flowers — Page 122

I Must Have Flowers

March 26, 2019 at 10:23 am by Claudia

“I must have flowers, always, and always.”

Claude Monet

Expect lots of flowers this week.

I made that trip to Trader Joe’s and came back with four bunches of flowers, which, on reflection, I worried might be too many. We have only so much surface space around here and I have a beloved husband who is a big guy and sometimes knocks things over. So that meant that the kitchen counters – where he concocts our dinners – were out of the running.

I did manage to find homes for each bouquet; on the bistro table in the living room, on the coffee table in the den, in a McCoy vase (see above), and on the wee kitchen island.

I can’t tell you what a difference it makes around here! And how my mood lightens when I see them. I love photography and my favorite subject is flowers. Truth be told, it doesn’t take much skill to capture the beauty of a flower. The flower does all the work.

So right now, as I write this, I’m looking at a beautiful bouquet of just-about-to-open alstroemeria on the coffee table and a big, bright splash of yellow daffodils in amongst the turquoise McCoy.

This bunch of alstroemeria has yet to open. That’s why I chose them. Alstroemeria always lasts a long time; getting them this early is a bonus.

I just remarked to Don that I should make this trip once a month. TJs has such great flowers and they’re so affordable. It’s worth the drive, especially when it’s too soon for any blooms in the garden.

And you know what? Four bouquets are not too many. In fact, I’m going to do five next time, so I can have some on my desk, as well.

It’s a beautifully sunny day and my one request of Don is that he move the snowblower from the porch back to the shed. I want access to the porch, because it’s time to start sorting and cleaning. I can put a couple of the chairs back on the funky patio. I’m not sure yet whether I can put the chairs and table in the secret garden. It may be too soggy back there. But I can do something, right? At the very least, I can remove the blue tarp that is covering the sideboard, aka former kitchen island.

We starting watching The Power of Myth last night after seeing it listed on Netflix. We saw it when it first aired on PBS, but we’re getting so much more from it this time around. Joseph Campbell was brilliant.

I’m reading a spy thriller that I will be reviewing in April. In fact, I was so into it last night that I read a bit too long and had trouble getting to sleep. But all is well.

Happy Tuesday.

Clearing

February 22, 2019 at 8:58 am by Claudia

On their last legs. Nevertheless, so beautiful.

Yesterday was spent chopping ice, hacking away at the un-shoveled parking area at the top of our driveway – I could only manage half of it. We were completely wiped out afterwards. We have a two day window in which to tackle this; the temps are in the forties, snow is melting a bit, so if we’re going to get things back to normal now is the time.

We’re both still under the weather, but what can you do?

Since I feel like I’ve been held captive in the cottage for a month, I have to get out of here today or I will lose my mind. Truly. So it will be back out there this morning to get rid of the remaining snow and put some salt down so I can make my escape.

I’ve heard nothing but raves about Andrew McCabe’s new book, so I’m going to buy it. Especially since the dictator-wannabe in the Oval Office fired him 48 hours before his pension was going to kick in out of sheer cruelty. The more sales the better for Mr. McCabe, and a nice thumb-your-nose at the Orange Man.

What else? It was warm enough yesterday to open a window and I did. I wanted to air the cottage out after all the coughs and sneezes and the smell of Vicks.

That’s it for today, simply because there isn’t anything else to chat with you about and I have to get moving on the shoveling.

Happy Friday.

Flowers, Sears & Movies

January 14, 2019 at 11:00 am by Claudia

Thanks for all the wonderful comments about Sears (and other beloved stores) and for sharing your memories. I shop online, yes, but sparingly. I rarely buy clothes online, as I want to try them on. I prefer to hold a book in my hand before I choose it. And I’ll be the first to say that mall shopping makes me tired and cranky, and my eyes hurt from the lights, and the sheer amount of territory to cover is too much. I miss the days when you could walk into a department store that wasn’t connected to a mall. But those days are gone.

My cousin left a comment as to the Sears Modern Homes that were sold as a kit. She thinks our family cottage was a Sears home. Interestingly, I had just had that same thought right before I read her comment. I know that my grandfather and his sons built the cottage themselves – I’ve seen photos of them building it. I wish we could ask my dad or my aunt about the kit they used. That comment from Eileen led me to look at all the different house models that Sears sold and I think I found one that might have been the model for the cottage Not sure yet, but it was so much fun to look at all the designs.

It’s that time of year again. My parents’ 40+ year old sansevieria is blooming again. There are five of these flower stalks nestled among the plant spikes.

The scent is heavenly.

Hey, Mom and Dad. Thank you.

My decluttering mojo has been missing for the past week or two, but it’s back. I’m going to start tackling the closet in our office today. Wish me luck!

We’ve been watching screeners of movies and television series that are nominees for the SAG Awards. So far, we’ve watched The Wife, Vice, The Favourite, BlackkKlansman, and Beautiful Boy. Tonight, we’re watching Can You Ever Forgive Me? We received a copy of Black Panther, as well, but we’ve seen that twice. I’ll refrain from commenting in case you haven’t seen these movies and plan to, but I will say that my favorites so far are The Favourite and Beautiful Boy. Though I liked certain aspects of each film, including some wonderful performances, there were serious flaws that keep me from giving them a rave.

We’re grateful to have the opportunity to watch them this early in the game. Normally, we’d wait until they hit the small screen.

Okay. Have to get a move on!

Happy Monday.

I Must Have Flowers

Clearing

Flowers, Sears & Movies

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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