Colors and vexation

"To find the universal elements enough;
to find the air and the water exhilarating;
to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter...
to be thrilled by the stars at night;
to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring
- these are some of the rewards of the simple life."
John Burroughs

 

  The negotiations with my mother are proving to be an exercise in futility. Specifically, my desire to paint the rooms and update the decor. My mother, an 85 year old woman that delights in hoarding everything (memories!), balks at every turn.

Except the foyer. I offered to turn it into her office. She can stretch her mind in comfort, perhaps finishing her work-in-progress book or hammering out her plays.

She can not write without a proper desk. Fine. I was saving money towards repairing the sewer line, but I will buy her a desk today. With a hutch. And drawers. And a keyboard tray.

She wanted to put her old Casio keyboard on the desk as well.

No.

Just no. You've hoarded enough. If it doesn't fit on one of the SIX bookcases I dragged downstairs for you, it is not going to gather dust in the foyer.

I understand that each item has a memory attached to it. I take issue with every item being a memory. Her clutter makes it difficult to clean. And, while it sit there gathering dust, my belongings rot away in a storage unit.

Like my couch, which is stored on its side due to lack of space in the unit. Or my pictures. These were in the garage and have all been destroyed.

It is difficult to write this without feeling a weensy bit of vexation.

Okay, I will be honest. I fucking hate clutter. 

Nature surrounded us in our last house. I did not feel the need to bring the colors in. Now, in a house sans trees and surrounded by neighbors' lawns, I crave the seasons. Specifically Autumn, my favorite season.

The color swatch at the top of this entry embraces the sentiment. I could also live with a cooler colors but they aren't as appealing to me.

I once painted a room that shade of green. It was alright, I guess.

This fixation with Autumn colors came out of nowhere. I don't see them as too bright when used as a backdrop or an accent color.

This

 Becomes this

 

We have that vibe going on already. The den carries a few of the colors.

 

..er, most of the colors? Well, enough colors to satisfy my nesting mode. I need to find a way to convince my mother that her yellow walls could be toned down some. And that she does not need all that crap out. 

It is an an exercise in futility. I must keep trying to simplify my environment.

_________________

Update: I ordered the desk and hutch for her. It should arrive on Monday. They honored the sale price as well, meaning a $200 discount. I'm so glad we're in a position to do this for her. But we'll need to start saving again for that sewer line. And we put down on a new vehicle today. The Escape was a nice little SUV but it had too many recalls for my comfort. Meh, the payments didn't go up by that much. The old truck will be paid off by October, so it's just a few tight months to go.