Tina's WorkspaceBrenda started a tour if you will, of our work spaces. Where we spend our time blogging-as most of us do. I wasn't sure if I would share mine because as you can see I am a bit messy. But! I can tell you where and what everything is on my desk-unless of course I need it. Then it is irretrievably lost. Most of the books and papers are things I am working on. Can you see the ever important Southern Living Garden Book? I always keep that one close.
I custom designed my space so that I would have a window view. I need to always be close to the window so I can see nature and the garden. Here I have a nice view of the perennial border, a crab apple and a birch tree. I enjoy working here so much and spend more time here than I probably should. I also have a good view of the television so all needs are taken care of. I just need to work on the kitchen here. Just kidding. The desk was an old purchase from the old Defense Reutilization Maintenance Office (DRMO). DRMO used to be the agency that disposed of old Army furniture. We got this solid wood desk for $15 many years ago. I don't have the heart to let it go, so it was re-purposed into a computer desk. Back when this desk was made no one could ever have believed we would need desks for computers!
We also have another computer close by so oftentimes this room is home to the whole family where we either play on the computer, or watch moves. It is a warm room facing due south so it is a sunny room as well. The sunniest room in the house; for which I am grateful.
Skeeter's WorkspaceWe picked up this desk while still living in Germany. One of a few items we bought in a German Furniture store. This is a simple desk but solid as a rock. Just ask the Saint about getting it up 4 flights of stairs in a German Apartment while in a box! No elevators in Germany and some assembly required. I am glad I was at work the day he picked it up. He also had fun getting it up the stairs into this office space. I would like to have the office downstairs but there is no room for it anywhere. I do enjoy gazing out the window looking into the gardens as I type. I see lots of activity on a daily basis...
Notice my little office helper. That would be Cheetah, my little shadow that hangs out with mommy. She has a blanket on the desk to call her own. Spoilt cat... It is really cute when both my fur girls sit on the desk and look out the window at the same time. I do spend a lot of time at this Workspace, when I am not, In the Garden...
Disclaimer: Though I do not generally participate in memes because of the whole linking thing and badges and back commenting, we voluntarily do this because the spirit is in sharing and why not? No back commenting but linking is fine for this post. We do it all the time here at In the Garden. Gee, I know I spend a ton of time in mine, and I bet Skeeter does in hers as well (along with Cheetah), so work spaces ARE a big part of blogging. What a great idea Brenda posted about.
Hi Tina and Skeeter, thanks for showing us your spaces. It seems both of you, maybe all of us, need to be able to look at the garden as we work. I work on a laptop and we have wireless so I don't really have one space but go all over the house. I thought I would take the computer out on the deck, but never have. Maybe this fall when it is cooler that could happen. Love you fur girls, Skeeter.
ReplyDeleteWe all need our own workspace, mine is organized but never stays that way. Cute Cheetah.
ReplyDeleteTina and Skeeter,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your work space...it is amazing how much time we log at the computer! But such great posts are written...and there is so much information about plants and gardening.
Gail
Morning! Yep, that little Cheetah "Monkey Girl" is a sweetheart to her mommy.... If you enlarge the picture, you can see the white blooms on the butterfly bushes out the window. I can hardly see the flower garden due to the cypress tree growing so large now...lol.
ReplyDeleteI will be Missing in Action for awhile. Time for some R&R...
Good morning! No newspaper this morning so I am not happy. Hopefully it comes soon.
ReplyDeleteFrances, Garden views are great. A wireless laptop even better! Your deck is a great spot to blog.
Dawn, I loved your workspace right there in the living room with the family. Such a nice spot.
Gail, I spend too much time here for sure!
Skeeter, Forgot to say, our desk came from Germany too. Mannheim. Funny huh? Both have a view and both have German desks. Mine is American made though but I know what you mean about that heavy German furniture! 4 flights??
Hi Tina, your desk looks very much like mine. When people ask me how I find anything in the clutter, I love to quote: “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind,
ReplyDeleteof what, then, is an empty desk?”
–Albert Einstein
On my books to read list: "A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder–How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and On-the-Fly Planning Make the World a Better Place" by Eric Freedman. A excerpt from Freedman:
“Einstein had a fantastically messy desk. I spend a lot of time walking through the halls of academia, and I can tell you there’s a strong correlation between how spectacular someone’s mess is and how successful they are as a professor.”
Marnie
Thank you so much Marnie! I really debated tidying it up (Okay, not really), but decided to leave it as it normally is-cluttered. It works. Busy mind indeed and glad to hear at least one other person's looks like mine:)
ReplyDeleteI love seeing other people's workspaces - it was a great idea that Brenda came up with!
ReplyDeleteGood morning Tina and Skeeter,
ReplyDeleteNice spots you both have! Thanks for sharing your workspaces. I'm glad you didn't neaten things up Tina - it's more fun to see things as they really are.
Enjoy your R&R Skeeter!
You both have nice work areas - it's nice you have a view as well.
ReplyDeleteI think it's neat seeing the place other than the garden where we all spend so much time.
It's nice that you both have views in your creative work spaces. I wish I had a window to my garden next to mine. I would probably get distracted looking at the garden though, lol. Thanks for sharing your spaces & giving us a history of your desks.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see the contrasts between your work spaces! Tina, I am like you--I didn't think I'd show my space because it is far too messy. But I just read Marnie's comments, and I wholeheartedly agree! I always told the principal at my school--whose desk had nothing on it--that my cluttered desk was an indication of how much work I had to do!
ReplyDeleteSkeeter, I have a feline "helper," too. My cat Toby loves to jump on the highest shelf of the computer hutch and peer down on me. He's also taken to the top of the printer as a napping place, for some reason:)
Hi Tina, it's great for you blog about your work spaces. I have a laptop, so I use it wherever I am. I do enjoy sitting in front of the window and looking outside. It brightens my day.
ReplyDeleteHi Skeeter- Cheetah sure is a cutie. How funny is that we both have black cats? Luka also likes to sit near me when I'm on the computer, although sometimes she likes to sit on top of my keyboard so I will pay attention to her. lol. Once I was on a web cam with Cam (lol), and Luka came and tried to find me. She rubbed her little body on the screen. How cute is that? So random, I know. But anyway, thank you for sharing your work space with us.
Messy: 1; neat: 1. If you were to conduct a survey I would guess half of us are messy, and the other half are neat. I'm messy, but there's enough room for my mouse. ;~)
ReplyDeleteTina and Skeeter: If either of you are interested and have not done so, might I recommend becoming a member of The Garden Writers Association? They have great benefits, including free admission to Chanticleer. If you decide to join, in the box marked "Name the existing GWA member who is sponsoring your application for membership" please put my name (TC Conner). Thanks and if you're already a member, perhaps we'll meet in the future.
Thanks Tina & Skeeter for the sharing of your work space. Don't worry about clutter. You should see mine--in fact the whole room is in disarray. It's been so long since it was neat that I probably couldn't or wouldn't know what to do. I too spend too much time at the computer but I think it's fascinating to be able to learn so much as I am on the computer. Nice modern age.
ReplyDeleteDo enjoy your R&R Skeeter. You sure do deserve it.
Stacy, So many good bloggers with great ideas for sure.
ReplyDeleteGarden Girl, Yup, gotta show it like it is as that is the only way for me to be. Sure would like to have a 42" monitor though:) That would be neat!
Cindy, Too much time here I think. Sigh.
PGL, I get distracted all the time. My little birch was recovering nicely from the sawfly attack and guess what?? They are back! Outside I go, so yes definite distractions!
Rose, Yup, I like Marnie's comments too and that is my story and I'm stickin to it!:)
DP, You are like Frances with a portable and that must be great. I think I would be outside with mine if I had one. So good to be mobile.
TC, I am very definitely interested in the Garden Writers Association. I never heard of it but it looks to be pretty beneficial. I will for sure put your name down-THANKS! I see they have meetings and workshops and stuff. This I would like. Someday I will visit Chanticleer but not sure when. Are you fairly close to it? Must be nice.
Lola, Like TC said, probably half are cluttered and half neat. You and I must be the messy ones and that is okay! I still function just fine and can occasionally find stuff too:) Actually I am downsizing my stuff so it should become neater and more usable soon.
RE: Tina, thank you very much for your consideration. I'm not as close as I'd like to be: I live on the western side of the state, about an hour north of Pittsburgh. Chanticleer is on the eastern side, near Philly.
ReplyDeleteI would love either of those and a window to look out while you work is just wonderful.
ReplyDeleteTina, it is getting hard to find solid wood anything anymore, much less a desk like that. It is a treasure. I'm a bit messy when I work too, so I can identify with yours. I need all my stuff out when I work.
Skeeter, I love your desk too and the spoilt cat..LOL...I have a few of those little desk hangers myself. You are neat and tidy I see. : ) I think it would be nice to be upstairs and able to look down on the garden.
TC, Are you close to Cindy? I think I remember her saying you two were fairly close. If so, I travel thru that area and find it so much prettier than the eastern side of PA, but it is all nice. Chanticleer has such a good rep and the Perennial Plant Society I am in often has a speaker from that garden or one who mentions it. Seems many gardeners do their internship at the famous gardens and this is a popular one.
ReplyDeleteEve, Glad to hear another somewhat not so tidy person. Makes me feel much better. I am betting like TC said we are all evenly divided whether we want to admit or not-glad you admitted it:)
Ms. Tina: Yes, Cindy and I are close, and we've already talked about a possible meeting at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh in the near future.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago our Master Gardener group took a weekend trip to Longwood Gardens with a stop at Chanticleer and one other famous garden that I can't think of right now. We loved Chanticleer, I should should post pictures.
TC, Yes! Do post pictures and tell us about it. I would love to see it and hear about it. I do hope you and Cindy meet up being so close and all. I am going to meet up too one day. Let me know when and who knows I might be in the area. Odds are no, but who knows?
ReplyDeleteTC, You can call me tina, I am pretty informal but if you would rather, Ms Tina is okay too.
ReplyDeleteJust popping in to let every one know I have read all comments but cannot reply back to each one. No time, I have been cleaning house, mowing yard, running errands and packing bags for our R&R weekend.
ReplyDeleteI have some posts set for the weekend and will peek in when I have a chance but will be busy. We have a Deli Deck Day planned on Saturday at noon and a Peachy Drink party planned in the evening so we will be making some new memories to add to our memory bank.... Zoo visit planned tomorrow. Animals and friends and family. Ah, it gets no better then that... Tennessee, here I come!
Great idea Brenda and am glad you partook Tina.
ReplyDeleteI sure do love both the quotes that roses and lilacs quoted. My father was CEO of a multi-million dollar contracting business and his desk was ALWAYS a mess and his secretaries desks were always neat and clean as a whistle. But I can tell you, my father knew right where everything was and I will NEVER know how with all the piles of papers. As for his mind, OMG, right up till the day he died he could tell you every road, bridge, building, ect that the company built, how much it cost and who worked on each job, how much, blasting was done and how many yards of fill was used and where it came from. I agree with Einstein and I must have a half empty mind as my desk is fairly neat.
Skeeter my cat gets on my desk also
when she dares to come in with all my birds and she will only stay for a bit (she can't take looking at the birds and hearing them and knows they are OFF LIMIT!!) but will get on the desk and wants my keyboard so I have to push it in.
I know you WILL have a great weekend so I will just tell you to take it easy and be safe. Sounds like all things planned will be great for the memory bank.
Cute cat story DP.
hey did you see we posted our blog spaces on the same day. that's funny. i think it has been so interesting to see where everyone spends there time. i too have to be close to light and the garden. always looking at nature.
ReplyDeleteHey Skeeter!
ReplyDeleteHey Mom! Missed you today. I know Terri had you busy busy busy!
Marmee, I did see that and it is way cool. You have a sweet spot-especially with that antique door.
Skeeter, have a great time up home. Wish I were able to take that route also. I know you will be renewed & feel like a different person. Ahhhhhh, HOME.
ReplyDeleteTina, thank you for stopping by my blog...Yours is a workspace that looks like a lot of work gets done there! And Skeeter's very organized...enjoyed going through the pics!
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend!!
Hi, Tina and Skeeter--I'm catching up on my blog reading--I loved the workspace post. Tina, my desk looks like yours, though Skeeter, my cat Kit often joins me--it's the only time she'll sit on my lap (so she can reach the keys . . .) Good to be back!
ReplyDelete