giveaway — Page 4

Oh No You Don’t, Nancy Drew, Despair & Safety Pins

November 11, 2016 at 9:08 am by Claudia

I woke up this morning thinking of the twenty million or so people who might lose any health insurance and wondered how anyone with a shred of compassion can crow about that. And I felt despair, which, unfortunately, is still with me.

Apparently, vile comments are not limited to my blog posts about this election. Meredith has received a couple – one specifically – that was so despicable that it prompted her to write a post about those who would presume to attack her. I’m her big sister, so I had to comment. I’m protective of her. That’s my job as big sister, even thought the truth is that she is strong and mighty.

You’d better not mess with my sister. I will not put up with it.

I am enormously proud of her. She is a giving, loving, generous woman who practices love, not hate. So don’t mess with her, commenters, or I will come after you.

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Last night’s sunset.

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In our yard.

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On our walk.

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My friend Barbara contacted me yesterday. She has a copy of The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk. Since I already have a copy (pictured here) she suggested giving away her copy to the runner-up in the current giveaway. Huzzah! Isn’t that great? So I’ll pick two winners. #2 will get The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk, sent to you from Canada by wonderful Barbara.

This giveaway just got more exciting! Remember to leave your comments on yesterday’s post and I’ll pick a winner on Sunday night.

Let me add this: If that man and Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell do what they want to do, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will be in danger. My nephew needs Medicaid for his care. Don and I could not survive without Social Security and Medicare. We simply couldn’t make it. We barely make it with them.

And one more thing: Think about wearing a safety pin. Here’s why, in an article on The Huffington Post. I know I will be wearing one. As will Don.

Remembering Veterans today, including my dad, a decorated veteran of WWII. A never-ending prayer for no more war.

(Trying to be) Happy Friday.

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Birds, Flowers, Hi-Tech & Little Z

September 15, 2016 at 9:25 am by Claudia

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This morning I saw four catbirds trying to maneuver around these leaves in order to do their thing in the birdbath. Note to Claudia: Time to scrub the birdbath (something I do a couple of times a week).

The other day, I watched a shimmering green hummingbird sample each and every one of the pink geraniums in the three whisky barrels. You can see one of the barrels in the photo.

It was magical. Wings moving faster than the eye can see, flitting, hovering, heading toward the chicken wire fence, then stopping abruptly to reverse direction. No time to grab the camera and, truthfully, sometimes it’s just nice to be. To simply glory in the wonders of nature.

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Hi-Tech month has come to a close. (I think I’ve been spelling “Hi” as “High,” which might be incorrect in this instance.) Yesterday, we took a little trip to Target to buy…brace yourselves for this exciting news…a new dishpan, drying rack and dish drainer. Yep. We went all out. And we bought a pack of socks for Don. Whoo hoo!

Actually, I did buy something with the money I got back from Apple when I exchanged computers. I bought a Bose wireless speaker for the office. It’s small but mighty. (I’ll show you a photo of it tomorrow). At times, I like to listen to music when I’m working, yet I find I don’t want to be wearing ear buds. Too restricting if I need to get up and move around. So this kind of thing seemed like the perfect solution.

And I can take it with me when I’m working out of town!

I tried it out when I got home and it delivers excellent sound quality. Bose is a favorite of ours.

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It’s much cooler this morning. I’m actually wearing a shawl. And socks! Even though I’m resisting the seasonal change, I must admit I like the cooler weather.

Today, I will put together Little Z’s dollhouse, scrounge through my stash for anything I can pass along to him, and search for more sturdy furniture online.

Speaking of Little Z, the other night he asked us if he could come visit us in “N as in New York” which is how he always says it, and I pray he keeps saying it that way for at least a little bit longer. It’s so charming. Of course, we said yes, and we told him we were going to be coming to Florida to see him next month. He corrected us, saying, “You’re coming down to Florida.” Ummm….yes, you’re right, smart nephew of mine!

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Today we have to write a letter and send it to his school. They always do something for Grandparents Day but Z doesn’t have any living grandparents, so we’re going to stand in for my mom and dad. The school sent us an envelope that was supposed to include a drawing from our ‘grandchild’ and a request for the letter, but what we received was the packet for a student named ‘Delilah’ – nothing from Little Z! Ah, well. We’ll return the stuff from Delilah when we send the letter to Florida.

Apparently, the teachers read each letter aloud to the students and then post them on the bulletin board.

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Side note: Why are pillowcases so expensive nowadays? Two standard pillowcases for $30? Seems a bit pricey to me, so I’m going to search for a better deal. Maybe a trip to HomeGoods is in order.

The winner of a copy of Beulah’s House of Prayer is Martha! Martha, I’m sending you an email. Congratulations!

Oh lordy – I had to add this. My former student Chris Nee (she’s a BU grad) who is a wonderful person and extremely funny, too, is the creator of Doc McStuffins. This is what she tweeted:

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Happy Thursday.

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Float Like a Butterfly

August 9, 2016 at 9:21 am by Claudia

On any given day here in the gardens, I see cabbage moths and the occasional butterfly. (No Monarchs yet.) However, once that Butterfly Bush starts blooming, I see them all the time. The other day, I saw two Eastern Swallowtails on the same bloom. By the time I got my camera (the older one, as it was nearest to the door) they had moved, but I managed to grab a quick shot of them at the top of the bush.

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From that point on, I just kept snapping pictures whenever one of them landed on a flower.

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I saw a black swallowtail as I was pulling out of the driveway yesterday. He was dining on the phlox.

We are in the midst of August now. I see fewer birds in the birdbath and fewer critters, though I did see a bunny this morning. I can’t help it, I love my little friends, so I feel a sadness when their visits start to be few and far between. These little and not-so-little changes are heralds of the upcoming seasonal change.

Do not like.

I have to get the oil changed in my car this morning – I know, how exciting can my life be? And I’ll run some errands while I’m in that area – an area that has a Target, Home Depot, Barnes & Noble, and Michael’s. By the way, the last time I was in Barnes & Noble, a few weeks back, I was stunned at how few books there were. The toys and educational items and games are literally taking over the store. Perhaps the new name should be Barnes & Noble Toys, Games, DVDs and Children’s Books. Because there sure aren’t many books for adults.

The winner of the Bedrooms Coloring Book is Lorinda! Congratulations, Lorinda. I’ve sent you an email. Please send me your mailing address and I will forward it on to my friend Donna – she’ll be sending you your very own copy.

Happy Tuesday.

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Oh No You Don’t, Nancy Drew, Despair & Safety Pins

Birds, Flowers, Hi-Tech & Little Z

Float Like a Butterfly

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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