Claudia — Page 1614

Flowers, Food & Clunky Cars

May 11, 2011 at 12:03 am by Claudia

My friends, I’m going to tell it like it is. I am very busy here in Wisconsin. My days are long. I’m really, really tired. I’ve been trying to keep up with my blog reading – but I’m not always up to it. I owe many of you visits and I hope to catch up soon. But the schedule here is intense, with 5 plays rehearsing at once. As you can imagine, the daily schedule is very detailed and extends well into the evening hours. I also start teaching on Thursday morning and I have a great deal of prep to do. And my allergies are going haywire.

With only 1 day off a week, we had to use that time to do some food shopping. Chris and I drove into Madison (a really neat college town that I want to explore further) and our first stop was a new super-amazing Target. Wow. I got a few things there and then it was on to Whole Foods, where I bought some produce and where we ate lunch.

Then Trader Joe’s, where I bought food and flowers.

I’m on a very tight budget, so I went for long lasting Alstromeria. I was tempted by the tulips, but these beauties won out. (I bought the vase for $2.00 at Target.) After I went through the checkout, I saw these sweet little potted begonias – for $2.99. So I went back in and bought one.

I have it on the table by my computer.

Such a pretty, delicate shade of pink.

When you’re away from your home and your garden, fresh flowers can make a big difference.

I took my camera along on Monday but it ended up being a very stormy day. Not the best for taking photos. Hopefully, I’ll have something to share with you after my next trip into the city.

I’m trying another car – a Honda Accord that must be 20 years old. So far I can’t tell whether the gas mileage is any better. It’s noisy and the ignition is problematic. Sometimes it is next to impossible to turn the key. The other option was a Geo that has to have the oil checked constantly. These are my choices. Each one of them has something going on that will make me nuts. I’ll keep you posted on this saga.

Edited to add: Congratulations to my nephew Jeff and his wife Raina. Their first child, Beatrice, was born on May 10th.

The Minivan from Hell

May 9, 2011 at 10:07 am by Claudia

Theaters rely on donations. Whether a generous donation to fund a particular production, cast-off furniture for actor housing, or older cars to be used by visiting artists – all is welcome. Which brings me to the minivan from hell.

“Come on, Claudia, it’s just a regular old minivan,” you say. “It looks perfectly innocent!”

It’s not.

When you climb into the driver’s seat, you are greeted by 3 laminated signs permanently attached to the dashboard.

#1. “What to do in case of an accident. Look in glove box.”

#2. “The radio and CD have been disconnected in this car because they would run the battery down. Completely.”

#3. “Attention Blue Mini Van Driver! Don’t Start without Reading!
1. Start the Van.
2. WAIT 3 MINUTES while it is running. Do not start driving yet!
3. After 3 minutes or so, tap the accelerator.
4. WAIT A MINUTE more.
5. Drive to your destination.
Please do this EVERY TIME you start the minivan. It will help keep the catalytic convertor from having to be replaced.”

This gets old fast. Every time I start it, I have to go through this rigamarole. When you’re actually timing it, 3 minutes is a long time. Often we’ll all be leaving at the same time and within a minute, everyone will drive off. Not me. I’ll still be sitting in my parked van, waiting for the moment I can tap the accelerator.

It is also a gas hog. If you care to look up gas hog in the dictionary, you will see a photo of this minivan.

Unlike most of the company who are being housed within 4 miles of the theater, I am living 11 miles away. Most days, I have to go back and forth a couple of times. I was stunned at how much gas was being used in these relatively short trips. In a desperate plea, I asked if I could change cars with someone who was living closer to the theater. No one wanted to do it.

The theater has suggested we split the cost of gas, which will help a great deal. However, if given an opportunity, I will exchange this beast in a heartbeat.

I hate it.

It’s our day off. We’re all tired. One of the other vocal coaches and I are driving (in her car) to the big city today. You know that MHC is in the country, right? Well, the surrounding area back home seems positively urban compared to this area. It’s beautiful here, though. So Chris and I are going to Madison to visit Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods….we can hardly stand it, we’re so excited.

I’m buying some flowers. Yes, I am.

A Momma-to-be on Mother’s Day

May 7, 2011 at 6:36 pm by Claudia

It’s Mother’s Day time again. I will call my Mom today and tell her how much I love her. She’s getting frailer all the time. She very seldom gets out any more. Doing something like going into the other room to read this blog on the computer is too exhausting for her. It makes me very sad. I wish I could give her a big hug today.

As I was thinking about Mother’s Day, a mother-to-be came to mind.

Yes, it’s true. Momma Robin has taken over the nest. That glimpse of a bird I mentioned to you the other day has become a fairly constant presence. She leaves the nest for a few minutes at a time but that’s all. In the beginning, whenever I walked by the door, she flew away. I didn’t want her panicking so I draped a net curtain over the door. I came home between afternoon and evening rehearsal today, carefully moved the curtain back, crawled along the floor so she couldn’t see me, and took these photos.

So, do you think they had just built the nest when I arrived here? If so, my timing couldn’t be better. I will have a ring-side seat while Momma sits on her eggs. I’ll get to see the babies. I’m thrilled.

Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom, my sister and to my little Robin Mom.

Flowers, Food & Clunky Cars

The Minivan from Hell

A Momma-to-be on Mother’s Day

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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