Don — Page 87

Who is This Man?

December 4, 2017 at 9:49 am by Claudia

There’s a strange man in my house.

Who is this guy? And what is he doing sitting in my living room?

Don got home around 7:00 last night. He’s happy to be here. Though when he looked out at the property this morning in the light of day, he said “It’s so bleak.” When he left to go on tour there were green trees and flowers in the garden. Now, everything is brown and gray.

He loved the tarts, though we both think the crust is a little chewy. That’s my next challenge. But in the meantime, we’re loving them.

I’m still under the weather, but whatever this is, it’s moving through my system pretty quickly.

Don’s excited that he gets to drive his car again. I started it for him yesterday and it ran like a charm.

We’re both so grateful for the opportunities this year has brought us and for the very real peace that comes from knowing he’s employed come January and that we can simply relax and enjoy our time together during the holiday season. There have been many, many years when that was not the case.

Saturday night’s sunset.

Happy Monday.

Sun and Color

November 30, 2017 at 9:50 am by Claudia

I don’t think I’m going to get around to painting that wall in the kitchen this week. Don’s one-day-earlier arrival is throwing a spanner in the works, plus, to be honest, I don’t want the hassle of moving everything around and besides, I can start in on all of this in January when he’s back in the city for Margaritaville. (That was a long run-on sentence!)

Speaking of Margaritaville, my cousin and her husband were in the audience last night. They drove down to Chicago from their home in Northern Michigan to see it. Hopefully, though I haven’t spoken to him yet, Don met up with them at the Stage Door after the show. Actually, Don and I haven’t ‘spoken’ very much at all as he’s babying his voice this week. We speak in texts. Thank goodness for technology. When I had vocal problems as an actress, I didn’t have that option.

Forgot to show you these Rae Dunn pots that I picked up a few months back. I wasn’t sure what to put in them until I saw little sansevierias at Terrain (they’re marketed for terrariums) that I thought would do nicely. I need to do a little more excess soil removal!

Sunny pictures from the kitchen and living room:

I like color. I like sunny, bright, and welcoming rooms.

I like my house.

Though we could use a lot more storage and a mudroom (still dreaming about that possibility) the truth is, we’re fine. (Oh yes, and a garage!) If we never get those things we’ll be okay. We’ve been okay for the 12 years we’ve lived here, so all indications are that we can handle it indefinitely. That doesn’t stop me from dreaming, however.

I won’t even go into yesterday’s news. I had to talk myself down last night in order to fall asleep.

Happy Thursday.

Cue Maurice Chevalier

November 29, 2017 at 9:31 am by Claudia

I posted this photo on Instagram yesterday because the sun flooding into the kitchen was amazing.

I hear that we’re not supposed to post the same photos on Instagram that we post on our blogs. And then I roll my eyes because who made up that rule and how did he/she become an “expert?” I am reminded of one of my favorite movies, Gigi, and one of my favorite songs in that movie, sung by Maurice Chevalier: I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore.

And I am. By ‘young’ I mean my chronological age and also my blogging age. I’m coming up on 10 years as a blogger and I’ve reached that happy place where I simply don’t care what should and shouldn’t be done. I don’t care about followers and numbers and my brand, because I don’t have a brand and don’t want one. I will leave all of that to the younger and more energetic, bless them.

I’ve really been thinking about this a lot lately, both in terms of blogging and my professional work as a coach. And I’ve had talks about it with my best friend, Laural, and my husband. We’ve all reached that point in our professional lives where we’ve accomplished a great deal and are proud of our work. We no longer feel competitive. We don’t need to grab another rung on the ladder. We’re not retired, we’re all still working, so this isn’t about that. But we are accepting of who and what we are and, boy, is that a peaceful and wonderful feeling.

It took a while to get here but it was worth the wait.

Look! My parents’ sansevieria is going to flower again! There’s another budding stalk on the other side of the plant. Hello Mom and Dad. I know you’re here.

And I have a succulent baby. This one will take a while, but I’m cultivating patience.

The kitchen table has morphed from being a mail catch-all (still is) to a conservatory for some of my plants. I posted this on IG so that Don would see it and therefore have some warning before he arrives home on Sunday. Yes, Sunday. He thought he had shows on Sunday and was coming home on Monday until he learned differently yesterday.

His second recording session went well and he felt better about his voice. There will be some overdubbing done on all the vocals this week, but other than that, the cast album has been recorded. Everyone is now packing up their trunks (which will be picked up on Friday) and sending boxes home.

I, on the other hand, am dealing with the mundane: recycling and taking things to the dump. And running to the grocery store.

Happy Wednesday.

Who is This Man?

Sun and Color

Cue Maurice Chevalier

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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