When I hear the “You get an extra hour!” kind of comment as the time change takes place, my response is usually to grumble, “I’ll wake up when I usually wake up and it will be an hour earlier than I’d like it to be.”
But lo and behold, this morning both Don and I slept in, so the clock on the cable box (we never change the others until later in the day) was indicating a time that corresponded to our normal wake-up hour. That almost never happens. We were absurdly happy about that.
The boxes of books destined for our local library were delivered yesterday. It’s always a good feeling to donate books. Libraries are struggling and our particular library sells many of these books on a daily basis and, once a year, has a big book sale that provides much needed cash to keep it afloat. I never take a tax deduction, even when asked, as I was yesterday, if I want the paperwork for one. It’s a donation from my heart and taking a deduction just doesn’t gel with that for me. Free and clear, free and clear.
Don’s Studio on its ‘new’ display table. In reality, it’s a dressing table bench from the 20s-30s. I had been thinking we would get a taller table, but Don spotted this one and it made so much more sense in this space. He has such a good eye. I really like it.
Miniatures/Dollhouses are wonderful, but in our cottage there’s only so much space in which to display them. This works. Huzzah!
Now Don’s desk has some actual working space, should he decide to use it.
Next up: the dreaded craft closet in the office/studio/whateveryouwanttocallit. I need to be ruthless. Ruthless, I say! I want to get rid of all the stuff we no longer need and store the things I might need in our storage space. Hopefully, that will give us (well, really, me) more useful space to store essentials. I have yarn, tons of fat quarters that I almost never use, craft stuff that I no longer need, blah, blah, bah. Donations will go to our local Salvation Army.
The bookshelves on the left side of the sofa, post-book-purging. That open space on the second shelf from the top is where I keep my big girl camera, which I was using, of course, to take this picture. The red horse bit on top of the coffee-table-sized books on the bottom shelf was my grandfather’s. He collected horse bits from all over the world. They were always on display in his basement. Eventually, he donated them to a local museum. But somehow – I can’t remember the story now – they ended up back with my brother. They were sold after my brother died, but I grabbed this one for me because it had always been my favorite as a little girl. It was red and I loved red.
His collecting days were pre-eBay and he had a prolific correspondence going on with various people throughout the globe. I wish I had those letters!
I’ve been searching for a good place to display it and I think I’ve finally found it.
I miss my grandfather – Russ, aka Slim – the Canadian cowboy. He was a fascinating man and I really loved him.
The shelves on the right.
Gosh, building these shelves (was it last year or the year before?) was the best idea! I can’t tell you what it difference it makes in the den. Books add warmth and personality to a room. Sure, I like displaying bits of pottery and a few tchotchkes, but the reality is just books and only books would be decoration enough for me.
• VOTE. We don’t have early voting in this state (I wish we did!) so we will be voting on Tuesday. Please don’t abstain from voting. Every man/woman gets a vote; this is the great gift of our democracy. Elections aren’t rigged, though to hear some people describe them, you’d think we lived in a Banana Republic. There are efforts out there to keep certain citizens from voting, whether it is purging the voter rolls, disenfranchising whole groups of people, using social media to say you can text your vote in (you can’t), posting signs that say the voting location is some place other than where it actually is, the list goes on and on. We have to fight that misinformation. We have to vote.
It is your civic duty. It is a right that our forebears fought for. And until quite recently, it was right that was denied to African-Americans and women.
VOTE.
Happy Sunday.
The table for Don’s studio is amazing. Great find!
Nervous and anxious for Tuesday and we don’t even live in the U.S. Hope it all turns out. And that all affected can relax and move forward.
Sincerely,
Chy
I think the world is very nervous, Chy. As they should be!
I love the light in your house!
As a former Girl Scout leader and friend of someone who makes quilts and knits for cancer patients, you may want to consider giving your craft stuff to a 4-H group, scout troop, or one of the many groups who make things for people in pain or need. Salvation Army and Goodwill often sell donated fabric, wool and used clothing to be scrapped for cash.
Beautiful day today! Enjoy the sunshine!
Oh, not everything will go to the Salvation Army, Betsy!
It is a beautiful day! Thanks!
I agree with Betsy about donating your craft and fabric, Claudia. I’m glad not everything will go to Salvation Army. I’m also a former Girl Scout leader and a former art Docent at the elementary school. So, you might also consider the local elementary school. Teachers love arts and crafts materials. I know you’ll find the right place for your things to be reused.
xo
I volunteer at our library, sorting donations for our shop and the annual sale and believe that many think as you do; almost nobody requests a tax form.
We have voted. A friend told me she and another woman had to help an Hispanic woman convince her elderly father that he could vote for Clinton at the courthouse. He couldn’t see any Clinton signs and thought he wouldn’t be allowed to vote for her there.
It can be so confusing for some voters. We need to help them on Tuesday. Thanks, Margaret!
Good morning, Claudia! Bright sunshine here. I hope it stays that way through Tuesday. A sunshiny day is always more optimistic than gray clouds. Your pleas to voters everywhere are exactly what I have been telling everyone I know for years. It is so important.
I have tons of yarn also. TONS! I donate it to the senior citizen centers or a nursing home. I know the senior centers make things and donate the items back to a charity, The nursing homes use the yarn for their crafty projects and also it is given to anyone (resident) who wants to pick up a hook or needles again.
Good idea, Trudy. We have two nursing homes nearby – I’ll see if they want some of it.
I won’t lie…I enjoyed my extra hour of sleep! Nice find of the table…it fits perfectly. I’m liking your bookshelves…there’s lots of personality there. I am nervous about Tuesday…gotta stop listening to the media. I just gotta believe! ;)
Me too. (Though I just finished reading Twitter, DailyKos, Huffington Post and TalkingPointsMemo!)
Oh, what a beautiful morning!! Supposed to be 70* today! Miracles are everywhere…… hopefully Tuesday will bring us a beautiful one, as well. Everyone needs to vote. I can’t ever comprehend NOT voting, but this year it seems to me it is more imperative than ever before. The men and women who put themselves in harms way to fight for our rights and our democracy should at least expect that the rest of us do our part and exercise that right to vote. Do it.
Amen!
We have early voting here and I love it. I was there the first day. It is also absurd that many low income folks and folks without transportation have to take off work to vote or wait in excessively long lines because many polling places have been closed in attempts to alter voting.
One more issue among the many.
Funny thing though, my son was here this weekend and he insists on voting on Tuesday as do many of my friends. They like the tradition. Kinda like when do you open presents for Christmas., morning or eve? :D
All I am hoping for now is no violence regardless of outcome.
So many issues, Suzan. Too many to count.
Even though part of me would like to early vote, I completely understand your son’s feelings. I also like the ritual of it – voting ON Election Day.
No violence, I pray.
Thank you Claudia for using the words civic duty! I was raised to understand that it was both a responsibility and a right to vote. I wish more people saw it as the responsibility of citizenship.
Normally, I would say to them: you have no right to complain if you don’t vote – and that’s true. But with this election, the stakes are as high as they can be. They are not only voting for themselves, they are voting for our democracy and for every other country in the world.
I saw your John Cleese book on the shelf…just heard him giving an interview on NPR this morning about his autobiography. I early voted last week, I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous about an election. Jen
He’s brilliant, that man!
I am extremely nervous. Trying to stay occupied today and limit my online obsessive news reading!
Just home from church and without any party politics we did pray for the election and our country today. I am encouraging everyone to VOTE!
I love that little bench for Don’s studio, it looks great. Space is at such a premium here also. Since my guest has been staying here my downsizing has stopped but I will be back at it the first of the year when he moves out. Can’t wait!
Is your friend the man who is Mr. Toes father?
Yes he is Mr Toes Dad. A very good friend of mine for many years.
I thought so!
I was calculating in my head when I would normally wake up…brain gets fuzzy just as I’m falling asleep, but I slept all night, remembered a particular hilarious dream (it had to do with me running a neighborhood coffee shop with the help of two sisters from India, and a particular set of customers that came in…my daughter said I’m being influenced by Hallmark movie commercials…), and didn’t wake up until TWO hours after my usual wake up time! I guess I was tired by the play I attended (The Last Toger in Haiti…powerful), dinner afterwards and then a three-hour gabfest with girlfriends. Love your bookshelves and how you display everything. I’m fortunate to have a wall of bookcases in my living room, but there is hardly space left. I need to cull…
I needed to do that, too. Especially since I get a lot of review books in the mail!
I love your bookshelves, too. I could live in a house with walls lined in books quite happily, and have done for the last thirty-odd years…until the downsizing. But now I’m down to very few books and that’s probably for the best. Many of the ones I did manage to hold on to have been munched to death by Florida’s bugs! Beach shack life is a different one. And, that bench for Don’s studio—just perfect!
Drat those bugs! Not good.
Thanks, Shanna!
Love the bench…a great choice Don…That red bit is a beauty…Your Grandfather sounds like a very interesting man…maybe you could tell us about him someday…As you already know…I will definitely be voting on Tuesday…no early voting in PA either!
I’ve spoken a bit about him in the past, but that’s a good idea, Nancy. I will write about him soon.
It seems like everyone even outside of the U.S.A.,like me, is following this election…interesting times for sure. And yes,books seem to add such a welcoming,comfortable feeling to a space.
All the best for all of you!
Thank you, Grace. It’s been incredibly stressful. Send good thoughts our way!
More and many good thoughts are on their way…….