books — Page 54

Day Three Hundred Ninety-Seven

April 14, 2021 at 8:59 am by Claudia

Sunday Afternoon in Central Park – Bob Knox

This one was rather difficult, but I loved working on it.

Another lovely day today, which I intend to fully appreciate as it’s going to rain quite heavily tomorrow and Friday. Then it looks like we’ll have dry weather for about 6 days, allowing us to get outside and do some work.

I’m close to finishing The Shell Seekers. I’m quite enjoying it, of course, though I sometimes get impatient with going back in time, even though I understand perfectly why it’s being done. It’s my problem, not a problem with Pilcher’s writing. And entirely dependent on my mood, I might add.

I have a few book titles written down to take with me to Oblong Books today. But I’m going to really strive to stroll around and discover. Because isn’t that what we’ve been missing? The opportunity to thumb through books, look at covers, read a description, be surprised? I will have to repeatedly remind myself that I’ll be back again – this isn’t a one-shot deal.

Don told me we’re going on a date, and that’s what it feels like. We’re fully vaccinated, we’ll be wearing double masks, of course, and are going to take a drive that does not involve a doctor’s appointment or grocery shopping. What a concept!

Once all this rain leaves, it will be time to dress up the porch. I did treat myself to a little time on the glider yesterday. It was wonderful.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Day Three Hundred Eighty-Five

April 2, 2021 at 10:14 am by Claudia

I was a little late getting them out but here they are. They really work beautifully with the Fiesta compote. I can see myself sitting at the round table in my housing in San Diego (I was working away from home for 6 months) cutting and then sewing them on my friend Ingrid’s vintage Singer Featherweight. It had belonged to her grandmother. She generously let me borrow it so I could make a quilt while I was away from home. My experience with that wonderful little machine led me to search for, and eventually find, my very own Featherweight. I found it in a local antique shop.

These little eggs are full of memories.

Later in the day yesterday, Don starting feeling achey and tired. Every muscle was sore. So he did have a reaction to the vaccine. He’s fine today. I was quite lucky and only had a sore arm and some fatigue. I felt very fatigued with the first dose, as well.

I ordered this little item for the fun of it. It was in the Etsy shop of Tiny Doll House NYC.

A miniature bust of Queen Victoria. The owners of the shop found it at The Kensington Dollhouse Show in London – the big miniature show in England. (How I’d love to attend it someday!) I thought it would be fun to find a place for it in the English Cottage. I’m not sure where, but I’ll figure it out.

I started reading The Shell Seekers last night. You know that you can relax and just let the words pour over you when you’re reading Rosamunde Pilcher. It’s pure pleasure.

I’m plugging away – slowly – on the puzzle. It’s a botanical chart and the hardest parts are the many leaves and stems that are somewhat similar from plant to plant. I can only do a bit at a time before I want to tear my hair out. I’ll finish it, rest assured.

I’m anxious to get outside and work, but the temps went down to the mid-twenties last night and the same will happen tonight. It’s too cold out there. Hopefully, I can start doing some outside chores next week.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Day Three Hundred Eighty-Four

April 1, 2021 at 10:12 am by Claudia

We are now fully vaccinated, save for a two week period that will end on April 14th. I have to say that Walgreens does a good job of it, very gentle, efficient, and there are no crowds. Also, everyone in the store was masked and keeping a good social distance. Don went first and then me. We were very happy to have it done but the actual shot was sort of anticlimactic – a tiny prick and it was done. It wasn’t until I had been home for a bit and took a nap (I was tired) that I realized upon waking how enormous this was. After a year – 54 weeks to be exact – we were finally vaccinated. A whole year. And then I thought about the over 500,000 Americans who were not so fortunate, who were taken from us before a vaccine was available. It’s heartbreaking. As I said to Vicki in yesterday’s comments, I am humbled by the enormity of what yesterday means to us and by the incalculable loss of life in the past year – all those who weren’t so fortunate.

We had some sparkling cider on hand and we toasted each other in the evening, stopping to remember all those lost, especially my colleague Terrence McNally and the late, great John Prine.

As of this morning, the only side effect I have is a sore arm. Same with Don.

More egg cups, this time on the folk art shelf in the den: a gentleman egg cup (they were usually sold in a pair and the heads were salt and pepper shakers,) a red transferware cup, a little egg and cherub, a goose egg cup from France (found here in the States,) Humpty Dumpty with a hand painted egg from Prague, two wooden egg cups with salt and pepper egg tops (sent by a reader of the blog,) and a glass egg cup I found a couple of years ago. And my little family of wooden ducks in the foreground. The shelf itself was found in a shop on the other side of the river when we were living in our rental. I really love it.

I just finished Snow by John Banville. Beautifully written. It’s a haunting mystery that takes place in Ireland in the late Fifties. Banville is a Booker Prize winner and I can see why – he’s a poet. I loved the book. Now to decide what to read next.

I have a few other things to share with you and I’ll do that tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Day Three Hundred Ninety-Seven

Day Three Hundred Eighty-Five

Day Three Hundred Eighty-Four

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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