Claudia — Page 1164

Potpourri: Heat, Flowers, Cups, & Jeans

March 19, 2015 at 9:24 am by Claudia

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Don went to Trader Joe’s the other day, so I gave him orders to come back with flowers. I even took the time to show him photos of the specific flowers I wanted – alstromeria. He passed his test with flying colors.

Fresh flowers are very pricey around here. Our local supermarket will have a price of $12 – $15 per bunch. I just can’t pay that much money when I know that the price at Trader Joe’s for the same amount of flowers – actually, more flowers – is $3.99. No can do. I got two bouquets for much less than the price of a supermarket bouquet. Pretty good deal!

Not long after I wrote yesterday’s post, our furnace guy came over and replaced our thermostat. He was pretty sure the power surge blew out the thermostat. The replacement, which he thinks might be better, is unfortunately not digital, like the one we had. That means that I have to put on my glasses to read it and fiddle with the dial. Ah well. As soon as he put in the new thermostat, the heat started to come through our baseboards and all was well.

The driveway and parking area were very icy, so I salted everything so Don could get out of here and run some errands, one of which was this:

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Yep. We decided we had to get the other three cups and saucers. They needed to be together. I love this Susie Cooper pattern so much and after I learned more about it and her, I loved it even more. For now, they are living on this yet-to-be-filled-with-books shelf. I’m thinking some sort of tole tray would be pretty behind them. What do you think?

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More flowers.

Today, I get to go through the depressing ritual of buying new jeans. Yuck. But since a largish hole has appeared quite near the crotch of my current jeans, methinks it’s time to replace them. After all, I mustn’t reveal too much.

Don’t forget: today is the last day you can leave a comment in order to be entered in the giveaway of Hush Hush, Laura Lippman’s latest mystery. Click on this post.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Thursday.

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When the Wires Come Down

March 18, 2015 at 7:58 am by Claudia

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Well, it’s been a crazy twelve hours or so. Yesterday brought very high winds to our area. Around 5:00 pm, we heard a boom and the power went out. We looked outside and saw something burning about 75 feet down the road from us. At first, we thought there had been a car accident, until we realized that something had happened to the power lines. We called 911, as did our neighbor. The smell of burning electrical wires filled the air.

The fire department came, but they kept their distance for a long time – I suppose they were waiting for the power to be cut by Central Hudson (which is our power company.) So the wires kept sparking and burning. We live on a busy county road, so the trucks also blocked traffic. It wasn’t until we went outside that we saw wires in the street, wires blocking our neighbor’s driveway and a snapped pole or two, including the one directly across the street from us. We called our neighbors to warn them about the wires, but the fire department had already called to tell them not to leave their house.

This would also be a good time to mention that the weather turned very wintry yesterday, with wind chills in the teens (this morning there was snow on the ground.) Today is also supposed to be very windy and cold. So much for Spring, right?

We lit candles, got out the flashlights, I found a battery operated lantern, and we sat together on the living room sofa, covered with blankets. I found our old transistor radio and we listened to oldies all evening long. That part of the evening was rather nice. Power was supposed to be restored by 11:30, but at 1:00 am it was still out, so we went to bed.

The power finally came back on at 6 am. Everything seems to be working, except the newish thermostat that was installed last year, which means we still don’t have heat downstairs. Upstairs, yes. So we’re waiting for our furnace guy to come over and figure out what the problem is. My fingers are freezing as I type this!

No frozen or burst pipes, thank goodness. That was our biggest worry.

Bless the guys from the power company. There were trucks up and down our road all night long. It was windy and freezing and miserable out there.

It’s a very bizarre feeling to hear the furnace come on, but to still have no heat downstairs.

We’re cold!

Thank goodness no one was driving on that part of the road when the wires came down.

Anyway, there you have it. I have to stop typing and put some gloves on.

Happy Wednesday.

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I Can’t Help Myself: More Pottery Finds

March 17, 2015 at 9:50 am by Claudia

The antiquing adventures of Don and Claudia continue. Sunday found us at our local antique barn where we took shelter from the windy blustery grayness of the day. We didn’t expect to find anything, in fact, we were just killing some time on a Sunday afternoon. However, we did find three little treasures. Each time we found something, I debated whether to purchase it and Don, who turns out to be my enabler, encouraged me to “Get it!”

First up, some Roseville pottery in the Apple Blossom pattern. Let me say straight away that this piece has a big old chip and a hairline crack. That’s why it was priced at $25. Unless the damage on a piece is so glaring I can’t get around it, this sort of thing doesn’t usually matter to me. Even so, I hesitated and…you guessed it…Don said, “It’s been loved and used. Besides, cracks let the light in.” A lovely reference to Leonard Cohen.

What’s not to love about this guy?

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I believe this is called a basket. I have one other piece of Apple Blossom that lives on my bedroom dresser. You can see the damage right there on the top edge in the front of the piece. Instead of a curve, you see a sharper edge where the piece was broken.

It really doesn’t bother me at all. If this piece was undamaged it would go for at least $150. I’d say I got a good deal.

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It’s so pretty and it works beautifully on the music cabinet underneath the Lost Lamb print.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the famous English ceramic designer Susie Cooper. I’ve known about her a long time and have always wanted one of her pieces. Her career was a long and fruitful one – spanning seven decades. Her work is highly collectible, especially her Art Deco pieces. I spotted a set of four cups and saucers – all priced individually, thank goodness, so I was able to purchase one. Buying all four would have been too expensive for me.

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The details of the design are so charming.

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This mark puts the piece somewhere between 1932 and 1964. I have to do some more research.

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Whoops! It would help if I picked up the cup and looked at the bottom. The pattern is Woodlands. Made in 1938-39. I just saw a photo of a cup and saucer that’s in the collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Maybe I should go back and buy the other three?

And, finally, Don spotted this one and said it must come home with us to join our singing birds on the piano. I’m pretty sure it’s unmarked McCoy. If it isn’t, no biggie. I love the glaze on this little guy.

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Isn’t he adorable?

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He’s doing the duck version of singing. We like to sing around here, so the more, the merrier.

Then our feet somehow propelled us to the homemade donut shop just a few shops away. Best donuts ever. Oh lordie.

Then we went home and crashed from the sugar. But it was worth it.

Happy Tuesday.

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Potpourri: Heat, Flowers, Cups, & Jeans

When the Wires Come Down

I Can’t Help Myself: More Pottery Finds

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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