The junk room

Most people, myself included, have a junk drawer. I take that concept one step further with the Junk Room. We call it the computer room, because...that's where the computer is, but it is also the holding area for clean, unfolded laundry, the storage room for games and vacuums, the file room, the craft room, and the spare bedroom. It's the place where I shove everything else that doesn't have a home. It's about 12 x12.

I often dream about a nice orderly spare room, where I go to blog and, in the future, where I will write my novel. Where I will work diligently from home. Where guests will lay their weary heads after a long day and drift off, comfortable and wanting nothing. Where Madison can use the computer and SmartMusic to practice her clarinet. Where Spencer can take his tests for work, and our minds can focus at the task at hand, unfettered by the pile of laundry or the empty pop cans. I even have collected pictures and images that inspire me, and I have had them on a cork board in the computer room for a year or so.

This weekend, I have tasked myself to get the room in some semblance of order. We are having Spencer's younger brother overnight on Monday and possibly Tuesday. So, I've got my corkboard inspiration, and my need-a-bed motivation, and a great pillow that I got at an estate sale, and this incredible lamp that I found at a thrift store on Friday.

I saw it hanging up, and I looked for a price. Couldn't find a tag. I saw that a regular, plain lamp hanging next to it was priced at $20.00. So that was encouraging. Then, I saw another lamp, which was really ugly- no redeeming retro qualities at all that I could find- and it was priced at $300.00. I should have taken a picture of that, I guess. Anyhow, I asked the lady if the lamp in question was for sale, and if she knew how much it would cost. She got another lady, who got a ladder which she climbed. The tag was at the very top of the lamp, and she could see it, but she couldn't read it. She's 78, you know. I asked her if I could use her ladder, but that was against policy. So she asked the first old lady to get her the reacher-hook. 78 year old used the reacher-hook and about 20 minutes to finally see the tag. "Six-fifty."
WooHoo! Wait, "Six dollars and fifty cents, right?"
She laughed at me like she didn't know the price of the lamp in the corner.
So we got the lamp down, and I brought it home, and hanging it will be my reward for getting this room in order.

Or Zach might sleep on the couch.