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Finding comfort in your own cozy cornerBy LAVERNE HAMMOND
© St. Petersburg Times, I think everyone should have a designated quiet place to sit and relax, read a book or just dream. It certainly is good for our well-being. It may be a room in your house or just the corner of a room. Or it may be a library stall, a coffee shop table or an easy chair in a bookstore. When I was growing up, everyone in my family had a special place in our home where they could retreat and be by themselves. Many houses back then were large enough to accommodate extended families. Inspired by the Victorian era, they were built with sun parlors, attic rooms, verandahs and various nooks that provided relief from the family pressures of living so close together. In our house, my favorite place was deep in my bedroom's large walk-in closet. It had a high window, and the view was limited to the tops of the trees that lined our street and the sky above. My father let me use an old Morris chair that he hadn't gotten around to re-upholstering. I loved it because the back was adjustable, and the cushions were removable. I could pile pillows on it and curl up in it. The side arms were wide and served well for writing. I enjoyed reading, writing and dreaming there. Through the window, I could see the moon and the stars on a clear night, but every month I looked forward to the full moon. In fact, I still do. I often drive down to watch the moon over Lake Michigan. It is so breathtakingly beautiful. My brother was different. He always had to be doing something. Usually he was in the basement, making lures for his summer fishing trips or just tinkering. Once he set up a darkroom there, but he soon lost interest in photography. We didn't take enough pictures to keep him busy. My father chose the small library off the dining room for his time alone. In the center of the room stood a massive oak library table with a large drawer where he kept his important papers. A small black leather couch offered a spot where he could rest or catch a nap. He often retreated to that room after supper to read the evening newspapers. It was off limits to anyone else while he was there. Mother was always so busy, I rarely saw her sit down. When she did, it was on a small settee in her bedroom. She would sit there to mend or just catch her breath. My paternal grandmother, who came to live with us when she broke up her home after her last child married, had her comfortable rocker, draped with an afghan, sitting next to a large bay window in the sun parlor. In her special corner, she would sit and hum contentedly while she knitted or crocheted. Recently, Daughter No. 2 showed off her newly decorated master bedroom to me. The new curtains and the new bedspread were beautiful, but what drew my attention was a chaise longue set before a large picture window. Next to it, on a side table, she had set a lamp and a book. As we walked in, she explained, "I just love to sit here, read and perhaps have a cup of coffee or tea. It is so relaxing." I smiled, and wondered: Will she also sit here and enjoy the moon and stars? LaVerne Hammond, who divides her time between Wisconsin and Florida, is an octogenarian at work on her memoirs. Write her in care of the St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg FL 33731.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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From the Times Seniority pages |
