Playing musical tables

It gets confusing trying to decide which tables to keep and which to swap from one house to another.

It involves two houses and many small tables.

It's a sort of change of command, housewise.

It's like this. I have three oak tables; a coffee table and two end tables that match. They are early flea market variety.

Then I have an extra oak end table that doesn't match anything. Then there's another end oak table with a slick finish, that doesn't "go" either. All of them are in use at the present time. They are being housed in what I call the white house in Piggott.

Then there are tables in the cedar house in the country, a sort of Camp David.. There's an oak end table, a dark mahogany round drum table and what I call a small library table. All of them are in the living room of the country house. Also, there's a round tiered table that sits next to a recliner. In the bedroom there are two old small tiered tables and one oriental octagon table with hand carved figures. It matches the coffee table.

Now stay with me. Here's where the problem begins.

A girlfriend suggested I move the octagon table into the living room and move the small library table next to the living room couch. That means that the oak end table would have to be moved from its present position beside the couch.

She also suggested that I take the oak end table to the white house in Piggott because it is a match to the oak coffee table and the oak end table in the living room. She definitely believes that the dark round drum table should be moved into the white house in Piggott.

Well, in my mind I started switching the tables to see what the outcome would be. You know, what would be aesthetically pleasing.

I offered my own suggestions but she shook her head no.

You see, she has a better eye for decorating than I do.

She prefers simple to ornate.

"Less is more," she likes to say.

Well, I thought we pretty well had the musical tables settled, the decisions made.

Then she phoned later that night.

"I feel claustraphobic," she said.

"How come?" I asked.

"Well, I have too much furniture," she said.

"I have two beautiful end tables that I don't have room for," she continued.

"Why don't you come over and look at them. They would really look pretty in your house and would match your curio cabinet."

She then offered to buy my oak coffee table and two oak end tables for her son who is setting up housekeeping at Arkansas State University. (Those are the early flea market tables).

Well, that threw a cog in the whole musical table mess.

Here's why. That means that the one end table that is in the country would have to be moved into town because that's where the other two matching tables are being used. That would throw off the entire elaborate arrangements in the cedar house and the house in town too.

It would also leave me without my coffee table which is where I lay books, newspapers, remotes, junk mail, etcetera.

I just don't know.

It's too much to handle in an election year.

One has to sympathize with Obama.

Decisions, decisions.