In 2008 I inherited my dad's antique oak bookcase, 59" long, 57" high, and 14" deep. This aged behemoth has adjustable oak shelves and three single-pane glassed doors. Unfortunately, this lovely and most-treasured piece was placed in front of the loveseat in my living room upon its arrival and there it still stands today, five years later. Shelf by shelf I have managed to fill it up with junk and stuff, instead of finding the perfect location for it and filling it with my real treasures (like my larger horse figurines - I am so weary of dusting them!).
I love this bookcase - it has been in my family for as long as I can remember. It lived in my dad's study in each of our parsonages. It was always filled to the brim with his most precious books - his collection of religious tomes, some ancient and leather-bound. Old Bibles, modern texts, the 1909 Compton's encyclopedia (which I still have).
I measured and remeasured it, trying to think where I could shoehorn it into an appropriate location in my house. Too deep for the hallway ( I could just imagine crashing a clumsy elbow through the glass). Anyway, the hallway is already lined with ten shallower bookshelves, one chest of drawers and one tall cabinet. Thus was the hallway eliminated from consideration.
Kitchen? No. That would be silly; plus the antique oak china cabinet is already out there, filled with knick knacks from grandma and mom . Bathroom? No. Too moist, and there are already two bookshelves in there. Bedroom? No. Seven bookshelves, three small cabinets and multiple stacking bins. So back to the living room. If I relocate the filing cabinet and the maple corner cabinet, and move the loveseat and a few chairs, I do believe it will fit into a nice safe corner. It only took me five years to think of this solution.
Of course before I move the filing cabinet I have to clear a space for it. If I Freecycle the old oak dresser in the utility room, the file cabinet will fit in there. But first I have to clear out the utility room. And most of the other stuff in there - six or seven cat carriers, a 50 gallon drum of pine chip litter and numerous 5 gallon buckets full of more stuff - all of these need to be moved into the front hall.
Of course the front hall is full of bags of pop bottles and other recyclables. The recyclables will go to the curb and the returnable pop bottles go into my stash in the garage (my only savings account). I must also make the decision to recycle the 100 pounds or so of old framing magazines I have stashed in bins and boxes. That should allow me enough room to store the cat carriers and other stuff from the utility room and maybe squeak the oak dresser out into the garage if anyone wants to pick it up. It cannot live in the garage for too long or it will go to a moldy grave out there.
So, there. Now I have a plan. New Years is always the time to create plans. All I have to do now is get started in the right spot and I will be on my way! Happy New Year!
