Home Decor January 2025
Category Archives: Home & Garden
Paint Jobs
The few things that survived the fire, even if they were in the backyard , often had lots of paint damage to them. A fresh coat of paint helps a bit, although I might redo some of the colors. The red is a little too bright for some of these objects.
MLK Jr. Holiday 65 Degrees in January
Spending some extended time in the sun today was good to get my mind off the shit show in DC. I was able to use my day off to work on plants and outdoor decor. I know the dogs appreciated the sun and warm outdoor furniture with me.
There’s a lot going on in this video. I was in the garden with the dogs today as we had 65-degree (F) weather in January! I’m proud of this globe I painted, which is on a solar spinner. It survived the fire and was previously located at “ground zero” where the fire reportedly began. Still no explanation except “electrical anomaly.”
Front yard blossoms:
By the way, that is NOT poop that Hobbes is chewing on. It’s pineapple or bark.
I worked on my plants, thinking about what I’ll do with them and the outdoor decor from this rental when I move back home in a few months. I think about the move back all my waking hours at this juncture.
I put together a very utilitarian table out of repurposed, broken parts, which I’m very proud of. I love practical furniture.
The dogs bring me such joy, as does the sun.
Enjoying the warm weather with the dogs and Shea and appreciating what a great man this holiday is in honor of. I’m not watching the travesty in DC and do not want anything to do with people who are normalizing it. I pity this country and rejoice that I can pursue my EU citizenship, even though I’ll stay and still do what I can, more on the local level in the foreseeable future, to make life better even for those innumerable fools who vote against their best interests.
I will actively seek to disconnect from fascists and I will also make it quite clear that they are no longer in my life, especially the ones I’m not related to and have no reason to stay connected to. There are enough toxic people in the world already that I have to deal with, and the political ramifications of their existence and corruption.
Bonnie and Calvin evening wrestle. This is why most people can’t believe Bonnie is completely blind. For those who don’t know, her eyes were surgically removed to reduce pain after she went completely blind in August.
January Rental 2025 Backyard
December 2024 Rental Home Decor
Just a few more months and I’ll be home, but I keep acquiring (and reducing) based on what I want to move with.
Inspiring Friends
We had a wonderful visit with Nick Dong. He is a world-renowned master designer/artist/genius and a good friend of many years who, like so many, helped me find some resilience and silver linings in the horrible event from last January (my catastrophic house fire and the loss of five precious canine souls). It was a privilege to revisit his custom home and for Shea to get to know him.
Nick inspires me to manifest my dream house with this rebuild and find ways to live my best life. In the footage Shea took you’ll see a reflection of the three of us in a small sampling of Nick’s mind-blowing kinetic pieces. If you ever get a chance to see the work of Studio Dong in person, don’t miss the opportunity!
One of his two amazing koi ponds with the most friendly fish I’ve ever met in my life!
Chef Shea and his new Xmas Gift
Shea is already using his Kitchen Aid that Santa brought him! Today he turned holiday leftovers into sweet potato parathas.
December 2024 Rental Garden
December 2024 Interior at Rental
I hope to be told that I can start packing to return home in the next month or two. I don’t have a confirmed target date, but I was specifically told NOT to make any travel plans for the next few months, which feels fantastic!
Meanwhile, I think very conscientiously about where the items in my rental will end up when I go home. Here are some pieces I’ve recently “acquired” by looking in less obvious places for things one cannot just get in the ordinary course. I have been enjoying Facebook marketplace and Etsy more than ever, especially for some of the custom or one-of-a-kind things that will mean so much to me, including this framed Streisand picture.
I love my newest Streisand acquisition, which I got on Etsy, and how I have it lit here with some of my other Barbrabilia. Some of you know that I lost most of my Streisand collectibles in my fire in January, and they were so unique and large that they will never be replaced. They were just things and nothing compared to my lost pets, but I will miss them too as they were a part of my life for decades. I also always had a connection to my dad who was a fervent Streisand fan himself, even though it made my mom jealous. He obviously had good taste. When I was 14 I was scanning through the channels and came upon Funny Girl. My life changed that day as I saw exactly what he was telling people when they dared to suggest anyone else was a better singer.
Minimalist Xmas Decorations 2024
I’m displaying very minimalist (so unlike me) xmas decorations this year in the rental. I have these two ceramic trees that my mom hand-painted which survived the fire, but I’m already looking forward to decorating my home when I’m back for xmas 2025. A surprising amount of my holiday decorations survived the fire since the garage was relatively untouched, but I don’t even feel like transporting them over here.
