Nancy Drew

Thursday

March 5, 2020 at 10:30 am by Claudia

Playing around with my Nancy Drews and a photo filter. Currently, they’re on the vintage bookcase in the upstairs hallway, along with other vintage children’s books. That may change when we add bookshelves to the wall. Whenever that is…

Beautiful day out there – it’s quite sunny. I really think Spring is coming early this year. The temps in the 14 day forecast are mostly in the fifties, with a couple of days back in the forties. On Monday, we’ll hit 65. There’s always the chance of a big snowfall, but it looks increasingly like that won’t happen. I see some rain/snow showers here and there, but that’s it. I haven’t checked on the daffodils yet because they’re on the edge of the woods and I haven’t been up there, but I suspect they’re poking through the ground. I know some of my day lilies are. Since all the fallen leaves remain on the garden beds to protect the vegetation, I’m sure there is more evidence of new growth. I just can’t see it yet.

An early Spring? I’m onboard.

Today’s necessary chore: grocery shopping. We’ve put it off, but it’s time. We’re having an early dinner with Rick and Doug this evening. And that’s about it.

Don and I spent our second cup of coffee time this morning trying to keep track of the plot points in Babylon Berlin. It’s quite complex. This third season has only reinforced my feelings about this brilliant series – it’s simply the best I’ve ever seen. We watched three episodes last night – it was that good – so we’re going to slow down and watch the four remaining episodes slowly. One each evening.

Then, as we’ve done in the past, we’ll watch it all over again. It will spoil us, of course. Nothing else will look nearly as good.

Happy Thursday.

Potpourri on Thursday

January 4, 2018 at 8:37 am by Claudia

• I’m officially ‘over’ Winter and it’s only January 4th. These sub-zero temperatures and, now, more snow, with freezing rain and ice in the forecast for the beginning of the week are too much. I’m over it. Don: “Look at the snow falling, it’s really pretty.” Me: “Don’t like it. Don’t want it.”

And we’re not even getting the brunt of this storm, which will hammer those who live nearer to or on the coast. We’re far enough inland that we’ll just get 3 to 5 inches of the white stuff.

The house is so dry that Don and I are constantly complaining about it. And before you ask, yes, we do have a humidifier and we use it every day. It isn’t making much of a difference. Rick and Doug have two of them, and they say the same thing: Nada. It’s been a tough winter so far.

Okay, enough kvetching.

• I entertained myself yesterday afternoon by taking photos with my big girl camera.

Paperwhites.

New growth.

Baby pileas. Or is it pileae?

More new growth. This schefflera has finally calmed down. For the longest time after I bought it, it kept shedding leaves, and since the previous schefflera that I had bit the dust, I was beginning to think scheffleras and I were on a collision course. I cut back on frequency of watering and it seems to have acclimated itself to the conditions in the cottage. I’m very happy about that!

• I managed to snag a copy of The Hidden Staircase, number two in the Nancy Drew series. This one is pretty hard to find, especially in fairly good condition. Once again, it was all in the timing. I happened to do a search right after someone had listed this as a Buy Now. It was a really good price, so I jumped on it.

Isn’t that a fabulous illustration? I love the clothes and the cloche hat.

Two more to go. They are from the last of the series that Tandy illustrated, with darker covers, and they’re fairly easy to find, so I should complete this collection soon.

• And finally, last night’s sunset:

Happy Thursday.

A Little Decorating and Another Nancy

December 12, 2017 at 9:25 am by Claudia

Monday List:

Get the trees out and decorate them.

Check.

I added this little tree to the den. I bought it last year when I had to spend the holiday season in Hartford.

The lights are from Target and are battery operated. Since we actually had some AA batteries on hand (that never happens) I was able to use them.

The ornaments on both trees are vintage; mostly Shiny Brites. When Don came home in the afternoon, the trees were up and the lights were glowing and we admired the trees while eating molasses cookies that I had just made.

That was the other item on my To Do list. Making the cookies.

Oh, and wash the sheets. Check.

I love turning on the tree lights when we get up in the morning. It makes for gentle and lovely way to start the day, slowly sipping coffee while looking at the tree.

The expected snow for today has turned into rain.

This arrived yesterday:

Love the cover art.

I bid on an earlier auction for a copy of The Clue in the Diary, but lost out, which was fine as the price went higher than I was willing to pay. The next day, I looked at eBay and there was a new listing for a ridiculously low price and it was Buy Now. So I did. It was printed during WWII and there’s a message on the title page:

This book, while produced under wartime conditions, in full compliance with government regulations for the conservation of paper and other essential materials, is COMPLETE AND UNABRIDGED.

Only three more to collect in this limited series of Nancy Drew books with dust cover art by Russell H. Tandy: The Hidden Staircase, The Clue in the Old Album, and The Ghost of Blackwood Hall. I’ll get them, eventually. I know exactly how the cover art should look and, since there are only three more to get, I’m taking my time so I can extend the pleasure of the search.

Happy Tuesday.

Thursday

Potpourri on Thursday

A Little Decorating and Another Nancy

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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