garden — Page 202

Back At The Ranch

June 15, 2014 at 8:48 am by Claudia

I had no idea what day of the week it was when I woke up this morning. Monday? Saturday?

I finally hit on Sunday.

Where am I?

I feel like I’m in Brigadoon. Out of the fog, a magical and utterly charming little town springs up on the shores of a lake. Since it’s very foggy this morning, I am going to go with that fantasy. Chautauqua is by far the prettiest place I’ve ever coached. No contest.

Today is my day off, so I will be walking around Chautauqua taking iPhone pictures. I am now regretting my decision not to bring my big girl camera. I keep looking for it. It feels like I’m missing an appendage. But at the last minute, with a full suitcase and a large canvas bag filled with laptop, paperwork, chargers, and back up hard drive, I just couldn’t face the task of trying to fit it in.

Live and learn.

Sunday Cottage daisies

I picked some daisies from the edge of the road and put them in a plastic glass which is now a vase. No, I’m not a member of the Chautauqua Golf Club.

How about some more pictures of what’s blooming back at the ranch? I miss my garden. But I don’t miss all the weeds that have taken up residence after all the rain we’ve had this week.

Sunday Cottage rose

Sunday Cottage Lantana

Sunday Cottage Catalpa

The catalpas are about to bloom. I won’t be there for that. Sob.

Sunday Cottage sprirea

The spirea was just starting to bloom when I left.

Sunday Cottage peony

I told Don to go cut some peonies and put them in a vase. I’m sure the rains have beaten them down to the ground and I hate to think of them lying there. If I was home, I’d have taken care of that.

Sunday Cottage rose2

Sigh. So gloriously beautiful.

It’s Father’s Day. Happy day to my dad and to the father of this one:

Sunday Cottage Scoutie

I miss that little scamp. Fortunately, the stage manager has a dog named Stella. If you can’t find me at rehearsal, I’m probably petting Stella and scratching her tummy.

A quick story: there is a scene in the play where the Younger family is packing their things, preparing for a move. The young actress who is playing Ruth Younger has a lot of stage business to do during that scene. While she’s talking, she’s constantly packing things from the living room. During the staging of the scene, she grabbed the 1950s-era phone from the table, ready to shove it in a box. The director said, “Whoa! You can’t pack that.” She looked surprised. So we proceeded to explain to her that there was a time when you didn’t own your phone, when you actually rented it from the phone company.

That was an entirely foreign concept to her.

Boy, do I feel old!

(You can follow along on my Instagram feed if you want to see the most recent photos of my adventure here in Chautauqua.

Happy Sunday.

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On the Road and In the Garden

June 13, 2014 at 8:09 am by Claudia

Whoops! I was mistaken. I can post today. I’ve managed to make my ailing adaptor work (though it needs to be replaced and the replacement will arrive today.) It’s a temporary fix, but it has allowed me to chat with you today. I only hope that you all see it! I’m going to sprinkle this post with photos of what was blooming in my garden as I left town.

I got a glimpse of the beauty that is the Chautauqua Institution as I arrived on the grounds on Wednesday night. But I haven’t been able to explore it very much as yesterday was consumed by rehearsal. We worked until 9:30 pm. This production is being done on a Summer Stock-type schedule. Very short rehearsal period. Very short run. So I need to be there at rehearsal as much as I possibly can. This theater runs a season that revolves around a core company of acting students that are currently studying in some of the best graduate training programs in the country. They mount three productions a season with casts that consist of the students and a guest Equity actor or two. It’s a wonderful concept and this particular group of actors is very talented. Since I love working with students, I’m particularly enjoying this rehearsal process. The guest artist is playing the matriarch of the household, Lena Younger.

peony with water drops_

Yesterday we couldn’t help but feel the poignancy of the death of Ruby Dee, who originated the role of Ruth Younger on Broadway and who was a close friend of the actress playing Lena Younger in our production. May she rest in peace.

blooming ground cover

By the way, on my way into town on Wednesday night, I saw a sign for a miniatures shop! As someone who lives in an area where there’s exactly zero miniature shops, I cannot wait to go there!

peony 1

The apartment I’m in is right across the street from the theater building. It’s a condo with three bedrooms that I will eventually share with the costume designer and the lighting designer, both of whom are scheduled to be back in town on June 20th. But right now, I get it all to myself. There will be no decorating, my friends, partly because I’m sharing the space but mostly because I’m only here for a little over two weeks. Not worth it.

peony two

I’m so grateful that I got a chance to see the other peony bush in bloom before I left. I’m going to miss the Catalpas in bloom. Sob. And some of the roses. Sob again.

rose and buds

Hello, Julia Child rose that was yellow and is now a deep red. That’s okay. I still love you.

peony three

Nature: the perfect designer.

peony with water drops and ant

Lest I blow my wad by posting too many photos of the flowers blooming at MHC, I’ll stop there. There’s more to come. Hopefully, I can get Don to take some pictures with his iPhone. Speaking of which, I didn’t bring my big girl camera along with me – too cumbersome. So any and all photos I take here will be with my iPhone. Should be interesting!

Don’t forget to stop by my post on Gardening with Hydrangeas from the Endless Summer® Collection for a chance to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.

And don’t forget my book review. I’m giving away a copy of Moving Day by Jonathan Stone.

Happy Friday.

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I Can’t Resist Red Shoes (and Flowers)

June 10, 2014 at 8:52 am by Claudia

Remember my red shoes? The shoes I found that were unbelievably comfortable? The shoes that were so popular that several other bloggers bought them?

Not long after that post, I sent an email to Spring Step Shoes. I raved about the shoes, thanking them for creating such comfortable, yet attractive footwear. I mentioned the fact that writing about them on my blog had resulted in some readers buying them, as well. And I sent a link to my post. I just thought it would a fun post to share with Spring Step.

Imagine my surprise when I received a response from Spring Step. They loved the post and graciously offered to send me another pair of shoes of my choosing. What?? I certainly wasn’t expecting that! I was so grateful and amazed by their generous offer. Narrowing down the options was the tough part, but I finally picked a pair. I’ve been wanting to share them with you, but held off until Spring arrived, as I consider this pair to be Spring and Summer shoes.

I chose this pair, which is named Martine:

redshoes2

You’re looking at the broken-in version of Martine. I wore them all day on Friday and Saturday at the Country Living Fair. Absolutely no problem and incredibly comfortable.

redshoes1

On the day of their arrival.

redshoes3

They’re so cute!

A big thank you to Spring Step! I know we’re all on a budget and shoes can be pricey. But I have problems with my feet and back and support is an absolute necessity. It’s a no brainer for me. When I buy cheap shoes, I suffer. When I buy well-made shoes, I don’t. It’s a simple as that. (And that may be why I don’t buy new shoes very often!)

These shoes are very well-made and I didn’t have to break them in. Perfect from the get-go. I’m taking them with me to Chautauqua.

They make me happy. They make me smile. And they’re red.

I’m a bit crazy at the moment, trying to get ready to leave for Chautauqua. It’s all lists: lists of things I need to pack, lists of things I need to show Don, lists of errands I need to run. I’ve had to write a couple of posts ahead of time, something I almost never do. I’m not a post scheduler. I write daily. But, travel time tomorrow coincides with a book review that is scheduled for the same day and I had to write a draft of another post for BlogHer. I won’t get in until late on Wednesday and I have no idea where I’m staying or what the next day’s schedule will be, so if I miss a post on Thursday, you’ll understand, right?

Flower update: The Climbing Hydrangea, which has never bloomed in the six years I’ve had it, has given me two blooms this year. Wonder of wonders! The flowers are fascinating, which you’ll see by observing this progression:

climbinghydrangea1