Don — Page 84

Is it Thursday Already?

January 11, 2018 at 10:30 am by Claudia

Is it Thursday already? The weeks seem to fly by.

Some random photos of the house, taken yesterday afternoon:

My rather cluttered office with the box containing a new modem still unopened after 3 months.

Vintage plant stand (found at my neighbor’s barn sale) in the office. Those two plants – the pothos and the spider plant – were once tiny little grocery store plants that I bought to put in my apartment in Hartford. They have grown so much since then and they’re hassle-free. This little corner houses extra pots and potting soil, waterers and saucers.

Don’s mini studio. That fireplace remains one of my favorite creations – I’m still chuffed when I look at it.

And a look at the piano, a piece that is so filled with family memories that it will always be priceless.

Though it desperately needs a tuning. I can’t even stand to play it, it’s so out of tune.

Coming soon.

Don had a jam session with some local musicians last night and he got to play his dream electric guitar. It’s on his “I’m saving up for it” list. I want him to get it because it’s in my favorite colors, turquoise and white. There’s a picture of it on his Instagram account, which you can find here. His IG account name is: @donsroadtrip.

Tonight? Either Mudbound or Lady Bird.

Happy Thursday.

When a Movie Reaches Into Your Heart and You’re Not the Same

January 10, 2018 at 9:34 am by Claudia

Good morning.

It’s going to be a bit warmer today and the sun is shining. Win-win.

I’ve been puttering around the house, reading the Fusion GPS transcripts released by Dianne Feinstein yesterday (hero!), waiting to take down the trees (as of this morning Don said I could take them down tomorrow – not today.) His seat of choice is the old loveseat in the living room, where he gets a great view of the tree, so I don’t blame him.

January is always a strange month. We’ve just come off the holidays and now the reality of winter and snow and gray skies and icy roads hits us. Decorations are put away. And we’re faced with fact that winter will last well into March, sometimes even to April. Sigh.

Having Don around takes the edge off of January. We’ve been enjoying our time together before he heads to the city. And that’s just around the corner – he starts rehearsals on January 22nd. When you’re apart for a few months at a time off and on for the whole year, you don’t take each other for granted, that’s for sure!

Speaking of being together, we’ve been so grateful for our chance to watch several new movies via the SAG Awards screeners. So far, we’ve seen Get Out (thumbs up), Call Me By Your Name (thumbs down) , The Big Sick (thumbs up), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (thumbs down) and this one:

I will quickly run out of superlatives in describing this film. It’s wondrous, it’s stunning, it’s beautiful, it’s heartbreaking, it’s life-affirming in the best possible way, it’s healing. I’ve never seen anything like it and it has touched me deeply. Same for Don. We couldn’t stop talking about it. Everything about it – the story, the production design, the direction, the acting – is superb.

Sally Hawkins is incredible in a non-speaking role that touches your heart. As for the wonderful Richard Jenkins; this may be his finest role to date. He is amazing. Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer and Michael Stuhlbarg are brilliant. Such brave work from everyone.

The world that Guillermo Del Toro has created is rooted in the real while embracing the fantastical. I loved the look of the film, the world that has been created, the colors, the heightened reality. It’s pitch perfect. And the screenplay is beautifully written.

So far, it’s my favorite film in years. We’re going to watch it again. And, I suspect, again.

See it, my friends, see it.

Today I’m going to clean out the cubbyhole under the stairs so I can put some of the Christmas decorations there and not feel like I’m taking my life in my hands every time I open the door.

Happy Wednesday.

Snow: Shoveling, Snowblowing, Baking & UPS

January 5, 2018 at 9:01 am by Claudia

This says it all. We had a heck of a snowstorm yesterday, with wind and lots of snow. I guesstimate it at 8 inches. It fell all day long and we couldn’t get out to shovel until around 3:30. The snowblower was hauled out of the shed and while my newest batch of linzer cookies was cooling, I grabbed a shovel.

We were out there for a long time.

And today, our aches and pains attest to it. Thank goodness, the snow wasn’t the heavy, wet variety. That certainly helped. Now we have to contend with high winds and dangerous wind chills for the next two days, with the nighttime temps going down to well below zero.

Winter officially came on December 21st, but here at the cottage it feels like it’s been going on for months. I’m over it.

But, speaking of ‘over it’ I shared a little story on Instagram yesterday. For those of you who don’t do IG, let me share it again.

I was expecting a package from UPS, but since the snow was falling heavily and the visibility was bad, I expected it would arrive today instead. I was in a not-very-great mood, having had my fill of subzero temps and snow. I was sitting in the den when I heard the UPS truck stop on the street with a little tap of the horn. I couldn’t believe they were actually delivering! So I threw on my jacket (I was still in my flannel pjs) and went out on the porch to meet the driver. He jumped over the culvert, ran up the lawn to the porch and greeted me with a smile.

I said, “I can’t believe you’re out in this!”

And he said, with another big grin, “Oh, it’s okay! I’m having an adventure!”

He was so cheery and so positive that my mood changed instantly. What did I have to complain about, right? If he could be positive, so could I. The universe sends you teachers when you need them.

See that great smile! He’d also grabbed a ride with a snowplow at some point during his day so he could get back to his truck after having parked on a hill. He was having an adventure.

I moved this lamp, which, for some reason, had been stashed on my bookcase in the bedroom, down to this little table/stool by the sofa. I think I thought there was trouble with the cord, but when I changed the light bulb, it worked. I love these lamps and Don needed a little bit more light by his preferred daytime seating. Plus…the shade!!