The Smallest (and messiest) Room in the House

What I believe to be a rare law of physics exists in our house that causes all of us (including the dog) to congregate in the same room. That room usually ends up being the den. The den also happens to be the smallest room in the house (excluding bathrooms) and the messiest room in the house. It’s possible that the den has its own gravitational field that pulls all sorts of stuff into it.

When my Sweetie and I married 5+ years ago, I turned the den over to him. He sold his house and moved in with the boys and I so we wouldn’t have to change school systems. We had double sets of everything when we combined households and as a result, lots of yard sales. I saw this as a huge sacrifice for my Sweetie. After many years of bachelorhood, I anticipated that he might need a refuge from time to time once he jumped into family life with both feet.

The den used to be decorated with lots of feminine touches and was painted a lovely shade of ice blue. Before S moved in I removed all the “girlie” things and painted two accent walls haze gray (the color of Naval vessels). The den was destined to become the Navy room. S had blank walls to hang his Navy awards, certificates, shadow boxes, and photos of ships.

The home computer remains in the den. But over the years, other items have moved in. There’s now a TV, Xbox gaming system, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, recliner, books, CDs, ball caps, photos, all-in-one office machine, tripods, monopods, stuff and more stuff.

A couple of weeks ago, as I picked my way through the clutter to get to the computer, I realized that the den has devolved into a man cave. The only reason I go in there is to use the computer. The boys each have their own computers in their rooms and S has a laptop for work purposes. So the only computer I can use to edit photos or blog is the one in the den.

Each time I go in there someone always follows. It’s usually Molly so she can lay on one of the few carpeted areas in the house. Then comes one of the guys to watch TV or play on the Xbox. Then another guy comes into chat. Finally, the last one comes in looking for everyone else.

I’m glad most of the “boy stuff” in the house is contained. But every once in a while, I get an overwhelming desire for girl time. Lately, that desire has popped up every time I want to use the computer.

Below are a few photos of some of the interesting stuff in the den. Now I have to cut the guys a little bit of slack because I took the photos when S and Mr. A were installing the new TV. Cables were strung everywhere. But the rest of the stuff is in the den on a daily basis.

Photos of the Navy ships my Sweetie served on.

Cables for the TV, Xbox, whatever...

Boat part. Yes, we have boat parts in the den. Note: that's plural.

Where else would you find a Leatherman's tool on leather furniture?

Ever stub your toe on one of these?

Not sure about this stuff. But I'm sure it's an integral part of running the Geekdom.