Classic Style in the Bedroom. . .

A terrific Art Deco style bedroom, but it could use a few books on the bedside tables and a bathrobe or dressing gown tossed over the chair to give it a slightly more lived in look.

Not quite what you thought, right? Nope, the point of today's post is simply this.

In the bedroom and bathroom, keep things neat, clean, and picked up. Make your bed in the mornings, change your sheets and towels once a week. Body dander, dust mites, stench, and worse collect on these very quickly. Be sure too to toss dirty clothes in a hamper out of sight (NOT on the floor or in a chair!), hang garments you will wear again in the closet or wardrobe and shut the door, or fold and put them back in the dresser. It's not hard to do, it takes just a few minutes, and living in a space that is kept straight does wonders for your own mental and emotional well-being. Not enough people are aware of that particular, and very real, benefit.

Be ruthless about clutter, in both areas, especially in the bathroom, taking great pains to keep the counter top around the sink clear and wiped down. Same thing for the corners of the bathtub/shower where squeeze bottles of shampoo, conditioner, those nearly empty body wash containers, and tiny remnants of soap bars seem to congregate. Likewise, keep the tub drain free of hair and body gunk. Clean your toilet, tub, and sink once a week with the appropriate cleansers. If there is any doubt in your mind about whether something needs to be wiped up, washed, cleaned, or thrown away, then there is no doubt. Get it done!

Don't forget to empty the waste cans once or twice a week either, There are fewer things more offputting than a bedroom or bathroom trashcan that is overflowing with used tissues, Q-tips, dental floss, old banana peels, and the like. It's akin to unincinerated medical waste piling up in the corner of your bedroom and next to the sink in the bathroom. Are you perpetually 12 years old? Ick!

In short, make ding dang sure to keep these shared -- yet intimate -- areas clean, spotless, and free of clutter. . . for yourself, for your partner or spouse, and other family with whom you share your living space. . . or for that special guest who might spend the night once in a while. Know what I mean? A good rule of thumb is to keep your bedroom and bathroom clean and straight enough, so you would not be embarrassed for your grandmother to see them were she to turn up and ask to join you for lunch or supper.

And when it comes to the romance department, there are very few quality people who will stick around for long if your room, apartment, condominium, or house resembles a slimy, smelly garbage dump. It's no laughing matter. Average guys who realize the very real need to kick up their everyday style several notches, and who make a concerted effort to do so, should keep that point in mind. Are you listening Tyler, Austin, and Connor?

-- Heinz-Ulrich

An interesting take on an art deco style bathroom from Better Homes and Gardens.

Up North Style. . .

Bad Dad makes a friend. YMP and Bad Dad on the shores of Lake Michigan. Or was that Crystal Lake? The Grand Duchess takes a selfie in her kayak. How NOT to impress the girls sunning themselves along the river. YMP and Bad Dad kayaking on the Platte River headed toward Loon Lake. J ust back from a week in Northern Michigan in a charming and spacious house on the banks of the Betsie River outside of Thompsonville. A largely pleasant seven days despite some challenging episodes with the Young Master, who has picked up some very questionable habits and language from his friends in the 8th Grade during the school year just ended. But otherwise, we enjoyed ourselves and contemplated remaining for a few days longer since the house was available. In the end, we decided to return home as planned originally since neither my wife, nor I wanted to spend the remaining days chained to our computers in Zoom meetings from our vacation destination. I actually managed to leave the laptop and ip

Mid-June Thursday Style. . .

A nother pretty typical variation on the theme for late spring, summer, and very early fall. I'm a huge fan of Madras and have several such shirts in the seasonal rotation. Lightweight, exceedingly comfortable, and even dressy when pressed and tucked in, which is the usual way of things here at Totleigh in the Wold. Now, if I had my druthers, I'd still rather be skiing the trails in the upper half of "The Mitten" (of Michigan), in the Upper Peninsula, or Ontario. But summers ain't so bad either, and I'd look pretty funny walking around in cross-country ski attire during June. -- Heinz-Ulrich

A Lazy Saturday at the End of June. . .

A sleepy first half of the weekend here at Totleigh. Warmer and quite humid ahead of an approaching cool front here in Mid-Michigan. Perfect for yet another pair of chino shorts an a seersucker shirt -- tucked in of course -- with the usual leather deck shoes and ribbon belt. Otherwise, not much accomplished beyond a page or so of writing and monkeying around with audio settings for an upcoming podcast episode. However, I was not completely useless yesterday! I made a huge fruit salad for dinner, which the Grand Duchess and I enjoyed a short while later at the table on the back porch. The Young Master, as is his wont on Saturday evenings, took his dinner on a tray in the TV room upstairs where he whiled away a couple of hours on Flight Simulator, flying some sort of commercial airliner to some destination across the Atlantic or Pacific. I would have loved that sort of technology at about nine or 10 way back during the late 1970s, aka The Stone Age. As it is, my sister and

Glenda MooreMarch 14, 2015 at 10:48 AM
Two points, sir:

1. I know your wife must love you if for no other reason--although I've no doubt she has many, many more reasons--than you carry your own weight & pick up after yourself in your house. What a wonderful person you must be to live with.

2. You really should write a book, either an ebook or a print-book, or both. It could be a compilation of your blog posts.

Are you familiar with "Lessons from Madame Chic" by Jennifer Scott, or "Free the Animal" by Richard Nikoley? Both are compilations of their blog posts put into book format, and are well done. Books on your topic for men have been written, of course, but you do have a unique voice that is relevant for today.

Best wishes, as always, whether or not you consider writing a book--or even a pamphlet that could be given out to incoming college freshmen (!)--sorry, when I start with an idea it sometimes grows bigger than me...
Glenda

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