Office do-over

Before coming to Arizona, Dan and I spent a lot of time planning this house. A lot of time. It was our favorite topic of conversation for years. During dreary, wet, winters we built models of prospective houses to see what they would really look like and how it would be to live in them. And all the dreaming has paid off. We love this house, and it works great for us.

When we left Oregon, we sold about half our books back to Powell's Books, our favorite store. It is one of the few things we miss  as we used to visit "The City Block of Books" (and it really is) about once a week and dropped at least $50 there, rain or shine (mostly rain). The remaining books fit great in what we call "the office". But we did not stop acquiring books, though not at the rate we had before. Nonetheless, we are running out of book room and the cheap shelving we bought to house them is starting to sag.

We need to "remodel". First thing is to move anything non-book (fabric, yarn, old photo stuff, slides, art stuff) out of the office and into the brand-new, especially-constructed, huge, cabinet in shop/shed. Next is removing all the books and making new, good-looking, durable bookcases that will be built-in. Paint the room. From the very beginning I had envisioned this room to be green, but the builder was making a fuss and I wanted to move in, so now it is my turn. Make dedicated places for the clutter on the desks. We hope to display our few treasures in special cabinets with glass doors and lighting, and improve the overall lighting in the room.

So, it will be more of a face lift than a remodel. Thank heavens no drywall, no painting floors, just new bookshelves, and Dan says he is looking forward to making them. The computers will remain operational, with perhaps a day off, but with the basic structure of the room staying as it is, we will stay online. How did we ever live without them? Being out here in the desert, life would certainly be different.

Here are some "before" photos, so we will remember.