Quantcast
Channel: Catherine L. Pendleton, writer
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 10

My Favorite Place to Write

0
0

I write at an old oak desk, that my mom painted green, in a room we’ve always called “the studio” at my parents’ house. I love sitting in this room. It’s large and spacious and has windows on three sides and a bank of bookshelves, mostly filled with books, on the fourth wall. The room is sunny and bright, and since it’s down two long hallways, it’s far enough away from the household noise. I can see out into the back yard and can keep a watchful eye on the back door for visitors and on my chickens during the course of the day.

my-office-desk
My writing desk in the studio at my mom’s house.

When I was growing up, my mom used the room for sewing and crafts, and my dad used it for writing. Sometimes they worked on crafts together. I remember one year they constructed a large mosaic of Jesus’ mother Mary for Christmas. My siblings and I rediscovered it a couple of years ago in storage. It weighs a ton!

Mom’s sewing machine still rests under the side windows where I learned to sew, and there are a few random items stored in the corners of the room for lack of a better place.

When I moved in with my mom three years ago to care for her, I allotted myself one section of shelves (top and bottom). I didn’t bring many books with me from Alaska, but now my books and other ephemera are overflowing the shelves! I may have to let them creep on over to my mom’s shelves.

my-office-bookshelves
This is the top section of one of the three sections of the built-in bookshelves that span one wall.

I love listening to the life of the neighborhood from the studio. The birds chirp, my chickens cackle, and the neighbor’s rooster crows. Dogs bark. Someone cranks up a saw or a lawn mower every now and then. Children squeal while they play. I can watch birds, butterflies, and dragonflies flit around the back yard. The neighbor’s cats visit, and sometimes my other neighbor’s little brown dog streaks by when she escapes. Occasionally, I take a moment and watch the leaves and pine needles sway in the breeze and sparkle in the sunlight.

I like to watch storms come from the studio windows. The sky grows dark. The trees bend in the blustering wind, and pine straw and leaves swirl. Rain pings against the windows and on the concrete patio. Then everything is quiet.

This is my favorite room in the house.

Catherine


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 10

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images