CURTAINS
Wed., January 13, 01:07 PM
Or window treatments, as my mother would say. When Mom returned to the work force, that was her field: high end curtains and draperies, bed ensembles, fabric. And hardware.
Drapery hardware — curtain rods, brackets, rings and pins — was very expensive, but Mom did have an employee’s discount. When we moved into the Cheesebox, which was entirely new, she bought hardware for all the windows and had Dad install it. (Husband didn’t understand any of this, but he had already learned that it was often simpler just to let her do her thing.) She bought curtains or drapes for all the rooms and several fancy bedspreads with dust ruffles and so forth.
I couldn’t care less. If it made her happy, I was glad but, with young kids and one or two other responsibilities, decorating was never high on my agenda. I knew the words, knew the difference between a valance and a valence, learned about finials and double widths, but for the most part I did nothing about it. Shades or blinds were important, but I had no interest in whatever curtains I had. On the other hand, I had been through this with her when I moved into a college dorm…
Several of those sets of curtains eventually fell apart when I washed them, damaged by the sun. One is supposed to put up protection for the curtains after one has hung the curtains to protect the furniture from the sun… My son took down the curtain rods in the kitchen and installed blinds. Whenever I replaced curtains, I chose the cheapest and simplest stuff I could find. I saved the rings and pins, of course. That stuff was expensive.
When we had new windows installed last year, of course we had to take down the window treatments. I took down the curtains in the living room and realized I had hung them before I got sick; they had been collecting dust for about six years. I didn’t even try to wash them; I know I have other curtains in the closet, so I just threw them out. That was when I discovered I had nothing appropriate for the front windows, for everything I had was too narrow or too short or needed different hardware from what I had saved. In desperation I put the rod back up and threw a sheet over it. At least that gave me a modicum of privacy.
The other day U.D. took me on a shopping trip, farther than I would have gone by myself. First stop was the Oreck store. I usually get my supplies online, but if we were out there anyway, we could go there. Not only do we save on shipping, but there is the advantage of patronizing a local business.
I’ve been very happy with my Oreck vacuum cleaner(s). Not only are they powerful, but I can empty them without a cloud of dust. 
When I think of the money I wasted on cheaper machines, I could have just bought the Oreck first — with its lifetime guarantee!
Part of U.D’s goal was to visit Bed, Bath & Beyond right down the street. It’s the kind of place that I have avoided for several years, deferring expenses instead of just throwing caution to the winds. She wanted hardware for some curtains she has. I thought I might find some sheers appropriate for the front windows. And as long as we were there, we did pick up the smaller Cuisinart® food processor we had been thinking about; there are only two of us to cook for now. This particular BB&B also has a Harmon’s — a good place to buy cosmetics and OTC medication.
When you go into a discount store, even a good one, looking for curtains, there are only two lengths: long and short. The long ones are always too long for my house with its low ceilings. Café curtains are not right for that room, even if I wanted to deal with the additional hardware. I was happy to see that BB&B had intermediate lengths; 63 inches is excellent for those windows. I rejected the silk ones; not only do they need special care, but we have Cat. I also rejected anything that might need special rings or a second rod; I am not playing that game. I found inexpensive lightly textured gold-tinted sheers. Washable, of course. With a “rod pocket.” (Maybe I will put a little tea tree oil on the bottom to discourage you-know-who.)
I put them up this morning, with only minor problems. The rod pocket is smaller than my curtain rod, but I put the rod into the hem. (Okay, a professional eye will notice, but we’re not professional here.) I seem to have lost a finial, and the one I have is too loose for one end and too tight for the other; a little padding may keep it from slipping off the rod. The curtains do look better than the sheet.
As I mentioned to U.D., if there is one thing I have learned as I get older, it is that I do not have to do things I really don’t want to do.
