, and the boxes unpacked.  It was a very productive move in that I found the motivation to refurbish an antique cabinet I’ve been meaning to get to for years, and also repaired a chair that Ozzie used as a chew stick when he was a puppy.

I also discovered that if I’m not paying attention, the patio sliding door locks itself if I close it too firmly, which was found out after I was on the outside without my keys or a way back in.  I had to break in through the front door by putting my hand through the screen to unlock the outer door.  I installed a lockbox near the front door with a copy of the key, but not one for the locking security screen door.  Doh!

So, I also found out that I have the ability to rescreen my own doors, a skill I didn’t know I had until then. Strange, the things you find out when you have to.

My local Hobby Lobby store was having a massive 50% off sale on lamps, and so acquired a couple of those to complement the decor.  My favorite dining room table – a tile top surface with a pine base, had been painted forest green eons ago and didn’t match the new place, so I spent a day repainting it.  It turned out beautifully!

So, the pics are below…and sorry for the poor quality.  I simply MUST get a digital camera and stop using those damn disposable doohickies.

Living room minus pink walls

French Bleu bedroom. Oui?

Frog-butt green bathroom (with weird light stripe in shower?)

Our backyard

Pups romping in backyard.

*Okay, we’ll see about this being the “final” episode, eh?  I might have some nice thing to say about it later, like when I actually get around to finishing the kitchen and other minor details.  Until then, though…

Hi, Heard Ya Missed Me!

I’m baaaaaack!

So actually, I have had internet connection since the day I moved.  When I got the equipment to the new place and hooked it up, it was already working!  The technician who arrived later in the day was a bit confused by that, but I didn’t care.  I had internet!  While this fact didn’t really ease the stress I felt all day Saturday (and I’d forgotten to bring my desk chair over from the old place, and so actually using my computer was a bit awkward), the day went a little something like this:

I finished packing the last minute stuff Saturday morning (dishes, toiletries, etc.).  After walking and feeding the pups, I drove them over to the condo so they could acclimate.  Accompanying them were the bed linens and their huge box of toys.  Though they’d been to the condo several times previously, this time it was for keeps and I needed them to adjust.  Since there was no furniture, they were still a bit stressed, but that couldn’t be helped.

The stress of the day came from the movers.

I’d hired the son of a good friend of mine, who works for a local moving company.  He offered to do it for a much discounted rate, which was awesome.  We had originally set the mover’s arrival time at nine a.m.  My friend Susan volunteered to help, and she showed up at nine also…except the movers had called and pushed their arrival time back to noon.  So Susan and I loaded up her Suburban with breakables (dishes, computer, etc.) and drove the stuff to the condo.  There, she got to see the color choices I made on the walls, which she oohed and aahed over.  Then she departed.  THANK YOU SUSAN!

Another friend, Randy, had also volunteered to come help load the moving truck, and showed up at eleven-thirty.  Except by that time, the movers had called and said they wouldn’t be there until two p.m.  So Randy and I loaded his Subaru with the computer desk (sans chair, dammit!) and schlepped it ‘cross town.  He was promptly mauled by the dogs, who think everyone who visits is there solely for them.  We off-loaded the desk and I got to work setting everything up in anticipation of the cable guy arriving.

By three p.m. neither the movers nor the cable guy had showed up, and I got no answer on the mover’s cell phone.  I left several messages, feeling like the guy’s girlfriend who he was trying to dump by ignoring her.   He finally returned my call, and said that it would be closer to four p.m. before they could get there.  Apparently, he’d taken a job forty miles away, and the woman was not at all prepared to move when they’d arrived.  As it was getting late, and I was pretty exhausted from a week of getting ready to move, I hung up feeling even more stressed.

At four-thirty, the mover called and said it would be six-thirty or seven before they could make it.  By that time, they were ten hours late, and I had resigned myself to the possibility that I wouldn’t be moving that day, but made instead to wait until sometime Sunday.

At six-fifteen, he called and said they were on the road to me.  I breathed a sigh of relief, quickly calculating how long it would take them, and how late we’d be finished by.  However, when the big moving truck lumbered into the lot and three sweaty guys hopped out, ready to rumble, I was glad.  They had my old place cleared out completely within forty-five minutes.  We drove the short distance to the new place and they humped the stuff inside in thirty minutes.  I was so relieved to have it over with, I overpaid them, but they had worked their asses off and done the move in less time than I had anticipated.

So I spent Sunday unpacking, and am almost finished.  Today is cleaning day at the old place, and then…that’s it!

Late yesterday afternoon, looking around at my books and furniture, it finally struck me that this place is mine. It was the first time since the process began that I felt it was real and not some task I was performing.  What a rush!

I’m happy, the dogs seems more happy than I’ve seen them in a long time (especially since there’s twelve miles of open space surrounding us replete with a creek that they can splash in whenever they want), and we’ve settled in quickly.

Did I mention that I’m happy?

Christian’s Condo Chronicles V

Probably the last of this series of posts, especially as the official move-in day is a week from today.

I have discovered that the pink that the former owner of the condo, Lorraine, painted on the walls, is EVIL.  I mean “Bride of Chucky” evil.  Either that or the paint I chose to cover it up is quite defective. I will be applying the THIRD COAT later this morning, which does not please me at all.  I will also be finishing up the bedroom and bathroom, except for the closet doors, which I can do anytime.

As stated in the my previous blog post, it’s raining here.  And it has been for the past twenty four hours.  While the roses that Lorraine left will enjoy this weather, I doubt that the newest coats of paint will dry very quickly.  I will cart a fan over to the new place with me this morning and run it through the night in the hopes that the humidity won’t affect things too awful much.

You might remember the window shutters that Lorraine velcroed to the wall from one of the earlier Chronicle posts?  I went online to check out window treatments yesterday, and found that Wal-Mart had the best options that didn’t cost a bajillion dollars.  (Who knew that those frilly curtains that my mother used to make when I was a kid would grow up to cost so much?)  And why are they called “window treatments,” as if my windows were ill?  What, are drapes the new penicillin?

Store Clerk: May I help you?

Me: Yeah, my windows have the clap.

Store Clerk: We have some wonderful treatments for just such a thing, if you’ll just sign over your firstborn child, your house, your car…

I think they give it a fancy name so they can charge me more.

So, if I can get the walls to dry in a decent amount of time today, I will hang the new window treatments drapes tomorrow.  Then it’s a week of finishing the packing and schlepping breakables over in the car so the movers don’t break them.  While the Democratic National Convention is in town, I have judiciously chosen to avoid Denver (my job is not worth being locked in a building while idiots threaten the candidates), and so will have that week to unpack and get us settled in.  I’m looking forward to it.

Christian’s Condo Chronicles IV

Owie.

Hand cramps.

Our critique group was cancelled Sunday as everyone was involved in “summer projects” and weren’t focusing so much on writing.  So everyone agreed that it was silly to meet if no one was bringing work to be appraised.

I breathed a sigh of relief, as painting was taking a bit longer than anticipated.  The off-white I chose to cover a lot of the pink was going to require two coats.  So the four hours during which I was going to have been working with my writing partners on our novel projects were spent instead painting.  And painting.  And painting.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not complaining.  I absolutely LOVE painting.  Especially when the “before” and “after” is so dramatically different.  There had been a little bit of self-doubt about the colors I’d chosen, but once they were on the wall, I realized that I have a knack for this kind of thing. To never doubt my own intuition and vision.

So on Sunday I painted for a non-stop eight hours.

Hence the hand cramps.

When I could no longer hold a brush or roller, I knew it was time to stop.  I’m not good with holding things between my toes.  Besides, that tickles.  Hand cramps do not.  However, several friends invited me to their house to paint for them since my hand was semi-permanently formed into the proper position for holding a brush or a roller.

The claw! The claw!

In the meantime, the pups are wondering what the hell’s going on, as our living room has turned into a box farm.  Sheesh, I have a lot of books.  The movers are not going to be too thrilled.  *sigh* I suppose that’s why they charge so much, eh?

Christian’s Condo Chronicles III

Let the colors begin!

My friend Joanna thinks I’m a bit daft, though she hasn’t yet said thusly in so many words.  Or maybe she has and I’m too daft to get it.  Why?  Because the other day I sat down and created a Word document that plans out my weekends beginning from this past Saturday until the end of the month.  Not just a “to-do” list though.  This list would be a wet dream for Monica Geller.  (Friends)  It lists, hour by hour, exactly what I feel I want to be doing so that I can get the new condo painted in time for move-in day on the 23rd.  This way I don’t forget anything, which sometimes I do, creating more work for myself.

This past Saturday, good friends Susan and Joanna showed up to help christen the new place with the paint I bought.  We went on a “we hate pink!” crusade, eradicating the sickly, industrial pink that the previous owner had liberally vomited up doused the place with.  The change is dramatic, and wonderful.  At one point, I said to Susan, “It looks like ‘Miami Vice’ painted this place!”  I can’t wait to get some new photos to post, which probably won’t happen until after I’ve officially moved in, hung the art, arranged the furniture, and basically made the place my own.

The cinnamon brown looks simply fabulous, and the white oak contrasts nicely.  We decided to paint the closet doors a deep, dark chocolate color to set them apart from the walls.  This past weekend, we managed to get the dining room, living room, hallway, and bathroom finished.  Next weekend will be the bedroom, laundry room, and closets.  I can do the kitchen whenever, as there’s no furniture to move. Only the Laura Ashley wallpaper border to scrape off. And that’s it!  Then it’s home to pack and ready the old place for the movers’ arrival on the 23rd.

A week ago, the condo association held a BBQ in the quad just outside my new place.  I wavered on whether to attend or not, and ended up going.  I told myself I would only stay an hour or so, then head home.  I met so many amazing people who live there (an opera singer who attends the University of Colorado at Boulder, ten miles away; a song writer and musician who specializes in the Australian didgeridoo; a professional editor…and every single one of them live with dogs!).  Needless to say, I ended up staying for four hours, chatting and getting to know my new neighbors.

On Saturday, Michael (the didgeridoo player) stopped by with his dog, Oko.  And I met Derek, my upstairs neighbors and his two pups, Chance and Burton.  I met Bobo, the Chihuahua across the way as well, and his human, Johnna.

Also, I found out very quickly that the woman who owned the condo before me was not at all liked.  In fact, a few of the neighbors threw a party when she moved out.  Apparently, she complained about everything.

Anyway, it’s great to be appreciated, and to know that such amazing neighbors are just waiting to befriend me and the pups!

Huzzah!

Christian’s Condo Chronicles II

I don’t know how she did it.  As mentioned in the previous post, once the previous owner moved all her stuff out and I was able to get inside and see the place, “warts and all,” as it were, there were several things I noticed immediately that I hadn’t seen before.

My first day in the new space alone, I toured the premises, making notes of repairs that would need to be done.  Even though Lorraine, the previous owner, was in her mid-seventies, she was ecologically-minded and obviously self-sufficient.  However, I discovered that many of the things that she’d done were “MacGuyvered” (I’m just making up new verbs all over the place!).

For instance, the wood shutters in the living room window weren’t screwed into the window frame, but instead velcroed in place.  When I pulled them open, there was a tremendous rrrrrrrrrIPPP and they fell off onto the carpet.  I stood and laughed, because even though they were functional, they had to go.

In the right light, it was obvious that the walls had needed an extra coat of paint, as the previous color shown through in many places (gray? dark blue?) under the ugly pink.  No problem there, as painting was something I was eager to do anyway.

Back Patio

The rose bushes on the patio had not been trimmed in months, and they threatened to take over the place.  Some of the branches had grown to four or five feet past the fence.  You can see in this photo how some of the arms are beginning to lengthen.

Otherwise, the patio was in tremendous shape, with beautiful ceramic tiles carefully placed to extend the cement pad all the way across the back of the condo.

The kitchen is relatively small, with dark wood cabinets directly from the eighties.  I knew I wanted to strip them of their ancient varnish and refinish them, perhaps giving them a nice stain instead of paint to brighten up the space.  Lorraine had purchased new appliances in the recent past, and so those are in excellent shape and very up to date.  None of that olive green or mustard yellow crap.  They are shiny white, and the stove is a flattop instead of coil burners.  Nice!

There’s a strip of “old lady” wallpaper border around the top of the kitchen walls which will have to be stripped away before I can paint in there.  Who invented that, anyway?  And guess what pattern it is?

Pink roses!

I feel like I’ve moved into a place decorated by Mary Kay Cosmetics.

My grandparent’s house always had a particular smell that I came to love.  A combination of moth balls, bacon, and a fire burning in the fireplace.  Even though this condo doesn’t have a fireplace, it still holds that same smell.  Can you buy it in a store somewhere to douse your living quarters with?  I’m sure a week with my two big, smelly dogs, and that old smell will vanish.  I don’t know that the new smell will be any better, but whatcha gonna do?

Christian’s Condo Chronicles I

So, you’ve been reading and now know that I took the plunge this past month (actually, the process started back in June, but that’s just splitting hairs) and purchased a home.  We signed the closing papers this past Friday, me with a mix of sheer exuberance and excitement mixed with equal parts trepidation and commitment-phobia.

Friday night, though, I slept very well.  It was good to get the whole legal part of it past me so that I could move on.  I’ve already blogged about how, as soon as I knew I was serious about buying property, began the creative process and built a color palette that I wanted to use to feng shui the place.  (is feng shui a verb?  I guess it is now…)

Yesterday, I awoke with a renewed sense of purpose.  I own the place.  I can do whatever I want (within reason) to it.  I took the dogs so that they could be introduced to their new home before we moved all the furniture in.  They like to absorb all the smells first and basically begin making it their own.

The previous owner, a sweet “little old lady” type (she reminded me of ‘Granny’ from the Tweety & Sylvester cartoons!) took excellent care of the place after her husband passed away (she’s 74).  I believe that all she did all day was clean and garden.

Back Patio

However, it’s funny the things you notice once the furniture and the occupants are all moved out.  For instance, the current color scheme.

Pink.  Many shades of pink, like dusty rose, and pale pink.  I’m not kidding.

Pink!

I’m not a big fan of the color.  At the closing, she asked me if I was going to paint, and it was all I could do to keep from gagging at the thought of leaving the place pink.  I’m more of an earth-tone guy myself.  Pastels are so nineteen-eighty!

Here is the palette I’ll be working with:

Cinnamon Accent

The accent wall, which is an extension of the hallway, will be Cinnamon, a mellow, rich, brown that will set off the White Oak that I plan to use as the base color throughout.  I have several art prints that will contrast this wall very nicely, and which I’ll get into more detail about a bit later.

I’m considering using this color also for the wall in the entryway, which is the Dusty Rose color in the second photo.

White Oak

The kitchen will also be White Oak, but one of the more hidden walls will really blaze with this color:

Emperor's Gold

I wanted to capture the color of autumn, so the accents throughout the living room (including the artwork) will match this vibrant hue, and which I think will be very eye-catching against that warm brown.

On the plain white wall, I will hang this print in a clear frame:

Oranges

For the bedroom, I wanted cool colors, and blue has always been my favorite.  Specifically French Blue.

French Blue

The accent colors for this will be Navy Blue, Sage Green, and Buttercream Yellow.  I already have all the accent colors assembled.  Again, the base color will be White Oak.  The accented blue walls will contrast nicely with the Cinnamon as well, which will be visible through the doorway.

For the bathroom, I’ve chosen one of my favorite shades of green:

Peapod Green

For this space, I will experiment with a little texturing trick I learned from one of my aunts.  In her house, she painted the walls in an eggshell finish, but then added wide vertical stripes (in the identical color) in a flat paint finish.  This gives the illusion of texture, but also gives the walls more height.  I may also use this technique on the Cinnamon wall, but don’t want to overload the senses with too much design.  I want my furniture and accent items to do that. Since I already have a frog theme going in my bath, this color will add nicely to it and make a nice backdrop.

Now you know what I’ll be doing with my weekends for the next several weeks.  We officially move at the end of the month, and I want to have the walls completed before the first box gets transported.