Several Items

I closed the shop today and spent most of my time cleaning out the rest of the space above the store.

Something if not ascetic at least with a slant towards simplicity has lodged in my bones since I got to know Father Joseph and the other monks at St. Godric's. But when I bought the antique store (which occupies the first floor and basement of a small brick building) I also bought the two floors above. So now I have had to decide what to do with this space.

All I really need is my little corner studio apartment on the second floor, which is furnished with a small refrigerator, an antique gas stove, a single bed with a calico bedspread, a small end table and a lamp. There's a bathroom just down the hall with black and white tile and an old claw foot tub that pretty much completes my needs.

I suppose I could lease the third floor as an apartment. It is mostly ready, but I'm undecided on becoming a 'landlord.' And that still leaves the remainder of the second floor to work with. Once you take into account my studio and bathroom it's too small to rent. There is one larger room that was filled with junk that I'm clearing out to use as a library and a space for entertaining, and I plan on turning one of the smaller room into a tiny smoking lounge for my occasional cigar. That leaves one small room unoccupied and as of yet undesignated. An art gallery? An aquarium? A terrarium?

I made a lot of progress cleaning up anyway.

I also placed an order for my new "Ithilien Antiques" sign. Once I get that up and painted I can have a formal grand opening with balloons and little cookies and photocopied discount coupons and everything.

Before getting started this morning I picked up a copy of The Rake at Café Bruno.

This may be the best article I've read in such a magazine in years.

I also saw that there's a book club meeting at Café Bruno on Monday nights ... I was too tired tonight but it might be worth checking out next week.