Fresh Feeling

The Eels are one of my favorite bands. On any given day my music mood will be significantly different from one hour to the next. But I am always in the mood for The Eels. Their songs are sometimes ironic, sometimes whimsical, often pained, always honest and sometimes just simply sweet. My Chicklet and I often blast "I Like Birds" and whistle and sing along while on the morning drive to school. She often tells me not to sing, something she's done since she was wee little, and I don't blame her. There will be no sweet memories for her of momma sweetly singing a lullabye as momma could never sing sweetly.

This morning, as I perused the news with music playing in the background, I found myself singing along - very quietly - to Fresh Feeling (Eels). I was struck by these lyrics...

Birds singing a song
Old paint is peeling
This is that fresh
That fresh feeling

It just felt so.... right this morning. The weather is finally starting to resemble spring. The snow is almost completely gone even in the North facing portions of yards. The giant snowbanks have crumbled into masses of dusty grit and you know that, any day now, the street sweepers will be out freshening up the roads and curbsides. Soon we'll see buds on the trees and flowers in bloom. Soon.

We can get outside now to freshen up our lawns and homes and tackle things we've spent the winter turning a blind eye to.

Like our more-than-just-ugly-and-not-at-all-ChiChi-front door and building facade.

Yesterday was our first open Sunday and we had a nice stream of people dropping in throughout the day. I left the door open for the afternoon and spent some time out front painting a large old tin bucket a rather charming bright blue. It was with paintbrush in hand, on my way in to clean up the tools of our trade, that I was stopped dead in my tracks at the threshold to our House. That..... red. That..... yellowish trim. That... that... that was it! I pulled out the ChiChi blue and the stunning silver and away I went. Old peeling red paint - Gone! We now have an entry worthy of the House. The window trim is still.... that yellow, but the window itself is to be replaced so that will simply have to wait. The electrician and others are working out details to install proper signage on the naked face of the House.

Miss P - she of the ever entertaining lexicon - has been using the adjective "Fresh" quite liberally as her step has garnered a spring to it of late (must be weather related - I've been a little bouncy myself lately) and I can't think of a better descriptive. We've brought in a number of stunningly fresh colors to adorn furnishings and other things. The new products and display in the storefront sparkles for us. We've been continuing the search for lively new and hard to source products and placing orders for things we think you will be delighted with. Fresh. Everything is feeling Fresh and right.

We are no longer working out the details of who we are. We have embraced a vision and are working on perfecting it. We would like to invite you, dear readers and friends, to contribute to fleshing out our vision. We have a number of products under review and consideration. There are a number of orders on route to us. As we integrate generations of design to create a unique space of eras colliding we will constantly be on the prowl for leading edge products; upscale home decor, fun and funky items, modern gadgets. Is there something you have stumbled across that you would like to see us carry? Are you related to or friends with someone who's talent for creating unique things would mesh well with our vision? We welcome your suggestions with open arms as our House is, well, really Your House. Feel free to email us with your suggestions or shoot them by us next time you're in the House. We can knock ideas around over an English toffee latte.

Kat