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Dorothy, as depicted by John R. Neill. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]
The new place is definitely starting to feel more like a home than the old studio apartment ever did. The living room is pretty much done, aside from eventually wanting to replace the chair, and the kitchen has come together. We hung art in those two rooms, and most of it has even stayed on the walls.
My garden is still tiny and my cucumbers failed, but there are actual pea pods on my peas. It was kind of amazing when I realized that - like suddenly, magically, the gardening thing was working. There are green strawberries too, but somehow the peas are more real to me. Maybe because they look like themselves.
We also acquired a washing machine. We're going without a drier for the time being, to see if we can get by without one. I think it's do-able, at least for the summer. I'm on a DIY household kick, and I need to pick up vinegar and borax and all the other pieces to make my own cleaning supplies. Once I've got that under control, I think I'm going to try teaching myself to cook.
In less successful news, the bedroom wall still isn't painted. We started this, oh, at least a month ago now. Picked a color, got a tester, hated it. Wanted to pick another color, but Mara's new preferences had come into play, so I had to find a better source. Did that, picked TWO colors, liked one.
Still haven't made it back for a regular quart of paint. I think we're waiting until some nebulous perfect weekend when we will have Time To Paint, but realistically I know that's not going to happen. I need to make it a priority - but I have to work a ridiculous amount of this weekend, so I still don't know when we'll do it.
It's L. Frank Baum's birthday today, one of the ancestor days I celebrate. It's really wonderful to see how universal the Oz myths have become. Not every retelling is good, but it's such a cultural touchstone that that almost doesn't matter.
But hey, if you're looking for a good one, check out Namesake. It's not just Oz but there's a lot of Oz in the first arc and the story is beautifully executed. I also recommend the new Oz Reimagined anthology.
The interesting thing about Oz, in my book, is that everybody remembers that Dorothy went home at the end, but people don't realize that in subsequent books she not only went back, she happily moved there permanently once she was able to bring the people she cared about.
The lesson of Oz is that you can, in fact, have your dreams and your family too. It may take a little longer or require more work, but you don't necessarily have to choose.