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You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

Day One Hundred Eleven

July 2, 2020 at 10:04 am by Claudia

This day lily opened up the other day and this morning there are at least six of them open. I bought this a few years ago and it is just gorgeous. Ruffled edges = heavenly whimsey.

Yesterday ended up being all about ordering and picking up groceries. I have a little story to share with you. Last time we picked up, we didn’t wipe things down because we’d had messages saying it wasn’t really necessary and after doing a little research of our own we decided to forego that process. Yesterday, Don was questioning that decision – or at least feeling uneasy about it – so while I was driving to the store, he was googling for up-to-date information. He finally called the FDA in Washington, DC and spoke to a very helpful gentleman. He basically said the same thing that we saw on the website; that is most likely wasn’t necessary, just make sure you wash your hands, etc., but it you want to, here are some tips about wiping down packaging. After having that discussion, Don asked the gentleman if he himself had stopped disinfecting grocery items, and the guy said: No, I still do it every time we shop because my wife makes me.

So, there you have it. We wiped everything down. The thing is, no one knows enough about this virus, though we know more than we did. We’re not comfortable with abandoning that process. (Of course, we each have to do what we feel is right and what makes us feel safer.)

So I didn’t get to the dollhouse yesterday, but I did add a few pieces to the puzzle.

I’ll be back at it today.

I stare at this house every morning when I’m sitting on the sofa with Don.

I’m still contemplating what I want to do with it. I do know that I consider it folk art and therefore, whatever I do will be minimal and removable. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s not built to 1:12 scale, more like what is called ¾ scale. There’s not a lot of furniture out there for this kind of scale, so do I just go with 1:12 scale and accept that the pieces will look too big for the space? Or do I use some of the House of Miniatures kits, which in my experience, are a bit less than 1:12? Hmmmm. Now I’ve got myself thinking about that possibility. I have several of the kits and they are still accessible (though no longer made) on eBay and Etsy.

Maybe I should try assembling one and see how it fits in the house?

Of course, I could simply keep the house empty and embrace it as a piece of folk art, but I have this nagging feeling that it needs a little life.

Finished Where the Crawdads Sing. I liked it very much. Maybe because there was so much hype about it when it was first published and so much talk on book Instagram accounts, I find myself saying, “Lovely, but not great.” And it was  lovely. The descriptions of nature, especially, were beautifully written. The story was compelling. I was pulling for the protagonist. The ending left me a wee bit confused, and by that I mean, the last paragraph. The fireflies that were calling to Tate from the water – was that simply a poetic description and a way of referencing the title at the end of the book, or did it mean something more ominous or profound? Or am I reading too much into it?

Anyway. If I was grading it, I’d give it a B+ leaning toward an A-. (I hated grading when I was a professor.) Liked it a lot. Compelling. Well written and refreshingly different. But not an A.

Okay. Have to go.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: books, dollhouse, flowers, garden 49 Comments

Day One Hundred Ten

July 1, 2020 at 10:10 am by Claudia

Since the news is ever horrifying; treason, COVID numbers shooting through the roof, idiots not wearing masks (you know I could go on and on,) let’s look at a photo of two little beings dining together for a brief moment:

And it was  a brief moment. The moth was there first, then the bee landed and then…

The moth got worried about the lack of social distancing and took off.

I put in another three hours or so on the dollhouse stonework. I’ve reached the window, so one more session for this side of the house should do it. It’s so tedious. When I stop for the day, my muscles ache and I feel as if I’ve been released from hard labor. An exaggeration, of course, but it’s not my favorite thing to do. Nevertheless, I am determined to finish it.

Today is grocery pick-up day. I think our slot is at 3:00. More rain is forecast this afternoon with storms, etc. We ended up only having a light rain yesterday that lasted about 10 minutes and that was that. It’s very humid today, so I’m hoping we have more of those thunderstorms on the way.

But maybe not while we’re driving.

We’re watching Frasier  now. We watched it several years ago on Netflix in its entirety. We are craving excellent writing, acting, and storylines written with wit and style. Cheers  had that. Frasier  has it. Both shows were blessed by wonderful cast members who created a strong ensemble. I grabbed my laptop yesterday to re-watch the final episode of Cheers,  as it was disappearing from Netflix today. Impeccably executed, written, and acted. It hit the perfect note. and once again, I teared up as I was watching it. Almost every series I’ve written about lately, including Will & Grace, was shepherded and directed by the great Jim Burrows. Don worked with him onstage many, many years ago and Jim always remembered him and cast him in several of his television shows. He was also the force behind Taxi, and Friends. He is the son of the great Abe Burrows, known for his work on the books of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (for which he won the Pulitzer Prize) and Guys and Dolls. Talk about a talented family!

We’re saddened by the passing of the great Carl Reiner. There was no one like him. May he rest in peace. We are thinking about his family, about Dick Van Dyke, and about his best friend, Mel Brooks.

And finally, we are saddened to hear it officially: Broadway won’t reopen until 2021. We are not surprised, but hearing it announced by the Broadway League was depressing. That means that major regional theaters will also be dark until next year.

That means neither of us have work until well into 2021, nor have the hundreds of thousands of people who work in theaters, from set designers to box office staff. Unemployment benefits are running out here in the state of New York. What will my colleagues do? How will they survive? Actors can’t work from home. Singers can’t work from home. Dancers can’t work from home.

If I let myself think about this too much, my heart breaks into a thousand pieces.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: life, social distancing 31 Comments

Day One Hundred Nine

June 30, 2020 at 10:03 am by Claudia

It took over three hours to make, paint, and glue this section of the dollhouse. The stones are necessary for the look of the house but tedious in the making! Anyway, I couldn’t get to it yesterday, but I’m going to do some work today.

Doing that video of Hummingbird Cottage helped to motivate me. Through rediscovering that house, I remembered how much I love renovating a discarded and badly constructed dollhouse and I’m excited about the process once again. But I have to finish the stone work before I can move on to the fun stuff inside.

Hummingbird Cottage was a real learning experience and there is much I would do differently if I could do it again: narrower and less bulky baseboards and trim (I made those improvements when I made Don’s studio;) a different method of installing wallpaper, especially on an old, used dollhouse with uneven wall texture; that kind of thing. I learn something new every time I work on one of these structures and I have much, much more to learn. But I was taught a valuable lesson many years ago when I was a beginning quilter. I took an introductory class and my teacher made a comment that stuck with me: “You have an issue with perfection, don’t you?”

Bingo. She was right. I didn’t like to make mistakes. I didn’t like to be wrong. I wanted everything to be perfect. Some of that is just me. Some is due to control issues from being the Adult Child of an Alcoholic. That kind of insistence on perfection needs a big dash of humility. Otherwise, it’s a recipe for taking any joy out of the process. I still struggle with these issues and probably always will to some degree, but what I love about any creative endeavor is the process. And if I love the process, I’d darned well better cut myself some slack so that I can enjoy it. I thank that teacher to this day for what was the perfect observation at the perfect time.

So my quilts are beautiful, but I can show you exactly where the imperfections are and I’m fine with that. Same with the dollhouses. I remember as a kid wanting to cut and run if something I was learning seemed like it was going to be too difficult for me. That’s a very strong memory. I’m glad I’ve moved beyond that.

Don’s appointment went well yesterday – no pain, lots of rinsing, and he’s doing well. I’m glad I drove him there and back. He took it easy for the rest of the day and now – of course – he’s eager to get back to his trails and his hoe.

We had huge thunderstorms throughout the afternoon; big, loud, and wonderful. It looks like more are coming this afternoon and every afternoon except for Thursday. Big summer weather.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: dollhouse, Don, miniatures 24 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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