We have company coming, so Hubby removed the things he had piled on the guest bed. I was happy to see that, as I find some guests are reluctant to sleep on something that resembles a shelf more than a bed. In our house, flat surfaces attract dust and other things.

One of my sisters explained the flat surface theory to me and so I understand why things float onto the guest bed. She said that any flat surface appears to be a shelf to certain people. People of flat surface, shelf persuasion believe all things flat are of shelf designation. She also pointed out that those of us who complain about the shelf use might want to lighten up a bit, because if things were not meant to be used as shelves they would not be made flat. I think Hubby understood her instantly as he does make wonderful use of flat surfaces.

I have caught the bug too. At the moment I have a flat surface in front of me that is piled with books, computer, printer and other office things. To my right is a fold up table on top of which sit piles of drawing paper, pencils, a wire tray, a drink tray, a lap desk with a book I'm currently reading on it, a few paper clips and a stapler. You can see that some of my office stuff has been travelling.

Furthermore, I may be worse than Hubby and Sis about flat surfaces. Ever since I saw the enormous shelf under our double bed I've been hooked. There are things under my bed and I'm happy to say that those things mean fewer dust bunnies. The containers under my bed function like drawers and I'm happy with them. Therefore, the only real difference between the flat surface people and people like me is that some of us like to hide our clutter and some of us are more relaxed about that sort of thing.

I'm glad we don't have stairs any more. It took a long time to convince a certain flat surface addict that stairs are not convenient shelves. At one time it would be unwise to approach our stairs in the dark and it wouldn't be a pet cat on them, either. Our furry roommate knew enough about the effect of feet on tails, to move out of the way when he heard the sound of approaching foot traffic.

I don't mean to hint that our house is cluttered, but actually it is untidy and at one time it would have had me constantly putting stuff away. If I did that, Hubby would have fun finding things. One thing about leaving it laying around all over the place, it makes it quicker to find things, unless you pile more on top. With enough shelving, you never have to pile anything on top, but you do have to put it under the bed so you can get in when you want to sleep.

We have company coming so our guest bed is empty, except for a stack of pillows. The pillows are there, hence it will look more comfortable. It seems to me that pillows are a better choice than a few piles of paper work and computer parts. It looks friendly and warm instead of businesslike. I rather like the effect, perhaps I'll apply it to a few more locations throughout the house. Not today however, I have too much to do to bother with shuffling stuff from piles.

I made myself a promise and the promise was to do less housework and have more fun. If that means I have piles all over the place, so be it. I am having more fun than I used to when I kept trying to make everything tidy. Plus, people can leave their stuff laying around safe in the belief that it will stay there until they move it to a new location. Maybe the new location will be my easy chair. If that happens then my line of no return will move, but for the moment my easy chair is free of stuff except for my stuff, but that's different, isn't it?

Since arrival to Dawson Creek in 1960, Margo Hannah plants, paints and ponders.