Zoe

Amusing Myself

June 8, 2022 at 8:45 am by Claudia

I stayed inside all day yesterday – my allergies have been making me miserable. I don’t know, maybe this is peak pollen time? It sure seems that way. Don mowed a lot of the lawn, thank goodness. Thanks, husband!

Still feeling poorly this morning. I’ll get outside to water the porch plants but that’s about it. Thankfully, it rained during the night so the garden beds are nicely watered. It’s a beautiful morning, the kind you get when the sun has broken through after a rain. Truly gorgeous.

What do you do when you’re feeling poorly and you don’t have enough energy to concentrate on reading? Well, naturally, you play with your dolls! Doesn’t everyone?

Mei taking Bertie for a walk.

Good thing Zoe was on alert! (Mei tends to daydream.) There was traffic ahead.

Zoe.

You also go upstairs to take pictures of a little miniature project.

I wanted to recreate one of the ‘dolly tubs’ you see in British gardens. (I would love a real-life version, but they’re very expensive here.) I thought it might be a neat addition to the exterior of Dove Cottage.

They’re made from zinc in real life. Mine is made from plastic – two Nyquil bottle caps glued together.

I’m rather proud of this little tub! I’m going to make another one in the not-too-distant future.

We’re nearing the finish line. Dove Cottage is almost finished.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

There’s Much to be Done

April 2, 2022 at 8:20 am by Claudia

Sunny today, thankfully, but more rain tomorrow and three days of rain next week. Sigh.

If you want to sum up my days lately, you can file them under “Waiting for Spring.”

Lilac buds that are growing larger every day give me hope.

Birds singing give me hope.

The return of the peepers gives me hope.

But, boy, I am restless this year. I have to be careful about my back, and it’s so much better. Yet – I have to be cautious. The shed needs cleaning inside. The porch railings need cleaning. The siding needs cleaning. And the gardens have to be cleaned out – I always leave plants in place over the winter to supply food and shelter for the birds and I leave leaves there as well because they function as a good mulch. All of that has to be taken care of this month as well as a number of other things – like cleaning up the yard and raking debris.

I might venture out today to clean the porch railings. That would be a relatively easy start.

Sisters.

This may be the only sunny day for a while, so I’m determined to spend some time outside today.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Zoe and What Are You Reading?

January 26, 2022 at 10:27 am by Claudia

Speaking of the desk, Zoe decided to perch there for a while yesterday.

You’ll notice she’s wearing the new red and black boots.

Of all my girls, Zoe most reminds me of me as a child. I had thick brown hair, bangs, big dark brown eyes, and I was a serious kid who worried a lot. My hair was long, which is the only difference.

I guess Zoe is my “mini me.”

Waving hello to all of you.

I finished Cloud Cuckoo Land last night. Simply extraordinary. Anthony Doerr is an incredibly gifted writer. There’s no way I could summarize the plot here, as it’s complex, but suffice to say, it’s an ode to books and libraries and the human spirit, which spans generations, countries, space, and time. A book to savor and take your time reading for the sheer pleasure of it. I still can’t stop thinking about it. I spoke about nothing but that book to Don this morning during our coffee time on the sofa. I couldn’t stop!

I read a lot and, of course, you know I love mysteries. But if I had to sum up the most powerful and extraordinary books (and I’m talking new books) that I have read in the past 10 years, I would list these:

All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel
A Gentleman in Moscow – Amor Towles
Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell
Cloud Cuckoo Land – Anthony Doerr

And I have Towles’ newest, The Lincoln Highway, here in the den.

But first I’ll read Julia Dahl’s newest mystery, The Missing Hours, which I purchased at the Mysterious Bookshop when I was in NYC. I reviewed Dahl’s first three books and was an immediate fan. (She lives in Brooklyn, by the way.)

Which leads me to my favorite question for you (one I’ve neglected for too long.)

What are you reading?

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Amusing Myself

There’s Much to be Done

Zoe and What Are You Reading?

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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