books — Page 152

And I’m Off

April 7, 2016 at 8:33 am by Claudia

4-7 view into the kitchen

Late afternoon picture-taking in order to have something to post today. Do other bloggers do that? Frantically walk around the house, looking for some photo that will ‘do?’ I left it late, which created a too dark picture, which I then tried to brighten – there’s too much ‘noise’ in this one. But I like the canvas of The Lamb With The Party Hat on the wall. Logically, since this is the symbol of the blog, it should be hanging in my office, but Don likes it here. He thinks it adds a touch of whimsy to the living room.

I got a late afternoon call from the stage manager of Anastasia, asking if I could come in earlier to have lunch with Darko and also if I could stay overnight to be there for tomorrow’s rehearsal as well. Of course. So I’m off to Hartford to work for two days. Then on Monday, I have to go into NYC for the day to work on another project.

That’s why I’m rather hurriedly writing this post. I have to get ready and get on the road. Hopefully, I’ll be able to write a quick post tomorrow, but if I can’t, you’ll know why.

4-7 view stairs

I officially gave up on Beach Music by Pat Conroy last night after yet another stab at reading it in bed. As I was trying to go to sleep, I finally came to the realization that this particular Conroy was just not doing it for me. I feel guilty, somehow, because I am such a big fan of his writing and I love the way he tells a story.

But this one? I didn’t like the characters much, though I tried very hard to feel something for them. The fact is that after 200 pages, I still wasn’t on board. That’s a long time to hang in there, especially when the book is over 700 pages long.

So I put it back on the shelf this morning.

My time to read has been limited lately. And reading is so important to me that when I do get a chance to open a book, I want it to be one that captures my imagination and takes me, happily, to another place. I’ll grab another book, as well as my Kindle, for the trip to Hartford. I have plenty of books in my TBR pile!

Happy Thursday.

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Birds, Russian, Seeds, a Gift, Appointments & Books

April 6, 2016 at 9:10 am by Claudia

4-6 birdslookingatCunard

The singing birds seem to be entranced with the Aquitania.

I noticed the change in their position the other day. Are they fascinated with ocean travel? Are they pondering landing on the deck of the ship, thereby bringing delight to the passengers?

(No doubt the change in orientation happened when I was dusting, but I like to think they turned toward the ship.)

Yesterday was taken up by a long phone call with my neighbor, who is from Russia. She was enormously helpful in clarifying some of the Russian pronunciations. I’m very grateful for her help. Then it was off to the Podiatrist for Don’s follow-up appointment. The cellulitis is getting much, much better, though, as I suspected might be the case, the doctor wants him to be on antibiotics for another week. His words to Don: “Chill out. Elevate. No commuting into the city.” (Too much walking.)

Needless to say, Don is going a bit crazy. I was in the same housebound state when I badly sprained my ankle so I understand. There’s only so much you can do from your chair….

Today I’m doing more prep work on Anastasia. I am traveling to Hartford tomorrow afternoon; just for the day, mind you. The actors are doing a read-through of the script. (I hope they sing, too!)

Monday’s mail also brought a package from my longtime blogging friend, Sheila.

4-6 giftfromsheila

She sent us wildflower, morning glory and forget-me-not seeds for Scout’s Garden. And she added two adorable pairs of gardening gloves. Sheila, this is the perfect gift for us and we are so grateful for your thoughtful gesture. We miss her. We are still in mourning. And we’re so looking forward to that time, hopefully in a few weeks, that we can break ground, prep the soil, and start planting her garden.

From Sheila: “I sent one box of wildflowers for Scout and one for Riley. The pink Morning Glory vine is for Scout, the blue for Riley, and the Zinnias and Forget Me Nots for their parents to cut and enjoy inside.”

And she sent pink gloves because we originally met while participating in the meme Pink Saturday. I’m so touched.

Thank you, dear friend.

I’m reading Beach Music by Pat Conroy, but it’s taking me a while to get into it. That’s not due to his writing, which is superb, it’s more likely due to the crazy week we’ve had. At over 700 pages long, I guess I’ll be reading this one for a while!

Oh, one more thing. Have you seen the new HBO documentary about Nora Ephron? I was a big fan of her work, both on the printed page and on screen, and this new documentary, It’s All Copy, has been produced by her son Jacob Bernstein. It’s wonderful. Run, don’t walk, to HBO to see it. We loved it and are planning to watch it a second time.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Wednesday.

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The Words of Pat Conroy, Coloring & My Dad’s Hat

March 24, 2016 at 9:45 am by Claudia

3-24 southofbroad

Pardon me while I dry my tears, pull myself together, and close the cover of South of Broad by Pat Conroy. At over 500 pages, it’s a wonderfully long read; a read to take your time with, to stop and reread a sentence or two (in my case, many times) simply because you want to acknowledge the sheer beauty of his writing.

That man was a writer. One of the best. I want to stay in those pages, to never leave, to live with those characters that Conroy drew with the finest of brush strokes. I want to linger on the streets of Charleston, a city Conroy adored. Some of the story takes place in the very towns we drove through on our trip to Florida and back. That was timely!

Oh, my heavens.

I have Beach Music waiting in my queue, but I have to read a book that I am to review next week before I can allow myself the treat of more Conroy.

A glorious writer – no spareness for him, no Hemingway-esque sparse sentences. No sir, he wrote with gusto, with a love for words and the endless possibilities there were for putting them together. He’s spoiled me, I’m afraid. Gone too soon: he had a lot more stories to tell, thousands upon thousands of words to share with us.

3-24 coloringbook

This is the coloring book I chose. I haven’t started yet, and I’m curious to see how long it will take me to dig in. I think it might prove to be meditative and calming and I sure could use some of that.

3-21 starrynightpot

Here’s a closeup of the Florida Faience pot that is clearly inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Do I want it?

Yes, indeed I do.

3-24 dad's hat

I brought my dad’s golf hat back from Florida. I refrained from bringing it back in November because I was flying home and I didn’t want to crush it. It’s hanging on the door that leads to our shared office/studio space.

I have a hat from my brother as well – sort of an Indiana Jones style fedora. I think I’ll pull that out and hang it, too.

Hats from my two dear ones.

Today is sunny and the temperature will be almost 60 degrees. I’ve been opening the windows for a few days now. It’s also time to open the front door, lower the screen on the screen door – just a bit – and soak up even more sunshine in our living room.

Maybe some houseplant shopping today? We’ll see.

Happy Thursday.

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And I’m Off

Birds, Russian, Seeds, a Gift, Appointments & Books

The Words of Pat Conroy, Coloring & My Dad’s Hat

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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