gratuitous

This is absolutely too cutesy and crazy dog-lady-ish, but I love these random
anonymous bullmastiffs:

Happy New Year from me and Sir Henry.

favorites

If my 2009 list of books read had to go up against my 2008 books read list, 2008 would win without much of a fight. I read less this year, and I didn't read anything that came close to the greatness of The Goldbug Variations or Overlook. But these are the things I did like.

1.
The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
Atmospheric, place-specific, and funny. Plus a cool cover. I believe this is Lauren Groff's first novel. So perhaps there are more good things to look forward to.

2.
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
Every year I've read a Willa Cather novel that novel has ended up on my favorites list. So of course O Pioneers! makes the list. Although unlike the year I read My Antonia I don't think I'll be moving into an old country farmhouse any time soon.

3.
The Leisure Architecture of Wayne McAllister by Chris Nichols
Since I deal with architecture stuff every single day as I make my dollars, I forget sometimes that architecture can be fun (and funny) and that we all interact with it every day. This book reminded me. If you don't know who Wayne McAllister was, look him up.

Chairs!

But first cool curtain fabric:

Although my curtain philosophy of the moment seems to be throwing unfinished fabric over boring old rods.

And now the chairs!
First, my sweet red baby (with glowing-eyed bullmastiff in background):




Second, my lovely pale green grandma chair, with bullmastiff butt in frame:


So I finally have chairs again.
And everyone can laugh at the layers of dog hair in my house.