Unbased first published on 08/26/2015
Two new chairs for my deck yesterday. Old bag chairs too low and hard to rise out of for a crickety seventy year old. When sitting by myself with nobody to give me a pull getting up, I needed to be sure I sat near deck rail so I could use it for an assist.
Bag chairs gave me good service though. Several years and still tough, always kept inside hanging in their bags from hooks in Doghouse’s wall when not in use. I’ll move them to Big House for extra seating for younger folks when such is needed on one of its back porches or perhaps front yard. They’ll still store handily in their bags, as long as a mouse doesn’t nest in the bottom as one did a couple years ago at Doghouse.
New chairs are canvas rockers. Capacity to hold big folks with frames and solid arms. Easy to get in and out of because they aren’t deep and they rock forward. I like them already and I’ve only used one just last evening.
Bought four altogether. Two for Doghouse and two for Big House’s larger lower back porch. Only thing I’ve found not to like about them is lack of cup holders. My gypsy table will do to hold drinks/ snacks between the pair at Big House. I’ll have to build a small light table for Doghouse. Another project to keep me occupied since I finished clothesline I talked about in at least one column earlier this year.
But Doghouse is filling up. It began life as a one hundred fifty square foot cabin with bed, King Heater, small table, straight chair, small random shelves, and nails in bare studs for clothes. It was built for Walter “Horse Thief” Haberman, a farmworker Pap hired in early 1950s. Walter didn’t stay long and cabin became farm storage, old tires, rolls of snow fencing, etc. Following Pap’s death I cleaned it out, moved the whole structure to present location, added a small deck and enough furniture and shelving to make life there primitively livable.
Now in place of those first furnishings I have all sorts of more modern things.
Pap’s recliner serves as bed and most comfortable seat, my old cast iron parlor wood stove is much bigger than the King of Walter’s day and his small table refurbished and reinforced still serves. I’ve built blanket chest/side table/stool and a wood box with lid and kindling drawer. Built-in utility shelves, wash stand and book case take up more floor space. Random storage in two corners includes a box of dry cedar kindling in one and my folding homemade lap desk and trash bucket in the other.
I’ve not enumerated items which don’t take up floor space. All sorts of cabinets, nails and hooks hold odds and ends on every wall. Everything from dart board to mosquito net, kerosene lantern to cooking pots have places on walls. Passenger-aircraft-like overhead compartments hold extra bedding canvas curtains, sleeping bags, rainy night outdoor peeing shelter (umbrella) and my telescoping flag pole bridges between shelves on opposite sides. I woke in Pap’s recliner morning, just enough daylight see blurry furnishings around. Put on my glasses sat thinking moment or two and decided day I need to cut Doghouse closer to essentials. Things “will be great for Doghouse” I’ll never used have got to go. six chairs down to four by moving old bag chairs to Big House. Rockers will hang on same hook below dart board, where chairs have lived for several years.
Since today’s column has been so easy to write, I’ll have time to do some rearranging, even before lunch. Maybe I’ll find a moment to sit quietly and dream up a little hang-up folding side table to hold Canadian Mist and when I’m rocking out under big maple on hot afternoons.
