Claudia — Page 1101

The Porch in September

September 25, 2015 at 8:19 am by Claudia

I was cleaning the porch railings yesterday, which prompted me to sweep and do some general clean-up. So I took some pictures.

I used to buy mums in the fall, but the reality is that I have more than enough pots still in bloom. In fact, all of them are still in bloom.

So, I save myself some money and enjoy the riot of color and pretty blossoms that are already there.

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See what I mean?

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But there are fallen leaves everywhere. How did that happen?

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The sugar maple is already shedding its leaves.

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The hanging pots of scaevola are still thriving. They last from early spring until the first frost.

9-25 porch rocker

I brought the wicker rocker down from the bedroom, where, frankly, it took up too much room – I could never get my dresser drawers open without having to move it. It’s been replaced by Grandma’s chair. I’ll put the rocker in the shed for the winter because it gets awfully wet and snowy on this porch.

It’s pretty, isn’t it? However, the back needs to be reinforced and I haven’t done that yet (it’s only been over a year), so it’s unusable if you want to sit back, relax and actually rock.

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I’m going to try and sit on the porch and read every day while I can. With the advent of Fall comes the looming onset of Winter. So I want to take advantage of this lovely extra room of ours while I can.

Lovely reader Sharon sent us a package. And by us, I mean me, Don and Scout.

9-25 treats from Sharon

Some wonderful egg cups for me, as well as a little pitcher. Healthy treats for Scout and Hershey’s Almond Kisses for Don.

You’ll noticed they’ve been opened by someone. (I keep finding little foil bits around the house.)

Thank you, Sharon, for your thoughtful gift. Scout and Don thank you, as well!

Book Review of The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny on Just Let Me Finish This Page today.

Happy Friday.

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Re-Emerging (and the TSP)

September 24, 2015 at 9:07 am by Claudia

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Excuse me while I shake off the world of Three Pines and do my best to re-emerge into the world of blogging.

I just finished The Nature of the Beast and I am stunned by how good it is. Louise Penny is brilliant. I’ll write a review tomorrow for Just Let Me Finish This Page, but I need to let it percolate a bit in my brain before I put my feelings into words.

Oh my goodness.

I finished it this morning in the lamplit den. The sun had yet to make its presence known. A shawl around my shoulders, coffee mug in hand, I couldn’t do anything but read straight through to the end.

And now, I have to wait a year for another Three Pines mystery. I feel Penny is at her best when the action takes place in and around Three Pines. Last year’s book, The Long Way Home, took place elsewhere and, though good, I thought it lost its way.

This has been a week for excellent reads: Jan Karon’s Come Rain or Come Shine, and Penny’s The Nature of the Beast. How can I keep from smiling at the sheer pleasure of being allowed to read their words?

Don: Do Not Read Any Further!!

I did a little work on the Top Secret Project yesterday. Excuse the darkish photo, but I took it late yesterday afternoon.

9-24 flooring

I finished painting the walls. No wallpaper this time. I envision this as a bright, sunny space. So I used Wicker White by Folk Art. After trying a brush for a couple of coats, I bought a foam roller. Much better! I have to do some patching and spackling, but I’ll get to that later.

That flooring is Random Plank Flooring made of wood veneer. No popsicle stick flooring this time. Now I’m trying to decide whether I should use it ‘as is’ in this lighter color, or whether I should stain it a darker color. I have some stain left over from the bookshelves in the den.

Hmmm.

Then I’ll add the baseboard. Wish me luck, I’m going to be making some mitered cuts.

This project is going to take longer than I had planned. Budget is a big issue. I can only do so much at a time. Yesterday, I made a list of the items I would like to see in the room. Some of them will have to be handmade. Some of them I will buy.

In either case, it will take time.

Happy Thursday.

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A Tale of Three Chairs

September 23, 2015 at 9:53 am by Claudia

When we were cleaning and sorting the guest room in preparation for our friend’s visit, Don mentioned that he’d love to find an old, comfy chair to sit in when he’s working there. The chair that was currently there was a very old chair that belonged to my grandmother. It’s a smallish rocker, definitely designed for a lady. It’s heavy and old and every time Don would sit in it up there, I could hear it squeaking and groaning every time he moved. (The guest room is right above the den and my blogging chair.)

No problem,” said I. “We’ll get rid of it. I’ve had it long enough. We’ll put it out by the street.”

When Adrian was still here, Don decided to enlist his help carrying the chair downstairs.

Don: “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Me: “Yep. I’m sure.”

Then I took a moment to explain to Adrian that it was my grandmother’s chair, that I’d grown up with it, that there are photos of me sitting in the chair, holding my doll. I sat in it once again and mentioned that all the squeaks and groans were part of my childhood.

Questioning looks.

Don: “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

Me:: “Yes, you can take it.”

A pause with both of them looking at me intently.

Adrian: “Are you sure?”

Pause.

“No. I’m not sure.”

Adrian then said “I knew you didn’t want to get rid of it!”

9-23 grandma's chair

So there it is. It has moved into our bedroom. It’s old, it needs to be cleaned – actually, it needs to be reupholstered, but that’s not happening.

But you know me. It’s all about the story with me. This was my grandmother’s. I’ve either been near it or owned it all of my life. When I moved away to Philadelphia to attend graduate school, I lived in studio apartments where there was a bed, my grandmother’s trunk used as a table, a dresser, bookshelves made of cinder blocks, and this chair.

It moved with me to every apartment I lived in after that. It moved with me to Boston. Then to San Diego. Then to the East Coast.

I can’t give it up.

Two other chairs re-entered the mix yesterday. Again: chairs that have a story. Chairs that have been stored in the shed for several years. I’ve missed them. I just didn’t know where to put them.

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I have two of these old office chairs that were used in the Mass Mutual (Insurance) offices in Boston. I love them. They’re big and heavy and gorgeous. (Note aforementioned grandmother’s trunk in the photo.)

I bought them when I lived in my apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I had very little money in those days and I found them in this wonderful old used furniture shop in Cambridge. I could only afford two of them. I didn’t have a car, so my friend and colleague Judith, who also lived in my building, loaded them into her car.

They went in my kitchen, where there was room for a table and chairs. I had a simple table made of black ash and the two chairs were on either side of the table. On the wall behind them was my collection of vintage Fiesta. I loved the contrast between the rich mahogany stain of the chairs and the black ash of the table and the splash of bright Fiesta colors in the background.

They’ve stayed with me ever since Cambridge.

I mentioned them again to Don the other day. I missed them, I said, I felt they were going to get ruined in the shed. Since we were moving my grandmother’s chair out of the office, maybe we could find a way to use them?

So Don hauled them out of the shed yesterday and I spent a few hours cleaning and polishing them.

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Here’s the other chair.

By the way, I don’t stage photos very often anymore and I certainly didn’t stage these!

9-23 back of chair

They even have the Mass. Mutual metal inventory tag.

I sat in one of these chairs in my kitchen in Cambridge as I learned the news that my brother had died. I can see myself there; morning light coming in the windows, the sound of cars outside and people walking down the brick sidewalks. Talking to my sister. Talking to other family members. Calling my boss at Boston University, sobbing as I told him I needed to take time off. Hearing him say, “Bless you. Bless you.”

It’s vividly etched in my memory.

I couldn’t hide these chairs away any longer.

I’m glad they’re back.

New post on Just Let Me Finish This Page today.

Happy Wednesday.

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The Porch in September

Re-Emerging (and the TSP)

A Tale of Three Chairs

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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