Goodbye and Hello

It was a big day at the Orange Door. We said goodbye to two long-lived items: the square coffee table and the refrigerator.

Here’s the coffee table. We’ve had it since we moved in together. Matt got it from his roommate Julia. I’ve really loved it. It’s sturdy and yet it’s very easy to pick up and place in other places if need be.

It’s strong enough to serve as a weight bench if that is what’s needed. But it’s also square, and I want a rectangle, and it has been rode hard and put away wet, as you can see from the above view.

Our new coffee table came from Dania and I like its fun lines. It’s also the tiniest bit lower, which is good when propping up my feet. And now we have a dedicated spot for the remotes: in the overhang section!

You will note, however the square coffee table is still in the living room in this picture. From the future, I can say that I haven’t yet gathered the courage to set it out on a new adventure.

We also said goodbye to our refrigerator, which has served us ably since 2007.

Due to the shelving I built, only a certain size refrigerator can fit in the space. And due to my dislike of chrome appliances, it’s mostly exactly the same refrigerator, but now without a handle to get all grimy.

We do need to figure out a method to hang that dishtowel. The grimy handles came in handy for that task.

SKS: Postcard from Budapest

Sara couldn’t resist sending me this “Disneyfied charmer.” Apparently the long arm of the mouse doesn’t reach all the way to Hungary.

Sara reports a dearth of postcards, which I found to be the case in 2008. I’m sure it’s gotten much worse since then. Sara’s hotel is right on the river; she and Shawn went for a walk and saw the sights.

Look at these fun stamps that came along with the postcard!

Three Fun Days with the Garmin Watch

I’ve spoken before of my delight at how my watch gives random badges. I had a three-day streak of surprise fun.

Did I know it was World Bicycle Day? I did not. But I’m glad I biked and got this badge.

Did I know it was Global Running Day? I did not. But things worked out for a second day in a row.

And who knew it was World Environment Day? Not me. But I’ll take the threefer.

My Bedroom: Before

While there are many downsides to being a cat-free house, one upside is that I can finally move forward with my plan to switch out my bed for a Murphy Bed or Wall Bed. I couldn’t take action before because the cats slept on the bed, so I couldn’t put it away during the day. Here’s a four-corner view of the room before I get started.

The desk area will stay the same; that part of the room works for me.

You can see that some planning crept in, there are paint chips on the wall. You can see I also took this picture, folded my hanging laundry, and then took the last two pictures.

The postcard rail will stay, but the room color will probably change. The fun desk will go; I have plans for a different kind of desk.

I’m looking forward to getting started with the changes.

Embroidered Handkerchiefs for S. North

S. North and I went walking, and in the process she lost her very fun handkerchief. So I took two of the stash I took home from 7611 and added some embroidery.

They are a little fragile. I accidently made a tiny rip in one as I was putting it in the hoop. And they have some flaws. But these were fun and quick to make.

The swoopy green thing is an N for North.

Square Dancing Bag Side Two Completed

A quick check of the archives shows that I forgot to take pictures of side one. I guess I will include pictures of side one when I finish side three.

So what is this project? I need a bag to hold my square dancing shoes, and I found an online tutorial for making a four sided bag with a square bottom. I decided to use some of the fabric from a mystery pack I bought when I was in Cannon Beach and emborder, leaving a square on the fabric. (Get it? Square dancing bag with a square?)

I’m quite pleased how things are coming along. This one is better than the first side. On the first side I started in the middle and worked my way back and forth higgledy piggledy, but this time I worked left to right, and the stitches didn’t get so beat up.

Here’s the back, for those who want a look.

And here’s a closeup. It’s fun to look at the different stitches and how they play together.

Here’s a closeup of the other side. Those blue stars turned out so well. And I enjoy how I cut them off on either side of the square.

Onward to the next panel!

Books Read in May 2025

*Book group selection | bolded means favorite

Picture Books

*The Peanut Man by Carmen Agra Deedy and Raúl Colón
*Raven’s Ribbons by Tasha Spillett and Daniel Ramirez
*Good Golden Sun by Brendan Wenzel
*Papilio by Ben Clanton, Andy Chou Musser, and Corey R. Tabor
*Our Lake by Angie Kang

Young Adult

Amelia, If Only by Becky Albertalli
*Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout
*All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
*Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

Grownup Fiction

The Only Black Girl in the Room by Alex Travis
Beautiful Day by Elin Hilderbrand
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Sandwich by Catherine Newman

The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand

Not nearly as dramatic (or stocked with horrible people) as the Netflix series but enjoyable on its own and as part of a series.

Young Nonfiction

*Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming

Grownup Nonfiction

Closet Smarts: Flatter Your Figure with the Clothes You Already Have by Emily Neill

A bit too many references to “problem areas” for my taste, but I did like the format of skipping the shape/fruit body typing and instead discussing different areas like what works with square shoulders/round shoulders.

2006 Emily Neill was not a fan of what would eventually become the skinny jean. I wonder if she came around when it became ubiquitous.

Matt and I play SceneIt Sqabble

As you might remember, Battleship Cinematic Universe won a prize at the Movie Quiz in March.

Nearly two months later, we have now played our new game!

I can say that I’ve now played this game and it was just as (or perhaps more?) entrenched in toxic gender tropes than I thought.

Having the advantage of being socialized to absorb “male” culture things meant that I won this game all three times we played it. But did I make the tired/disappointed noise with every interstitial? I did. That lady grabbing the wrench to do something with potting soil? Annoying. The guy riding the motorcycle that jumps into the lady’s champagne glass? Dumb. The way the female/male partners were painted as adversaries rather than companions? Gross.

Matt was similarly annoyed, though layered with a slight whiff of double annoyance for not winning.

We will be moving this game right out of the house, but it was still a fun to win it. Yay us!