Any skeptical reader, seeing yesterday’s minimalist look, might reasonably wonder “where is all the other stuff in her office?” The above two photos show the other two corners of the room. Somehow the combination of the four pictures from yesterday and today make the room seem much larger than it actually is. In reality it is about 11X14 feet and was originally one of three bedrooms in this 1929 house.
On the left are the file cabinets and working desk space. Here in a box are the scattered papers formerly resting next to my computer. Previously they called out to be dealt with, taking my focus away from writing. Now they have their own space, complete with stamps, tools, a bulletin board and a comfortable chair. Behind them are the two file cabinets where everything is stored, from paid bills to medical records.
On the right you can see all the supplies needed in an office. An over the door shoe bag holds things like replacement ink cartridges, pens and envelopes. The closet, minus its door, houses paper of all types, note cards and greeting cards. The bookcase to its right holds all my genealogy resources. My other main passion, besides writing, is continuing to flesh out the stories of my forebears. Eventually I will turn this research and mountains of notes into biographical sketches which do more than give dates and location. I hope to answer such questions as “why did great-Aunt Lucy go to China in the late 1800’s to work in a school for blind girls?”
Rest assured that the desk on the left is extremely unlikely to stay that pristine for longer than it took to write this post!
Saved By Words 
Desks do have a nasty habit of collecting stuff!
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So do radiator covers, kitchen counters, bathroom sinks and stairs. What can I say?
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1929 — the year the Great Depression started following the stock market crash in October. Your house was probably completed earlier that year because banks started failing, financing dried up, and your house wouldn’t have been built….and who knows where you’d be living now!
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Our house was built by a master carpenter who had built several houses on our street already and probably used that money for this house. It was completed in 1929.
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I can’t keep a room tidy for long!
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Now you are nice and tidy, you need to get busy. I want to know why Aunt Lucy went to China!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Me too. We will see.
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This reminds me of my teacher’s desk at school. It would start pristine, but I transformed it into an enormous mess by the end of the day.
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Exactly!
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Everything has its place, that will help to keep things tidy and be easier to clear up when it inevitably gets messy after use. And I’m with Pete: I too want to know why Aunt Lucy went to China!
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Me too. I will certainly write about her in due time.
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We share the love of writing and genealogy.
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They can fill up a life after retirement very satisfactorily.
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It would be really interesting to know why she went to China.
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I will definitely let everyone know. She was from a small town in the middle of the US and it was very unusual.
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