Rhys wants a She Shed!

RHYS BOWEN: There are not many items I see online and think, "Ooh, I would really LOVE one of those." I can watch commercials and not be moved at all (especially not car commercials. Who has ever watched one and said "I have to rush out and get a Lexus/BMW/Mercedes/Dodge?")

But a couple of weeks ago I saw something and I thought that I had to have one!  It's called the SHE SHED. It's a perfect little shed/tiny house in the garden that is the opposite of a man-cave. It can be furnished with whatever makes you happy. For me it would be a shelf of books, of course, pictures of my dear ones, some good art, a soft chair to curl up in and a lovely view through the window. Oh, and a coffee/tea maker and a box of cookies or chocolates, and a bowl of fruit, and my iPod for music. And a furry rug to curl my toes into.... I could go on and on. But I'm interested to know whether this idea appeals to my fellow Reds and what they would need to make it perfect.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Wouldn't it be loverly? Your selections sound pretty perfect, Rhys! Somehow...it doesn't appeal to me. Maybe because it sounds small? I don't know. Invite me to yours --can we have room for a guest or two?--and we'll see.  Does it have room service?  That could clinch it for me! And I would miss Jonathan.  Does it have electricity? A bathroom? Wireless internet?  I know, I am over-thinking...

JENN: YES! YES! YES! Please, may I have one? I'll give you chocolate. I'll be your best friend. Pleeeeeease! Do I sound desperate? I am only half kidding. I've joked before that I live in a frat house, but I swear I do. It's all huge basketball sneakers and hoodies littering the place, the constant grind of guitar riffs and drum beats, video game noise, sports on TV, and the ceaseless opening and closing of the refrigerator and pantry doors as they forage for food. Seriously, I am overrun with testosterone around here. I've seen pictures of these she sheds and I am in love. I'd have lace curtains, a bouquet of flowers, my grandmother's Haviland china, a small built in desk, shelves of books, a squashy chair to sit in, and room for my dogs to loll on the floor. If I had one of these, I'd probably never leave.

HALLIE EPHRON: Laughing, Jenn! Wait a few years... In my house, I'm the noise maker and maker of messes, such as they are. And a She Shed would be on more thing to clean. Paint. Roof. AAAAGGGGH! I would like a squashy chair for my office, which is my virtual she-shed, but there's no room.

LUCY BURDETTE: Hmmm, Do I need this? not sure, though you and Jenn make it sound adorable. Actually Jenn's frat house sounds like fun LOL. though I probably wouldn't last a day there... In my shed, I'd need homemade cookies and a full-length lounge. And Hank's questions are perfectly valid--no bathroom? That would not work for me! I'd definitely need dog and cat beds and places for all of you to sit too!

RHYS: Yes, it would definitely need a bathroom! I agree.Maybe even a soaking tub. And a porch to sit in the shade in a rocking chair. And a fireplace for winter. Oh wait, I'm describing a new house!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I have day-dreamed for years about turning our old shed (the original one-car garage) into a screened-in writing retreat. Does that count? It would have a stained-glass window set into the solid south-facing wall, to let in pretty light but still be private from the neighbors, and the north-facing wall would be screened. I'd have a little desk and a writing chair, a ceiling fan, a pretty outdoor rug, and a hanging bed. Have you seen those? Just for naps, of course. The dogs, of course, could come in with me, and I could enjoy pretty weather without mosquitos!

Alas, I think the old shed is too rickety, and it would require way too much money for a makeover, sigh. And I would have to cross the yard to use the bathroom...

INGRID THOFT: Given that I have no pets or children, and a generally quiet husband, I don't feel the need for a she-shed.  However, my office is not especially large, but is very cozy and restful, just as I would expect a she-shed would be.  I have a comfy rug, my desk, a print of a favorite John Singer Sargent painting, other favorite pictures and mementos, and books.  The kitchen and bathroom are close by, as is my hubby.  I do wish, like Hallie, there was room for a bigger chair.  Actually, full disclosure, I wish there were room for a daybed so that when inspiration isn't striking, I could take a brief snooze!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Like Debs, I have the makings of a she-shed on my property - two, in fact! They're both twelve-by-fifteen single-story Greek revival structures, with six-panel doors and original windows. Both were wired for electricity in the past, although the one closest to our barn - once the village post office - had its line cut in Hurricane Irene and it hasn't been replaced.

In fact, "Hasn't been replaced" is the problem with these two otherwise perfect she-sheds. Both have very leaky roofs, and consequently punky boards on the floor. Both are just cladding and clapboard on frames, with NO insulation whatsoever, making them too cold to use in Maine for nine months out of the year.  Worst of all, both get closed off by drifting snow in the winter, so if I were to use one, I'd have to shovel...and shovel...and shovel.

That being said, just as soon as I have 15 grand to spare (sometime after Youngest graduates college, I'm guessing) I'd love to upgrade them to real workable spaces. When I do, you're all invited to come on a writing retreat!

RHYS: So, Dear Readers, who has a She Shed? Who would like one?
(And Houston friends, I'll be at Murder by the Book tomorrow and the Woodlands Library on Wednesday!)

An Island of Her Own

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Some of you will recall from earlier blog comments that I've been away on a one-woman writer's retreat. I'm leaving Nantucket today, after spending almost two weeks in my agent's otherwise empty house. It's been the best vacation I ever had, and that includes lounging on the beach in Cancun and hiking around the Highlands of Scotland. Honestly? If I wasn't getting phone calls from my husband reminding me that he misses me - a lot, so please come home soon - I'd just hunker down here until spring.

Well, I do also miss my dogs.

What have I done while here? Not much. Walked into or out of town on errands or visits a few times. Had drinks twice with a brand-new friend who feels like an old friend. Shoveled out the drive after the second blizzard. Went to church on Sunday and Ash Wednesday. Mostly, I've written. And what a pleasure and gift it is, to get up in the morning and realize, after making the bed and getting dressed, that I have nothing at all to do except write. In a quiet, clean house, where there's no dinner to fix or laundry to fold.

I have also fallen in love with Nantucket. Specifically, Nantucket in winter. I'm sure it's quite lovely and all in the summer with the beaches and roses and beautiful young things with tan legs biking around town. But I love the beauty of wind-scoured headstones and empty streets heavy with snow, and the gray-on-on-gray compositions of shingle houses, bare trees, and looming storm clouds.

This one's not mine - I clipped it from CBS News.

I also love the small town that's left behind after the tourists go. I went to St. Paul's Episcopal twice, and by the second visit several people smiled and welcomed me back. I've kept company with Nantucket historian Frances Ruley Karttunen (my agent's Aunt Fran) who came with Uncle Al husband to stay at "my" house during the blizzard. She introduced me to a few people and when I went to see her speaking at the Whaling Museum, I felt like I was sitting with a bunch of neighbors.

Picking up groceries at the Stop and Shop was like an after-church coffee hour, one person after the next hailing a friend and catching up. I'm not sure if it would be possible to do a quick dash in and out if you were a native.  When I went walking, drivers would wave as they passed me. Not many drivers - as near as I can tell, half if not more of the houses in town are shuttered for the winter. I have the feeling if I stayed one more week I'd probably wind up on a committee for historical preservation, or as a volunteer at the Atheneum, the town library.

I confess there's also a glamorous side to the winter here, albeit a different kind of glamor than the New York media celebrities and Masters of Wall Street of summer. The new friend I mentioned above is New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer (who loves mysteries!) While eating lunch at the Fog Island cafe, she said, "Oh, here's another writer friend I want you to meet! Nat! Come over here!"



It was Nathaniel Philbrick, Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the National Book Award. (He was very nice.) Uncle Al turned out to be Professor Emeritus Alfred W. Crosby, who pretty much single-handedly invented the discipline of ecological history. Nancy's husband Charley Walters, who gave me a fabulous tour of their 1840 house, is a former music critic for Rolling Stone.

Can you imagine who I might have met if I got to stay another week?

Coming off this amazing opportunity for daily writing and connecting with so many fascinating people, I have come to the conclusion that we need some sort of foundation - a large, well-funded foundation - whose sole purpose is to give crazy-busy women the chance to be alone and quiet and work at ---you fill in the blank. Their paintings, their books, their sun salutations, their souffles. In the meantime, I hope you all get a chance to run away from home - for a little while - to a place as marvelous as Nantucket.

Many, many thanks to Meg Ruley, David Lovett and the many members of the Ruley family who made my writing retreat possible!

Me and Aunt Fran after her talk at the Whaling Museum.