garden — Page 68

Re-emerging

July 24, 2019 at 10:20 am by Claudia

Morning rays.

We’re re-emerging.

Mowing and cleanup time today. Everything is overgrown; all the heat and humidity, plus two days of heavy rain has created a mess! Glad for the rain, of course, but boy, do I need to weed and weed whack and mow! We’re headed outside as soon as I finish this post.

There’s not much to report – I’m reading The Paris Diversion by Chris Pavone – I’ve reviewed a couple of his books in the past and he’s an excellent writer. Now that I’ve finally seen Paris, it’s fun to read books that take place there as I have a much better sense of the streets and neighborhoods.

I’m in the library queue for Kate Atkinson’s latest. Number 10, as of yesterday. I drove to B & N yesterday to get out of the house. I’ve said this before, but they have less and less books all the time. And invariably, whatever I’m looking for isn’t on the shelves. I long for a more extensive bookstore that concentrates – call me crazy – on books. We have some independent book shops around here, but they’re small and the selection is limited. Oh heck, I really just want a John Sandoe or Daunt’s Books right here in the Hudson Valley. And that isn’t going to happen!

Overgrown or not, it’s pretty out there, my friends. And allergies or no, I’m going to spend some time out there today.

Happy Wednesday.

Sheltering From The Heat

July 21, 2019 at 10:53 am by Claudia

Greetings from the Heat Dome. Yikes, it’s hot out there! We watered everything twice yesterday. We’ll do the same today. With temps reaching 97 degrees here with a heat index of over 107 degrees, we are happily inside the house for the day. Well, until about 3 pm, when we have to get on the road. We’re going to a concert in NJ, not far from Manhattan. Yes, we’re driving in these temps! But it’s a one-night only appearance. So off we’ll go. (It’s a concert by Australian Tommy Emmanuel, an incredible guitar player. His mentor was Chet Atkins. He’s charming and funny and it will be a lot of fun, especially for Don who is a huge fan.)

Thankfully, all this heat will be gone by tomorrow. The high will be 77.

I watched this monarch go from coneflower to coneflower yesterday. Since there are about 100 blooms on the property, he hung around for a long time!

My dear friend Donna messaged me on FB today. She was a member of the cast of what she reminds me was “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” the musical we were doing scenes from 50 years ago yesterday. She remembers “running over to the TVs on every break from the stage to see how they were doing and finally seeing Neil Armstrong step on the surface.” I was assistant director on that production. Donna, by the way, has a gorgeous singing voice and is beautiful inside and out. We were in plays and musicals together, both in the summer and in high school. We also were in choir and vocal ensemble together. She was and is a good friend. So good to hear her thoughts! I read them and was immediately back there at Camp Dearborn with her and the rest of the cast.

I’m still waiting for the newest Kate Atkinson to arrive in my local library. I finished Case Histories last night, and I’ve started on Chris Pavone’s latest, The Paris Diversion. You get a lot of reading done in weather like this.

Happy Sunday.

Potpourri on Tuesday

July 16, 2019 at 10:38 am by Claudia

• That’s a pesky Japanese beetle on top of that coneflower. Every year, like clockwork, they descend upon the gardens. Oh, garden pests, you are on my last nerve!

• I did a double take when I saw 98 degrees as the high for this coming Saturday. I sure hope that number changes for the better. It’s going to be 91 here today and very hot for the rest of the week, though it’s supposed to storm tomorrow. We’re in the dog days of summer, that’s for sure.

• We went over to Rick and Doug’s to let Sam out and we spent some time throwing his ball for him. That boy can run fast – just like Scoutie could – and he will keep going forever. But we were mindful of the heat, so when he started to slow down, it was back in the air conditioned house for Sam. He’s such a great dog. We gave him lots of water and some treats and sat and petted him.

Here’s how he looked post-run:

I’m betting someone went right to sleep after we left.

• I want to recommend a series on Netflix: Charité. It’s a German series, so there are subtitles, but my heavens, is it excellent in every way! There are two seasons.

Charité is a famous hospital in Berlin. The first season is set in 1888 and it centers on the hospital, using both fictional and nonfictional characters. Set in the days when there was no cure for tuberculosis and diphtheria, it follows the struggles of doctors to find a cure, at a time when the word antibiotic was not in the lexicon. Charité was a famous teaching hospital with future Nobel Prize winning doctors on staff. At least four of the characters were real doctors who did indeed go on to win the Nobel Prize.

The second season, Charité at War, takes place in the last days of WWII, when the Russian army was advancing. The staff is divided in their allegiances; some are supportive of Hitler, others aren’t. Again – a mix of nonfictional characters and fictional characters, with the chilling specter of the Reich’s policy on euthanasia very much a part of the story.

We watched the second season first, and just finished watching the first season last night. The actors are simply stellar in their roles, the set design and cinematography excellent. In fact, it’s impeccably done. After a short while, you’ll forget there are subtitles because you’ll be completely immersed in the story. Best thing I’ve seen in a long, long time.

The hospital, by the way, is still in existence and is consistently ranked as one of the best hospitals in Europe.

• I’m just about to finish Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson. I’m hoping the books I recently put a hold on will be delivered to my library today. I don’t want to break my Kate Atkinson rhythm!

Happy Tuesday.

Re-emerging

Sheltering From The Heat

Potpourri on Tuesday

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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