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You are here: Home / Archives for Don

Day Four Hundred Seven

April 24, 2021 at 9:46 am by Claudia

I grabbed the camera and snapped a quick photo of the cubby. I loved the way the light was creating shadows behind the egg cups. Maybe that’s happened before, but I’ve never noticed it.

Yesterday ended up being very windy – will it never stop? – so I worked outside for only a short while. Trying to get anything done was exhausting, and my allergies were on overdrive. Very frustrating. Even Don, who loves wind, said that after three days of it, he was done. Today is much calmer, thank goodness, so I’m going to try again. I need to rake the leaves out of the chicken wire fence garden and mow the grass in that same area. It’s going to rain tomorrow.

Christopher and Jenny are back at it this morning. Just like yesterday, I heard one of them sing, looked out the window and there he/she was, standing in front of the trailer. By the way, Christopher is named after the famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren, who designed St. Paul’s Cathedral, among other famous buildings in London. It’s one of my favorite churches, I might add. Jenny is a traditional nickname for wrens, especially in Great Britain and Europe, hence “Jenny Wren.”

Today is the seventh anniversary of my mom’s passing. It seems to be hitting me particularly hard this year. I can’t believe it’s been 7 years and I really miss my mom. Don does, too. My mom had a lovely little habit of calling our respective spouses when she knew one of us was away. She loved having a long conversation, just the two of them. I would be away somewhere coaching and Don would say, “I had a great conversation with your Mom today.”

Anyway. I didn’t respond to comments yesterday because I was feeling under the weather after my battle with the wind. Sorry about that. And now I have to help Don with an audition self-tape that has to be in today. We did another one just two days ago. Self-taping is definitely going to be the norm going forward. It was already happening before the pandemic, but it’s really taken off. For us, it’s invaluable. No bus trip to the city. No expensive bus ticket. Traveling to an audition ends of taking up a whole day. Now? We just set up, I read the other lines in the scene, and when Don is happy with it, he sends it in. Easy peasy. It works for television and film rather nicely.

After that, I’m headed outside.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: bird nest, birds, Don, egg cups 16 Comments

Day Three Hundred Seventy-Eight

March 26, 2021 at 9:50 am by Claudia

As I was walking by Don’s studio, I couldn’t help noticing the aftermath of some sort of party.

Apparently, I wasn’t invited.

Hmmm.

I’m going to suggest to Don that some dusting and cleaning is in order, as well as the obvious rehanging of canvases.

Periodically, here in the den, I’ll hear the sound of something falling and after some investigation, I’ll see that something’s fallen off the wall in one of the two dollhouses that live here – sort of like “things that go bump in the night.”

We’re due for a little rain this morning and then the inevitable wind advisory from noon to midnight. I’ll try not to scream.

Don and Dan keep recording new songs and periodically, I point you in the direction of one that I think is especially lovely. This will be on their third album and it’s called Sunny Skies Over Dark Days, with Don singing and playing the guitar and Dan playing the mandolin. Don played it for me this morning and I just love it. It’s very sweet. Here’s the link.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: dollhouse, Don, miniatures, music 38 Comments

Day Three Hundred Forty-Five

February 21, 2021 at 10:11 am by Claudia

In 20 more days, we will have reached the one year mark in this strange pandemic-land. It’s hard to believe, but then again, it’s not.

Puzzle Central. I worked on the puzzle yesterday, but only a little. Sometimes I need to rest my back and yesterday was one of them. I’ll do a bit more today.

It’s sunny and cold, but the sun should shine all day today, unlike yesterday. I’m grateful.

Thanks for all the positive comments on Don’s latest song. He’s so talented, that guy. I was happy to assist with some background vocals in which I used the higher part of my range and sang with a light touch, because it was not about me. It was about enhancing the story and Don’s voice. I’m actually an alto/mezzo soprano and I’ve got a big voice. I started out in musicals, so I’m perfectly capable of belting out a song, sans microphone. This kind of thing, doing a light background vocal, is something new to me and it was fun.

Speaking of voices, there is no voice that makes me happier than my husband’s. I love hearing him speak first thing in the morning and I love hearing him sing. His voice is deep and resonant and soothing. Since my career is all about the voice, that’s high praise indeed. I’m a lucky girl.

We watched Nomadland  the other night, the new Frances McDormand movie. It’s excellent. It’s in theaters and on Hulu. We don’t subscribe to Hulu, but we did a free trial just so we could see it. It’s a bit annoying, this trial, because it pauses for what would be commercials (the least expensive version of Hulu.) Rather than wait out that break, I hit “back” and and resume the video. But it was free, so I’m not complaining. The movie is based on a book of the same name, which I now want to read, and the cast consists of actors and non-actors and it’s fascinating. My love for McDormand’s work just gets stronger. She is fearless. She doesn’t have to fill every moment with ‘something.’ She can just be. And she has stayed true to who she is – no plastic surgery, no fillers. She embraces her age. We’re going to watch it again this week.

Last night we watched The King’s Speech  again. We’ve seen it several times and we love it. We were both feeling a bit tired and under the weather, and for us, it’s a comfort movie.

Back to Mrs. Tim Carries On, which is delightful. I’m now a D.E. Stevenson fan and plan to read more of this series, as well as her other books.

A bit more snow tomorrow then, fingers crossed, warmer weather. And by warmer, I mean in the 40s, which is positively balmy compared to the deep freeze of the past few weeks.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: books, Don, movies, reading 25 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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