Studio and Storage

Now, I like to keep my nose in my own business, you know I do. And you know that I don't repeat gossip, so I need you to sit down and pay attention. Would you like some iced tea? What's that? Of course it's sweet; it's iced tea. I swear, it seems like some of you people were raised in a barn. Here you go.

You know that couple that lives over on Lexington Road? The ones with the studio that looks like a set storage of units? I think they call it Studio 621, named after their address. I personally  think they could have put more thought into it, but that's just me. The long building just to the side of it is for actual storage units.

Anyway, I was visiting them the other day. They have made the inside of the studio look amazing. It's still rustic-looking with a beautiful wood ceiling, but enough drywall on the walls to make it look cleaner. The two together, plus the storage unit doors that are still on the outside, just make my mind spin. I wanted to have a party there and I don't have anything in particular to celebrate until my birthday in 10 months. But, you know me; I'd never let a thing like that stop me from having a nice little get-together with some mint juleps and margaritas. And food; they have a full kitchen in there. I could get my cousin Myrna to cook for us and we'd have a great time. They have these two French window doors that open to a patio and a field beyond. They told me that it's all part of the property, up to the trees on all three sides. It's just beautiful, I'm telling you. I can just picture myself with friends sitting on that patio and maybe even in the grass, margaritas in hand (mint juleps for me) and just talk and laugh and enjoy it all. He even said he had a disco ball he'd set up out there once. I swear the possibilities make my mind reel.

There's one little corner inside, though, that is a little disturbing. It's before you get to the main room, in a little nook to the left. I can barely tell that it's a nook at all except for the top of the desk that sticks up. It's a fabulous large corner desk with cabinets above, like they used in the 90's. It's real wood. It just makes me want to get my polish out. But I'm telling you I wouldn't be able to get to it because the whole space is filled up. I enquired about it, real gently you know. Just like, "Oh, what is thing piece of furniture right in front here? It looks like a nice piece." Well, it turns out it's a fold-away bed. They bought it from Furniture in the Raw in town—Austin, I mean. I ask why on earth it was stuck back in that corner and he told me that they're getting the room in the back ready to be a guest room. That's all fine, well and good, but that bed wasn't even close to the only thing in there. I decided to let it go. No need pressing them about it and wearing out my welcome. I have parties to plan.

It did make me think about those storage units on the side, though. When I was walking out to my car he walked with me, of course, and I asked about the storage spaces. I said I had some things I could keep there for a while and how much did he charge. He told me that the only one that was available was already rented to a neighbor. Again, I left it alone, but there's something about not talking or asking questions that leads people to tell you everything they know anyway. He told me that two of the units housed the equipment for a ceramic tile business that he had bought once a few years ago. He said he still pulls it out a couple of times a year when he gets an order, but he doesn't actively pursue it. So, in my mind I used the power of math to figure out: that explained three of the six units, so therefore the other three are left unexplained, but apparently filled because they're not available.

I don't know about you, but there's almost nothing I love more in life than to have a few drinks and start digging through other people's stuff. I resisted the itch to demand entry into those three other units. It was all I could do not to ask, but I do want to have a party in there with those great big glass doors looking out over that beautiful mowed field. So, I got in my car and was on my way. But, you mark my words, I'm going to find out what's in those three storage units and it's going to be so much fun. We'll set up a blender and just all have a big ol' party with it. We could make it into a kind of drive-by yard sale. People will have to keep coming back by as we pull out more stuff and investigate it.

I may not be able to sleep tonight for thinking about it.

Chemn Cafe

I was over at the Chemn Cafe the other day. (The poor dear, I hate to tell her she spelled it wrong.) Anyway, so I'm sitting there minding my own business, enjoying the latte that the nice young man made for me, when I heard a loud noise. At first I thought somebody was breaking in, but that doesn't make sense because the establishment was open for business. I tried looking out the window, but I couldn't see anything on my side. The people on the other side of the cafe were laughing at something outside, and I can't stand to be left out of a joke, so I went over there to see what was going on. What I saw didn't make any more sense at first than the idea of somebody breaking in to an open door. This poor dog was sitting in the middle of the sidewalk tied to a bench. The bench was also in the middle of the sidewalk. A woman, presumably the dog's owner, was trying to untie the dog from the bench while the dog, and the bench, kept moving. Turns out the lady had tied the dog in the first place so she could stop in to the thrift store next door (they always have the nicest things) and the dog decided that he didn't want to deal with separation, so he just followed her along, dragging the cast iron bench behind him as if nothing were any different. I have to say that she looked pretty sheepish standing there with a bench that wasn't hers being dragged across the sidewalk by a dog that was hers. Fortunately, the nice man from behind the counter went outside to assist with the dog and move the bench back to its rightful place once the dog was untethered.

Like my Aunt Maudine used to say, you really never know what somebody is capable of. If a person (or dog) wants something bad enough, they'll find a way. Aunt Maudine herself is a good case in point. She really wanted a lake house on the other side of Austin. She thought about it; she hung pictures of the lake on her refrigerator so she'd see it every time she went to refill her wine glass. Sure enough, a nice man who happened to have a condominium in Austin, asked her to dinner and to make a long story short, Aunt Maudine and her now-husband live on his lakeside property. She gets to wake up every morning and look out at her dream come true. Now she just needs to figure out what to do with the husband. She says he doesn't match the furniture, which is rather disappointing, if you ask me. They just had the house remodeled; why didn't she think of that at the time?

Well, it was good to chat with you. I hope to see you on Main street again. Do stop by Martha's Market. It's a lot of fun to see what people have had lying around their homes for the last half century that they have finally decided to part with. You might even find some old Pyrex glass; I hear those old vintage bowls can be worth a lot of money these days. Have fun and we'll talk with you soon.