Our foyer has been in serious need of repainting for some time now,  thanks mostly to Bobbi – the younger of our two golden retrievers – whose very favorite resting place is in the entry way between our foyer and family room.   9 times out of 10 when you would walk into the house,  you would find her lounging in that very spot,  resting against a wall that used to be Sunshine Yellow- but years of dog sweat, dust, and scratches (from her stretching) have transformed it into a color that is, to put it mildly,  less than sunny-looking.

So we had to repaint,  but what color?  Kathy flailed around with this question for several days,  accosting family and friends and perhaps a few complete strangers as well trying to figure out what would be the best choice.   And if nothing else, she discovered just how many ways there are to describe a color.  Black, for instance,  might mean Domino,  Inkwell, Black Magic, or Caviar – just to name half of the Sherwin Williams names for Black.  White might be Marshmallow, Snowbound, Alabaster, and Cultured Pearl- just to name a quarter of the names for White.  I don’t want to go on all day,  but I have to mention just a few of the names for the most unassuming of all colors-  Gray.  They have Repose Gray, Mindful Gray, Gauntlet Gray, Functional Gray, Requisite Gray, Agreeable Gray, Essential Gray, Proper Gray, Flexible Gray – – – and my favorite,  Wall Street.   And that’s just a few of them.  Needless to say, the world cares about its colors!

*Tangent alert:  Whenever I think about paint and colors,  I think of a Luther professor in Decorah who painted his house a rather uncommon color – a color which my folks referred to as “Rotten Plum.”    And that moniker perfectly describes the color-  although for years I mistakenly believed that the paint they chose was officially called Rotten Plum.   I’m sure it was something much more poetic like “Sunset Splendor”  or “Dusk Clouds” –  but what it looked like was Rotten Plum.

Fortunately,  Kathy was not about to paint our foyer either white, black, or gray – or Rotten Plum.  Our kitchen walls are green and our family walls are blue,  and we both wanted something that would be a fun balance and contrast to that- – –  something perhaps gray-ish rose or light maroon. . .  but absolutely and positively not pink.  (With all due respect to our niece Lorelai, who – if made Queen for a day – would probably have all of us dressed head to toe in pink, living in pink houses,  and drinking pink milk.)   But then we found ourselves agonizing over what color was going to be just right-  Resounding Rose? Gracious Rose? Memorable Rose?  Rosy Outlook?  How about Constant Coral?  Mellow Coral?  Coral Island?  (All real color choices at Sherwin Williams.)    We just wanted something that would be attractive-  that wouldn’t look like we’d painted our walls with Pepto Bismol. . . or pureed Spam.

The final verdict?   We went with “Red Bud” – which is quite rich, vibrant – and even daring!   And Kathy did most of the painting,  assisted by our houseguest Andrew Lenox,  who is staying with us during the run of the Racine Theater Guild’s production of “Andrews Brothers.”  (His help with the painting was all we wanted for what amounts to ten days of free room and board. And he did great.) My role in the actual painting process was rather peripheral,  to put it mildly.  I was entrusted with such tasks as taking the dogs to the dog park to keep them from being underfoot-  setting the table for supper –  and offering nothing but warm words of encouragement and affirmation -and above all,  keeping a safe distance from the paint and the painting process.  (Heck, Kathy didn’t even let me clean the brushes.    Smart woman, my wife.)

It’s all done now . . .  and we love it.   It sets off our woodwork perfectly,  it provides a beautiful accent to the adjoining rooms and their colors,  and it’s just wild enough that when someone walks through our front door,  their first thought very likely will be “whoa.”     And after that,  their follow up reaction can be “wow” or “blech” –  we don’t really care.   (It’s our house, after all, and it’s a free country.) But  like it or loath it,  at least it says that we love color.

pictured above:  I chose this particular shot to show the three major colors in this part of the house-  the green of our kitchen,  the blue of our family room,  and “Red Bud,” for the foyer.   The lighting in the picture makes it look more like cinnamon – which is not the color at all – but you at least get a sense of its boldness.