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You are here: Home / Archives for Scout

A Little of This, A Little of That

March 14, 2013 at 9:25 am by Claudia

scoutie

• Don’s been back home for almost a month now and I’ve noticed a change in Scout. She’s been with us over 13 years and has lived through the prolonged absence of one or the other of us many times. It comes along with working in theater and film. She doesn’t like it when one of us is gone, but she’s pretty resilient. This time, however, when Don leaves the house to run an errand or go into the city for an audition, she goes into a funk. Though she hangs out with me for a little while, mostly she waits for Don. She goes into the living room and stares out the window. She parks herself on the floor of the kitchen facing the door. She starts at every noise, thinking it’s him. I will call out to her and ask her to come in the den with me, but she won’t. She never used to be that way.

More evidence that she’s getting older, that these things aren’t as easy for her anymore. She lost her brother recently, then Don went away for a long time. It’s too much for my little girl. Now I will be going away in a month. We really have to take her into account now as we make decisions as to who’s working where and for how long. We always have, of course, but now she is more needy, more vulnerable than ever. She’s our child and her comfort and peace of mind has to be a top priority.

• I’m finishing up an Obsession Scarf which will soon be on its way to a customer. Then I will start on more banners as they are currently sold out! Wow. I’m so glad you like them. Thank you to everyone who purchased one. Meredith and I just made our 99th sale on Etsy! How can that be possible?

hydrangea

(I just realized that the color of this vase matches the color that’s used in my menu and the titles on the sidebar.)

• I want to steer you toward one of my favorite blogs – that of my friend, Martha. It’s called Poetry and a Cup of Tea and it is simply wonderful. Martha loves poetry and literature and all sorts of other  things. She writes beautifully and shares her heart in every post. She also has a great sense of humor.

I think we were separated at birth. I cannot tell you how many times she has written about something that I remember from my childhood, or an author that I was sure no one else loved as much as me. Yesterday she wrote about The Fighting Prince of Donegal, a Disney movie from our youth, and the Scholastic paperback version of Disney’s story that she still has.

I had that book, too. And I watched that movie countless times when I was a kid. I had a huge crush on Peter McEnery, who played the lead.

And I thought I was the only one.

She’s written about The Barbie Game (yes, I had one) and The Girl of the Limberlost (one of my very favorite books ever.) She tells a great story and she always shares a poem with her readers.

Stop in and say hello. I’m crazy about her.

• I often talk about my grandmother and her skill as a needlewoman. She was a strong influence in my life and the life of my siblings. My sister, Meredith, just wrote a post about her. Click here to see some of my grandmother’s incredible handwork.

• Did you know I almost always respond to your comments? Yep. Right there under your comment. If you’re interested, you can either check back here or you can put a check in that little box that says you want to see the response via email. Then, as if by magic, my response is sent to your inbox. I can’t guarantee something profound every time, but I do my best!

• Today is your last chance to be entered in the giveaway for a copy of Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright. Just scroll down and leave a comment on that post, if you are interested. I’m picking the winner this evening.

Happy Thursday.

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Filed Under: books, crochet, Don, etsy, Fellow bloggers, Scout 41 Comments

Crazy for Color

March 6, 2013 at 9:58 am by Claudia

nest

I’ve got Spring Fever. I could hear birds singing away yesterday and it gave me hope.

The giant sheet of ice that covered a good portion of the parking area outside the door has finally melted.

cone

The ice was so thick and dangerous that I resorted to putting this attractive cone out so that delivery trucks wouldn’t park there. I had to park over there by the shed. Those little bits of ice you can see in the photo? I chopped up the last bit of ice with my boot yesterday.

Don backed into the cone recently and it ended up on its side. I let Scout out and noticed that she was staring at it for the longest time. Then she started barking at it. I have no idea what the heck she thought it was, but I had to go outside and restore the cone to its original position before she would stop barking.

She doesn’t like any changes on her turf.

Do you think it’s time to put the cone back in the shed? Or should I use it as the focal point for a spring garden?

Just kidding.

Unfortunately, we are due for some snow today and tomorrow. I don’t think it will amount to much – just snow, then rain, then snow, then rain. Those to the south of us are going to be hit harder. I’m not too upset because it’s going to hit 50° on the weekend, which is positively balmy for us.

threads

I need color. After months of a grayish brown landscape, I’m longing for some color outside my windows. Inside? I’ve got plenty of it, because you know I love color.

yelloworchidgarland

I’ve been crocheting flowers like crazy and the colors make me happy. (I’ll list the new garlands for the Etsy shop tomorrow.) Yellow, Purple, Red, Blue, Tangerine, Pink….oh my. I think we can all use some color right about now, whether it’s in the garden or in a springtime banner.

What about you? Are you longing for color? Or are you one of those lucky ones who lives in a warmer climate?

Happy Wednesday.

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Filed Under: bird nest, birds, crochet, flowers, Scout 30 Comments

The Trouble With Having a Blog…

February 28, 2013 at 8:46 am by Claudia

The trouble with having a blog is that it is a daily journal. For me, it’s an honest chronicle of my days here at the cottage – for better or worse. It can be joyful or sorrowful. It’s always cathartic. But, it also serves as a reminder of what happened a few months back or a year or two ago.

Yesterday, while I was responding to comments, I glanced at the “You May Also Like”  links at the end of that post. One of them was entitled, “Riley and Scout: The State of Things.” I clicked onto it and there, right in front of me, was a photo of Riley, taken six weeks before he died, laying down on the mat we had fashioned for him in the living room.

I burst into tears. Not gentle tears, but great, huge sobs. I couldn’t stop. I was reminded of my boy’s struggle and of our struggle and of all the love I have for him and I wanted him back. As I read the post and the comments, I was immediately plunged back into that time last summer when we knew the end was in the not-too-distant future, but also knew it wasn’t time yet. That time when I fashioned a hospice here in the living room and I spent my days taking care of him.

Oh, how I miss him.

That photo of him sleeping on the mat filled me with sadness and at the same time made me long to be able to stroke his sweet face again. Crying is a good thing, I know. It just took me by surprise yesterday.

mygirl

I’m so grateful that I have this girl, my Scoutie, with me. She misses him, too.

Oh, how hard it is to lose a beloved companion.

Okay, let’s move on to cheerier things.

critter

Don received this as a little Christmas present when he was in San Diego. It’s called a Critter. You wind that key and it walks. Actually, it walks in a jittery kind of way. It’s so cool. We were sure Scout would be intrigued by it, but she is indifferent to the whole thing. I, on the other hand, love winding it up and seeing what happens. Guaranteed to put a smile on my face.

And, finally, a question.

redflower

This flower is about 3 ½ inches wide. I used Peaches & Creme yarn because it’s a little stiffer and seems to work well for these garland flowers. Do you think that size makes it too big for a garland? It’s probably about twice as big as the aqua flowers in my other garland, which now that I think of it, are on the small side. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Just wanted to add this link from the PicMonkey Blog, Claim Your Artistry by Adding a Watermark. I already knew how to add a watermark at the time I edited a photo. What I found valuable about this link was the last section, entitled Making a Transparent Image to Watermark Many Photos. This is a real time saver. It might be helpful for you, too.

Happy Thursday.

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Filed Under: blog, crochet, flower, Riley, Scout 62 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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