Ran Out Of Paint

When I first saw this shirt at the thrift store, I was attracted by the bright red flowers and intense green leaves. I actually considered adding it to my large collection of thrift store t-shirts, even though I don't need any more. Yet this one could possibly be worth shoving some of the others over to make more closet space.

And then I turned it around...

What the HEY? Who didn't finish their job?

That back side was the deciding factor. This shirt was not going home with me. I didn't want to give anyone following me a headache from wondering why there was a colorful butterfly and only outlines of flowers and leaves.

I know, I know, this is one of those artsy intentional designs, like flood pants (meaning ones that are a few inches above the ankle but awkwardly longer than capris...I got teased so much for being tall in public school that wearing pants hovering above my ankles only takes me back to those unpleasant "King Kong Shirley" days. I won't wear them! They're a fashion faux pas in a plot to undermine the confidence of unusually tall people who thought they left their days of teasing behind! But I digress.)

Who thought up the unfinished painted shirt design, anyway? 

Lazy people?

Maybe not. Maybe it's just me and my uneducated design mind. 

Let's find out.

Do you like this shirt?

(Do you like flood pants?)

Car Color Game

When I was a child, we sometimes traveled a from New Jersey across the country to visit my grandparents in Utah and uncles and aunts in California, Oregon, and Idaho.

In order to pass the time while rolling down the highway for several days in a row in the 1960's, we played games such as "The Alphabet Game," (click to see the rules. It's the first one on the list, followed by several others, most of which we never played) The License Plate Game, (4th on the list linked above) and the Car Color Game (not listed on the link.)

The Car Color Game involves choosing a color and counting how many cars you see in that color. The first one to whatever pre-determined number is set (1, 5, 20, 50, whatever you can agree on) is the winner!

I tended to choose my favorite colors: bright yellow, orange, green, or red, if one of my other many siblings didn't yell them out first. Funny thing about it, though, is that I don't ever remember winning.

As I recall, my older brother usually chose white, which, while at times a useful color (or absence of color, depending on who you talk to), is also one of the most boring colors on the planet, in my opinion.

But my recollection also serves to remind me that this brother of mine almost always won the game.

I wonder why?

Welcome Sign!

Some people live in the same neighborhood all their lives. 

Other people move around a lot.

How would you feel if you drove into a neighborhood and saw this sign? 

We're one of the ones who have lived in many different neighborhoods in the 40 years we've been married. (I just counted again, and it looks like we've moved 14 times since we've been Mr. and Mrs. Bahlmann.) 

We've liked ALL of our neighborhoods. (Only one started out idyllic, but unexpected circumstances turned it sour, so we moved to another terrific neighborhood.)

Now we're so glad we live in another great neighborhood that welcomes people with a bright, cheerful sign!

Do you like your neighborhood? Is it the favorite one you've lived in? 

If you've spent time in more than one, which one have you liked best?

Wretched Rugs

I wanted just the right rug to go with the color scheme in my office.

 I wasn't only looking for color compatibility, but also softness. (Could I tolerate a neutral color if it was soft enough?)

 What about a compromise of interesting pattern and intense neutral color and acceptable softness?

(Hey, choosing a rug is serious business!)

Do you want to know which one I chose?

None.

I didn't want the upkeep, the wear, or the dragging my desk chair across an uncooperative surface.

I sit in my CHAIR in my office, or on my COUCH, not on the floor!

(But I if I want to, I have lovely, fluffy BIG pillooowwwwsss!)

Do you like carpets?

Or smooth floors?

Towel Tales

I have learned since saying "yes" to Bob, in the most ridiculous way, ("Um, uh, oh, um, well, I don't see why not!" to which he replied, "What kind of answer is THAT?"... It's the  kind of answer one gives when one thinks the other person is going to say we shouldn't see each other any more, and instead he proposes) that marriage takes compromise.

Now, before asking my question, I'm posting sort-of the color of towels Bob chose for himself: (the picture does not do them justice. He was looking for navy blue, but couldn't find it, so settled on black. I must have had my flash turned up too high.)

And the towels I chose for myself:

So now to my question - How do you compromise to find shared bathroom/guest towels from THESE disparate tastes?

Well, Bob came up with a solution: Caucasian colored towels.

I mean, how can we argue against our own skin color?

What color of towels would you put in your bathroom?