I’m taking it easy today. JK! (That’s kid speak for “just kidding.”) [For the toxic among you, I’ll be talking about Makitta drills below!]

After our return from Memphis, I had five and one-half days to get the joint– including the Bunkhouse and some outside parts– ready for company on Saturday afternoon. And not just any old company, the guest speaker was from New York City. Not that it matters, but we take our obligation to put on our best Mississippi faces for Yankees seriously, and that means full-on prettification. (Mr. Big Food did full-on Southern cookin’!)

No pictures, but a corner of the dining room table was laid out as a little G&T and wine bar with silver goblets and mint julep cups, and the other corner had lots of pretty cheese boards and knives, and silver bowls for crackers and grapes. Looked very nice. Ice bucket was worth every dime of the 15 bucks I paid for it. I have, however, come to realize that I do not own silver tongs.

The project– the new draperies and door panels– required a tremendous amount of measuring, remeasuring, and drilling 26 holes. (Also, ironing and steaming a lot of fabric.) As you are well aware, I dislike folks telling other folks what to do but I’m here to tell you that every homemaker needs the very best drill he or she can afford. And a complete set of bits &c. I bought a high end Makitta drill about 20 years ago and never looked back. (Oh! This is a really nice combo pack with a drill, an impact driver, and two batteries.) Batteries on mine lasted about 15 years, so I did have to get an after-market replacement, but hey, such is life in the world of power tools.

The project was not one of decorating but of functioning, which is to say the drapes and panels don’t just look pretty, they have a purpose.

To be looking directly at the door is to be looking just a few degrees to the east of due north. (Everyone should have a crappy old fashioned compass, too!) I have photographs of dollar bills exiting though those sheets of glass during the long nights of wintertime. Likewise, in the summertime, the sun comes up right over there (points right over there) and streams through the glass until 10am. When you wake up at 6am in mid-July and it’s cooled all the way down to 76 degrees, you really don’t need sunshine streaming into your dining room.

The drapes and panels are thermal lined. During times of temperature extremes, the drapes can be pulled across the entire wall, thus saving us some energy. In times of serious extremes, the panel tiebacks can be removed so the panels completely cover the glass. Very functional. Pretty, too, don’t you think?

For the observant among you, there is something … off regarding the drapes. I did it purposefully. Can you see it?