Housewarming: More Photoessay

We are gradually clawing our way up from the morass of boxes, finding things and then finding places for them. Thanks to friends and family, we came away with more things than we had formerly owned, and these are filling, happily, and enlivening what would
otherwise have seemed a cavernous space.

For a housewarming gift, my wonderful sister-in-law gave us one of her equally wonderful paintings (for more of her work, see the "Visit My Arty Family" link in the sidebar):



How many people get to walk into someone's house and pick a painting -- any painting -- from stacks leaning against the living-room and dining-room walls? She does these wonderful landscapes, vivid with color and natural shapes, especially trees and clouds, and I had to walk around, and then walk around again, and think, and walk around again, and wistfully eye some paintings I couldn't have because they're going into a show that opens this month at her gallery, and walk around again, and think . . . but finally I came out with this one. I can't resist blackeyed Susans (or sunflowers, whichever those are), and I'm thinking I want to paint my front door, which is currently white, some shade of blue from this painting, which hangs on the living room wall opposite that door.

Here's our living room as a whole, made far more comfortable -- what am I saying? Made furnished -- by Father back home, who wanted to get rid of his sofa and chairs and divers other items. My mother bought us the rug at a junktique shop in her neighborhood, and I love the liveliness of the colors, and the way it pulls things together, but lightheartedly. I've never had a formal living room before, and I'm still not entirely used to the whole idea; it's good not to take these things too seriously, I feel.


I love the mantelpiece. Makes a brilliant altar/ikonostasis.


My mother gave us much furniture; she also brought us, from Russia, this enameled tin dish. I've seen lots of botanical designs in my time, but I've never seen dandelions made much of in quite this vibrant way before. Who knew they were so beautiful? Glory be to God for the humblest things.


The phone alcove in the downstairs hall makes a perfect shrine for this tender image, which my friend Amy gave me before we moved:


Finally, my dear friend Susan found a lovely porcelain head of the Blessed Mother at an estate sale. She blogged about her here, and then gave her to me:

Where the mother is at home, the family is at home. And so we are.