phyllis morris

So on Robertson there's an Anawalt Lumber. It's expanding into the lot next to it, in what I believe is the longest construction period in history, moving concrete blocks and dirt around in some intricate game of Stratego without actually building much. You may think it took a long time to put together those big ol' pyramids in that country at the upper right end of Africa, but that's nothing compared to Anawalt's construction phase. Maybe.

Anyway, for some reason the fence in front of the construction lot has had several big banners stretched across it from time to time. Each of them has had a quotation by a "phyllis morris." They're vaguely irritating, and the various banners have gone like this (paraphrasing from memory):

"minimalism is for those without much to say." - phyllis morris
"there is no room for twin beds in a happy marriage." phyllis morris
"never design for your husband." - phyllis morris

Well, 1) Thanks, Phyllis, for not understanding minimalism and what it means. It's an idea that conveys meaning in as little as possible, that speaks as much with its whitespace as its content, ideas without fluff. There is beauty in clean lines and simplicity. Ask the Japanese. Besides, these signs are a thin black sans-serif font on white, as minimalist as you can get. The bannermakers weren't thinking. 2), Um, okay. Sure. No problem. Huh? I dunno... maybe she was referring to the I Love Lucy Show. 3) Read: Go ahead and decorate the house with as much flowery embellishment as your cheesiest women's magazine or your Martha Stewart catalog allows. Please only your fellow female tea-party and embroidery enthusiasts.

Well, Phyllis, it turns out, started designing in 1953 with a gaudy poodle lamp, and moved on to create truly intricate furniture and things. You can see it here. It's fairly frightening but elaborate in a rich kind of way. It's like Victorian with its snuff box overturned on its own breasts. So I can forgive her for her opulence. I just don't understand why it's pasted on the outside of an Anawalt lumber construction site.