the exchange

There's a freshness in our house.  A"burr under my saddle" that has confounded my sense of well being ever so very slightly for years is now gone. Certainly it didn't take over my life, but when I walked through my house something nagged at the back of my mind.

I'm sure you who are "house people" get what I'm saying, how you know something's not quite right. Several years ago we switched our living room and dining room around on a trial basis. When we moved the chandelier, things became serious. We have loved the new arrangement and the expanded space when we have a crowd--or even just a handful--around our extendable table.

It was the corner cabinet that was the culprit of this burr. First of all, to go way back, it used to be wood toned that I stained when we bought it unfinished. Later I painted it white, which I have loved, and thought the white made it seem more "built in." A friend told me I'd eventually regret that decision. Not yet. But to have a cabinet of china in the living room, and an antique "secretary" with bookcase in the dining room just didn't seem right. To move them would be an ordeal. Both, excellent storage pieces, would need emptying and strong men to move them.

I think this looks like we're painting.

I got more serious right after Christmas and spent some time with a photo editing program. I removed the secretary from a photo of the living room and inserted the corner cabinet. I was afraid of all the work if it didn't end up looking right and I just didn't know. So I needed a visual, and to prove to the Gardener that it might be OK.

I am blessed with a patient man who also loves house stuff and likes changing a room around and trying to improve things. He squinted at my rough photos and said, "Yes."

We chose to do "Project Move" late one afternoon after a very busy day that included taking down Christmas decorations and the tree, taking it apart, and stuffing it back in it's storage container in the corner of the attic (my job as the Gardener's 6'6" frame does not fit in the corner of the attic.)

What a job! We didn't actually carry the furniture, we rather found a way to dance with it, twisting and turning, hugging it, using every muscle in our bodies. We were one strong man with a bad back, and a silly, determined older lady who has danced with furniture more than once. But as soon as that corner cabinet arrived home in it's new spot I gave a small screech of delight. She was where she belonged.

It all seems right now. The after story is that as I cooked supper that night I felt so tired that every muscle ached. And I felt cold, as I sometimes do after overworking physically. I began to chide myself for being so stupid to think I could still do all of that in one day. Then chills set in in earnest with full blown body aches. Still thinking it was overwork, I headed to bed and slept for the next 24 hours, interrupted only by trips to the bathroom. The stomach flu. What a conundrum.

Joining Five on Friday, with my five photos.