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Rays of Light

September 14, 2014 at 9:00 am by Claudia

It rained all day yesterday; a quiet, steady rain that we very much needed. The rivers are low here. Our cottage is just a short walk away from two rivers and I’ve been shocked lately at how low the water level is.

The gardens are loving it. I’m hoping that it rains every few days while I’m gone so my gardens can thrive in between visits home.

This is what it looked like outside this morning:

rays of light

Sunlight peeking through the trees.

This photo rather reminds me of one I took last year in the summer of 2013. While I was out of town working in Hartford, (sound familiar?) I used it to illustrate a Leonard Cohen lyric. That photo had such pretty bokeh! You can see that particular post here.

But I digress. I say all that only because I seem to be captivated by rays of light coming through the trees. Today’s photo was taken while it was still a bit foggy out, with drops of rain still hanging from all the plants. It’s all rather magical and you have to run outside and try to capture it before the light changes. That kind of light always seems to transport me to another world; a world of beauty and spirit and possibilities.

But, brrrr! It was nippy outside this morning. Autumn is definitely in the air. Along with my non-flannel pajamas, I’m wearing my shawl and a pair of socks. However, I refuse to turn the heat on this early. I simply can’t.

candy stripes & mg

Back to yesterday. Scout and I tucked ourselves in for the day. I finished Act Four of Hamlet and I sent off our tax deductions. I was quite pleased with myself. Then I read and read and read some more: Deborah Crombie’s newest, To Dwell in Darkness.  How lovely it is to read a new book by a favorite author, but what a double edged sword it is. I become happily immersed in the writing and the plot, while at the same time, I try to stretch the experience out as long as possible. However, it can’t be too long, because I have other books to read and review.

A quality problem, that’s for sure.

sunlit zinnia

Today: Act Five and then I’ll be done with my Hamlet prep. I’m also doing a load or two of laundry over at my neighbor’s while they are away for the afternoon. Bless them. I will take advantage of the opportunity to play with their adorable cats.

It’s time to start making lists of all the things I have to take with me as I prepare to leave for Hartford. And lists of all the things I have to do before I leave. Then the inevitable worry: what the heck will I blog about? This is my sixth go-round in Hartford, which is a nice city, yes, but not very lively. I feel like I’ve completely plumbed the depths of that experience.

Ah well.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Hartford, life, On The Road, reading, Shakespeare 22 Comments

September

September 1, 2014 at 9:19 am by Claudia

September.

That came up rather quickly, didn’t it?

I remember when summer seemed to last forever; a long stretch of endless days of reading, riding bikes, playing outside, camping. Ninety days turned into 1000 days. Three months were more like six months.

As we get older, not so much. A summer seems to fly by. A blink of the eye and suddenly leaves are on the ground and the bright light of summer is beginning to turn into the golden light of autumn.

How grateful I am that this spring and summer were the first in a long time where I wasn’t away from home for several weeks. Only two and a half weeks in Chautauqua. I got to see the gardens in all their stages of growth. Usually, I miss either the beginning or the last couple of months of the gardens. So, I’m grateful.

garden and fallen leaves

It may be September, but the Chicken Wire Fence Garden is thriving. Leaves on the ground. Flowers blooming.

Sort of perfect.

3 morning glories

I finished The Heist by Daniel Silva yesterday. I’m now reading The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olsen (an author you really should get to know) and a wonderful book by Pat Conroy, My Reading Life. Conroy writes so beautifully that I’d even read his grocery list. He’s that good.

I also had a 2½ hour phone conversation with a wonderful friend of mine – a fellow voice/speech coach. Lovely. Don was away on a gig, so I took advantage of a chunk of quiet, undisturbed time in the house. It was so great to catch up with her.

And I mowed the whole front yard yesterday! That’s a workout, my friends, and I was exhausted afterward. It was more humid out there than I had thought. I was trying to beat out the rain that was coming (we really need it) and I managed to finish about ten minutes before the first drops fell. And then it rained quite a bit, which the gardens and trees and plants are clearly appreciating this morning.

My husband is a proud member of three unions. Unions gave actors fair pay, regular hours, protections of all kinds, and health benefits; things they didn’t have for years and years. Happy Labor Day.

Happy Monday.

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Filed Under: books, flowers, garden, morning glory, reading 28 Comments

My Kingdom for Some Half and Half

August 8, 2014 at 8:15 am by Claudia

Because I can’t have any dairy two hours before and after I take my antibiotic, I have to drink my first cup of coffee black.

Yuck.

It’s not so long ago that I would only drink my coffee black. Now, I shudder to think of it. Right around the time I had my gall bladder trouble, I stopped drinking coffee. For a couple of months, actually. The acidity of coffee wasn’t doing me any favors at the time. The gall bladder was eventually removed and a month or so later, I happily resumed coffee drinking, but this time, I started adding half and half because drinking it black was suddenly too much. Funny, how tastes change. So now I find myself drinking it black for that first cup of the day and I try to stretch that particular cup of coffee out until two hours have passed and I can treat myself to a cup with half and half.

Not to mention the fact that I have to cram some food down my throat when I first get up so that I’m not taking the pill on an empty stomach.

My morning routine is topsy-turvy.

geraniums up close

I ventured outside yesterday, sunhat on my head, to water the plants and take some photos and walk Scout around the yard. The garden needs weeding. Desperately. I’ll have to do it very early in the day or very late in the day. Early is tough for this slow waker-upper. I’ll figure it out.

In the meantime, I’m reading, doing crossword puzzles, watching Masterpiece Mystery and wonderful old movies like Ball of Fire with Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper (one of my absolute favorites.)

I have to coach one of my former students who has been cast in an episode of a television show. The character she is playing has a Hungarian accent. So we’re going to Skype this weekend and work through her script. That will be fun (she’s one of my favorite students, though I know I’m not supposed to have favorites.)

brown eyed susan

I’m off to read some blogs, read about Harper Lee, and read the mystery I will be reviewing here next week. Speaking of reading, today is the last day to leave a comment on my review of Deadly Assets on Just Let Me Finish This Page. I’m giving away a copy, but you absolutely have to leave a comment today to be considered. I’m drawing the winner this evening. Just click here to be taken to the post.

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, coffee, life, reading 28 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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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

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