I was discussing this the other day with some friends, about being a home decorator. The thought of me being a home decorator came about because our basement door needed a coat of paint. Whatever color it had once been had long disappeared. Did I stand back and consider the color of the old brick house, the whole ambience of our home? Sure, then I rummaged around in my collection of paint cans and found a color close to my heart, John Deere green, and decided on that beautiful color. What could clash with John Deere green? Nothing, I say. I was wrong.

This was how I knew I had a home decorator’s soul. Sure, I’m a goat farmer and I wander among the little goats a good many hours a day, but after painting that basement door my beloved John Deere green, I felt nausea rise up in me every time I passed that door or had to go in or out. Which is a lot since we go through there to get rid of our barn boots, barn coats, and excess barn things before going upstairs to the living room.

The color of that door and the color of those old red/black/brown bricks sent a knife through my creative decorator soul. Well, anyway, it made me sick. Lee mentioned it too, the sensitive soul that he is.

But, my creativity came to the rescue and I had Lee stop at the nearest paint discount store on the way home and buy the brightest fire engine red he could find. And, that’s where I was found the last few days of October when a warm spell of 55 degrees Fahrenheit hit, repainting my basement door a gorgeous fire engine red. I love fire engine red. It took three days, in spite of an attack of the Lady Beetles that almost turned the door into a collage with a Stuck on Wet Paint Lady Beetle theme.

I proudly called my mom up to tell her what I had done to the basement door. Mom keeps one of those house beautiful type homes. Every room has a theme, every color fits where it should. I proudly told her I had repainted my John Deere green door. She was greatly relieved to hear this and told me that the color of my window frames was white and the door should match that color, happily instructing me on home decorating. What a novel idea, matching the doors to the color of the window frame! I then told her I had painted the door fire engine red. She was quiet for a few seconds and said, “That’s nice, dear.”

I agreed quite happily with her. My fire engine red door was wonderful, so bright and cheerful and it really jolted the eyes and woke you up on those early morning feedings. And, you can see it all the way down the road. Anyone wanting to come and buy goats, I instruct them to follow the red glowing door that they can see all the way down to the end of the main road. Not only is this door a home decorator/goat farmer dream, but it’s a landmark too for customers. What more could you ask?

I bet you think I am the only goat farmer who is also a creative home decorator. Ha! I have a friend who needed a doorway from one room to the other, the original door being placed where you had to go through several rooms before getting to where you really needed to go. So one day, while her husband was gone, a chain saw did the trick for her. In no time at all she had a convenient, easy to use door that cut down on a great deal of running time. What a great idea! After Lee heard about it, I haven’t been able to find the chain saw. I’ll have to ask him later where he put it.

Another decorator idea, if you are like the rest of us, sometimes you get wobbly furniture. I keep a variety of colorful duct tape on hand - black, brown, yellow, red, green, etc. and anything that looks loose, gets a nice patch of duct tape to keep it together. And, decorating the walls, have I got a tip for you. You know how as goat farmers we are all the time having to run out at night when the dogs bark to see what is going on with the goats, and we can never find a flashlight?

Well, I have discovered colorful paneling nails to match the décor of the room and you can hang colorful flashlights along the wall! Isn’t that a neat trick? You can always find a flashlight and it really sets a room off. Very few people have come up with this goat farmer decorating trick. I even hang up a package or two of batteries because it does go along with the flashlight theme. It just goes to show, goat farmer and home decorator can be one and the same.