A friend and fellow writer, Randy Murray, author of First Today, Then Tomorrow wrote in his blog today that it’s easiest to write about what you know, about your life, and about the things around you. Today, I’m going to deal with the latter (thank you for the inspiration, Randy).
Let me describe my surroundings. I’m sitting at the kitchen table and I’m using my HP Pavilion dv4000 notebook (yes, it’s a bit dated, but I’m not in a position to purchase a tablet yet). This is not the norm. I usually work in my home office which is the study that’s on the other side of the house. I don’t have an explanation for deciding to work in the kitchen; it was simply a whim.
From this vantage point, the hub of the kitchen is to my left. I look across the island
to the entrance to the house from the garage. Choosing this chair was strategic: it allows me to greet my wife with a smile when she walks through the door.
On the countertop that separates the kitchen from the living area are three lush philodendron plants. Those are mine. I love plants and I’d have all varieties spread around the house if I didn’t have an obnoxious cat who likes to destroy them and later regurgitate the non-digestible leaves. I grew tired of cleaning up the spilled dirt and then later having to clean up the cat’s puke. So I narrowed the collection of plants down to a few philodendrons which are toxic to felines. Yes, this cat is too stupid to know that these plants could harm him, so I trim the runners regularly.
The kitchen table, admittedly, is a bit of a mess. There are several magazines, random items that came in the mail, a Styrofoam cup of ice water, a roll of Texas Longhorn branded duck tape, my laptop bag, my wallet, mints, my cellphone, a wicker basket filled with paper napkins, color markers in a blue bowl, a black Sharpie pen and a book of recipes. I ignore everything but the cell phone and water.
Just past the other end of the table and to my right (about the one o’clock position) is the door to the back yard.
Straight ahead is an unobstructed view of the family room which holds a six foot soft 
olive-colored sofa with a big handmade fleece folded over the back, a brown mustard-colored lounging chair with a green fleece tossed carelessly over its back, a red, yellow and green plaid chair, a 40” LCD TV and a gas fireplace. On the mantel above the fireplace is a collection of The Cat’s Meow village series of wooden keepsakes. On the wall above the mantel hangs an attractive painting of a wicker basket on a blue wooden stand. There are photos of my daughters on the wall to the left and a white shelf holding another photo and knickknacks. To the left of the fireplace is the arched entrance to the study.
My oldest daughters loves our home. She describes it as having a warm, lived-in feel. I’d say that’s accurate. My wife and I prefer a comfortable atmosphere as opposed to a pristine, sterile and dustless showpiece that rivals a museum.
Well, my wife just walked in (yes, I did greet her with a smile). It’s time to open the wine and begin the weekend.
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