jigsaw puzzles — Page 11

Saturday Morning

December 31, 2022 at 9:47 am by Claudia

A somewhat blurry morning photo of the living room where Don is currently composing a song. He told me once that he always has a song in his head, is always thinking about a song, is always thinking about the lyrics to a song. That explains why I often have to say something twice or even three times to him. He’s in another world. I love hearing the gentle sound of his voice and guitar on this New Year’s Eve morning.

We’re going to have some rain later in the day, so it’s rather dark and gloomy out there. The temperatures remain relatively mild.

Here’s a first. Most of this puzzle has been finished for five days. Then I put together the moon. And then…I could not get motivated to finish the sky. It’s in very subtle shades of pink and lavender and I would stare at it, look at the pieces, and walk away. Don said “Maybe you need a break?” He might be right. Except for the fact that this morning I had the thought, “You need to finish this before the New Year comes.” Sort of a superstitious thought – and I am not superstitious. We’ll see what happens. I just know I’m not motivated and I may decide that it’s done as is.

Last night around 9:30 I got a text from Annie. Annie is my former student from Boston University days. If you remember, I stayed in her brownstone last year during the filming of Spoiler Alert. She and her family had just watched the movie and they were so excited about it. Annie had taken photos of my name(s) in the credits and another of me in my scene. That made me so happy! Whenever someone tells me they saw the movie, I’m thrilled. Annie was one of the few people I told about my scene as Nurse Claudia. I knew she’d keep it quiet and because I was staying with her, I had to share! I think Don, Annie, my best friend Laural, and my sister were the only people in on it for several months because I wasn’t supposed to talk about it. I especially love hearing that no one would have believed Ben was British, since that was the bulk of my work on the film and the reason I was there in the first place.

Don said, “Just think, years from now people will be watching you in this film.” Theater is ephemeral; that’s the joy and wonder of it. Film is a different story.

For those of you who live somewhere else in this world, keep your eyes open. The only thing I’m fairly sure of is that it will open in Great Britain in January. If I hear more details, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Okay. It’s New Year’s Eve. Have a happy one. Ours will be quiet and we’ll be in bed long before midnight. We do have some sparkling apple cider to toast in the New Year. I suggested watching It Happened One Night, and Don quickly agreed. (One of our favorite movies ever.)

I’ll take the day off tomorrow and I’ll be back on Monday.

Happy New Year!

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

A Reading Day

December 27, 2022 at 9:15 am by Claudia

A few of you were curious about the puzzle Don gave me. Here it is:

All of the wooden pieces are supposed to fit together.

I thought I had a way in, but it didn’t work. NO hints, thank you. I don’t like help with my puzzles, jigsaw or wooden. I have never asked for help and I don’t like ‘assistants.’ Thankfully, Don has no interest in puzzles, so I am happily on my own. The puzzle is actually quite beautiful and I’m keeping it on the coffee table so I can play with it when the mood strikes.

Don did good, didn’t he?

We are taking it easy today. We took down the tree on Monday, which – to be frank – requires more work from me than Don. Many trips to the shed, lugging Christmas bins back to the house. Then, removing the ornaments, most of which are vintage and precious, and carefully wrapping each one in paper. All that involves a lot of bending over so my back was complaining a bit. After an hour or so with the ornaments, I removed most of the lights until I needed Don’s help. Then, I got down on the floor and loosened the screws on the stand and Don pulled out the tree. It was so dry that we wrapped the bottom of the tree in an old sheet so it wouldn’t drop needles on all the furniture as Don walked it through the living room and kitchen.

Since we have woods and a bit of acreage, Don finds a place to leave the tree, so it will provide cover for critters throughout the winter.

Then trips back to the shed with the bins and the clean up in the house. (I love the way we have the shed organized now – it’s a pleasure to use it as everything has its place and it’s pretty darned spacious.)

All in all, it took about three hours, but everything is back in place now.

I now realize I have probably bored the heck out of you, as everyone who decorates for Christmas goes through this particular exercise. There are no gems of wisdom here!

Today is a day for reading. I’m in the middle of Bad Actors by Mick Herron. Brilliant, as always. Then I have to start Michael Connelly’s newest, Desert Star. And I have the diaries of Alan Rickman, also. All three books are due next week. Gulp. So, instead of letting myself get distracted by other things, I’m determined to read, read, read.

This particular apple pie may be Don’s best so far. Oh my goodness!

It’s slowly getting warmer each day. We’ll have a high in the forties by the end of the week.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Puzzles and Books

December 18, 2022 at 9:43 am by Claudia

I hoped to have updated photos of the Lake Cottage but I was waylaid by the task of chopping up ice on the parking area and driveway. Don and I happened to be out there during the sunniest time of the day. By the time I came back in and turned on the heating pad, I was tired. It was only later that I realized I’d never taken the photos.

Hopefully, today.

The latest finished puzzle. This one was all about vintage paper dolls. I really love it. It brought back memories of all the paper dolls I played with as a kid. Don really loves it, too. That’s why you see the foam board behind the puzzle. He thinks we should frame it and hang it on the wall in the upstairs bathroom. The walls in that room are a brightish green and this would look great there. Don has a good eye. So I’ll get to that in the new year.

I put the foam core there so I can safely remove it from the table without taking it apart. A new puzzle arrived yesterday and I want to get cracking.

What else? We’ve vowed to take it easy today. I’m in the middle of a book about Dorothy Kilgallen: The Reporter Who Knew Too Much. She died at a young age and there has always been a suspicion that she was murdered. At the time of her death, she was in the middle of an investigation concerning the assassination of JFK. She disagreed with the Warren Commission report and felt there was a coverup. She covered the trial of Jack Ruby. She was a crack reporter who made a lot of enemies because she wouldn’t give up her investigation. When her body was discovered in her townhouse at the age of 52, a combination of alcohol and barbiturates was said to be the cause. However, many of her friends felt she was in danger. She felt she was in danger. Her phones were tapped. Their phones were tapped. J. Edgar Hoover had voluminous files on her. There were several factions that had an interest in quashing her investigation.

Frankly, I’ve never fully agreed with the results of the Warren Commission. I’m not one who leans toward conspiracy theories as a rule, but in this case…

Anyway, I find it fascinating, especially since we watch old episodes of What’s My Line every day. Who knows if it’s true? I’m more than halfway through the book. After that, I’ve got the most recent Herron waiting in the wings.

Okay.

Back to the book, back to my second cup of coffee.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Saturday Morning

A Reading Day

Puzzles and Books

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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