December 05, 2005

Time to nap

Something happens this time of year, when days are short, the snow is deep, and the cold creeps in under the door. Everyone in my family begins to hibernate. Walk around my house on a Sunday afternoon, and you will find sleeping bodies strewn about everywhere. With-a-Why might be sprawled on the floor, face down, right in the middle of the room. FirstExtra likes to sleep in the comfy chair. Boy in Black takes a spot near the fire. Shaggy Hair Boy will roll up in a blanket so that you cannot even see him and slide under a piece of furniture. CoolKid always sleeps with a beach towel. And Skater Boy sometimes falls asleep sitting up, as if he never really intended to take a nap.

When my children were little, no power on earth could convince them to take naps, but now that they are teenagers and stay up all night playing poker, hurling pennies at each other, playing "Name that Tune" with the iPod, or duct taping strange objects to broomsticks, they love to nap. Here on the couch in our living room, Blonde Niece is sleeping.

Nap

18 comments:

bitchphd said...

Is it wrong that my immediate thought is:

Wow, look at that light! And what a gorgeous living room!

?

Anonymous said...

this gives me hope that one day too my boys will fall asleep in the oddest of places.

ccw said...

That looks like a heavenly place to take a nap.

I have to say that I imagined your living room sparse. I think this is because of the games of Monster; I didn't realize there would be "things" out and about. That probably sounds odd.

The room is beautiful! I have plant envy because I kill all plants that enter my house.

jo(e) said...

Well, the plants do get knocked over pretty often. And I can't tell you how often we break lamps. (The one in the photo has been glued back together several times.) And I've got paintings hanging everywhere because I've got artists in the family.

But I would say that "cluttered" would be a better description than "sparse." Right behind where I am standing to take the photo is a drum set, and a bunch of amps, and guitars and other musical instruments. And to my left is a piano.

Mainly, though, windows dominate the room. When we built the house, I added windows everywhere I could.

Phantom Scribbler said...

I don't think I could compose a picture that would make my living room that lovely, no matter where I stood with the camera!

I'm jealous of the plants, too.

lostinthemiddle said...

And in that house
there is a _____,
...
in a napping house
where everyone is sleeping . . .

halloweenlover said...

Your home looks so cozy and bright! I am a huge fan of windows also. It was one of the things I feel in love with in my little house.

All your teenagers have clearly learned the beauty of naps.

Pilgrim/Heretic said...

That looks like the best nap couch EVER.

And I'm guessing the branch on the wall (driftwood?) has a good story to it...

Not Scott said...

Here's an interesting observation (I hope). Whenever you post pictures of camp, they are exactly as I pictured them from your descriptions. But the images of your house are severely dislocated from those I keep in my head. Two theories ( at least) account for the phenomenon. One, the fault lies with my imagination and/or perhaps culture in general that offers so many differing constructions of home, while nature is, in a way, constant.

Or B, you're a fabulous writer about the outdoors, but your descriptions of human artifacts are woefully corrupted. : )

Not Scott said...

I might add, that you are a pretty good taker of photos.

Not Scott said...

er, eliminate that comma, would you.

jo(e) said...

Scott: Well, if I am writing about something that takes place outside, I think I tend to describe where I am in fairly careful detail. If I am indoors, I describe the people rather than the room. What the room looks like seems fairly irrelevant to me.

The other obvious reason why my photos of camp don't surprise you is that I sent you photos of camp years ago. So you already had those images in your head. Duh.

jo(e) said...

Pilgrim: Yes, that is a piece of driftwood. I hung it up with a piece of fishing line. Maybe I will tell that story in a post ....

Anonymous said...

lovely lovely room! And God, that post has made me feel all sleepy and nice...Goodnight x

Yankee, Transferred said...

Great shot! I love how your niece spends all that time over there. I wish my nieces were closer.

Musey_Me said...

I LOVE that room. Like others, I had imagined it much differently. (Of course, I tend to project different places I have lived and had you pegged in a larger version of my living room when i was at Little Red U.)

Rana said...

I'd also imagined the house differently. Something more... barnlike, perhaps. (I mean that in a good way -- sturdy wood fixtures, large open spaces, brown and green tones... nothing that encompassed white walls, drapes, elegant lamps, or spindly-legged furniture -- something more cozy and battered, instead of light and cheerfully airy.)

Nldeal90 said...

She looks cute