books — Page 178

Settling In And Big News Over On The Book Blog

September 22, 2014 at 9:38 am by Claudia

ontheroad - scout sleeping

Little girl is adapting pretty gosh-darned well. I’m very proud of her.

She goes a little crazy when I return after rehearsal. But that’s understandable. After all, she is in a place that is not home. Not her kingdom. (You know what, Scoutie? I feel the same way.) But all in all, she is handling it so well.

Not bad for 15½, not bad at all.

And this girl loves the city streets. She likes seeing all the people, even going so far as to stop when she sees someone coming in the opposite direction, waiting for what she is sure will be extravagant attention. That isn’t always the case, of course. But most people smile and if I had a dime for how many times people have asked “Is she hurt? What happened to her?” I’d be on my way to a nice, fat bank account. I usually say that she limps, but a more accurate description would be ‘hops.’ She does a little hop on her right front leg. Arthritis isn’t easy.

And she loves, loves, loves the park. We go over there at least twice a day.

Oh, by the way, the bike races, loudspeaker, blocked streets (I had to do some major maneuvers to get to rehearsal) lasted until about 6 pm. Oy.

Growing around the property as I prepared to leave for Hartford:

aster-like weed

Pretty little flowers that one might call a weed, but you know I don’t do that. There are also little purple versions of the same flower.

rosebud

I want to officially thank my roses for returning for a second bloom in these early days of autumn. I wish I could wiggle my nose and transport myself back to the cottage every day to see what’s happening in the gardens and water the plants. It would only take about 15 minutes out of my day and I’d have the best of both worlds.

Seems like a perfectly legitimate request, don’t you think?

Today is my day off and I’m going to head over to Trader Joe’s. Since this kitchenette has no oven, I need some microwaveable meals.

And some fresh flowers.

And now, my big news!

I have something to share with you over on the book blog and to say I’m very excited would be an understatement. Deborah Crombie’s newest book, To Dwell in Darkness, comes out tomorrow. (I’ll be reviewing it on this blog a week from today.) I decided to take a risk and and ask her publisher (through TLC Book Tours) if she would be willing to answer some interview questions. She graciously agreed.

Isn’t that neat?

So hop on over to Just Let Me Finish This Page to read my interview with Deborah Crombie.

Happy Monday.

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Potpourri on Tuesday (I’m All Over the Place)

September 16, 2014 at 9:18 am by Claudia

As Thursday draws nearer, I find I have lists and more lists all over the cottage. Errands to run. Things to pack. Phone calls to make.

And I’m more than a bit spacey. The other day I posted a photo on a blog post that I realized – several days after the fact – I had already used in a post last week. After rereading yesterday’s post, I worried that it was sort of the same thing I’ve said before. And it is. Ah, well. Sorry.

Forgive me if I’m a bit stressed. Packing for five weeks is always hard, but now I’m also taking Scout. And, unfortunately, for the first two weeks, we have to be in a hotel. After that, we will move to an apartment. It’s sort of a pain in the tush. I like this hotel. I’ve stayed there before. Everyone who works there is really nice. But how will Ms. Scout adjust? I don’t know. It’s a bit further from the park and Scoutie has a limp these days, so I worry about her.

Oh lord, I’m all about worrying. I’ve been that way since I was a wee girl.

If Scout doesn’t adjust to the hotel, she’ll move to her dad’s for a week or so. Hopefully, she’ll weather the change and be okay.

beatles sign on piano

Remember the sign I got Don for his birthday? We temporarily propped it up on the piano until we could decide on a good place to hang it. Eventually, we realized that we like it where it is. So, for the time being, it’s staying right there. I added a photo I took of Don when we were in Boston – he’s doing his best to recreate the famous Abbey Road picture.

beatles sign on piano 2

Stepping back. I am still so in love with that lithograph of the Aquitania.

Yesterday was gorgeous. Today is rainy. I took advantage of yesterday’s beautiful weather and took at least a hundred photos of the gardens and the flowers and bugs and things like that. I’m stocking up on photos for future blog posts. Rehearsals are pretty intense for the first week and I might not have time to walk around Hartford and take pictures. And when I do walk around Hartford, I will often have Scout with me, so there’s that.

Don, my love, more of your zinnias:

for don

for don 2

We miss you.

We’ve talked about the ad income I receive (believe me, it’s minuscule) from this blog before, right? That’s the only income I receive. I say this only because a sweet and lovely reader assumed I was getting paid for my book reviews and I wondered if other readers thought the same thing? I never thought about it before, but I can see where someone might think that is the case.

I do not get paid for my book reviews. I receive the book in exchange for my honest review. If I got paid, I wouldn’t be able to be completely honest in my reviews. Now, if I worked for a newspaper or journal or something like that, I would expect to be paid because I would be working for an entity that is neutral as to the books being reviewed. But, since I get the books from the publisher and/or author, accepting any pay would be tantamount to writing a post in which I would feel pressure to give it a thumbs up. That’s why I include that statement in every review that thanks either TLC Book Tours or the publisher or NetGalley for a copy of the book “in exchange for my honest review.”

Just wanted to clarify that.

I’m off to read my lists and make a plan for the day.

Happy Tuesday.

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And…I’m Off!

September 11, 2014 at 8:15 am by Claudia

Today, I drive to Hartford for an afternoon rehearsal and then back home again. Four hours, round-trip, in what increasingly looks like rain and thunderstorms. I’m leaving Dame Scout at home and my neighbor is going to look in on her. Since we have to travel together again a week from today, keeping her at home in her familiar surroundings seems like the best option.

I finished Act Two yesterday. Then I mowed the dog corral and the whole front yard.

After that, I collapsed.

THURS autumnal zinnia

This zinnia just opened. I planted it in one of our barrels by the Funky Patio. The colors are quite autumnal!

I did some editing on yesterday’s post as the day went on and I remembered more details. Beah Richards played Sidney Poitier’s mother in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and she and Don worked together in an episode of The Practice, not L.A. Law.

I also worked with Robert Hays, Don’s longtime friend, in a production of Mister Roberts at the Old Globe.

And I believe that Don worked with Elinor Donahue in an episode of Get A Life, starring Chris Elliott. It’s a very funny episode with Don playing a cop who always wants donuts. In that same episode was Chris’ father, Bob Elliott, of the comedy team, Bob and Ray.

THURS M Glory & Candy Stripes

Of course, not on the list are countless wonderful actors and actresses and directors that the general public wouldn’t necessarily recognize, but who are every bit as talented as the ones on I mentioned yesterday. They work in theaters throughout the country, on Broadway and off-Broadway. That list, my friends, is just as important to us as the one on the blog.

THURS newishzinnia

I received my pre-publication copy of Deborah Crombie’s newest book, To Dwell in Darkness, yesterday. Though I was already reading another book, I started it last night. One is on the Kindle, one is in hardcover. Since I was charging my Kindle, I used that as an excuse to start the Crombie.

Makes sense to me.

I’ll be reviewing it on this blog at the end of the month.

Okay. Have to jump in the shower and get ready for a long day.

Happy Thursday.

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Settling In And Big News Over On The Book Blog

Potpourri on Tuesday (I’m All Over the Place)

And…I’m Off!

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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