Practically Perfect


The home renovation and remodeling projects I’ve been talking about since September are drawing to a close. The bathroom is done, the entire interior has been freshly painted, and the bedrooms have new carpet. I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Everything in the house had to be moved — twice. Putting things back was an opportunity to purge and reorganize. Rejects that fit in my car went to the Goodwill store in one of many trips over the past two months. Everything too big for my car vanished soon after being placed by the curb.

I’m very proud of the neat and well-organized closet. I hate to brag, but have practically perfect closets is rare. We’ll see how long that lasts.

The bathroom is beautiful and much more spacious than before. The choices are mine with a lot of help from a designer, the project manager, and various tradesmen. The shower is huge! Extra storage from one less sink and a taller cabinet was a nice surprise.

The third bedroom has long suffered from a lack of purpose. Retiring created the need for a home office if for no other reason than to hang awards, diplomas and other former occupants of the vanity wall in my campus office. I’ve ordered a nice desk and chair to go with the bookcase from the living room.

My bedroom is pretty much the same as before. The outrageously expensive comforter I bought a while back (details here) dictated the palette for the rest of the house. The wall color really brightens things up.

The admittedly spare look is kind of nice. I can dust the whole house in minutes. Stuff for the walls and other accessories is neatly boxed with framed art I haven’t gotten around to hanging. I’m waiting for the desk and a few other pieces to arrive to accessorize.

The guest room is open for business. Still need to hang something on the walls. When this pandemic ends, I’m hoping my guest room gets a lot of use!