On our second gloomy day in a row, I thought a sunny picture would be in order. Hard to believe, but I just took this about 3 days ago.
Low-key is a perfect description for life here in the cottage these days. After my spurt of energy sorting and purging the closet on Thanksgiving, I have reverted to my inclination to be lazy. I did rouse myself to drive to our local jeweler yesterday to get the battery in my watch replaced – a favorite watch that I had lost track of, but found – you guessed it – in the midst of my cleaning and sorting on Thursday.
And, on high alert, I stopped at the grocery store to get some more Peet’s French Roast. I’m not exaggerating when I say we go into a mild panic at the thought of running out and finding that our closest store is also out. And that has happened, my friends. It isn’t pretty. We’ve tried just about every other French Roast out there, most often when we have no other choice, and while some are okay, none equal Peet’s.
Don’t you think Peet’s should hire me as a ‘brand ambassador?’
I’ve been reading the latest Lee Child, but – and I’m going to be frank here – I’m just not that into it. That is the first and only time I have ever said that about one of his thrillers. This one takes place in the past, when Reacher was still an enlisted man, and the premise is intriguing, but for some reason this one just seems too formulaic. Maybe it’s my mood, maybe because I’ve read all of the Reacher series, but I’m having to force myself to finish. I will finish, if only because I bought the darned book, but it is definitely not my favorite.
The latest SquintBox, which arrived in yesterday’s mail. The theme is ‘Good Cheer.’ Christmas presents, holiday cards, a shopping bag and box from Paris, a Plum Pudding Cake, and a glass bowl of holiday candies. My stash is growing monthly due to this neat subscription service!
Mini Pottery collection update. I’ve had to move some of the pieces to the top of this shadow box because I’m running out of room! (I’m not complaining.)
We watched Top Hat on TCM yesterday. As the world’s biggest Fred Astaire fan – really, I am! – I’ve seen this movie many, many times. But I never tire of it. I’ve been an Astaire fan since I was a kid. There’s not much I don’t know about him. My dorm room and student apartments were dominated by a huge poster of Fred and Ginger dancing Cheek to Cheek, Ginger’s infamous feather dress looking gorgeous (and somewhat dangerous for Fred, as feathers flew everywhere.)
In times of stress and worry, which, let’s face it, this particular time is, a Fred and Ginger movie is the perfect prescription. There’s a reason their movies were such a hit during a time when the country reeled from The Depression.
Another movie that makes me happy? Tootsie. And that’s on TCM tonight at 8.
Another happy thing: our new weekend home delivery of the New York Times. I signed up for it at the beginning of the week. We now get the Friday – Sunday editions delivered to our little cottage. And they’re out there on the driveway early! We get up around 5:30 or 6 and the paper is already there.
I’m making good on my promise to subscribe to a newspaper or two as well as magazines that feature investigative journalism. Supporting a free press is imperative.
Happy Saturday.
Tootsie came out when I was finishing university and I thought Jessica Lange was the It Girl that year. I saw the movie a half dozen times and saved every dime from my part time job to buy the same sweater she wore in a photo shoot. I still think she’s both lovely and talented, but now when I watch the movie I’m more inclined to laugh at Bill Murray’s character. Maybe now I’m in my early fifties I appreciate a sense of humour as much as looks in others,
Love the miniatures – doesn’t get any better than mini Paris! Target pulled out of Canada some time ago, but the Loft dollhouse is currently available here through Chapters/Indigo in case any of your Canadian readers are interested. (And at a far better price than those listed on eBay.) Mine arrived this week and I can’t wait to start making/sourcing some funky boho minis.
So happy you finally got your Loft, Barbara! Mine is sitting on the floor right now, waiting for some inspiration!
Well, by virtue of circumstance, my real life home consists mostly of look-don’t-touch antiques. I have secretly always wanted a purple velvet sofa to jump on and a Roy Lichtenstein, so here’s my opportunity (albeit in miniature).
Meant to mention that we took out a subscription to the New York Times last week. Go newspapers!
Miniatures give us the chance to explore, don’t they? Yay for your subscription!
sounds like a nice day with puttering and reading the nyt … enjoy!
hope you find a more interesting book soon. i give you credit for finishing a book you don’t really care for! i tend to give a book ten pages and if it doesn’t captivate me by then, i move on to another one.
love, love, love “tootsie”! so many great lines and messages and laughs. hope i don’t give anything away (to anyone who hasn’t seen that movie yet … go watch it now!) by saying i love the big monologue and the last few lines in that movie. and dustin hoffman is a long-time fave.
kathy in iowa
I love that movie, Kathy. You can’t help but smile when it’s on!
Yes…you should be a Peet’s brand ambassador! The sun is finally shining here…although through thin clouds. First time all week I believe. I enjoy any movie that can take me back to a simpler time…and Fred and Ginger certainly do that! Hope you can enjoy a lazier day. I plan on watching college football…lots of rivalries today. Here in town, it’s the battle of the ax…between Wisconsin and Minnesota. Go Badgers! ;)
Have a great day, Donnamae – enjoy your football game!
I finished “Inherit the Bones” last night. Oh my, but you were right. It grabbed me right from page one. But, as always when finished with a book trying to find the next one is sometimes a problem.
I love the miniature pottery. So much fun.
I have not subscribed to a newspaper. I couldn’t get delivery from anybody out here where I live (22 miles from town). I won’t subscribe to the local paper, because they editorialize the paper. Not just the Editor’s page but the entire paper smacks of their opinion.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the book, Trudy. Now I’m looking forward to the next one, whenever that may be.
(We live 75 miles plus from Manhattan, but we are able to have the NY Times delivered. But a weekly subscription would be too expensive, which is why we get the weekend editions.)
Claudia, what magazines will you subscribe to that feature investigative journalism?
Newsweek and Time both have strong investigative journalism elements, as does Mother Jones – my personal favorite. There are more out there, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Vanity Fair and some I’m sure I’m missing!
While having coffee this morning my daughter mentioned she had just re-subscribed to the NY Times. I think she gets it electronically ?? We must support the written word.
So glad Little Z is home. Saw that yesterday. Hope every day is better. So scary.
I am ready for a quiet house again. “Kids” (38 & 43) in and out since Wed. The dogs and the cat are ready, as well. We just aren’t accustomed to all of the activity and noise any longer! As Donnamae said, there is a big UW game today. The kids are attending. Glad we finally have some sun today ~~ and hope you & Don have a super Saturday today!!
Yes, you can get digital subscriptions, Chris.
It’s been gray and rainy here, with an occasional burst of sun.
My mom’s cleaning out too. Every time i see her, she hands me two shopping bags for donations. I think her limit at any one clean out session is two bags at a time. I love seeing your miniatures, Claudia. Rainy Saturday, and cold, so now that I’ve read your mention of Peet’s, I’m getting my favorite French press out and brewing some Peet’s! Then braving wet and cold to do just a little grocery shopping…so far only milk and apples are on my list. I’d better check my coffee stash too. Oh, and wide seam binding to edge a piece of fleece for a throw for my daughter. Then some jewelry-making and hopefully squeezing in more sewing. A little bit of everything for me too!
Sounds like you have a busy and creative day going, Wendy.
Yes, Claudia, you inspired me about the mags; in my own sorting this week, I found an envelope I hadn’t opened and it was inviting me to buy TIME which I’d decided to do anyway, so I’m looking forward to the hard (paper) copy in my snail mail box in a few weeks. A cousin of mine would be in horror; she is 100% web-oriented, feels we should only be reading online publications and thinks wasting paper/printing is sinful, although she’s also an author and has written two books (bound books; paper) which she loved signing and selling (believe me, I’m ultra-proud of her and I love having her books on my shelf, although it’s hard to ‘get through’ them as they’re targeted for the university student steeped in academia [in a particular subject…and I need a gentler read]). To her credit, she is the most-generous and thoughtful woman; for years, going against her ‘save a tree’ feelings, she has sent me several books, hardbound and paperback (one period included a lot of Virginia Woolf, of whom I’m only a tepid fan).
I’ve decided to renew My Squint Box because it brings me a lot of pleasure. Totally glad you highlighted the service here, when it was created! I’m only near one miniatures store and they are abominably/prohibitively expensive and I don’t seem to enjoy thumbing thru exhaustive, small-print catalogs. Since I’ve never delved much online with miniatures, Mr. Scala seems to fulfill my need to collect these small treasures; he has such good taste and the selections are never a disappointment. He really thinks through each month’s box through and they’re packaged so nicely. I’ve asked for the renewal to be my Christmas gift this year! Mine came yesterday but I didn’t open it yet; I don’t mind your preview, though, because all it did was whet my appetite; can’t wait to open it now!
We thin-skinned SoCalifornians had a more-chilly night, just ten degrees above freezing and an hour ago we were only 57 (10am PST)…with more rain on the way (in about three hours)! I get so excited about the rain because they have heretofore predicted another dry winter for us…and we were so warm on Thanksgiving day and yesterday (low 80s; I had to go back to the cemetery and dump buckets of water on all my wilting flowers that I’d just put out on Wednesday).
I taped Miracle on 34th Street yesterday. Maureen O’Hara and Natalie Wood. Still my fave at this time of year. Do not like it colorized! Collecting my comforts at holiday time…also bought peppermint bark this week. A week from today, our city’s #1 tree lot, local guy with the same presentation every year for most of my adult life, will open. It’s not a big one and he always sells out. I love how he rims the selling area with big, oversized, colored lights and he actually roasts chestnuts to hand out. And hot cocoa. I always hope for zero Santa Anas so that the fir trees can stay greener and not dry out from harsh, dry, warm wind. Despite my aim for a ‘real tree’ in a pot this year, I’m sorely tempted to walk his “Christmas tree” lot, just to soak it all in. He has several sizes of trees and his Pacific Northwest seller/wholesaler does regrow what’s cut down. I’m needing fun, and this tree lot is so fun. When I was a kid, we’d go to a farm and cut our own. That was fun, too.
(I should have proofread; sorry for typos above.)
I forgot to tell you that my appraiser yesterday turned out to be the son (only child) of my best childhood friend, whose family lived in this very same neighborhood. These coincidences happen in small towns although he lives elsewhere in the county. Hard to believe the pal of my youth has a strapping, 40-year-old son (I forget how old I am). Last time I saw him and his mom, he was a mere age 3. Prompted by her name and the association, I began to reminisce and a lot came back to me, memories I shared to his delight. Birthday parties in the backyards in our frilly party dresses; swim lessons at the town plunge; field trips where the moms drove us to The City (L.A.), so that we were a fleet of big-‘ol-“boat” cars rather than a yellow bus. This nice ‘young’ man also brought his dad along (her ex) so we all had a walk down memory lane (with my poor Midwestern husband not being able to chime in on any of the conversation; he felt a little left out!).
Tell me the story of the mini pottery. Not really miniatures, right? I don’t know about mini pottery. I do know, but only a smidgen, about how salesmen of old would bring around small-size versions of appliances to sell…like a range/stove-oven…and these are of course, today, sought-after antiques. Is this anything to do with mini pottery?
Some of them were manufactured by pottery companies, like McCoy and Shawnee. They were indeed miniature versions that were very popular. They were sold at retail. People always seem to like mini anything. The one in the bottom right corner is a creamer that was a souvenir from the 1939 World’s Fair. The one on the left at the very top was also a creamer – a souvenir from Barbados – it’s ironstone and was made in England. The rest are all mini versions of pottery.
Fascinating. I learn something new most every day on your blog, Claudia…you and your readers both. What a nice thing to collect (and it doesn’t take up much room!). You’ve got some special ones. I enjoyed seeing them again. The colors in your collection are also complementary. Visual treat.
I always ponder when I should reveal the SqunitBox, knowing you also receive it. I’d hate to ruin the surprise!
I wish they hadn’t colorized movies. I love the original black and white versions much more. Whose idea was it to do that, anyway. Is a B&W movie somehow less interesting?
Oh, no; don’t ever hesitate to show the Squint Box contents. Think of how your readers are here for so many things…garden, doll houses, pottery; miniatures. We all love to see your miniature-anything! They make for such enjoyable posts from you.
My husband adores black and white films, just as he does black and white photography. He’s taught me to have an appreciation for light, shadow and depth that you truly can only achieve with the black/gray/white variations. That said, I still prefer color movies. But not COLORIZED movies. Big diff.
I have in my mind that it was Ted Turner who was largely responsible for colorized movies. Yep, I just looked it up after I wrote that sentence, to make sure I remembered correctly. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote something on the subject in 1988, saying that Turner had stockholders’ interests (profits) to maximize (he had purchased a lot of movies with their money): “Some small steps of progress have been made in the struggle against colorization. Recently the National Film Preservation Act was passed by Congress, in the face of expensive lobbying by Turner and the Hollywood studios. It would authorize a panel of experts to designate 35 films a year as ‘national treasures’ and anyone colorizing or otherwise materially altering them would have to add a warning on the film and on any cassette boxes that their work had been done without the consent of the original filmmakers. This warning is likely to be about as effective as the health warnings on cigarette packages – but it is a step in the right direction. Does Turner care that Congress has stated that what he does to movies is a form of artistic desecration? I am sure he does, because additional legislation may someday prevent colorization altogether. In the meantime, the Film Preservation Act is a moral victory.”
He’s controversial, but there’s a lot about Ted Turner I like. He gave a billion dollars to the UN. He says he’s donating his fortune to charity when he dies. He puts money where his mouth is to get rid of nuclear weapons. He seems to have an environmental conscience. I’m glad he rescues land. I’m glad he rescued many old, classic films. I watch TCM all the time which you can get here on cable in SoCalif without paying for premium channels. It’s one of the few channels on the ‘lower dial’ which has no commercial interruption, which is such a treat. Again, I’m a huge fan of films in color; I’ll take them over a b&w most any day. But they were made to be in color; the old b&w films weren’t. To me, it’s like an artist taking a finished oil painting and then trying to go back over it to add or subtract; never works, and looks awful.
Another point of Roger Ebert’s: “I have no doubt there are sincere people who believe that colorization ‘improves’ a movie, that a black and white movie is somehow missing something. These people are sincere, but they are not thoughtful. They have never looked inside to ask themselves what their standards are, why they enjoy what they enjoy, why certain movies work for them. Everyone has seen many black and white movies. Were they not enjoyable? Did they not seem appropriate in black and white? Were they missing something? Were they, for example, missing an ugly overcoat of ‘colors’ slapped on top of the blacks and white and grays, to provide a tarted-up imitation of color, like cosmetics on a corpse?” Interesting take on the subject…and, oh by the way, Wiki says Turner abandoned the idea of colorization about ten years after he started it, due to cost.
Yes, I thought it was Ted Turner. I admire him, but this move was not admirable!
Two days ago I put “Night School” on hold at the library. I am 21 in queue so it will be awhile. In the mean time I have to Louise Penney books to read. Thank you for suggesting this author. She is the best. Her descriptions are so vivid I would love to live in Three Pines.
I would love to live there, too.
I have had a busy day. Helped decorated the church for Christmas with some of the young families and it was so much fun. Scout and Tiger helped of course. Then a little shopping and while thrifting I found two reference books, one on Roseville pottery the other on vintage glassware, each only$1.50. I’m sad to hear the latest Lee Child isn’t as good as others but I will read it I’m sure. I’m about to start Jodi Picoult’s newest book and I hope it is good.
Your miniatures are adorable and of course I Love the Paris bag!! The little presents are so cute also. I think I will plan to watch Tootsie tonight I need a happy evening! Hugs!
Oh, do read it. It might be me – I’m a little restless and the weather has been yucky and I just may not been in the mood for it.
Watch Tootsie, Linda!
I can totally relate about the coffee. I’m not fussy about my brand but it MUST be dark roast and it must be good. There are other grocery items that, when they’re low or I’m actually out of them, make my world wobble a bit for a while too, and I always feel much better once I’m sufficiently-restocked. Orange juice, plain Greek yogurt, butter, eggs, Russet baking potatoes, canned soup, fresh apples, shallots, Swiss cheese, milk, Italian bread, natural peanut butter, Earl Grey tea. I know there’s more but these are the biggies, the absolutely must-haves. I always feel better when I know I have the ability to bake myself up a piping hot potato topped with Greek yogurt, or a gooey delicious grilled cheese sandwich, or a baked apple. Great wintertime treats.
PS – Turner Classic Movies hit a homer yesterday, didn’t they? Fred Astaire all day, Natalie Wood all night. It’s been good today too – just finished watching a Lassie movie, “National Velvet” and I’m looking forward to “Tootsie” too [I honestly think I could lip-synch this]. One of the best movies ever that’s not shown on TV too much. God bless the folks at TCM.
#ThisIsNotNormal
We all have our lists of what we have to have in the pantry!
I love TCM. Thank goodness for it!
Such a pretty picture of your hydrangeas with the sun shining through…It has been raining and sleeting here fo days now…including Thanksgiving Day…Love those Christmas mini’s Claudia…they certainly do send the nicest tiny things…I also have always loved the shelf you have your mini potteries on…Fred & Ginger…swoon…I loved them as a kid too…lol…Enjoy watching Tootsie!
Still gray here as well. And it rained yesterday. What I would give for a sunny day!
Gotta love TCM ……they made me ultra happy recently showing the newly restored version of Blithe Spirit, one of my very favorite movies…..looks like there might be an upcoming thrill of the hunt for a another shadow box!….Dianne
But where to put it, Dianne? I’m fast running out of wall space!