What's on Your Window Sill?

There are twenty one windows in our old, old house and they all have wide sills. In some of the rooms that means, especially for dear husband, more shelf space. This is especially true of the one in the kitchen. That window is ten feet long with a truly admirable sill. The back door is right next to the window so naturally that sill is a great place to store anything the man may need on  his way out. Or in. Like flashlights, two of them, keys, notes to self, his staple gun and once in a while a wrench.  

The kitchen counter where I prepare yummy good stuff to eat faces that window. It looks out on our couple of acres and smack in the middle of that sill is a cute little jam pot I picked up at a tag sale. It takes up about four inches of sill space. That’s my share. On occasion this poor little pot will shout at me that the flashlights are acting up again or the keys are winking at her. I pick her up, wash her face and tell her it will be alright. I promise to talk to the man and he’ll tell everyone to behave. So peace descends until the next dust up.

Then there are the sills that get drenched in a sudden thunderstorm. You should hear them scream. It's just water. Bunch of wimps. But I quick grab a towel to dry them off as I drag the windows down. I’m aghast at all the dirt that comes away on that towel. Sometimes there’s a dead ladybug, little feet up, or the dried corpse of a stink bug that must be dealt with, too. Ugh. I apologize to the sills and they seem content to have been attended to at last.

It’s summer so three portable air conditioners sit on three sills in three rooms. Hubby packs all around the units with rescued pieces of wood and old packing foam. Adds a nice third world touch to the décor of those rooms and I’m thinking of doing a photo essay that Better Homes and Gardens will surely snap up. Surely.

I was in a friend’s kitchen over the weekend and noticed her sill as I helped clean up the kitchen after a small birthday celebration. Oh, my. All kinds of cool stuff sat there. Tiny potted plants, a ceramic figurine, something that looked like a pin cushion. I mentioned my kitchen window sill and she steered my attention to the end of a counter where her own dear husband  “stores” all the things he’ll need for the day. She let out a sigh and I smiled empathetically. No further discussion was necessary.

Windows are awesome things. They let in light to brighten our days and help provide a steady income stream for Windex. Whoever invented them should get a federal commendation and an excellent health care plan. But the genius who thought up the sill? Those things could really mess up your home life so the jury’s still out on that one. 

Image: Free Digital Photos