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Big and Small

April 14, 2019 at 10:29 am by Claudia

Can I just take a moment to say how the Tax Bill has screwed us? I knew it was going to, but I didn’t know how many thousands of dollars we would owe. For actors, this bill has been a nightmare. You can no longer deduct agent commissions. You can no longer deduct union dues. You can no longer deduct expenses on the road. The list goes on and on. Don paid 10% agent fees on his salary from Escape to Margaritaville. That’s a lot of money – thousands of dollars. We’ve lost that deduction. We’ve also lost the deduction for expenses while he was living in New York.

So – we owe a lot of money. And our tax preparer – who specializes in the entertainment industry – told us that everyone  is getting the shaft this year. She has had to break the bad news to virtually all of her clients. Because none of us are millionaires. I know that this change has impacted everyone, regardless of profession. It’s not just us, so I’m not trying to imply that we’re ‘special.’

We file an extension, but our accountant advised us to pay a chunk of it via voucher now, so we don’t get saddled with penalties and interest. We’re going to do that. It’s had a major impact on our finances – we’re still reeling from the news. Oh my goodness, I feel for everyone who is dealing with this.

I’ll refrain from saying what I think about this atrocity and its impact on the vast majority of Americans because I don’t want to swear on the blog. So I’ll leave you to imagine what my colorful language might be.

New York State, thank goodness, didn’t go along with the tax changes. Neither did California. So, filing in those states – and we have to file in both of them – won’t have a negative impact.

Okay. Enough of that nonsense. The rest of the day will be positive, even if positive means raking as many leaves out of the garden beds as I can before it rains later today. I have to get moving on my gardens!

I worked on the dollhouse yesterday – I finished patching and de-gluing and I’m painting a base coat of white in the rooms until I figure out exactly what I want to do with them.

Yesterday’s theme: Big and small. The duck egg cup on the left is one of the largest that I own – it was given to me by a reader of this blog. It’s from a Holland Mold. Holland Molds were made by a company based in Trenton, NJ. They created molds for pottery that would eventually be painted and glazed by individual crafters. This one was painted and signed by someone with the initials LH in 1958. LH did a pretty good job!

The little one on the right is the smallest figural egg cup in my collection. Love that little bunny and egg.

Okay. I have to don some old clothes and start raking. Tedious. But necessary!

Happy Sunday.

 

Filed Under: egg cups, life 52 Comments

Book Review: The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni

April 11, 2019 at 10:23 am by Claudia

Today I am reviewing The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni for TLC Book Tours. Thank you to TLC and to Thomas & Mercer for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book.

About the book (from the publisher): Former CIA case officer Charles Jenkins is a man at a crossroads: in his early sixties, a new baby on the way, and a security consulting business on the brink of bankruptcy. Then his former bureau chief shows up at his house with a risky new assignment: travel undercover to Moscow and locate a Russian agent believed to be killing members of a clandestine US spy cell known as the seven sisters.

Desperate for money, Jenkins agrees to the mission and heads to the Russian capital. But when he finds the mastermind agent behind the assassinations – the so-called eighth sister – she is not who or what she is led to believe. Then again, neither is anyone else is this deadly game of cat and mouse.

Pursued by a dogged Russian intelligence officer, Jenkins executes a daring escape across the Black Sea, only to find himself abandoned by the agency he serves. With his family and freedom at risk, Jenkins is in the fight of his life – against his own country.

My review: In the spirit of full transparency, I’ve long been a fan of Robert Dugoni’s books. I have reviewed a few of the books in his Tracy Crosswhite Series on this blog; Tracy being a police detective in the Pacific Northwest. Like his other books, this book starts and ends in that same area of the country, where Charles Jenkins lives with his wife and young son.

But the locale quickly changes to Moscow, the Black Sea and other parts of the world, as Jenkins goes on his secret mission for the CIA. Dugoni clearly knows Moscow and his descriptions of that part of the world are evocative. Time and place are beautifully written in all of Dugoni’s books, so the reader feels immersed in the temperature of the air, the surrounding landscape, biting winds, the cold sea water. We are not only caught up in the story, we’re caught up in place. As it should be.

This is a new direction for Dugoni, who has at least three series going: Tracy Crosswhite, David Sloan, and now, Charles Jenkins. I haven’t read any of the David Sloane Series – he’s a lawyer – but he plays a big role in this story as Jenkins’ close friend and lawyer.

Dugoni is a great storyteller. This story has many layers, many twists and turns, and to Dugoni’s credit, I couldn’t put it down. The plot is a complicated one, yet Dugoni deftly guides the reader through it while the suspense builds to a crescendo.

I’ve read a lot of spy thrillers and they can feel a little cold and distant. I’m not sure why – is it the nature of the spy who must do his job no matter what? Who must live a life where he is undercover, precluding any sort of emotional attachments? I suspect so. However, with this book, Dugoni has created a reluctant  spy who has strong emotional attachments to his family and friends, who has a strong sense of morality, and who, despite his reluctance, commits to the mission with honor. He’s fascinating.

A thoroughly riveting and enjoyable read.

I think you’ll like this book. I know I did.

About the author: Robert Dugoni is the critically acclaimed New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite Series, which has sold more than 3.5 million books worldwide. He is also the author of the bestselling David Sloane Series; the stand-alone novels The 7th Canon, Damage Control, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, for which he won an AudioFile Earphones Award for the narration; and the nonfiction exposé The Cyanide Canary, a Washington Post  Best Book of the Year. He is the recipient of the Nancy Pearl Award for Fiction and the Friends of Mystery Spotted Owl Award for best novel set the the Pacific Northwest. He is a two-time finalist for the International Thriller Award, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the Silver Falchion Award for mystery, and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award. His books are sold in more the twenty-five countries and have been translated into more than two dozen languages.

Good news! I am giving away a copy of The Eighth Sister! (USA and Canada) Just leave a comment on this post (not on the email version of this post) to be considered. On Sunday evening, using the Random Number Generator, I will pick a winner. Good luck!

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: books, life, TLC Book Review 36 Comments

Oh My

April 3, 2019 at 12:33 pm by Claudia

I got so busy this morning, I forgot to hit Publish! Better late than never!

I know you’ve seen a lot of these tulips, but they’re on their last legs and they’re still beautiful! The texture, the sculptural quality of the blooms, the morning sunlight illuminating them – all so lovely.

I ended up cleaning out my email  inboxes yesterday. Like a woman who was on a mission, I couldn’t stop deleting correspondence I no longer needed to save. I had to take periodic breaks because my right index finger was getting tired. Then Don came home and we headed for a walk on the rail trail, which felt great. We were having such an animated conversation that it went by very quickly. Then I came home and deleted some more.

We watched A Walk in the Woods  with Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, and Emma Thompson last night. I read Bill Bryson’s book when it first came out and Don has read it, as well. Loved the movie.

Okay. Here’s how crazy our weather is. Today, it’s going to go up to 62 degrees, with the humidity dropping and high winds in the afternoon, resulting in a brush fire warning and wind advisories. Tomorrow: High of 53, low 29 (below freezing again.) Friday: High of 39 degrees, low of 37, with rain and snow.

What the heck?

I told you April was crazy.

Don may be able to get out and take some pictures this weekend. I know he’ll be very happy if that happens, as he’s really missed it.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments yesterday. It’s clear that we’re all trying to practice self-care, to draw a line of protection, while staying aware. It ain’t easy! I appreciate all that you shared. I think we can help each other as we try to find a new normal that works. Great discussion.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Filed Under: life 20 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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