Don — Page 138

Don’s Very Own Nirvana and Other Things

October 8, 2015 at 9:14 am by Claudia

Because miniatures are fun and moving them around is just like playing house when you were a kid:

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I call this: Don’s Very Own Nirvana.

This chair, a guitar, and all things Beatles? Heaven for my husband.

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Oooh, setting up this studio is going to be a lot of fun!

Last night, we were watching Frasier and he remarked on the furniture in Frasier’s apartment, saying that he’d read all of the pieces were made by famous designers. I said that the recliner was an Eames chair. He had no idea about the designer’s name, but I could tell he liked it.

He also has no idea that he’s getting his own Eames chair – albeit, in miniature.

It’s been sunny and warmish around here; simply beautiful fall weather.

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My girl enjoying the sun.

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A bee savoring the wildflowers that are all over the property at the moment.

I forgot to share two items that were in the box of minis that Barbara sent to me.

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Two games. Aren’t they great?

I think some lawn mowing is on the docket for the day. It’s grown pretty long from all the rain we had about a week ago. I’m halfway through Her Final Breath by Robert Dugoni. I reviewed the first book in this excellent series here on the blog. This is the second.

I also stopped by my local library yesterday and brought home four books. There’s always a little pressure when I check out library books – especially if they’re new and have a limited checkout time. Oh boy. One of them is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about this book, so I figured it was high time I took a stab at it.

Happy Thursday.

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Back at the Ranch

October 6, 2015 at 9:12 am by Claudia

I’m back at the ranch after a long day in NYC yesterday. No, I didn’t go to the book signing – for a couple of reasons. My morning bus was an hour late getting to our local station. We have no idea why and the reason was never given. This resulted in a couple of panicked phone calls from me to the Stage Manager explaining the problem. I knew yesterday was the only day available for individual sessions and they were to be held in a room that had been rented from 12 – 5 – allowing for 10 straight sessions of 30 minutes each. There was no wiggle room.

By the time I got in the city, I did another 14 block speed walk and, incredibly, I somehow managed to get to the building (with a full bladder), up the stairs, stop in the bathroom, and then alert the stage manager to my arrival by 11:59. I was exhausted already and the day had barely begun.

After my sessions were over, I was tired and I knew that even if I caught the 5:30 bus I wouldn’t get home until 7:30. If I had stayed for the book signing, I wouldn’t have arrived home until at least 11:00. I also knew how excited Don was about the arrival yesterday morning of a box containing his new CD and I felt I should get home in time to celebrate that event. When something like that happens, you can’t wait for your loved one to get home to tell them about it. So I speed walked another 14 blocks and headed home.

And when I walked in the door, what do you suppose was propped up on my table in the den?

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It’s so exciting! I’ll unveil more of it at a later date, but trust me, it’s equally as cool when the sleeve is opened. And the mastered tracks sound fantastic. Huzzah!

(I’m so glad I decided to come home early.)

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Do you remember these guys? There’s a whole set of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs egg cups that were made for Disney Enterprises in 1937. I’ve always said I wanted to collect them all. Recently, I saw two separate auctions on eBay for Sleepy and for Snow White herself. I bid on both of them, but kept my bid low because, let’s face it, I’m not comfortable spending too much money on anything at the moment. In each case, I was the high bidder for a while, but eventually was outbid. I was sort of heartsick over the whole thing, because they don’t come up for auction that often – especially Snow White – and it just wasn’t a good time for me to do anything but put in a low bid. Sigh. In the end, they went for what I consider a reasonable price…which makes it all the more frustrating! Ah, well. I hope whoever won them appreciates them. (I know they would have been happier in my cottage. I just know it.)

I’ve learned it’s always a good idea to set a limit on an auction and I always do. It’s too easy to get caught up in the excitement of the bidding and you can end up paying far more than you wanted to!

I just finished X by Sue Grafton this morning. I forgot how much I like the Kinsey Millhone series. I’ll write a review tomorrow. Now I have to decide what to read next.

Oh, reading…you keep me sane. You really do.

What are you reading at the moment, dear friends?

Happy Tuesday.

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Morning Glories I Have Known (If Only For A Day)

October 1, 2015 at 9:59 am by Claudia

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It’s cold and blustery today and I find myself saying to Mother Nature: “No early frost, please!” I’m not ready to say goodbye to these beauties or to the zinnias that keep blooming.

I’m not ready to haul all the porch plants inside for the night in case there might be a frost.

Nope. It’s only October 1st. There’s a hurricane headed up the coast and we’re due for a lot of rain. But no frost, okay?

Good. I’m glad we’ve got that sorted out.

I’ve just finished reading A Song of Shadows by John Connolly. I’m reviewing it on Just Let Me Finish This Page today. Here is the link. Connolly is an incredible writer. Over the past year, after having read The Wolf in Winter, I’ve gone back and read all of his books in order. Now, I’ve become yet another Connolly fan who has to wait a year for the next book to come out. Sob. He’s going to be signing this book at The Mysterious Bookshop next week and I’d love to meet him, but I don’t think that little trip is in the cards for me.

Now, I’m reading Mrs. Pargeter’s Principle by Simon Brett. I’ve read all of the books in his Charles Paris series, but this is my first crack at the Mrs. Pargeter series. As always with Brett, the mystery is very well written and I find myself chuckling throughout the book. He’s very, very witty.

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(Photo courtesy of Atomic Disc)

This is currently speeding its way to us via Federal Express. Don is so excited! I have to tell you that I’ve listened to all of the mastered tracks and it’s truly excellent, by far the best recording Don has made. He and Dan sound great together. Rick Gedney, the producer, recorded and mixed it in his studio (all of the tracks were recorded in one day.) Atomic Disc mastered the tracks and put it all together in this package.

It will be available as an MP3 for download or as you see it above, a CD that you can hold in your hands and play on your CD player. I’ll have more information available next week.

We’re very excited. This means a great deal to Don and Dan. And to me. They’re having a CD Release Party at our local venue on October 17th, where Don and Dan will perform, along with several other musician friends.

All of the songs were written by Don.

I’m so proud of that husband of mine.

Happy Thursday.

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Don’s Very Own Nirvana and Other Things

Back at the Ranch

Morning Glories I Have Known (If Only For A Day)

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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