Inside and Out

Yesterday was a good day of experimentation. I have been feeling the Gloom descending upon me for the last couple weeks, and was really determined to stave it off: This is no time for wallowing in self-pity, this is time for positive action! So, I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and got outside. I rode my beautiful new/old bicycle, Miss Patty, to the library and back. While at the library, I got some dvds on travel and finances, plus a yoga video. I thought these might be a good way to stimulate my creativity in a practical way and learn something while doing so. I took the scenic route on Miss Patty. It was wonderful, though, admittedly, a little challenging since I haven't ridden a bike in ages. When I got home, I had a little snack before heading out to Duke Forest for some solitary hiking. (Actually, I invited a friend, but it being a last minute invite, she wasn't available.) Being in the woods is always therapeutic for me. I hiked for over half an hour, and would have stayed longer, but the darkening gray skies were threatening rain, and I didn't fancy getting my car all soggy on the ride home.
These excursions cleared my vision a little, so that I was able to make a few more decisions about the house decorating project. I removed the blue lace 'shades' from the living room windows. Despite loving them in the room, they were casting a greenish tint against the ivory drapes hanging over them. I just couldn't jam on the murky effect that was having, so they had to go. Instead, I realized they could work as the curtains on the kitchen annex window. This room is just off the living room, so they'd help to tie the colors of the two rooms together. Then I hung the pictures I framed on Monday and Tuesday above the sofa, so that the walls wouldn't look so sad and bare. The room will still have a way to go before being finished, but I think it's definitely starting to come together into a cohesive design. Since I'm working on a limited budget and trying to focus on re-purposing items I already have rather than bowing shamelessly to the gods of consumerism, I rifled through old magazine cutouts and saved calendars to find pictures to frame, and used mostly old frames I had stored in my attic. I tried to keep the color palette a reflection of the colors in my sofa to connect all the disparate subjects in the pictures. I chose the high school graduation photo of my mother as the center anchor of the arrangement. She's so beautiful, don't you think? I'm going to have to start earnestly planning for the painting of the walls very soon. (I hate painting, so this is going to take some discipline!) I'm still unsure of the best color for the walls in the living room. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!