The joy of empty space

Still trying to write every day for an hour. So many things I could write about. Not sure how to narrow it down. Feels like there is a log jam in my brain. Big stuff, little stuff, in between stuff…

What is writers’ block really? Maybe it is different for everyone. I have never had a blank mind. That’s what I thought writers' block was -- a mind that was completely free of things to write about. But for me right now it is a super-abundance of things. None really feels like what I want to tackle right now. Maybe I’m lazy but some of the things seem too difficult or controversial.

Or too trivial. Like what sort of window coverings to put on our new window and do they have to be the same as what is on the other window in that room? They are not near each other and the new one is much smaller than the old one. But I can see both when I enter the room.

I found an article on Houzz.com.  The consensus of the author and the commenters seems to be that as long as they are coordinated they don’t have to match. Yay. That’s what I was leaning toward but I wanted to see what “the experts” said.

Why do I do that? Maybe I need to learn to trust my own design instincts more. After all it’s not like it is a moral or ethical decision. If I want different window coverings on my new window then I don’t need to ask anyone else’s permission. None of those experts live here.

A couple of days ago as I gazed out of my kitchen window at the mostly dead potted plants on my patio I wondered why not just get rid of them? Pots and all. Just because we bought the pots once doesn’t mean we have to keep them forever! I used to like potted plants. But, now they just feel like too much trouble. They die quickly if I don’t water them a lot--everyday in this heat! The last plants we had in them were drought tolerant but even those couldn’t hack our extra dry winter this year. Or did they die the year before while we were in Australia? I don’t remember! That’s the other issue, when we are away our potted plants usually die. We’ve lost some really nice plants that way. So why not just get rid of them?

I could put fake plants in them (on the patio). I used to think it was tacky to have fake plants outside, but is it any tackier than keeping dried up weeds in them all the time? But the other reason I want to get rid of them is to de-clutter.

I have a growing desire for minimalism. Having more empty spaces to look at feels restful and refreshing. It brings a feeling of quietness and peace and spaciousness to my mind and spirit as well as my surroundings. I’m also thinking of paring down indoor stuff too. Ordinary life brings so much clutter as it is, why add to it with unneeded "décor."

Some of our things have sentimental value though. So, getting rid of them will be more difficult (and guilt inducing!) John suggested I put most of them away and rotate them. It sounds reasonable. I might do that. I don’t get bored easily, though. If I like how something looks I rarely ever change it. So, if I do put some things away I may never get them out again. (True confessions: even if I don’t like how something looks I rarely ever change it! But that is another issue.)

Since starting the above we did do some of those things I wrote about:

I put a garland of fake ivy across the top of the new window. It was an easy, and cheap, way to coordinate it with the other window.

We also rearranged the things on our patio and I gave away several pots. It is much tidier and easier to keep clean now without them. The pots were bad about trapping leaves and dirt around them. And I love looking out my kitchen window at the empty spot where the old pots were! I know, “each to his own”! I do still have one pot. That may go eventually. But being extra big it holds moisture better than the others. And it has plants in it that i still want. The pot was also a birthday present. So, I am reluctant to get rid of it. (there are a few pots that I haven’t found new homes for yet but they aren’t on the patio any more so they don’t count. :-)

John had the idea of putting the table and chairs closer to the house so they are in shade longer. I like to  sit out there with my journal and a cup of tea or coffee in the morning.  The white barrel is our "emergency" water supply. I still hope to do something different to the top to make it nicer to look at.

The beige storage chest in the middle back used to be under the kitchen window where the table and chairs are now. The place where it is now used to have a pile of old spare roof shingles and misc junk. So now the shingles are inside the shed and the junk is gone! So, thanks to John's brilliant idea we have more space and a better place to sit on the patio. The untidy black thing is our grill that needs a new cover. The empty front right corner used to have several pots and the table and chairs crowded together. I enjoy the empty space now!

We were half way through the job before i took any "before" pictures. So this is an in process picture. This shows where the chest used to be in the middle of the patio under the kitchen window. The flat rectangular things in the front right are  shingles that are now hidden away inside the chest.

John said that inside every little job is a big job waiting to get out! The place we wanted to put the chest had a lot of weeds and grass growing up through the bricks. Here he is digging up and relaying the bricks. Thank you John! It's beautiful!