I Have a New Desk
There is something rather marvelous about sitting down to work at the perfect desk. Yesterday, I went into Susan and Andy’s house, which I still call Phil’s. I looked about, and went into the Florida room, where I spotted our old desks. I think we bought them in Maine, and decided they did not work in this house. We were getting ready to put them out for bulk pick-up, where we assumed someone would want to carry them home, when Phil walked over to say hello. I remember him asking what we were doing, and telling him that we were planning on getting rid of the matching desk. Phil could not believe what he heard, he thought they were perfect for him – one would be a computer desk, the other an art desk. We were thrilled to get rid of them, and happy that he was so at home with them. For awhile, Phil enjoyed those desks. He set them up, as he wanted and went to work creating! A desk should be used and loved.
Since getting rid of the matching desks, I have been looking for a new desk. I settled on a glass table, in the Florida room, which offered a perfect view of the garden and lake. But the table never quite worked. Kate and I have both looked everywhere for a desk, but had not been able to find exactly what I wanted, until Nour called.
Over the holidays, Nour phoned me, and offered me his desk. He was going with a different layout, in his office space, and his old desk was mine if I wanted it. I had company when he called, and simply said I would get back to him.
I told Kate about the desk, expecting her to say no – enough stuff already, but having been a part of our unsuccessful desk search, she easily acquiesced. We called Nour, and asked if we could come by and take a look at the desk, he said of course; and I immediately lowered my expectations. After searching so long, I could not imagine my perfect desk sitting in Nour’s garage, just waiting for me. He warned me it was peach colored, but it could be painted. As he opened the garage door, I looked at the desk in utter amazment. Could this really be happening? Yes!
The desk was perfect. It was not contemporary in any way, just like me. It was old and filled with character and drawers! Yes, real live drawers. Not only did the desk have drawers it had dividers and little trays for writing paper and paper clips; and a proper file drawer. I fell instantly and madly in love! I had a desk.
It certainly is the heaviest desk in the world, and getting it home was not at all easy – thank God, Nour had an industrial strength dollie. We pushed the Christmas storage containers aside, and made room in the garage for the new desk. Slowly Kate and I began to explore our new acquisition. It had two pull-out writing shelves, where back in the day one would have placed your typewriter, to better position your hands for typing; or tape pieces of information which you often needed to reference but did not want to share with the world. I was thrilled! The center drawer ran the width of the entire desk, had built in compartments, plus one of the extra trays!
We took the drawers out, and began cleaning our find – there were five pennies in the drawer which I am ashamed to say ended up in my pink piggy bank, instead of Nour’s hands. (He will have to put it on my account.) Our first attempt to paint it did not go well. We were trying to roll on a high gloss black paint, which we already had, the metal desk refused to surrender her peach tones to latex. Back to the paint store Kate went, coming home with several cans of black spray paint, which the desk joyfully accepted.
After a couple of days of drying, it was time to introduce the desk to the rest of the house. The odd space, which was designed to be a breakfast nook, and which we have never quite figured out what to do with, became my new office. Not only did I have a new desk, but a whole new office!
The small bookcase, now panted black, was made by Kate’s grandfather, Charlie, many years ago. The wooden filing cabinet, formerly army green, has been with us since Long Beach, California, and I think was formerly in the army.
I have not quite moved into my new desk. Years of the glass table have left me with too many office supplies in plastic containers and transitioning back to a desk may take a few weeks more; but the new desk gives me hope. I wrote Chapter Eight of Letters to Margaret at the new desk, and felt rather pleased in my new my work place. I expect great things to come from my new desk, my thanks to Nour and Kate, who have made the dream of the perfect desk a reality.
I still have a view of lake, but it is much smaller – perhaps my mind will wonder less. That is all for now.
