books — Page 17

Aging, Bees, Flowers, and Reading

August 19, 2023 at 8:49 am by Claudia

A pollen-covered bee inside a Rose of Sharon bloom. Taken this morning.

This Rose of Sharon is the gift that keeps on giving. I suppose it’s finally reached maturity because the blooms have been non-stop for a month and a half. I suppose all the rain we’ve had has helped as well. The smaller Rose of Sharon, just a couple of feet away from this one, has some buds that I think might open. Fingers crossed!

More rain yesterday morning – pounding rain – and then later in the day it got cooler outside, with quite a strong breeze. This morning it is sunny and much cooler, with a gentle breeze. It feels like a front has moved out and cooler air has moved in. We just might not have rain for the next five days, which seems impossible given the constant rain we’ve had this summer. But, I’ll take it. A lot of weeding and cleaning up needs to be done .

Speaking of rain, I’m thinking of everyone in Southern and maybe Northern California, as Hurricane Hilary heads your way. I know you need rain, but I imagine you don’t need rain, winds, and potential flooding. You’re in my thoughts.

Don took some photos of me while I was painting yesterday. I had no makeup on, I hadn’t really brushed my hair. He was so excited about the way they turned out and showed them to me.

I saw an old woman.

Really, it was shocking. He kept saying, ‘but you look beautiful!’ Trust me, I didn’t. But he looks at me through the eyes of love, a love of 29 years. I see him the same way.

But I was very depressed and wanted to cry. (Truth be told, I did cry a little.)

I was going back through about 5 years of IG posts the other day because I was trying to find some information that I thought I had posted. It’s always fun to be reminded about what happened on any given day, but what became increasingly clear to me was how much I’ve aged in the past 5 years. At this age, I suppose that’s to be expected.

Nevertheless, it made me sad. My hair is almost fully gray now – if you lift up the hair at the back, there is still a bunch of brown showing, but it’s hidden by the gray. I wrote several posts a few years back about embracing gray hair and I’ve never attempted to color it, or disguise what was happening naturally. That doesn’t mean it isn’t shocking on any given day, it is. I’ve gained weight. It’s harder to lose weight these days – for Don, as well. And he used to be able to cut back on food and lose 20 pounds just like that.

I’m trying, believe me, but I don’t like the way I look now. Of course, wearing a bit of makeup would help, even if I only do my eyebrows. I hate wearing makeup these days and I know Don doesn’t care about that sort of thing at all. But maybe I should…

Anyway, I am blessed to be with someone who loves me and tells me I’m beautiful every day.

I just need to see that, as well.

Mowing today.

I read a chunk of War and Peace this morning. And The Bullet That Missed, the third book in the Thursday Night Murder Club series, arrived at my library yesterday and I immediately drove over there to get it.

I started a new painting and I’m not at all sure about it, but I was sleep deprived yesterday so I didn’t have things in perspective. Hopefully, I’ll get back to it later today.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

“Elderly” Characters who Are Complex, Thank Goodness!

August 9, 2023 at 9:07 am by Claudia

I had to run outside when I saw these clouds last night. The colors were stunning.

Not long after I saw this, I saw what I’m pretty sure was a young fox trotting down our busy road. Not across it, as I’ve seen before, but on the road, headed somewhere. Very strange. And then, of course, I worried about him.

Very low key around here lately. Don has been resting from his very active weekend. I’ve been dealing with anxiety, reading a lot, listening to classical music, meditating. I sometimes listen to the app, Classic FM, which is London-based. It tends to calm me, as the music they play tends to be rather traditional. I like it. And I use the Calm app for meditating. Even though I’ve been railing a bit lately about tech and the dangers of too much tech, I have to admit I’m grateful for tech advances like these two apps as well as others that I use frequently. (By the way, I’m going to post more about AI soon. Now, it’s hitting Zoom, which I use for coaching. I may have to find an alternative.)

I’m loving The Man Who Died Twice, the second in Richard Osman’s series about elderly detectives. Though, nowadays, when I read the someone is ‘elderly’ at the age of 75, my first response is “Elderly? No!” But back to the series – a lot of you have already read these books. What a joy they are! They’re also extremely well-plotted mysteries with plot twists that often catch me by surprise. I am also impressed by Osman’s characterizations; full-blooded, complex human beings who, despite being of a certain age, have lived full lives and are still living full lives.

I remember being young and thinking of elderly people as sweet, but gray. I never thought about the entirety of their lives, what they’d done, experienced, and lived through. Ah, the arrogance of the young. Now, of course, the shoe is on the other foot, and I know otherwise.

Has evolution given us a gray-haired appearance as we age in order to fade into the background as we get nearer to the end of our time here on Earth? I often complain about my gray/white hair combined with the pale skin I’ve had all my life. I could have dyed my hair, of course, but I chose not to, so gray and pale is what I am nowadays. I miss the beautiful brown hair I had, which was full of all sorts of natural highlights. The other day, Don said to me, “Well, you could dye your hair. Nobody’s stopping you.” I am stopping me because I don’t have the patience for dying my hair or touching up roots. Besides, I’ve been gray for a number of years and reversing that would look silly. And obvious.

Anyway, kudos to Osman. It’s about time we have a novel with complicated, rich characters who happen to be in their later years – who are active despite their aches and pains, whose minds are sharp – and who make us laugh. Miss Marple for this century.

Hopefully, I’ll do some painting today. We also need to mow, but I’m so congested today that we’ll see.

See you on Friday!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Reading and Painting

August 7, 2023 at 8:26 am by Claudia

A rainy Monday here at the cottage, and I believe tomorrow will be rainy as well.

I started a little project yesterday. I’m going to do a little oil painting every other day or so. Maybe every day, who knows? They are intended to be done quickly without too much editing (though I did do a little editing later in the day.) The intention is to simply get in the habit of painting. To see what happens. I have no idea what my style is; frankly, I don’t think I have a style. I’m a beginner, and that is painfully obvious.

So yesterday, I put a few blobs of different paint colors (I think 5) inside a little tin, grabbed a couple of brushes, and sat down on the glider on the porch. I painted one of my favorite views on the porch. It’s what? Impressionistic? Childlike? I’m not sure. But I did it in less than an hour.

That sketchbook was a gift from reader Kathy. (Kathy, I didn’t prep the paper at all. I suppose I should, but it’s thick enough to take the paint.) I didn’t have the exact colors of paint I needed and because I had vowed to stick with what I had, this is what you get.

I guess you’d call it a ‘study?’ Or a Grandma Moses-type painting? Or maybe just a Claudia-painting.

Anyway, I’m okay with this one. Don LOVES it, but I am more critical. There are things I’d do differently if I had another go at it.

I’m going to take this little journey and find out who I am as a painter. Though I loved painting all the Roseville Pottery, I don’t want to do just that. We’ll see what I come up with.

I’m posting this here to hold myself accountable. You’ll see the good, the okay, and the “what was I thinking?”

I finished the first Richard Osman – The Thursday Night Murder Club – yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s so well-written and plotted. How refreshing to read a book that makes me laugh out loud! While I was reading it, I ordered the next book – The Man Who Died Twice – from the library and because it turned out my local library had it on the shelves, I got it right away. I’ve just started it.

And to prove that reading a chapter a day of an epic classic really does pay off:

Check it out! Look how much we’ve read! (I say ‘we’ because Don is reading W & P, too.) We are heading toward the finish line. Sometimes I fall behind and have to play catch-up, and sometimes, like now, I’m ahead by a chapter or two. TOLSTOY!!! A frigging brilliant writer. Stunningly brilliant.

Next year we’re doing a chapter a day of Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell Trilogy, which includes Wolf Hall, Bring Up The Bodies, and The Mirror and the Light. I’m not drawn to historical fiction and usually avoid it, but when Mantel died, I read a lot about these books and I had a glimmer of an idea that I should read them. Then, when Simon (who hosts the readalong) suggested these books for next year, I was thrilled. A message from the Universe, I think.

I have no idea what I’m going to paint today, Hopefully, I’ll find some inspiration despite the gray skies.

Okay. Remember our new schedule: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Aging, Bees, Flowers, and Reading

“Elderly” Characters who Are Complex, Thank Goodness!

Reading and Painting

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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