Well, we’re off. Deposit has been placed on a cute two-bedroom apartment in north Kansas City. Two beds, two FULL baths, fireplace – and the crowning glory, a dishwasher. I have never seen such luxury.
And to celebrate my newfound largesse (apartment-wise), I’m kicking off this blog to log my journey from California to Kansas City – from a moldy old rathole in a lovely historic district to a corporate apartment in the rolling hills of Missouri. And from embarassingly careless consumerism into a more mindful and beautiful life.
I have been interested in “simple living” for several years now, but so far my only concession to these daydreams is buying organic fruit and earth-friendly laundry detergent. What I really want is to combine my dream of living a simple, mindful life of conservation and carefulness with my dream of living artfully and creatively in a whimsical environment.
We’ll see how it works out.
I plan on finally putting art on the walls in this place (our current place is as bare as it was when we moved in four years ago), my own photographs and illustrations. I’d like to put some of Josh’s up too, if he’s game. I want to make the dining room area a sort of reading/library room with several bookcases and some images featuring Fitzgerald and Millay and Hemingway, &tc. I want to paint a floorcloth for the living room (to bridge the gap between the new blue carpet and whatever lumpy furniture we end up with for the first few months) and make my own curtains. I want to make a little haven on the tiny balcony where we can sit outside and smoke and drink coffee and listen to music. I want my own nooks and crannies for snuggling in and drawing or writing when it’s gray outside. I want to make as much of what we use and display myself, and not keep a bunch of extra possessions around as hindrance. And most of all, I want every single corner of it saturated with our presences – to make it feel like home, for however long we’re there.