snow — Page 37

Not Already!

November 14, 2014 at 8:00 am by Claudia

first snow

What’s that I see on the roof of the shed?

That dreaded four letter word.

Though there isn’t very much on the ground and I’m sure it will melt away during the morning hours.

first snow 2

A view of the back forty. I’m sure the higher elevations around us got more snow. That’s fine. This is quite enough for me, thank you very much.

Good news. The repairman came out and looked at the washer yesterday afternoon and immediately figured out what the problem was. The lid to the washer wasn’t fully closing, therefore the switch that signaled the washer to start wasn’t working. I’m not sure which of these things started the problem, the switch or the lid, but the switch had to be replaced. I had warned Don that, even if we could repair the washer, we might have to wait for parts. But lo and behold, that particular part was on the truck. Within about a half hour, all was fixed. The whole thing cost us a little over $200, which is a good sight better than the $1200 it would cost us to replace the unit.

I don’t have to go to the laundromat today.

To celebrate, we piled into the car and took Scout for a walk on the library grounds. Then we took a little walk through town (it doesn’t take long) and headed home. She was happy. We were happy.

before the frost 4

The limelight hydrangeas with their faded autumn beauty.

Don wants to know what I want for my birthday. I never know. I need clothes desperately but he insists that new clothes should be a matter of course and not a birthday present. Likewise a winter jacket and snow boots. All of which I need. My boots have been too small for me for 3 years. My winter jackets are looking pretty ragged.

I’m a wee bit jealous, to be honest, because Don got to buy his wardrobe for Our Town (which was in modern dress) for $300. It was worth about $1000. Hand picked, hand tailored (he’s over 6′4″ remember) – he got it all, including shoes. I’m thrilled for him, because he needs all of it and some pieces will be very good to wear on auditions.

But voice coaches don’t get costumes, do they?

Maybe I’ll tell him I need new flannel pajamas – which I do. And maybe some of my favorite perfume.

before the frost 5

Or maybe something for the dollhouse.

A new post up at Just Let Me Finish This Page: something from my local library and some interesting links.

Happy Friday.

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Comforting & Decluttering

March 1, 2014 at 8:24 am by Claudia

In a seemingly endless series of very cold days with mountains of snow the only thing to be seen outside my windows, I find this to be my favorite thing to wear:

favoriteoutfit

A Boston University sweatshirt that has to be 25 years old and a pair of pajama pants that were passed on to me by my husband. Certainly not high fashion, but tremendously comforting on some level. Old sweatshirts are the best, aren’t they? I have many of them. Some are covered with paint. Some are, ahem, slightly stained. Some, like this one, are in a cheery red that makes me smile and reminds me of my days in Boston. Don gave up these PJ pants because they didn’t fit and were much too small. Lucky me! Perfect for days around the house – a drawstring waist, flannel-y type fabric, and a plaid I would never choose on my own but seems to suit me just fine. Now imagine the sight of me when I go out to get the mail: plaid pants, red sweatshirt, pink down jacket, red & white hat and blue boots. My eyes hurt just thinking about it.

I won’t be featured on a hip fashion blog, that’s for sure. But winter, especially this winter, is about wrapping myself in something comfortable and comforting, whether it is an old blanket, a cozy afghan, a slouchy sweater or sweatshirt, thick socks or, of course, my beloved flannel pajamas. I don’t much care about fashion in the depths of this, I have to say it, depressing winter.

More snow is coming tomorrow into Monday. The jury is still out as to how much. I find I’m sort of numbed to the whole thing, though surely I won’t feel that way when I have to shovel it all. Again.

Winter…you win. You’ve done it. You’ve won this little battle and I quite freely admit it. Now get out of here.

pansies

Like many of you, I have strong political leanings (that I refrain from discussing on this blog) which have led to my being on the receiving end of countless emails from like-minded groups. For a long while I have, depending on my mood and the day, either read those emails and signed petitions, etc., or hit the delete key. This happens many, many, many times during the course of a day.

Yesterday, I didn’t immediately hit delete, instead, I clicked on Unsubscribe. Yes, I did. For each one. I know what’s going on in the world or at least, as much as I want to know. I stay away from the 24 hour cable news networks. I don’t need to be inundated with a constant stream of money raising pleas, petitions to be signed, and dire predictions. I want some peace.

Oh, that felt good.

Then I hit Unsubscribe on a few other non-political emails that tend to hit my inbox on a regular basis and that I never read.

Begone! And they are. It is curiously satisfying. I suppose it’s the equivalent of cleaning out a closet full of clutter, of taking control.

By the way, speaking of eliminating clutter, i.e., in the studio, the pansy print (one of my favorites) has moved from the studio to the bedroom, where I think it goes rather nicely with the D necklace hanger/hook. I have two of these, one a C and one a D (for, you guessed it, Claudia and Don) but I couldn’t find the C when it was time to find a solution for my necklaces, so the D got the job.

And to end this post with a smile, here are my cute-as-pie egg cups in the newly decluttered studio:

eggcupsallinarow

Happy Saturday.

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Go Away February. You’ve Been A Pain From Start to Finish.

February 22, 2014 at 8:40 am by Claudia

eggcups

Since I’ve moved many of my egg cups to the mantel/shelf in the studio, I rearranged the ones that remain on the shelf in our bedroom. That’s Christie’s framed print that I bought from her when I was working in California. It used to be in the living room, but Don found a little print that he loved and I wanted him to be able to see it from his chair, which was exactly where the rose print was. And that’s how things are moved around here.

mable

And right below the shelf is Mabel, ready for work, but safely tucked away in the bedroom. That plant is yet another of my porch plants that I’ve managed to keep alive this winter. They are stashed all over the house.

I figured out what happened with Scoutie the other night. We’ve had some melting going on around here and it has caused the snow to be uneven and slippery, especially on her paths in the dog corral. Add to that the rain that we got yesterday. The freeze/melt/freeze cycle is not helping at all. Her arthritis has been really bothering her and I’ve watched her in the corral when she slips on the snow and loses her footing. It’s terribly hard for her. Last night, I thought I would take her out on the leash to help guide her (thought I don’t think it ended up doing any good) and I was slipping and sliding everywhere, just as she was. She wouldn’t pee or poop, probably because it was scary and she couldn’t relax enough to take care of business. I took her out onto the driveway, thinking that might be easier, but the damned rain had frozen, so it was very slick and slippery. I ended up taking her back into the corral, where she pooped. But no pee.

That had to have been the problem. She went out that night and was slipping and sliding and didn’t do anything. Since I can’t see her out there with all the frigging mounds of snow, I had no idea she hadn’t done her business. And she simply couldn’t hold it during the night.

It’s going to melt more today and tomorrow and I have no idea what to do. I’ll salt everything today, but this nightmare of a February continues to make things incredibly hard for us. Every time I start to think I can relax, something else happens. I don’t want her hurting and all this walking on uneven surfaces is indeed causing her pain. Do I drive down the road at night and walk her on that private road we used to use? Do I hope the driveway stays free of ice and try walking her there? Will she even go there? Due to the nature of our property, the snow and ice that melt flow downhill to the top of the driveway and it all collects there. If it goes down below freezing, it turns to ice again. An endless cycle.

I went to bed worrying about the whole thing, couldn’t sleep, got only a few hours. I heard Scout moving around at 6:15 and let her out. So no messes occurred last night.

Can I just let out a blood curdling scream? And then can someone magically transport us to a warmer climate for the next two months?

Okay. Another pretty sunset.

fridaysunset1

fridaysunset2

A reminder: our Christmas Critter Felt Along party is officially Monday. But the post will be up tomorrow evening, the 23rd, at 6:00 pm. So even though it posts then, it will be Monday’s post. Does that make sense? So don’t be wondering if there’s anything wrong with me if you don’t see a Monday post. Sunday night’s post is Monday’s post.

I’m exhausted just from explaining that.

Happy Saturday.

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Not Already!

Comforting & Decluttering

Go Away February. You’ve Been A Pain From Start to Finish.

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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