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Inkabout L. Darby Gibbs

Science Fiction & Fantasy author

cabinets

The power went out, silently, without preamble

by

Just as I sat down to write this post, the power for our entire town went out. Usually, we hear the rollicking pop of a transformer or have a few preliminary brown outs.

Not this time.

A gentle outage, like a mouse tiptoed in and sat down. Lights out all over town.

That was also new. Usually, it’s just our block. The lights are normally, tantalizingly, on across the street and everywhere else.

My laptop’s battery has a very short life these days.

I immediately thought, “Guess I’ll just read.” But my conscience said, “Pull out the iPad and keyboard and get to writing.

So there I was, tapping away in the dark. The Christmas tree is a tall cone-shaped shadow across the room, a bit of silhouette in front of the dimly lit window behind it.

My husband sauntered in and took a seat.

Politely, and only with the slightest sigh, I set aside my iPad.

We talked of butcher-block counter tops and the new sink we purchased and won’t install until Christmas break.

Then there was our new plan for kitchen cabinets.

After all, we did just purchase a lovely new refrigerator. Now those vintage (kindly word for really old, crazy old, did I clearly put across that our cabinets are old, say 100 years old?) cabinets could use some replacing.

Funds are limited, and we’re only expecting to live here another two to three years. We’d located some new vintage looking cabinets which will fit the Adams style of our (100-year-old) two-story frame house. So, we re-discussed this choice.

The boat galley
The boat galley.

Talk wandered. The boat needs cabinets, too. My husband is using the pieces from the old ones as templates for cutting out new ones. Another project for Christmas break.

We decided on what to get our daughter for Christmas. But I’m not mentioning what we decided on here. My daughter reads my posts. (HaHa, sweet girl.)

We recalculated retirement plans.

There were a few minutes of contemplative silence. I typed a bit more on this post because I’d nothing to contemplate other than my To-do list which is frustratingly long.

Then my office in the new house was played. Lighting, of course. How would I like it lit?

I hadn’t given this any thought. Ho hum. Let me see. A desk lamp, some task lighting for my planning board. No, I don’t want an overhead fan.

Why is it my don’t-like-small-talk husband loves to talk to me?

I know, I shouldn’t complain. So I won’t.

We covered politics, Covid, education in general, teaching in specific, whether or not Cagney will stay free of fungus.

Cagney, fungus free

That last is an ongoing discussion. Cagney’s longest run this year has been four weeks. I’m hopeful. I have added “update my post on our fungus battle” to the To-do list.

Lights on.

My husband nods at me and wanders out of the room. Now he can get some work done.

What’s at the top of my To-do list now? Hmm. There’s a three-way tie for first position. I better get busy.

5 Important ingredients to a writer’s office

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I’ve had my new office for about a month and a half. But my point about writers and offices doesn’t start there.

My first office was a folding table about 2 1/2 ft. by 18 in., an old TV stand with a shelf and my daughter’s dingy purple desk chair.

I would move the assemblage to the front of my living room near the window in spring and summer and to the back of the living room a few feet from the gas stove in fall and winter.

It had two positive qualities: portability and the shelf in the TV stand. I used this arrangement for four years along with a lengthy extension cord. I did not complain.

In August, we visited a consignment furniture store.

We’ve bought our china cabinet, two bedside tables and a dining room table at this store in the past. Walking through the shop is one of our favorite monthly activities.

I was walking one way, my husband the other when I heard him call my name. He waved me over.

Along one display wall stood a set of wall cabinets, solid wood, cherry finish, near new condition: five bottoms with doors and drawers, two uppers with shelves, one each with cubbies (aka wine bottle slots); let’s call them cubbies.

“This would make a great office for you.”

I’d given the pieces only a vague glance. Now I looked closer. He gave me my space, backing up and leaving me to my imagination.

It took me about two minutes to realize I was not leaving the store without them.

Then behind me, my name was whispered, a sense of urgency in the quiet word.

I turned. Instant, total, “I must have this!” sprang into my mind. If I had to choose — this piece was it.

Mounted on the wall across from those amazing cabinets was a miracle.

I had been telling my husband how much I wished I had a white board or a magnetic board or even a pin board to plan my novels on.

Eight feet of combined planning board spread open before me. On the inside of the doors, right and left, were fabric covered pin boards. Dead center: a magnetic white board. Above, a pull down screen. Below a tray for markers, eraser, pens and pins.

I wasn’t leaving without it. I would sacrifice the cabinets to have this somewhere in the house. I didn’t care where. There’s a huge blank wall in our downstairs bathroom.

Time to look at prices. All pieces were on their last week of sale — lowest price each was going to go.

It took two trips, but we got all ten pieces home.

My new office in the living room has three walls. One has six cabinets, three uppers, three lowers. The second wall has three lowers and the planning miracle. Third wall has three boxed kitchen floor-to-ceiling cabinets to give me privacy (temporary). My desk is a 4×2 folding table and is backed by a bookshelf facing the other way.


So what are the five essential ingredients to a writer’s office after 1 1/2 months:

  1. a flat surface sufficient to hold one laptop computer, an upright organizer, bottle of water, notepad, ipad and a cup with pens and other oddments. 
  2. the back side of a bookcase for sticky note to-do-list
  3. a planning board (with multiple planning modes)
  4. cubbies
  5. a writer

Please note: there was no mention of portability or a shelf.

Extras:  supplies for said planner board, books and various electronics neatly organized in drawers, cabinets and shelves.

My final advice. Find yourself a consignment shop. There is bound to be some fool willing to sell a miracle planning board.

#amwriting
#amplanning
#amcontent