A look in my crevices

My house is not always the tidiest place on the planet, though my clutter is more about stacks of mail and unfolded laundry than mazes of unread newspapers and cockroach-infested litterboxes. So I’m not a crazy old cat lady. Yet.

But I am really good about keeping my cupboards organized. I see them as a sanctuary from the other messes; I may trip over seven pair of shoes to get to the linen closet, but I’m rewarded with a total Zen experience once I open the doors.

And aside from my date on Friday night (which was lovely, thanks for asking, but I’m not going to talk about it here) and the handful of used CDs (Dusty Springfield! Mel Tormé! Bernadette Peters! Peggy Lee!) I bought on Saturday, my weekend hasn’t given me much to blog about. So I’m going to show you the insides of my cupboards.

(Dear LORD have I sunk to new lows. And yet you keep reading. Symbiotic boredom!)


This is my stemware cupboard. Clockwise from the top left: The cozy oversized mugs that match my new dishes. The Crate & Barrel mugs that say HOT CHOCOLATE TEA COFFEE around the rims. (They’re the last gift my grandmother bought me before she died, so even if I hated them (which I don’t) I could never get rid of them.) Some plain old mismatched mugs. (Required in every household.) Delicate parfait glasses etched with the family initial. (I’ll never use them, but I’m queer and childless the last one to carry this initial so I’m stuck with them.) A huge Mickey Mouse mug. Wine and martini glasses. (Often dusty from lack of use.) My day-to-day glassware.


This is my other cupboard. I won’t go into the mind-numbing fascinating stories behind every piece, but I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love my new dishes, which I bought in November. They’re glazed with black on the outsides and bottoms and a brilliant red on the insides and tops. They’re hefty. The serving pieces are square and rectangular—perfect for assorted cheeses! They make me feel all grown up.

Yawn. I’d offer you a fancy beverage to distract you from your boredom keep this party going all night, but I don’t want to mess up my cupboards. Help yourself to a drink from the garden hose in the living room.