Color

Color makes me happy. It's as simple as that.

So when I was out running errands the other day, I bought several bunches of tulips at Whole Foods, one of our neighborhood groceries.

I put the pink and purple ones together in one vase, and set it on the living room window seat.

The other tulips, which are cream, are in a deep-blue vase against the pumpkin-colored walls of my dining room.

I can't believe I waited so long to paint the main rooms of my house a strong color. When I bought the house, the walls throughout were a nice safe off-white. Boring. Safe, but boring.

But I was afraid of making a mistake with color, so I thought about it for a long time. First, I painted a couple of small rooms--the inside back porch where the cat has his food and litter box and the boys' upstairs bathroom were the first. I painted them a beautiful clear Robin's egg blue.

Then the guest room on the first floor. My friend Pat helped me with that, and we painted it a rich brick red. It's wonderful. That was two years ago.

Then finally, I got up enought nerve to tackle the living room and dining room, and, as I said, I can't believe I waited this long. We painted these (Pat and I) last fall, and all winter my house felt like a warm cave.

The tulips are gorgeous against these walls, and everytime I look at them, I feel happy.

@ Jeanne Sather 2008.