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You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

A Little of This, a Little of That

July 25, 2010 at 6:25 pm by Claudia

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such great, supportive friends. I have been so touched by all the comments I have received about the article in Romantic Homes. Don and I can’t wait until we get to buy some copies at the bookstore. Would 20 be too many???

I’m still flying high…although I can’t fly too high in this horrendous humidity! We’ve had an incredibly hot, humid weekend here in the Northeast. Yesterday, I went along with Don to Woodstock where he played his music as part of a Concert on the Green.


Okay, I know I’m biased, but isn’t he cute? He did a bang-up job but by the time he was done I was ready to swoon from the humidity. I do not do well in humid weather. I could never live in the deep South. Although it seems more and more like the South here in New York this summer.

Continuing on in a somewhat random fashion, I was hanging laundry on the line the other day and I encountered this – also hanging on the line.


It’s the exoskeleton of a cicada nymph. (I had to do some research before I could tell you this.) Apparently the nymphs live underground until the nymph is ready to escape the exoskeleton as a winged adult. They dig their way out of the ground and climb up high. You can see the split in the back where the adult escaped. I was fascinated by this exoskeleton and the fact that it was still tenaciously hanging onto the clothesline.

Let’s end on a pretty note. Here is the surprise gift I received from my friend Joy of The Vintage Rabbit.


What a sweetie Joy is! You can see that there is a necklace in the pretty bag. Want to see it up close?


Could it be more perfect for a theater girl like me? Thank you, Joy. I miss you out there in California.

Filed Under: gifts, husband, nature, Romantic Homes 25 Comments

Some Exciting News

July 23, 2010 at 5:37 pm by Claudia

Hello, my friends. I want to share some pretty exciting news with you. My blog has been featured in the September issue of Romantic Homes magazine!


I am honored to be one of 5 blogs featured in the Setting Your Sites section.


Be still my heart! I am so thrilled about this! I even get a photo credit. My blog was started a little over two years ago and since that first post, it has been nothing but a joy in every way. I have met so many wonderful people, learned so much from other bloggers, and have stretched my wings in oh-so-many ways.

I don’t think the magazine is on the stands yet – but it sure helps to have a friend who owns a store that carries Romantic Homes. My dear friend Lori, of Vignettes, emailed me as soon as she received her issues and even scanned the photos for me! Then she went to the post office and mailed me a copy. Thank you, Lori! By the way, the ad for Vignette’s 15th Anniversary Party in October is in this issue, too. Darn it, I won’t be able to be there – but some of you might be able to go. If you can, please attend – Lori throws a fabulous party!

Thank you, Romantic Homes.

Filed Under: Romantic Homes 83 Comments

To Kill a Mockingbird Turns 50

July 22, 2010 at 1:55 pm by Claudia


On July 11, 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird was published. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of this beautiful novel. I have made no secret of the fact that it is my favorite novel. Ever. The author is Nelle Harper Lee who is from Monroeville, Alabama (Maycomb in the novel.) It is the only book Harper Lee ever published. She won the Pulitzer Prize. It has never been out of print, has sold more than 30 million copies, has been translated into more than 40 languages, has been voted by librarians across the country as the best novel of the 20th century and routinely appears on every best books ever written list.

Harper Lee based the character of Atticus Finch on her father, who was a lawyer in Monroeville. The character Dill was based on her childhood friend, Truman Capote. (She later helped him do the research for his book In Cold Blood.) The story is timeless. It is a coming-of-age story set in a small southern town – seen through the eyes of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. The characters are richly written: Scout and her brother Jem, Dill, Calpurnia, Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell, Boo Radley, Atticus.

I suppose everyone knows the story. I just know that the issues of racial prejudice and inequality, the fear people feel about those who are ‘different’ from themselves, class differences and intolerance still resonate as much today as the day the book was written. Every time I read it, I am struck anew about how little things have changed. Some will insist that the world is very different now – that things are much better. Yes, in some ways; but I when I look around our world today and read the newspaper or watch the nightly news, I see a world where all of this still occurs. Every day. Everywhere. Will we never learn?

At heart, To Kill a Mockingbird is about love. The love of a father for his children. The love they have for him. And the love Boo Radley has for Scout and Jem.

If you haven’t read it, you must. I plan on reading it again in honor of this anniversary. Will you join me?

If you asked me who I would like to meet most in this world, it would be Harper Lee. She has shunned all public appearances since mid 1960’s. Occasionally she appears – briefly – and then retreats to her very private life. I admire her for that. And I admire her for writing the perfect novel. She never wrote another. And why should she? It would be almost impossible to top her masterpiece. She has said as much.

I have an autographed copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. I cherish it. I suppose that is as close as I will ever get to Harper Lee. Somehow, it is enough.

Thank you, Harper Lee, for this, the most perfect of stories. I am a richer person for having read it. Hopefully, I am a better person, too.

Filed Under: To Kill a Mockingbird 23 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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