I
like to park the cars in our driveway facing out toward the road.
The
main reasons involve the sunrise. Because our driveway faces south…and
ever so slightly east… the morning sun hits the windshields when
they are pointed that way. Seemingly beyond count, when I’ve been
inside not giving a single thought to whether or not I should
be warming up or cleaning off a car, that morning sun has bailed
me out by melting away some frost before I stepped outside ready
to leave.
But
it’s more than the sunrise and windshields.
When
pulling out of the driveway, I have a better view of potential
traffic in both directions. In bad weather, the cars have front-wheel
drive, so they get onto the road more smoothly in drive than reverse.
Plus… again bad weather… because of the routine and approach,
it’s a bit simpler to move them around when cleaning up snow.
Whatever
the reason though, the thing is, backing into the driveway sets
the cars up for more convenient and helpful results. And I do
stuff like this all over the house.
Kitchen
is a great run of examples. Where do you place the coffee maker?
Which drawer for the forks and knives and spoons?
And
opinions vary in the kitchen. Strongly. Preferences and comfort
and ease of use are all different things to different people.
(And if you don’t think they are, then check out the options for
refrigerators. Split doors, freezer on top, in-door water and
ice, freezer on the bottom… can be overwhelming.)
Terry
and I used to live in a place where our bedroom was upstairs in
a slightly adjusted Cape Cod style house. And despite the modifications
that existed in it from classic Cape designs, we had to deal with
dormers and slanted ceilings. Because of some of the challenges
presented, there was quite literally only one place to put our
bed so that the remaining furniture would fit. Don’t use that
wall and a ton of wasted space would be created in the room, since
the ceiling wouldn’t allow the placement of items or comfortable
walking.
Many
times, we don’t even give organization a thought. It’s as simple
as coming in and dropping keys on a counter. This goes here. That
goes there. Or, perhaps more realistically, it happens in a way
so that we don’t have to give organization a thought…
Do
you have a fireplace in the living room? Add that to some windows,
and often the best way to arrange a sofa and recliner are fairly
obvious. Head into a bedroom, spot the hole already drilled in
the floor for a cable, and it seems clear where to place the dresser
that will have a television on it.
Out
back, there were two things Terry and I knew we would be adding
at some point. One was a shed and the other a garden. We didn’t
do it for a couple of years though. Wanted to see how much sun
the yard got during the day. Wanted to find out if any places
had troubles with water or mud when it rained. While there weren’t
any issues with trees involved here, the truth of the matter was
that we had been burned before by acting quickly without taking
a moment to consider the house and yard in every season.
Some
things are intentional. Some just happy accidents. I suppose in
many ways, more than a few actions or choices we make have no
real support behind why they work the best beyond us simply believing
that’s the way they should be. But then again…
Edges
of our driveway begin the conversion to the yard. Depending on
exactly how the cars get pulled in, that can mean someone gets
out of the car with a muddy path to the doors. It’s a delicate
balance backing into the driveway, avoiding the mud from the great
melts of snow, and yet being prepared so the snowblower can be
brought out of the garage lined up and ready to go. Need the right
amount of space all around. Supposed to snow tomorrow. (I’d better
go make sure the cars are set.)