By Anita Garner
Staying inside for long periods of time isn’t unusual for some of us. We’re nesters. If a cozy spot isn’t available, we’ll make one.
Be still my heart.
I’m a magpie, gathering a few things that make me feel at home and a few other things that turn a nest into a work space when needed. Everywhere I visit, everywhere I’ve lived, it’s always one small spot that gets my attention. No matter how large the room is, I’ll end up using just one part.
The British have a nice word for these kinds of places. They call a small, peaceful space a “snug.”
There’ll be a place to set down a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea, whichever screens I’m using, pad and pen, magazines, books, pillows, snacks, move a lamp closer, turn a comfy chair to face a favorite view. Window or not, there should be something peaceful to look at.
Drawn to rustic
Whether it’s an estate or a cottage or an old house for sale, visiting in person or online, I play the pick-a-room game. Which of these rooms will become a nest? I appreciate, admire, absorb and when I leave, one room always stays longest in memory. Online I check out country manors where we see lots of family libraries and before the tour moves on, I’ve chosen a place over by the window.
Okay this is Highclere Castle. Not your typical “snug.”
It’s Downton Abbey. I’ll take that chair way back there on the left.
I’m interested in people who fix up falling down buildings and reclaim barns and turn piles of wood into habitable homes. Right now I’m on Instagram helping a family choose paint colors for their summer cabin on a lake somewhere. I don’t know their names or where this lake is, (maybe I have been inside too long) but they ‘re talking about screening a small porch and that’s interesting. Lots of nesting opportunities on a screened in porch.
If I could create the perfect Instagram account or one perfect magazine for compulsive nesters like me, it would be called,
“Cottages & Cabins & Barns & Castles With Corners
& Nooks & Some Nice Flowers & Trees Nearby &
Once In A While Some Recipes.”
******
On Sundays I got for an adventure in KY. It is so beautiful here. As I pass falling down barns, derelict, rotting old houses with beautiful wood work, sometimes piles of scrapped vehicles, I wonder what happened that people just walked away from them. There are plantations in LA that families have inherited. They don’t want to live there, opting for city life. The plantations sit, holding maintenance people and try to maintain their past dignity. When I see these old places I wish they could talk. Perhaps I don’t. I am always fascinated with architecture.
Grace, I feel the same way. My heart reacts and I want to know their stories. Surely the number of souls who once inhabited these places left something of themselves inside.
This certainly sounds and looks like what I know of you and who I believe you to be. They, and you, are all lovely, warm and comfy.
Well Dave, you’re the sweetest. From pictures I see of you at home, I’m guessing you and Carolann have some nesting instincts going for you also.
There is a show on HGTV called Home Town that takes place in Laurel Mississippi. It’s charming and smart; my favorite during lockdown. I highly recommend it. Here’s a discription:
DescriptionA shared love of simple, Southern living and revitalizing historic properties keeps Ben and Erin Napier busy in their hometown of Laurel, Miss. That’s the setting of this HGTV series, which follows the couple as they renovate turn-of-the-century homes for first-time buyers, young families, and adults wishing to live closer to grandchildren. Erin’s keen sense of style and a background in graphic design guide the renovations, Ben’s building and woodworking skills preserve and celebrate the home’s history, and by using found materials and old textiles, they keep the character intact but create modern and affordable updates.
Nesting at its best.
My daughter watches every episode of Home Town and loves this couple. I’ve just started. I’m presently hooked on British property shows featuring quaint homes in the country. Fulfilling fantasies.