My Favorite Corner

Hi. My name is Ronda. I must confess, I am not much of a meme player. An Internet meme, pronounced meem, is an idea or a concept that passes from one person to another, like a story, list, or concept, via the Internet. I have all kinds of excuses, but probably the reason that comes closest to being truth is that I am always really busy, personally and professionally. Time seems to get away from me and, for the most part, by the time I get around to completing them, they are no longer relevant. I end up dispatching them to the cyberspace graveyard.

Every once in a while, I attempt a meme just for practice. This one was created by the lovely Leah, author of the introspective The Weather in the Streets blog . It is called "A Favorite Corner in Your House." This meme is one I can do, although, I do confess that, since she posted the meme on May 20, 2009, she probably has forgotten all about it by now. While, to me, it is a current event. That's how "on it" I am. Well, best get to crack-a-lackin.'

My husband and I bought our house two months before we got married in 1976. Since then, we have been on an endless round of remodels and renovations. Our house is probably on its fourth incarnation. It was originally built in the downtown area of Redding as a residential structure. When I worked in dialysis, I learned that my clinic administrator had spent many years in this house. Her best friend lived in it and they would often play together. Years later, it was used as a bank. And, in fact, my husband was one of their first 100 members. To this day, we retain a charter account with free checking. After the bank generated enough profit, our house was removed so a traditional, commercial bank building could be built.

Thank goodness they chose to move the house rather than have it demolished. It was moved approximately six miles from its original location into a quiet neighborhood. It appears to have been built in the early 1900's but when we purchased it, it had been renovated in the 1940's Mission style.

I have many favorite corners in my house. But today, I am going to focus on my ceilings. When I get tired of looking at all of the things we NEED to do and redo, I kick back, look up and get lost in the interesting and intricate, old style, high ceilings my husband crafted. They are one off creations treated with a variety of colors, textures, shapes and mediums.

The stained glass pictures are of our downstairs bathroom ceiling. The panes of glass were cut and leaded by my mother, Barbara. Originally, she made them to adorn our 70's style water bed headboard. Remember those? The large pane of glass was in the center where, usually, a mirror was inserted. The two outer panes were mounted in the side doors. When we finally decided to retire the chunky, dark, rustic, wood headboard, I told my husband that I wanted to save the stained glass panels. Maybe we could use them somewhere else in the house as a reminder of my mother. As she had Alzheimer's, I knew she would never do that kind of work again. A few years ago, for our anniversary, he surprised me. He had taken the panels to a glass artist, had them expanded, then he mounted them as a ceiling light cover in our bathroom.

Below is a photograph of our living and dining room ceiling. It has the styling of embossed, tin ceiling tiles and a light fixture enhanced with an art deco style medallion.

The photo below is of our bedroom ceiling. My husband is an upholsterer. We use the materials and skills that we have at hand whenever possible. Because, mainly, we have more skill and creativity than $$. He used thin, wood veneer door skins, padded with layers of foam cut into designs and relief patterns, and then covered them with fabric. He made numerous panels, butted them end-to-end, to cover the expanse of ceiling.

I just love my ceilings, light fixtures, and husband. Although, he was testing me tonight. He had an EBay project that he couldn't kill and didn't get off the computer until after 11:00. Usually, I can count on him to go to bed by no later than 10:00. So, as I got a late start tonight, I will have an even later finish. Someday I will show you my padded rooms. Yes, I have padded rooms. REALLY! Okay, cut the wisecracks...sheesh.