Everyone needs a quiet corner or a small space that sits waiting for them at the end of the day...waiting with 'open arms.' It does not have to be a fancy place with damask and lace curtains, but it should be a quiet and clean place where one can put down their burdens and put up their feet. The corner of my recently completed patio meets that qualification during the milder weather of the year. The chairs shown are old and from my mother-in-law's Florida room many years ago. Of the original four chairs only three are left and the cushions have worn thin. The cushion colors are faded and the ties are mostly broken. The chairs do not really fit the style of the patio, but they are too useful to toss away. They remind me of my M.O.L. who was a special and loving woman. If the cushions are not damp from a recent rain, I go out there with a good book and something to drink and perhaps my binoculars or camera and put my feet up on one of the chairs and sit back on the opposite chair and claim my corner of the world for an hour or so. (When I had toddlers the corner of respite was the guest bed when they were napping.)
Do you have a corner that you can claim?
Absolutely; after a lonely childhood, with never a corner of my own, I have insisted, for all of my adult life, that I must have a place which is mine; I may invite you in but I may also shut the door on you, metaphorically speaking.
ReplyDeleteIndoors and outdoors, "a Room of One's Own" (Virginia Woolf) is a life essential for me.
I have a couple.. I just haven't claimed either of them. Perhaps I should.
ReplyDeleteMy entire house is my corner because I live alone. If there is one special spot that I retire to I would have to name my soft recliner.
ReplyDeleteIn the Spring and Fall my patio beckons me.
Oh yes, I do. Your question fired up lots of feelings, old and new. One corner gets lots of use from others when I'm not there. It's one of those tent gazebos that we erect in the backyard each summer. It has mosquito netting to frustrate both the skeeters and wasps. It provides extra shade in a partially shaded backyard. It's a quiet spot to read, lunch, lean back and snooze. This year hubby put up a small porch swing with an awning on the back deck where I can rock and read much as I did as a small child at my grandmothers', both of them. I get that same protected, relaxed feeling I had then. Thanks for the question.
ReplyDeleteIn this city cottage I have several places. According to weather. The swing on my porch. I love a porch swing. Easy chair on screened porch and inside it is my super comfortable leather recliner. I bought this for myself about 5 years ago and love it. It is where I read, dream and sometimes fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteOh Yes I Do
ReplyDeleteIt is in my living room in the most comfy chair and ottoman.Covered in a lovely flower and bird print. The sunlight streams in on sunny days from the large windows. On cloudy days I just turn on all the lamps and rest and read.
And wouldn't you know. It is not long before I am sound asleep. Napping. It is heavenly.
PS
I love your corner of the world on your patio. And I think your MIL's spirit is part of the calming presence of that spot.
i have one particularly favorite place in the gardens, a bench where i am a bit hidden by surrounding rhododendrons and a purple smokebush. there is screen of evergreens behind me. I can turn my head in several directions and enjoy the colorful ambiance of the summer gardens.
ReplyDeleteinside the house you will find me in my recliner which is also a rocker. i rock much of the time when i am sitting up, a movement which is calming to me. under a soft, warm microfiber blanket i will often snooze when i recline. my chair is my special, cozy, fetal-like place.
Several. A chaise on my deck, or my office, or my living room - which is perfect for reading.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I can't think of one special place. I'll have to make myself one.
ReplyDeleteAlas, no corner. Not even a bedroom I can call my own (long story).
ReplyDeleteMy corner is out in the (tiny) garden or at my computer. At my computer The Man is generally sitting at the other side of the room, but we don't disturb each other. We each have our corner, and do our own thing.
ReplyDeleteBut I LOVE your chairs. They look like comfortable chairs. Most lawn furniture is not that comfortable. I am going to have to look for something like that. I just sit on the step. (Because it's there.)
Love this post - it reminds me of special places and I do love yours.
ReplyDeleteThink I am ready to develop a corner here
Thanks for the inspiration
I call this the Porch Vacation! I love mine except now we have birds in the rafters who are pooping all over the place. They think they own the place.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have a corner. I do find it peaceful just do walk around and look at the flowerbeds. I read mostly in bed at night.
ReplyDeleteWe have a gazebo at the end of the yard where I often take a warm drink and a good book on a quiet morning.
ReplyDeleteI currently live in a two-storey apartment surrounded by houses and other apartments. The corner I can claim is only my room where I do blogging, watch TV, sleep, dress up, where each corner knows every part of me.
ReplyDeleteIt's part of my dreams to have a house in the country with a wide green backyard. I'd plant two big trees and suspend a hammock in between. That would be splendid and exhilarating! :)