Decorating with lamps can be illuminating.

I tend not to be the kind of person who dwells on things, and I’m talking about loss. I tend to be the kind of person to buck up and carry-on, because life is just too short not to. But, during the month of December, I find I am really missing my mom. Mother loved Christmas. She shopped for people all year long, carefully considering their personalities, wants, needs, and senses of style when buying gifts. She was also the person to whom I would turn whenever I had a decorating dilemma. She would shoot from the hip, and tell me if my idea was a good one, or stank on ice.

So, my friends, I turn to you with a query… Is this too much? My builder, Joe, installed an electrical outlet beneath this (mother’s) table today. I was considering a light over the picture, and then remembered this pair of lamps that used to belong to my parents. I love the lamps with their tall bases and leather shades. I would like to use them somewhere, and am wondering if this is the place. It is a dark corner that needs illumination, but am I overdoing things here? What are your thoughts? Here are a couple of views from various angles to give you the lay of the land.

A final note, the table also belonged to my parents, and the silk floral arrangement stays. It was made for my mother by the daughter of a long-time family friend who was killed in an automobile accident the following week. Lots of feeling and sentimentality here, as in most of my house.

 Shine a light on my darkness. (Sorry, cheap shot, but I couldn’t resist.) ;-)