flowers — Page 62

Flowers and a Paperweight

May 14, 2021 at 10:01 am by Claudia

The bridal veil spirea is in full bloom. Oh, how I love this bush! It’s down by the road. I’ll get some more photos with my big girl camera later today.

Aside from rampant allergies, all is well. We have to do some mowing today or tomorrow, but Don’s recycling this morning, as well as running to the grocery store, so I assume we’ll mow tomorrow.

I have had my eye on this paperweight from John Derian for almost two years. Derian is known for his decoupage, using vintage images. Once a year, he has a sale on seconds with minor imperfections. Last year’s sale did not include this particular item.

But this year’s sale did! There was only one available and I grabbed it for half off the original price. It was delivered the next day. All of these items are handmade in their studio. The glass is very heavy and it’s simply beautiful. I can see a couple of teeny bubbles, but they’re hardly noticeable and more importantly, they don’t bother me at all.

Isn’t it pretty?

Well, the CDC has given us new guidance on mask wearing and it’s very exciting. I am still a wee bit hesitant about not wearing one indoors, and for the time being, I’d have to wear one anyway as Governor Cuomo, as well as the Governor of New Jersey, have stated that our mandate is still in effect until they review the guidance with experts.

But it does give us a view of what might be happening soon.

All that being said, I think everyone has to do what he/she is comfortable with. We’ve been in the grip of this pandemic for over a year and hesitancy is to be expected.

I’m trying to figure out what I want to paint next. The jury is still out on the next ‘experiment.’

In the meantime, I finished the latest Jane Casey – she is such a wonderful writer! – and I’ve started to read Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart for the 100th time.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Introverts, Unite!

May 11, 2021 at 9:43 am by Claudia

The hanging plants that I get every year – scaevola. I love the flowers, but even more importantly, they last from spring to the first frost. So I don’t have to invest in more flowers if spring blossoms die out.

Today is sunny. Thank goodness. Yesterday was very cloudy and gray and rather depressing. Both Don and I ran errands – he in the morning, me in the afternoon. I found it all exhausting. I went to another nursery south of us where I get my mulch. I also dropped into Barnes & Noble to buy a couple of magazines (it was deserted) and then quickly into Michael’s to grab a couple of items. All three stores are within a hundred feet of each other. Just down the street is Target and a new BJs (our Costco equivalent) which just opened this year. I plan on joining BJs but I didn’t have it in me to do it yesterday. Anyway, that was the first time I visited that area in over a year!

Don’s errand involved this:

He got his first haircut that didn’t require my services, thank heavens. His hair was really long and he looks so much lighter (and younger) this way. Whoo hoo! His stylist’s salon (she owns it) requires masks, they take your temperature before you come in – they have a good protocol in place.

Right after I finish this, we have to tape two auditions. Then I’ll go outside and start sowing seeds.

Thanks so much for your comments on yesterday’s post! I read many of them to Don. He is becoming more comfortable with the knowledge that he is much more of an introvert than we thought. We are both in the theater. We have spent our lives surrounded by lots of people, lots of activity, with people who are ‘on’ much of the time. We have been those people who are ‘on,’ as we’re both performers at heart. Every day and night involved rehearsals and performances and audiences and crew members and required so much energy and so much social interaction – constantly. And we’ve been doing it for over 50 years. Yes, it’s wonderful and stimulating and we both dealt with it much more easily when we were younger and full of piss and vinegar. Both of us are known for being funny. And we are. We’re also witty. So we can juggle that kind of repartee with the best of them. But being on all the time takes its toll.

Now? Quiet. Peace. Working on our terms. We talked about it again this morning. Where do we draw the line going forward?

For those of you who are introverts: There is nothing ‘wrong’ with you. You don’t have to apologize for anything. If someone else doesn’t get it, that’s his/her problem, not yours. You set your boundaries and if those boundaries are scoffed at…don’t let yourself feel one iota of guilt. I say this to myself as much as to you.

If you haven’t read all the comments, I urge you to.

I’m so happy you’re here.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Hitting the Wall

May 8, 2021 at 10:04 am by Claudia

• We have one tulip. It was planted by a previous owner. At times, it only develops leaves, but for the past two years, it’s flowered beautifully. A thank you to the previous custodian of this house for planting this beauty.

• Friends, I hit a wall last night. We have been working so hard outside, running errands, mowing the entire property, and the wall was a combination of exhaustion and allergies. Today, a day we had already decided would be a day off, I feel like I’m in a fog. Thankfully, it’s raining gently right now so Mother Nature has decided that it’s a day to stay inside.

So what did I do yesterday? I went to the nursery, where I saw one of the owners carrying the exact hanging plant that I wanted. He said it was already sold but that he might have one left. He did. Someone had just purchased 13 of them! The good news? More were expected later in the day and I should come back after 3 pm. Okay.

Then I drove to the grocery store to get a few things that we needed.

Came home, hung the plant, got out the weed whacker and went all around the property, cleaning things up. Then we mowed the back forty. Then we raked all the bare spots left over from taking down the corral fence, as well as from all the machinery that was used to remove our trees, and applied grass seed, in hope that we can get something going there before the birds eat the seed.

Then I had some lunch and drove back to the nursery and purchased the other two hanging plants. Early in the morning, there were a few people there. By the end of the day, all the weekenders had shown up and I could barely find a place to park. A pox on those city people!

My allergies are very bad this year and I just plow ahead and do things because if I let allergies stop me I would never get anything done. But boy oh boy, do I need to sit it out this weekend!

Still to do: sow seeds for zinnias, morning glory, and moonflowers. And mulch the big garden bed which I haven’t done for a couple of years.

• I was reading a book on oil painting and quickly realized that though there is a lot of helpful information, I couldn’t linger there too long or I would be thoroughly intimidated. I may be too tired today to attempt anything, but maybe tomorrow…

• Yesterday when I was going in and out of the shed, two robins, perched in trees on either side of the shed, started chirping at me. I suspected that they might have moved into that nest that is nestled in the climbing hydrangea. And then, as the day went on, I kept seeing two robins in the corral area (eating the grass seed!) This morning, I saw them again and one flew into the nest. Aha! I love it when birds nest there. I think we’ve had three different sets of nesters over the past four years, which is why I’m glad I never took it down. It really is a piece of art, that nest.

• A conversation for another day: what Don and I have been discussing about reentry into the world and the fears we have about that, as well as what we realize we don’t want as we move forward. I’ve addressed this a bit before, but as an introvert, I’m determined to reenter on my terms. I’m too tired to write more than that today. Maybe tomorrow.

• A sad note. Meredith called me to tell me that fellow blogger, Theresa Kasner, had died suddenly. Theresa was a lovely person and Meredith was very good friends with her. Theresa also visited my blog occasionally and I loved her personality, her joy in life, her beautiful photography and the life she shared with her husband, Dayle, on their farm. Rest in peace, Theresa. You will be greatly missed.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Flowers and a Paperweight

Introverts, Unite!

Hitting the Wall

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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