As I am trying to find ways to push away all the sadness I'm feeling now with my daughter leaving in a week, it is very pleasant to read this thread. I have always enjoyed reading books that give detailed descriptions of the environment of the writer (Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchey are 2 of my favorites) and my imagination can take me to the location where the story takes place.
Right now I can imagine Hops and the Moon family in their cozy homes pursuing their lives. I am in my office, but that is not where I enjoy being, so I would choose to describe my family room/kitchen/breakfast room where I spend most of my time. My home is a Williamsburg reproduction and much of the house is an exact replica of a home in that area (I just moved here two years ago and the house is about 31 years old). The family room is finished in barnwood which goes up about 3/4 of the way, with heavy plaster above. The ceiling has hand-hewn beams which are strictly decorative. It has a beautiful fieldstone fireplace with a 4-foot opening, with a pot rack inside and a hand-hewn beam as the mantle. The floors are pine and stained on the darker side. I have a TV in there and the kitchen is right there with a breakfast area at one end of the family room. I am not happy about how dark the room is, and am seriously thinking of making some changes which will make it lighter and brighter in there. I constantly struggle with how significantly to change things however, as I don't know how long I'll be here and if I will recover my investment.
You will usually find my English Setter, Grady, sleeping on the couch (even though he has a very nice dog bed on the floor), and my English Cocker, Brigid, either on the other end of the couch or trying to find something to get into. My three kitties live in the other parts of the house and can usually be found sleeping on one of the beds. I have found it necessary to keep the dogs and cats separate, or the dogs will either be chasing the cats, causing them to take up residence under a bed or on a ceiling fan, or the dogs will have cat litter covering their mouths (I know, gross to think about) and the cats will have no food.
Much of my artwork in that room is either English Setters--going back to my days of breeding and showing--or other kinds of wildlife art. I have several Robert Bateman's, who is my favorite wildlife artist, around the house and others which need to be framed. My father use to deal in wildlife art as a hobby and I inherited a number of pieces after he died. There are also many pictures of my children and a few pieces of memorabilia scattered about.
As I walk through the house now and think how empty it will be after next week, I wonder how long I can stay here and rattle around by myself. There are rooms which no one even enters, much less uses, and the dust collects on items which no longer matter to me. I am feeling this big wave of change heading my way and I fear being pull out to sea again, cast adrift and once again looking for a safe port.
Sorry, but I'm having a sad week.
Brigid