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You are here: Home / Archives for Riley

Random on Sunday

April 19, 2015 at 8:45 am by Claudia

4-19 lilacbuds

•  Oh boy. Those lilac buds give me hope. Yesterday was unseasonably warm and everything outside took off like a shot. (Dare I say it was too  warm? Would that make me ungrateful?) I picked up more rocks on the grass that were thrown there courtesy of the snowblower. I put the cushions on the glider. I watched baseball. We lost. I took more photos of McCoy. I read my book. I took a bath.

Exciting stuff, right?

•  May I be honest? Blog posts that consist of lists do not interest me. At all. This is the current trend and the fact that it’s the thing of the moment is because someone, somewhere said that readers love lists. And they probably do. I’m sure everyone’s stats say that those are pretty popular posts. Maybe something to do with shorter attention spans? Or is the idea of a list just inherently attractive?

I am not a fan. I’ve never been, even when the lists were in the form of magazine articles. When I scan my daily reading list, if the words “10 Things You Can…” or “15 Ways to…” come up, I move on. No visit that day.

The posts usually consist of ideas pulled from other sources on the internet, stuff I’ve already read or am aware of anyway, so there’s really nothing new there. I also feel a certain pressure, in a strange sort of way, when I see a list. Does that mean I have to read every item? Do I have to give everything equal time?

I know. I’m probably the exception here. But I wish this current trend would quietly take a hike.

Oh, and the word “trending” as in “Currently Trending on Twitter”…? Every time Don and I hear it, we groan. Stop with the trending.

4-19 buds

•  I know several of you have seen this series on Netflix, but if you haven’t – think about watching Derek. Don’s been trying to get me to watch it for a while now and this week I caved in. Oh my goodness. I am so, so glad I did. Conceived, written, and directed by the brilliant Ricky Gervais (who also plays Derek) it is the most wonderful, life-affirming, funny and deeply moving show I’ve seen in ages and ages. Ricky plays Derek, a man who is challenged – whether he has learning disabilities, is developmentally disabled, or autistic, we don’t know, nor does Gervais ever give it a name. Derek works in a nursing home and sees the good in everyone. My favorite thing he says is that it’s more important to be kind than clever or good looking.

Amen to that. That’s what we’re here for; to love and be kind.

Gervais is amazingly talented. This series is a blessing, my friends. If you get Netflix, I urge you give it a try.

All that, and Gervais speaks out for animal rights – vociferously – online via Twitter and Facebook. Bravo. I’ve got a major crush on this guy.

4-19 mccoy books

•  I have six different McCoy reference books. You see four of them here.

What happened to the one on top, you ask? Well, many years ago when we were living in our rental cottage in Westchester County, we adopted our Riley. Riley had not been socialized, had  been kept outside on a chain for most of his life, and was eventually found living on the streets of a city in New Jersey. He was very much like a wild dog. On his first night in our house, he ate some of my yarn. A few nights later, he found this book. Riley apparently liked McCoy Pottery.

Oh that boy. I miss him so much that it hurts. I’ve never replaced the book because I love seeing this talisman of our first days together. It’s a tangible memory of my boy. And it makes me smile.

Years later, in this cottage, a much gentler and happier and socialized Riley surprised us one day by chewing on a book about birds.

I still have that, too.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: blogging, books, McCoy pottery, media, Riley 46 Comments

Some Favorite Things, Upstairs Edition

March 12, 2015 at 9:18 am by Claudia

When you’re somewhat housebound in the midst of winter, a day where the sun is streaming in your windows makes all the difference, don’t you think? We’ve had more than a few of those sunny days lately (not to mention warmer temps and melting snow, huzzah!) Our bedroom is awfully pretty when the sun pours in the two tiny windows so I grabbed my camera the other day to take some pictures.

3-12 my pals

My pals. Maggie Rabbit, Wayfrum Holmes and Little Lamb. You’re probably familiar with them, but if you’re a newish reader, I’ll introduce them to you. Maggie Rabbit was made by me from a kit designed by the lovely Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy. By the way, Alicia has just added more Maggie Rabbit patterns to her shop. They go very quickly, so if you’re interested hop on over. I made Maggie when I was working out of town in Hartford and I love her.

Wayfrum Holmes was given to me by Don when I was about to leave for a six month stint in San Diego. Wayfrum kept me company while I was away from my loved ones. Little Lamb was a lovely gift from Sheila. Maggie, Wayfrum and Little Lamb are my traveling companions when I’m going to be away from home for a longish time.

They are perched upon a vintage hatbox I found many years ago in the Berkshires.

3-12 dogs I love

Right next to them are framed photos of our dogs: Winston, Scout and Riley. (Have to straighten that photo.) The mirror was a gift from my mom. The McCoy pottery piece is filled with pennies. And you can just see my other parakeet lamp, which is sitting on the bookcase because it needs to be rewired, along with at least two other lamps we own.

3-12 roseville

I own several pieces of Roseville pottery but this one just might be my favorite. It’s a cornucopia in the Bushberry pattern. It sits in a place of honor on my dresser.

Uh oh. Now I’m fixating on Roseville and this particular pattern. It might be time to add to my collection. Roseville can be very pricey, but it’s all in the timing. I’ve found some pieces at auction for very little money. If you go to a higher-end antique shop, you’re going to pay a lot more. The very first piece I ever purchased was a little bowl in the brown version of Bushberry. I got it in a little shop in San Diego when we were still living there.

The photo in the background is of yours truly in her office when I was teaching at Boston University. The other piece of pottery on the right is McCoy. It’s full of fabric hearts. The dresser scarf is really a tea towel. (I like it much better as a dresser scarf.)

It’s sunny again today. Snow is melting. I know that March is a big tease and that the temperature will eventually get colder, but boy, do we appreciate this little warm spell. The driveway is mud, of course. We had to put down some straw in Scout’s mini-corral because it’s also a sea of mud. But we’ll take it.

An interesting article in yesterday’s New York Times: The State of Alabama is now investigating a complaint of elder abuse re: Harper Lee and the decision to publish her ‘new’ novel.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: antiques, bedroom, china and pottery, dogs, favorite things, Riley, Roseville pottery, Scout, Winston 25 Comments

Remembering Winston and Riley

December 21, 2014 at 10:04 am by Claudia

When Don and I decided to move in together, a little over a year after we first met, we knew we wanted to live in a house so that we could adopt a dog. Within a week of the actual move-in date, we were at the Humane Society. The first dog we saw was a black Aussie shepherd mix, who was trembling in his cage. Turns out that at the age of 18 months, he had just been given up for adoption by his family because of allergies. He was frightened and didn’t understand why he was no longer with his family. He broke my heart.

We went on to look at many other dogs that day, but that trembling boy kept tugging at our heart strings and we ended up back at his cage. We asked for some time with him in a special area set up for that sort of thing. They brought him to us and we knelt down and talked to him and petted him. I had placed my purse on the floor of the pen so that I could concentrate on petting him. He promptly went over and peed in it.

He marked his territory. Us.

We adopted him. He was named Winston and we liked that name. It suited him. We had to wait a day or two for him to get checked out by the Vets at the Humane Society and for them to take a fecal sample. We waited and waited. Why? Because he wouldn’t poop. Finally, they…ahem… ‘went in’ to get a sample. We brought him home and he promptly pooped in our backyard.

That boy marked us again. It was meant to be.

winston

Here he is with the ball he would pick up and carry in his mouth each time he moved from one room to another. Lord, he was a beautiful boy. At one point, we almost lost him from an illness that was a baffling mystery for a long time. He lost weight. He threw up. He was weaker and weaker. Eventually, it was determined that his pancreas was not working and from that moment on he was on special medication for the rest of his life, medication that helped his pancreas to function. That medication brought our boy back to us.

We loved him deeply. We ended up getting Scout so he could have some company. And, when we decided to move from San Diego to New York, our babies moved with us across the country to our new rental cottage.

A couple of years after we moved out east, Winston suddenly cried out in pain. His tail stayed down. We took him to our Vet and during the course of an ultra sound, the Vet said he couldn’t hear a heart beat. He discovered that was because Winston had a tumor on his heart. Suddenly, we were talking about draining fluid from the lining of his heart, something that might keep him alive for six more months. He was eight years old. But that ended up being a wishful fantasy because within five days – in and out of the hospital – he was in so much pain that we knew we had to let him go.

I didn’t realize it until I came out of it, but I went into a mild depression for several months after Winston’s death. I had Scout to take care of and that helped keep me somewhat anchored. But the loss of our boy, so young, so suddenly, really took its toll on both of us.

I don’t mention him often on this blog, which was started a few years after his death. I found that photo the other day and I took a picture of it, so that I could share it with you. It’s also going on my sidebar.

winstonornament

This is the ornament we bought that first Christmas without him (photo taken last year.) Every year, it’s the last ornament we put on the tree.

This year, I realized I hadn’t found an ornament for our Riley and I felt tremendously guilty about that. It’s been over two years since his death. I bought one yesterday, which will serve as a place marker until I find the perfect ornament for our other beloved boy. And I will.

rileyornament

By the way, we adopted Scout when she was eleven months old – still a puppy. In those days she had short hair. She was our desert dog, having been rescued from a desert-like area of California.

I found a photograph of her yesterday. This is what she looked like.

scout 12-21

I mean. Look at her! All eyes and ears. You see why we couldn’t resist her.

All of our dogs have been rescues. We strongly believe in that. They’ve all been older. Winston was 18 months old. Scout was just under a year old. Riley was at least two years old.

Our dogs aren’t ‘like’ our children. They are our children. Even if we had human children, that wouldn’t change.

Simple as that.

Scout will be celebrating her 16th birthday on January 4th. Oh yes, there will be a party.

This Christmas, and every Christmas, we remember our beloved Winston and Riley.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Christmas, dogs, Don, Riley, Scout, Winston 51 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.

Thanks for stopping by.

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The Dogs

The Dogs

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.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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