Sofa Moved Out

An empty space in our living room corner.  Big empty space which for the past 35 years less a few days for reupholstering was occupied by our floral camelback sofa.  Frame broken.  Seam split in center crudely basted.  One rear leg bent, keeping the seating surface from lying truly parallel to the floor.  As we removed pillows and cushions, we could see the original gleaming gray color of the second upholstery.  The exposed areas showed ample wear.  Off to the truck and gone.

Within a short time a replacement will be selected and installed.  Then we can have guests.  A shabby centerpiece sofa still allowed me to sack out this month as it has for hundreds of months.  It's presence, however, has been the barrier to extending invitations to guests we would like to have join us.  Clutter gone.  New curtains.  Soon new sofa.  Soon the guests we've been hesitant to invite.

Sorting

Now with projects under way, I seem to be entering a sorting phase.  My Space sits a long way from its end point.  Making portions of house suitable for having guests remains impeded by stuff.  I devoted two sessions to My Space,  a usable file box but assigning nearly all the papers, some from the 1970s to a mixture of recycle and shredding, just under ten pounds of the latter.  Then onto stuff.  My office, of blessed memory, had filing supplies that I cannot possibly use.  The operation has been closed nearly twelve years.  I'd give much of it away but I don't know who makes new obsolete paper charts or files folders by date tags.  I'm not at all sentimental about these.  Those organizing shows on TV stress removing stuff from the house that has not been used and will not be used in the foreseeable future, so those filing supplies should find a new home in a dumpster.  I have a box of electric items that also will not be used.  Off to the Delaware Solid Waste receptacles for those.

Quick sorting puts things in categories and boxes.  I have ample permanent storage options in My Space, empty drawers, much of two closets, a few things that serve a mixed purpose of display with storage.  Sort first into the categories, then assign the categories a home.

The living room seems more manageable.  Only two furniture items to address now that new curtains are in place.  Sofa needs replacement and I want to paint a table that I once picked up at a yard sale.  Spray paint seems most expeditious and economical for this, though I could consider more dedicated but more expensive shabby chic options.  I use the table for minor display.  It would just look better with a different color.  The rest is making the room look attractive.  Declutter bookcases.  Settle on displays.  Dust and shine everything.  Maybe repaint if the bookcases can be emptied to enable full wall access.  Replace a pane of broken glass.  New lamp.  Nothing very big.  Within my capacity.

Dining room just needs some cleaning and maybe a little more thought on what is displayed.  Chandelier should be polished.  Cleaning the breakfront and its contents could be a more of an effort that I am willing to exert for a minor purpose.  

As much as I enjoy making lists, these projects are few enough that I can just pick one or two a week and get it done, much like replacing the curtains, which was a much more involved undertaking.  Within my capacity.

Restoring Living Room

Among my twelve semi-annual initiatives, one that gets propagated every six-month cycle without fulfillment, has been to entertain guests in my home on three occasions during that half year.  With Shavuot on is way, an opportunity for an elegant milchig dinner on a Sunday came along.  Since I have no friends and my wife keeps on better terms with people, I delegated the selection of guests to her while I function as the baalaboosta.  A veto.  Our entertaining spaces appeared too shabby for guests who have real jobs and wear nice clothing.  That took me to a branch point, find my own friends who were as slovenly as me or spruce up the living room and dining room.

Both rooms have possibilities.  We use the dining room for fleishig routinely.  Carpets were expertly cleaned for Pesach.  It was the curtains that irked my wife most, particularly the living room.  OK new ones for the living room, wash and rehang the ones in the dining room.  The latter went on Gentle Cycle yesterday.  On emerging from Delicate Dry, they looked cleaner and felt relieved of whatever had risen to the top of our dining room's ambient air.  Removing them, though, exposed neglect to the window.  Yellow paint faded, some vacuuming needed, a wash with diluted detergent on a damp sponge added to the tasks, and some Windex.  The hanging hardware needs to be anchored better into the drywall. Then put the curtains back.  Except for a full length seam tear.  So off to Boscov's for new ones, easily installed on the existing rod, which is not the right option for the curtain style.  Obtain and install a more elegant rod.

The living room was a whole other matter.  Drawstring curtains actually frayed.  Sofa broken in the frame.  Cats over the years made territorial claims on the chairs.  Tables, though, in good shape, except for one obtained at a yard sale that should be repainted a more vivid color.  So start with curtains.  Easy to buy online?  Just go to Wayfair, type in dimensions, and pick one.  Most out of stock.  Decided that rods with grommets would be easier than what we have now.  After failure with online sites, I just went to Bed Bath & Beyond, picked the style, only to find that they fell one package short on the shelves.  No problemo.  Ordered it online.  Out of stock.  Substituted a gray color for taupe, and now in possession waiting to be installed.  Have to take down panels for washing, decide if we need one or two rod fixtures, then measure and install, but first vacuum and wash the window frames.  And in order to get to the windows, we need to move stuff.  

Once done, it's off to IKEA for the sofa.  Looked at local stores, more than I want to spend, more sturdy than what I need for relatively infrequent use.  Or Wayfair.  

Paint table.  Replace a table lamp.  Dust everything.  

Too much trouble for a couple of guests.  We really need to inaugurate with a party.  Once it's done.