There was a time last year when I gave up on keeping our house tidy. We had a puppy who did nothing but chew everything in his surroundings, and while I was going through chemo and radiation, and afterwards during recovery, I just didn’t have the energy to keep up. My husband did his best, but for me it felt impossible. For a time, the holes in the walls felt like holes I’d never be able to repair. The damage to the house felt like a visual reflection of the internal damage done to my body.
But, my energy eventually returned. My body recovered. Maybe it’s not the same as it was before – but it’s enough now that things no longer feel impossible. Maybe things take a little longer than they would have before, but I know in the core of my being that I am just as capable as I ever was. Slower, maybe, but maybe just a little bit wiser too.
We had been considering removing the old beadboard wallpaper that I put up when we first bought the house, and having real beadboard put in. It’s expensive, but now that Shinyu isn’t putting new holes in the walls (he’s finally done teething!) we thought it might be worth doing. Then, we a series of unfortunate events began – first, our dishwasher broke, then our vacuum and chest freezer both died, our washer/dryer, air conditioner, and finally our car started having severe issues.
My husband was able to repair our dishwasher himself. We purchase da new washer/dryer, and finally got a new air conditioner at the start of summer. Our car’s about to go into the shop for its repairs. We have a small freezer as part of our fridge, a robot vacuum, mops, brooms, and a hand vac for cleaning, so while it’s nice having a vacuum and chest freezer it’s not high on our priority list. We’ll replace them eventually, I’m sure.
That said, it didn’t seem prudent to drop a ton of money on hiring professionals to complete decorative renovations. We could, however, justify the much lower cost of me repairing things myself. So, I picked up some spackle and a putty knife and started filling holes. After a bit of sanding with sandpaper I already had on hand, and a fresh coat of new paint from Benjamin Moore that was pretty much perfectly color matched, you can hardly tell that there were holes before.
I mean, it’s not perfect; it’s a bit rough if you really look – and the lines I sanded back into the beadboard wallpaper are a tad on the wobbly side – but at least there aren’t gaping holes in the drywall anymore.
I started my renovations and repairs with the dog’s corner – which was probably the most damaged section of our home. This series of projects is also giving me the incentive to do a really good clean, organizing and redecorating of each section of the house as I go through and make my repairs. In Shinyu’s corner, it was mostly cleaning – but I did add a new fern, a plant stand for my guava tree to sit in during the winter when it comes inside, shifted a few orchids around, and added a humidifier. I also cleaned and reorganized our drinks cabinet, family altar, and cold frame. I wouldn’t say I enjoy cleaning, but I enjoy the feeling of having a fresh, clean space.
While I was working on these repairs, my husband informed me that he “wouldn’t mind” if I turned our house into a jungle. I took this as a challenge to add more plants to our space, so you can expect to see the number of plants increase as the series continues.
Working on house projects also gives me a bit of a break from working on art. Don’t get me wrong, I love working on new art – and we will soon be returning to your regularly scheduled tsumami-zaiku content – but it’s nice to do something a little different. Also, my dog really enjoys modeling for me – anything that involves being paid attention to and given treats is a fun activity for him, haha.
Anyhoo, that is all I’ve got for today. 🙂
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