Ooops, getting a little behind here...10/25 column

I’m a person who gets bored with routine fairly easily so I change things up quite a bit. I take different driving routes when going to work and to the farm. I switch types of shampoo every two weeks or so (which results in lots of half-full bottles in the bathroom cupboard) and I never buy the same type of ice cream twice.

So that’s why leaving my living room furniture the same for almost eight months is starting to grate on my nerves. So far in few years of cohabitating, Nate and I have managed to do at least two things right: we didn’t compromise on our must-have list when rental property hunting and we bought new living room furniture. When Nate and I began house-hunting a while back, we each made a wish list: on top of mine was a washer and dryer, and for him it was a dishwasher. Now that I think about it, it’s funny Nate selected a dishwasher as one of his requirements. He has yet to use it.

Also on our list was a garage (my addition), not more than 20 minutes from the farm (his request) and heat included in the rest (both of us). Luckily, after a few weeks of browsing the classifieds and visiting a few sub-par, and one rather disgusting, rental properties, we found the place we now call home.

In addition to all our requirements, it came with in-floor heat, which is good for little bare feet, and an open floor plan. I think the open floor plan is really what sold me on the place. I like the no-walls feeling, and that I could watch Jacob play in the living room while I worked in the kitchen. However, I’m starting to realize something about this open floor plan: furniture arrangement is rather limited. Even though it’s “open,” it does have borders. A carpet-tile line borders the hall kitchen/dining area and living room. Until I want to recline in the kitchen (where Nate would appreciate easy access to the fridge) I’ve only got a small area to work with.

Also unusual about this space is it has no usable corners. In one corner is the front door that opens into the living room. Going around clockwise: the next is prisoner to the television since that’s where the satellite cable comes in; the next is the hall to the bedrooms; and the last corner is the hall to the bathroom, laundry room and garage. The walls aren’t useful either. One is taken up by a large set of windows, and the other is pretty short. Besides, the short wall has no view of the television. So pretty much the couch and recliner, along with a pair of end tables, has to float within the confines of the island of carpet.

Last time I rearranged, right after Christmas, I merely swapped the couch and the chair. It made me feel better. To satisfy my boredom, I might just have to swap them back in the next few days. I do have additional motivation to make the swap. There’s also only one good place for a Christmas tree, and it happens to be the space the far end of the couch currently occupies. I don’t know if the swap will satisfy my need for change. As a back up plan, I’m asking for a house for Christmas.