Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Scene of the Blog Featuring Jena of Muse Book Reviews!


This week we're going to satisfy our Inner Peeping Toms in British Columbia with Jena of Muse Book Reviews. Jena's blog is another that I've been subscribed to since forever. She's still recuperating from moving to her new house, and I have to admit that I hope she recuperates soon. She hasn't been able to post all that often, and I very much miss her insightful, thoughtful reviews!

Jena may not be able to respond to comments as often as she'd like because she's up to her eyeballs in coordinating celebrations: holiday, birthday, anniversary... you name it, Jena's going to celebrate it, so let's make sure to leave plenty of good wishes and congratulations in our comments, okay?

If you haven't met Jena before or visited her blog, Muse Book Reviews, please stop by soon. You'll be glad you did!

Okay, Jena-- you have all these people (including me) trying to peek in your windows. Please show us where you blog! (Don't forget that you can view the photos full size by clicking on them.)



My husband and I bought our first house and moved from our dinky little apartment to our spacious (by comparison) house in July. Typically, I sit on the end of the couch nearest the light (because for my husband, it's usually the less light the better) and the little table there is piled with library books, or piles of Post-Its and tablets of paper and Moleskines and pens. The couch is the piece of furniture we treated ourselves to when we moved. Yes, the plant in the corner is dead. We left it outside and it got too cold.

My computer's parking space is on top of the box cat condo. It's so convenient--and Wavey (named after the character in The Shipping News) can still play in the boxes. The artwork on the walls, in case you're wondering, is by local artist Skye Morrison (who's gaining fans all over North America). And the books on top of the bookcase are my Bookcrossing books. I intend to release them all in the next month or so.




















Next year, I'll be moving my scene of the blog--occasionally, anyway--to our library, which we've only recently begun unpacking. You can see the bookcase in the corner doesn't even have books in it yet. It's waiting for my next trip to Ohio, where I'll grab another few boxes of books. And because I feel it needs some explanation, the duct tape thing is the wrapping in which we sent our new (to us) fiberglass bumper for our VW van from Bloomington, Illinois to Boise, Idaho, via train while we were on our honeymoon. Now it's just a carpet remnant that will become the component of a cat tree.


[Wow! Bloomington is just up the road from where I grew up. Small world, eh?]





















And where would a Muse be without an assistant? This is Wavey. Not only does Wavey do a good job of ensuring Jena's laptop stays put, but it looks as though this feline is an expert surfer during the wee hours!

Anyone who's ever had the dubious pleasure of moving will recognize Jena's boxes, and I certainly wish her the best of luck in setting up her library. I know how much fun I had working on mine!

Thanks so much for letting us look at your creative spaces, Jena. (And for being able to "meet" Wavey.) We really appreciate it. Have a blast with all your celebrations!

Whom will we be visiting next Wednesday? All I'm willing to say is that you're going to be saying, "Awwwwwwwww!" Stop by next week to take a peek at another book blogger's creative space!

16 comments:

  1. Happy everything Jena. And I love the idea of your computer living on top of the cats' play centre - very good use of space :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I always want to move after living somewhere for about 5 years. Once we do, and I have to face all of that work, I wonder what I was thinking. I think Wavey was trying to fake Jena out so he could get the computer all to himself. Thanks for sharing Jena!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just love Scene of the Blog!! It is so fun to see where everyone sits and lets their creativity flow.

    Jena, thanks for sharing bits and pieces from your home! Good luck in getting your library set up...that's so fun being able to sift through all your books as you are putting them back on the shelves.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've moved so much in my life that the very thought of it makes me groan, and all my boxes of books make my husband grumpy. Unpacking is much more fun than packing, though. I grew up in Springfield, Ill. and lived in Bloomington for a few years. Wavey is a gorgeous cat.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Jena good luck with the move and the unpacking and organizing. Wavey is adorable and looks like a great helper. Happy reading.

    ReplyDelete
  6. did I forget to mention that I LOVE that painting??

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think people can create/blog best where they feel very comfortable. I can see how Jena's spot on the couch would be perfect. Having a nice new office and library could spark my creativity, however.

    Wavey looks so sweet. I love the painting too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bernadette-- I think it's a good use of space, too!

    Kathy-- I think you're right about Wavey, but... move every five years? ARRRGGHHHHH!

    Kara-- The thought of Jena putting her library together almost makes me want to take all my books off the shelves and redo everything!

    Barbara-- Springfield? I grew up in a small farm town 20 miles south of Decatur!

    Serena-- I like that painting, too!

    Margot-- Just hearing about someone else having a new office and library gets my creative juices flowing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice to meet you Jena - thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cathy, I know you grew up near Decatur and Decatur is where my favorite aunt lived. I went back there twice a year to see her until she died a few years ago. Funny, I always feel at home in central Ill. but I would never move back there.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I so want to unpack Jena's office! Wavey would have lots of empty boxes to play in.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Molly/Andy--Forget Wavey, I'd have fun playing in those empty boxes!

    Barbara-- I've gotten to the point where I no longer feel at home back there. This is home now, and has been for many years. It undoubtedly has a lot to do with the fact that I have no family back there now.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Cathy, I know what you mean. I don't have family there (or anywhere else for that matter) in Ill. I think it has something to do with the flat terrain and big fields and people in general, since I live in the mountains.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, all! Thanks for all the comments! Wavey is a wonderful cat. In fact, we had an event in our life last week that has us calling her Wavey the Wondercat. She'll be on the news tonight, and I'll post a link so you can all check it out.

    We actually have two of Skye's paintings, and if you check out her site, you can see the other one, called The Fool. She's on Facebook, too, if you want to become her fan.

    And I'm really looking forward to unpacking the library too. After I took that picture, my husband moved more of his office stuff in there while he reorganizes his space. *sigh*

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wavey is adorable! Good luck getting completely moved in. Everytime we move it takes a year before I feel like everything is where is should be.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Jena-- I'm going to put the news link about Wavey in my next link round-up.

    Barbara-- To tell you the truth, Illinois never seemed like "home" to me. It wasn't until I headed west and saw mountains that I began to "feel right". I, too, need mountains to feel at home.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!