Happy Monday and happy new week. I am coming to you today from the new desk, Storm by my right elbow today because there is a sunbeam on that end of the desk. Guess I don’t need to refer to my daily task list, even if I was planning on covering my daily/weekly planning for this post. Cats, am I right?

1. The desk itself. I love that I put it together, with help from Housemate, and that it fits perfectly into the office corner of the primary bedroom. It’s more than twice the width of the TV tray type desk I had been using, and it really does feel like a grownup desk at last. Storm is absolutely delighted, because she gets a bed on the desk, a bed next to the desk and there is prime sunbeam real estate. The desk is also in the corner with the baseboard heating, so it will be nide and comfy on fall and winter days/nights.
2. A place for everything, and everything in its place. The suggested use for the space at the far right of the desk is for a printer, but I already have it on a low table that is only a chair swivel away, so I didn’t move it an inch. Instead, I plopped down a gorgeous black wicker basket to hold my most used supplies, aka a home for my medium pink Delfonics pouch. I am planning a pouch tour video for later. In the meantime, I’ll pop a picture of the current setup down at the bottom.
3. Drawers. This could have been included in the above, but the drawers are super cool on their own. They are actually made of fabric except for the fronts. The stuff that was cluttering the table that was next to my mini-desk is now stashed in the three drawers (two small, one deep) in the appropriate organizers, so what I reach for the most is in easy reach. I can reach for it without even looking, and still get the correct item. The bottom drawer had the ability to be set up for hanging files, but I opted not to used that, as I have a hanging file system in storage that I can bring home, so don’t need another. Now that drawer is where I put the printer paper, photo paper, sticker paper, etc. In short, paper.
4. Storm’s tent. Of course I had to mention the benefits to my purr=sonal assistant. For those needing proof how much Storm loves her tent, I have done my first inspection for stash, and I am not disappointed. I have removed:
   • two silicone earbud covers (probably her favorite thing to steal/stash)
   • two bobby pins
   • one empty perfume sample (confiscated immediately! All other fragrances are now securely stored away from curious paws.)
5. Nothing. Wait, that’s not like it sounds. For the longest time, I have wanted to have a no desk clutter policy, and so far, I am keeping that for this desk. At the end of the day (still when Storm walks across the keyboard and plops herself between me and the laptop) I shut down, and make sure I have left nothing on the desk apart from the usual suspects: Storm’s tent, the laptop, mousepad and mouse, coaster (skull themed, of course) bottle of hand lotion (currently Crabtree and Evelyn Summerhill) and the tray with my pouch and my English Ruler ruler (I seriously do need the version with Charles III.)

And for cat tax, Storm in her tent. I guess it also doubles as a smuggler’s cave since I have now found a stash in it:

For those who haven’t yet heard, I am also blogging at MelvaAndAnna.com, which will be featuring free short reads by both myself and Melva Michaelian. If you don’t want to miss such things and get a front row seat to future Love By The Book installments, subscribe over there. We would love to have you.