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Fourteen Years

February 17, 2022 at 9:30 am by Claudia

Well, wouldn’t you know it? It’s the 14th anniversary of my first blog post.

I certainly never entertained the idea that I would be blogging 14 years later, but this little blog has become a daily ritual and I’m so grateful for it.

Journaling never clicked with me, but this new-fangled “web log” that combined photos and text? That fit me perfectly. Ever the performer, I clearly had to have an audience. And what a wonderful audience I’ve had – the best friends a girl could have. Truly.

Thank you for being there, for stopping in each day. Some of you are newer readers, a few of you have been with me since the very beginning. I don’t take any of that for granted, believe me.

You’ve been there with me through the loss of my father-in-law, my mother and father, and my two babies, Riley and Scout. You’ve comforted me when I was feeling low, made me laugh just when I needed it, commiserated with me on the state of the world, most importantly, shared your lives with me and this wonderful group of readers. Thank you.

Thanks to Don who encouraged me from the very first time I said there was a thing called a blog and maybe I should start one. He truly is the best partner in life. Always encouraging me, always patient when some technical thing goes wrong and I’m stressed, even occasionally writing posts. I love him with all my heart.

What a joy it has been! I’ll keep going until the day comes when I just know it’s time to stop. But don’t worry, that time is far, far off.

Thanks for putting up with my ramblings about my collections, my garden, my cottage, my work, my travels, my dogs, the books I read – my life here in a little town in the Hudson Valley.

Much love to you.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: blog, blogging 86 Comments

Monday

January 24, 2022 at 9:27 am by Claudia

Don is playing his guitar quietly in the living room while I write this in the den. It’s rather nice to hear a gentle accompaniment while I write.

The email version of yesterday’s post just went out – 24 hours after I published it. I will reiterate: don’t rely on the email any longer. Soon, because Google is purposely neglecting it, it will fail altogether. I can always tell when it hasn’t gone out because comments greatly decrease. And it’s not that I care about comments or want you to feel any pressure about commenting – I don’t – it’s just a reliable indicator that many of you are still relying on the email. I issue these period warnings because, trust me, the service will eventually stop.

End of Public Service Announcement.

My anxiety is back, full throttle, so I’m trying to keep busy. There’s a lot going on right now with family and friends. Lots of worries. So I started another puzzle yesterday and that helped. I played with my dolls.

Pippa and Mei discussing artwork for the house.

Clearly, Mei has an opinion.

Pip took off her shoes and got down to business.

We watched our favorite night of television last night: Around the World in Eighty Days  and All Creatures Great and Small  on PBS. And we ate Chinese takeout.

That’s about it, my friends. I have some things to take care of today and I want to get back to my book, which is brilliantly written. (Cloud Cuckoo Land  by Anthony Doerr.)

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: blog, Blythe dolls, Mei, Pippa 21 Comments

The Blog, Broadway & Pip

December 21, 2021 at 8:29 am by Claudia

Remember when I told you that Google was no longer going to support Feedburner, which sends emails of my posts? And I told you to bookmark the blog and that I was not going to pay for an email service? Well, if you haven’t bookmarked the blog the time is now. Since I’ve been back posting regularly, the email version of the post has gone out at all times and hours. Yesterday morning’s post went out at 2 am today. I can always tell when this happens because I get no comments on the blog – or very few – and the number of people visiting the blog drops sharply. I’ll check on the blog and sure enough, the email hasn’t gone out. It’s clearly the beginning of the end for Feedburner.

I am not going to change over to another email service. I already have to pay quite a bit of money to keep this blog going and I have to draw the line somewhere. So it comes down to you. I always post by 11 am EST. I am back to posting every day. Come to the blog directly. Thanks!

Final coat of primer. Except for the green parts, they need one or two more. I’m ignoring the porch floor at the moment.

The list of Broadway shows that are closed because of Covid grows longer. My friend Derek Klena’s show, Jagged Little Pill, just announced that it would not reopen again. My heart breaks for everyone that is finally – after two years – working again only to have the show close because of breakthrough infections. (Derek was the lead in Anastasia.)

I could go into a rant right now but I’ll spare you that. You know how I feel and I know you feel the same way, too. Just imagine a stream of cuss words coming from my mouth.

An outfit arrived in yesterday’s mail and I immediately put in on Pip. Since she has never worn something her sisters haven’t worn first, I felt she deserved it. Oh my heavens, she is adorable in it!

The scarf, the dress, and the tights are from Miema Dollhouse, based in Germany. The little bunny came with the dress.

I can’t stand it, she’s so cute. I really love this dress.

Why can’t I get away with something like this? The only real-life designer that I know of that does stuff like this is Gudrun. Maybe I should shed my jeans and t-shirts and start wearing striped tights and print tunics…

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: blog, Blythe dolls, dollhouse, Pippa 57 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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The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

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Lambs Like to Party

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