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You are here: Home / Archives for Don

The Funky Patio

June 24, 2013 at 8:00 am by Claudia

As you read this, I will either be driving Don to Williamstown, MA or I’ll be on my way home. It’s an all day event, this journey to Williamstown. He’ll be there for 5 weeks, performing in Pygmalion. It’s the same production that was at the Globe last winter, with the addition of some new cast members. The great thing is that this time around, I will get to see it! It was a huge hit at the Old Globe and I’m sure it will be again.The Berkshires are beautiful, one of my favorite places. In fact, it was during another acting job in the Berkshires that I came out from San Diego to visit Don and we started to think about the possibility of moving out East.

funkypatio

You remember the Funky Patio? It’s the little makeshift patio we threw together a few years ago. It’s right outside the gate that leads to the kitchen door. Sometimes we like to hang out there because it’s a little bit further back from the road than the porch is. And I love those chairs – they’re very comfortable and they rock gently.

The other day I bought some plants for the galvanized bucket. Everything is done on a small budget here and I had to wait until last week until I could buy the plants. It’s still not finished, but here’s what I have so far.

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I like putting bright, vivid colored flowers in this planter. Such a nice contrast to all the green that surrounds the patio.

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There’s some lantana in the mix – I used to use lantana a lot when I lived in San Diego, but this is the first time I’ve used it here.

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My mom gave me that piece of pottery many years ago. I like using it for these pretty flowers.

pottedplant2

That shade of purple is amazing. I love seeing purple and green together.

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Normally, I plant impatiens in the white barrels, but last year’s had that fungus that is infecting impatiens. So I went with geraniums. I think I have to add some more plants to fill in the bare spaces – have to get on that!

Yesterday morning, I sat in one of the white chairs and closed my eyes. I listened to the sounds of all the birds, to the faint hum of a plane overhead, to the sounds of the cicadas. It’s important to just be sometimes. To simply listen to the natural world going on around us.

I know the birds have been using the birdbath lately because I can see the telltale splash marks. Yesterday, I saw one of our catbirds taking a bath. Catbirds are known to love birdbaths and this little guy dunked his entire body at least 6 times. Such a joy to watch.

When we first moved here, we had a family of groundhogs living under our shed. They are gentle, gentle creatures – vegetarians – and I used to see their babies all the time. I just remarked to Don that we haven’t seen them in a few years and what did I see the other morning? A lovely groundhog chewing on the grass near the shed. They are so timid that the minute they hear anything, they race for cover. I saw him again today and the minute Scout went out, he ran back under the shed. He’s clearly living there. Or she is clearly living there. Did you know they make elaborate tunnels? One to eat in, one to sleep in, one for elimination. They are quite meticulous and clean. And fascinating. I’m so glad they are back – though I’ve only see one so far.

It’s Don’s birthday today. Happy Birthday, my love.

Happy Monday.

Don’t forget to visit my post about Newtons cookies to learn about Healthy Eating on the Go and some yummy treats.

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Filed Under: birthday, Don, flowers, patio 23 Comments

A Spontaneous Day

June 23, 2013 at 8:48 am by Claudia

It’s a well known fact that I am cautious and a planner. To a fault.

Don is spontaneous. Also, to a fault.

But the wonderful thing about this is that we balance each other. I pull him back when his spontaneity threatens to go haywire and he encourages me to be a bit more spontaneous.

Don’s birthday is on Monday. But Monday is the day he goes to the Berkshires for five weeks. We’d planned to celebrate his birthday today; therefore, my plan yesterday was to go out and find his present.

Friday night, Don and his friend Dan performed in front of an audience and I went along. They were wonderful. One of Don’s friends, Dave, who is a fellow musician, was in the audience – he was there to support Don. So on Saturday morning, Don woke up and said that he wanted to go hear Dave perform that day in Woodstock. And that he didn’t care about a gift, he just wanted to spend a beautiful Saturday with me – a spontaneous day with me. That’s what he wanted for his birthday.

I tried to push for my agenda, but only for a moment. Because it’s his birthday. And so, un-spontaneous Claudia threw caution to the winds and off we went.

colonysign

Dave and a few other friends of ours were performing at something called Barnfest and their venue was this wonderful old hotel in Woodstock – The Colony. It was built in 1927 and its Moorish architectural style and stucco siding stands out in Woodstock. It thrived for a number of years but then sat empty for decades. The new owners have revived it as a music venue. (There’s lot of music in Woodstock.) This is the original sign – note the room rates!

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There is artwork on the walls, a wooden balcony that runs around the room – and the stage is right in front of the stairway.

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colony3

If walls could talk! There is so much history in this building. The musicians were amazing. I can’t imagine a nicer way to spend an afternoon. And one group performed their own arrangement of one of Don’s songs, Trouble and Joy. That was a lovely surprise. Don was thrilled.

We then walked around lovely Woodstock, stopping in at our favorite independent bookstore.

bookstore

I could spend hours here. They have books that I never see in Barnes and Noble. Oh right….that’s because this bookseller is not part of a chain. They don’t sell school supplies. Or e-readers. Or stuffed animals. They just sell three-dimensional books that are thoughtfully chosen and ordered. Thank goodness!

leavessidewalk

Woodstock has a series of wooden guitars that are erected as a sort of sculpture throughout the town. They are in front of most of the storefronts. Don posed with one:

guitar

We ate lunch on the outdoor patio of one of our favorite vegetarian cafes.

adorable

Don was happy. So was I.

All in all, a beautiful, music-filled, spontaneous day.

By the way, the sound of cicadas fills the air around our cottage. It goes on all day long. The drone sounds just like a spaceship in a fifties science fiction movie. Amazing. If you drive anywhere around here, you can see them flying alongside the road.

I’m loving it.

Happy Sunday.

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Filed Under: Don 64 Comments

A Little Potpourri on a Friday

June 21, 2013 at 9:16 am by Claudia

catalpaclose

Have you ever been lucky enough to experience the scent of a catalpa blossom?

It’s downright heavenly. Whether mowing the lawn, gardening, or sitting out on the funky patio, that gentle scent wafts through the air and I’m in a state of delight. It’s such a gift, however short-lived. This year the flowers seem to have hung around a bit longer than normal. Maybe because of all the rain we were blessed with this spring?

The falling blossoms are everywhere and there’s something wonderful about seeing them scattered on the ground.

catalpa

Across the driveway, on the lawn, here, there and everywhere. We have several catalpas, but most of them are up in the woods. This one proudly stands between the driveway and the shed. It’s huge and lovely. And it has heart-shaped leaves.

Thanks for all your compassionate thoughts yesterday. I do miss my boy. As for long periods spent apart, this year is especially tough. Don and I will have been separated because of our work a total of 7 months this year. That’s more than half the year. Seven months. We’re tough and we do the best we can to handle it with grace, but frankly, that’s just too much time spent apart. It might be hard to grasp if you are lucky enough to be in the same place as your spouse all the time, but believe me, it’s very stressful. And lonely.

bumblebee

I did some work on the funky patio yesterday; flowers in the galvanized container, a pot on the bench. I’ll share it with you in a couple of days. We mowed, but we seem to do that all the time. Mowing. I used to be the chief lawn mower around here. Don had to be ‘persuaded’ to do it. But something changed this year. While I was away in Hartford, Don had a conversion of sorts. He likes mowing. He likes the exercise he gets from mowing. He wants to do all of it.

Well, hold on there pardner! I like mowing, too. I’m glad you have discovered its benefits, not the least of which is a nice looking expanse of grass, but we have to share this chore. I like it, too. And I’ve been doing most of it for the eight years we’ve lived in this cottage. I’m asserting myself right back into the mix. Who would have thought I would have to beg to get my turn behind the lawnmower?

I guess I’ll get my wish, as Don leaves Monday for five weeks. I will once again be the chief mower.

Tonight, Don and his friend Dan (he came over to the house to rehearse a week or two ago) are performing at a venue north of us. And I’m going along. I look forward to hearing them weave their musical magic.

wateronrose

I have a question. When I had the little problem with a spam comment going to one of my readers, I was at first concerned that I’d been hacked. So I deleted the plugin that informed you that I had replied to your comment. But I’m now convinced that it was a random spam comment that somehow got through my spam filter and since my reader had checked that box that said she wanted to be informed of a reply, she was notified when the spam comment went through. The blog is fine. There was no intrusion of any sort and I’ve instituted even stronger protection that blocks most of the spammers, so we should be a-okay.

Here’s the deal. I really love threaded comments and the conversations that sometimes take place as I reply to a comment, and then that commenter or another commenter replies to my reply. As a rule, I try to respond to every comment. I don’t know how many of you ever checked that box that allowed a reply to be sent to you as an email. I know some of you did.

I’ve found that most of us don’t have the time to return to see if our comment has a reply, even if we have the intention to do so. I know I usually don’t return, so I can only imagine you don’t either. I’d rather get an email that tells me there is a reply.

So. Do you miss receiving those emails? I’m thinking of installing some sort of plugin that will allow comment reply notification because I miss our conversations. Let me know in the….wait…. hold on….comments section!

scoutyawn

Have to close. Scout’s bored.

Happy Friday.

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Filed Under: blogging, Don, garden, Scout, trees 29 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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