The luxury of an entire first floor room devoted to sewing is not lost on me. I am only a few steps away from the living room, have a view of the driveway to notice when my family or sewing students arrive, and enough space for four shelves packed with fabric. Ahhh.

When I set it up a few years ago I did not have chickens in the front yard. There was no reason to look out at the grass. So it made sense to put one of the shelves in front of the outside door. But last week I realized that if I moved that shelf, I would have a clear view of the coop from my sewing chair. That would be lovely. It turns out you can have your chickens and quilt too. Plus it shortens the time it takes me to sprint outside when a fox comes prowling.

Like just now. 

I had to psych myself up for the overhaul, as it was rather similar to a Rubik's cube. Which I have never done by the way. Or Tetris. Haven't played that either. But when I was little I did slide those plastic squares with numbers inside a chintzy frame to get them in the correct order.  So I could handle the logic of move-this-before-that-so-that-I-can-shift-these-which-come-before-those. 

The extra table had to go first. Which would have been easy except that the modem lives under it and has a snake's pit of wires around the legs. Being fond of internet I did not want to disrupt that, so enlisted my son to tame the snakes. Next the wall shelves which were too teetering anyway went in the pile to donate. After vacuuming a snowball worth of lint I slid the biggest shelf into the newly vacated spot and the rainbow shelves where the larger one had been. 

Which meant I could see out the glass paned door. Open it even.  

I paused to revel in the new vantage point. Then got back to work. Cleaning and organizing the room took the better part of four days, but the difference it made in the room was enormous. Darkness is not conducive to threading a needle and even the three table lamps do not chase away the shadows. Clearing the doorway upped the wattage considerably. 

At this time of year students without number cross the threshold of graduation. The sequence of expectations and classes that must be satisfied to arrive there are daunting. Yet taken one at a time, it becomes less formidable. 

A friend and her husband went away for a weekend. It took a long list of juggling items to get ready for it, but she said it brought both clarity and brightness to their relationship. It helped her to view him not merely as the other pair of hands at bedtime, or the one who mows the lawn. She saw him in a new light, the one that drew them together years ago. 

It was as if the door between them had reopened.