The rear of this scene is the tree that was cut in half by the hurricane. The arborist said that maples always split that way. Anyway, at some point this week, we’ll hear when they’re coming, though this guy is a bit off-putting. Just a bit terse, could easily go to cantankerous. But we don’t have to love him, right? Especially since we’ll be hiding in the house.
The morning glories are okay, but there aren’t nearly as many vines as in previous years. It might be due to the drought we’ve been in. I also didn’t add any fresh soil this year because of the pandemic, so that might have been a factor as well. I barely remember buying the seeds, I grabbed them so quickly. It was my first trip outside the house with a mask on and I was nervous. I swept through the nursery very, very quickly. So I’m a bit surprised at the color, but I like it.
Overslept again. And again it was because I woke up in the middle of the night and stayed awake for about an hour. I’m also very congested and feeling a tad under the weather so I think that is contributing to the long sleep. Poor Don. He was waiting for me to get up so he could make a run to the store. (He just got back.) He wanted to get the whole thing done before the store got crowded. Bless him for doing that.
We watched Grand Hotel last night, one of my favorite movies. Don is now fascinated by Garbo. She really was one-of-a-kind and, in addition to being incredibly beautiful, she was a wonderful actress. The scene where she and John Barrymore are in profile, looking into each other’s eyes, is mesmerizing. And I think Lionel Barrymore’s portrayal of Otto Kringelein is his best work ever – beautiful, touching, funny, moving. Grand Hotel and Dinner at Eight, made a year apart, I think, are automatic “we have to watch this” movies. If you get TCM and have On Demand, they’re both available at the moment.
I’m very much into Hamnet now. My lord, it’s written so beautifully.
The weather is a bit cooler this weekend and we had some light rain this morning, which was lovely, though I don’t think it’s quite enough to keep me from watering.
I hope all is well with you.
I’m taking it easy today.
Don is still outside disinfecting everything.
He deserves a second cup of coffee, don’t you think?
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
My husband and I both slept in til about 9 a.m. this morning–unusual for us. Ir must be the new fad. He has a lot to do today so that he can settle in for about 6 hours of women’s basketball. He’s in heaven now that games are being played again. TCM and I had managed to get him involved in some old movies about which we had fun conversations, but that was a gift of Covid that did not last. Once again, his head is full of statistics and encouraging me to keep my eyes peeled on the game so that he can point out every former U-Conn player on the various teams. I wish I was more interested. It’s great that you and Don have your own things to do but also share many interests. Stay safe!! BTW, I got the most adorable room box…it’s perfect except it’s 1/6 scale and even my 1/12 minis look too small in it while the 1/24 are swallowed up! I’ve ordered some unfinished 1/24 to paint. Then I found a vendor (I think thru your list from the Kensington artists) that makes kits for 1/24 gypsy wagons. Looking for rose colored fabric and papers and a crystal ball. Really, despite my glaring errors, I am enjoy the distraction and potential creativity of the mini world, again, thanks to you. Take care!
I’m glad you got a great room box. Just imagine it is one of those European apartments with the ridiculously high ceiling – that might work. I’m glad I’ve helped to distract you. Believe me, minis are doing the same for me!
Stay safe, Nora.
I always have to get up in the middle of the night…my new routine,…but most nights I have been able to go right back to sleep. Thank goodness. But, occasionally my mind just won’t let me. It’s nice that you got to sleep in to compensate. I’m anxiously awaiting the day we won’t have to disinfect everything….aren’t you?
It’s cool this morning, so our windows are open, as we reorganize our closet pantry. We bought an air fryer, and now have to find a place to put the darn thing. Isn’t that always a consideration?
Enjoy your day of rest. Stay safe! ;)
Unfortunately, that isn’t a NEW routine for me. I always get up at least once, often twice! And you try to keep yourself sleepy feeling so that you can go right back to sleep.
We did the same thing when Don decided he wanted a crock pot. I had to clean out the lower shelves in the kitchen hutch.
Stay safe.
Lol…..we are on hour 3 of the reorganizing. We had to cut a shelf, and reposition a new shelf. In order to cut the shelf, we had to take the shelf out. There may or may not be a certain amount of swearing involved. I’m the assistant in this reorganization/reengineering process…lol! ;)
It’s always that way, right? You bring in one new thing and everything has to shift! Good luck!
Donnamae, I have to tell you that I think you will find the reorganization and the construction well worth it for your air fryer. It truly is the best little appliance we have purchased in years!! We do most everything in it. So easy, everything is nice and crispy, doesn’t heat up the entire kitchen, and is easy to clean. We use it soooo much. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!
I’m giving this a smile because my husband (The Cook) has bought more kitchen ‘stuff’ we never have room for and then don’t seem to use again; this time, an induction cooktop that should be here any day (so I sure hope it was worth the expense).
Glad to know about an air fryer. Best reviews of things are here on MHC!
We have so little room here that we have to enter into a complex discussion and analysis of our kitchen before we can bring in anything new!
I think it’s great that Don feels well enough to do a store run now. Progress! On the other hand, sorry to hear you’re not so hale.
The first thought I had with your photo was, “What a pretty spot of color!”
The tree guy. Maybe he’s stressed because what he’s doing for you he’s also doing for a lot of other people who had tree loss/damage. He could be feeling pressure ’cause he’s busy. Some people are just grumpy by nature I guess!
I hope Sunday-today is a good charge-your-battery day; rest up. Sounds like you’ll have something tasty for dinner.
Me? No other aim but to try to stay cool in our brutal SoCalif heatwave.
I think it’s just his personality. Because it hasn’t changed over time. He tends to talk down to us even though he doesn’t need to. We readily admit we know nothing about pruning trees. Ah well.
Stay cool and stay safe!
God Bless Nancy Pelosi. She came out yesterday, basically saying: “Look. Trump has to cheat to win. So, VOTE. Mail your ballot. JUST DO IT EARLY.” (Paraphrasing there, but her point was to allow enough time as there WILL be delays because we all know by now that the dear postal people are trying their best but are strangled by these cuts and changes imposed on them; so, they’ll do the job, it’s just going to take them longer. Don’t be a last-minute Charlie. VOTE EARLY.
And then Bloomberg is saying today that Bernie Sanders said Congress must absolutely return to Washington to indeed deal with this infuriating postal crisis, the intent of which is to ‘impede voting in the November election’; that Ms. Pelosi is behind the scenes discussing same, to get the lawmakers brought back early from their (bad timing!) ‘recess’. Sanders is saying Mitch McConnell needs to be in there doing the same thing. (This was NO time for them to disappear [apparently ‘as per usual’] til after Labor Day. [These are NOT ‘usual’ times! I was INCENSED when I learned they just took off! How many people in America didn’t get a summer vacation themselves this year? Why should the lawmakers?!! It’s a critical time for them to be gone almost a whole month from their JOBS.])
Bloomberg went on to say in the online article, that Sanders said ‘Trump’s move to undermine the Postal Service is part of a broader goal of voter suppression (because) Trump believes that lower turnout will help his re-election prospects.’ Yep. So twisted. Dirty.
Yes, I read that they’re considering calling everyone back early. They should. Also, too many are suffering and unemployment issues, etc., need to be resolved so they don’t lose their homes and apartments. This was no time for a recess. Period.
xo
Your flowers are so cheerful!
Perhaps the arborist is feeling a bit overwhelmed.
I know I found it difficult to be constantly “up” last week at work. I had a barrage of panicked requests for wills as apparently a notice was sent out to teachers saying they needed this done before school resumes. Cheerful thought, that. Getting the actual work done seems to be the least time consuming part of my day. Reassuring clients, trying to get information from courts and banks that simply aren’t open, keeping the office safe and constantly hunting for disinfectant takes up a big part of my day. I was out the door before the grocery store opened this morning looking for supplies. We’re due for a heatwave over the next three days, so I’m going to use this afternoon to catch up with life outside of work.
Such pressure to be under, Barbara! I’m so sorry that you have to deal with all of that and a heat wave, as well.
Stay safe, my friend.
Oh dear, didn’t mean to sound all doom and gloom. I just think everyone is probably feeling somewhat worn out (worn down?) from having to deal with the stress of all these unknowns. I was actually singing in the car on the way to the store this morning (I get odd looks at red lights). I watched the musical “Hamilton” last night and all I can say is WOW!
Isn’t it incredible? One of the most, if not THE most, powerful experiences/performances I’ve ever seen live on stage.
xo
Oh dear Claudia — how I love your blog! I relate to so many things you say, and it makes me chuckle. I just reread the past few days posts, and so many things resonate with me. I too am lucky to be Covid “dodging” with my husband and best friend, but we still find it quite trying at times. We have also developed specific routines about shopping and disinfecting, and our garden is saving our sanity. I grieve with you about your maple trees — our previous home had many grand maples, and it was heartbreaking (and expensive) every time we lost one. Your comment about escaping to another country made me laugh as well. We jokingly threaten to move to Canada, though we would truthfully never leave. And your nickname “OM” for the ridiculous leader of this country just can’t be beat. Thank you for making me laugh about this situation, and know that you continually surprise me with your content–sometimes I think you are reading my mind! Love you and Don and I’ve never even met you! You’re a breath of fresh air my friend…
Ah, Jacqui, that’s the nicest thing I’ve heard all day. Thank you so, so much. It’s goo to know that I make a small difference out here in the virtual world.
Bless you.
Stay safe!
This has been a strange strange summer for us
We have not been to the beach nor our favorite clam shacks
We are over run by tourists with no masks and no social distancing
My husband read this morning that trump is way ahead in the polls on the economy
What!!
I don’t get it
Whose economy?
All we can do now is pray for our country because it is in a mess
These are people who confuse the stock market with the economy. Hopefully, they’ll learn the difference before November 3rd.
I’m sorry you can’t even get to the beach because of these fools. Not fair!
Stay safe, Linda.
You certainly do make a difference, Claudia! I don’t often comment, but I look forward to reading your blog, and I agree with you 99.9% of the time! These times are beyond stressful and reading your blog does seem to make a difference.
Oh bless you, Dottie!
My day is made. Thank you.
xoxo
Stay safe!
hope you and don are having a good, easy day and that you sleep better tonight … straight through until you want to get up.
glad you were able to catch a good movie and are enjoying the book. i will start the agatha christie book tonight!
yesterday was extra-stressful at the grocery stores … went to four stores to find everything. after the power outage last week, stores were very crowded and more than the usual shelves were empty or didn’t have the wanted flavor, barely any frozen vegetables or produce, especially corn on the cob (probably because our state just lost about half the crops planted … what else could go wrong in 2020?!? please, nothing more!). still, i am grateful to be able to do the shopping so my family doesn’t have to … and i was able to see (from a distance) and/or talk with some of them.
the photo atop your post yesterday had me wandering around my little 500 square feet and looking at the bits of nature i have in every room here except the bathroom … some books about nature (especially water) and cds of ocean waves and thunderstorms, a few plants, of course, (that deserve better homes), also sea shells and sea glass, rocks, some bits of wood and dried flowers in bowls or setting on top of tables and dressers, a large (2×3 foot) black and white photo of clouds and eleven pieces of art and three photos that feature water. the beauty and power of nature helps me in so many ways. :)
need to get stuff ready for the week ahead … ironing clothes, gathering things for five lunches and then resting and reading!
have a nice night and stay safe!
kathy in iowa
I agree, bits and bobs from nature make a huge difference.
I’m sorry that shopping was so stressful.
Start reading that book, Kathy!
Stay safe.
My husband is a fairly calm guy but even he was stressed at the grocery store on Friday. He again went at 7am instead of 6am, but was surprised at the (larger) number of people in the good-sized, big-box chain supermarket. We couldn’t figure out what’s going on, like if people thought they’d shop early at the start of our SoCalif heatwave, or if people are beginning to hoard/stock up again like they did last March (did some particular news item [more than another] trigger a new scare; did my husband and I ‘miss the memo’?).
He felt like he was dodging people left and right (not-preferable!) in the more-crowded-than-usual store aisles (distancing of course; but they’ve dispensed with the one-way route for shoppers, such that you can meet somebody head on); at least everyone has masks now. Long wait to check out, too (but a friend of mine says they only bring in more clerks at the check-stand later in the day when the store gets even busier).
What I’m seeing, a trend now for recent weeks, are delays in shipping with Amazon and Walmart for my non-perishables/sundries (although Walmart is pretty good with the food, except that I all-too-often am running into “out of stock” and the minute I get an ‘in-store stock alert’ on my email, if I go to reorder, they’re already sold out again, which is annoying (so I wonder how much they’re running into supply problems; I expect to wait a little longer because I only choose ‘free shipping’ to my house; but, after months of shopping like this online, I can see the differences). Still, I had to get a new coffeemaker and although Walmart had said it was in stock, it didn’t come and it didn’t come, so I tracked it and the thing was either on trucks or warehouses just 100 miles from me, for days on end; sitting, not moving. Why? I was wondering if these shippers are losing people to Covid illness/employee absences so they’re understaffed. Or they’re just plain TOO busy.
Back to the large grocery chain on Friday: No flour. No sugar. No disinfectant. Very low on paper towels. Shelves with fewer canned-food items across the board (he said this was very noticeable; and at the start of the weekend when so many working folks shop?). No dried fruit (whole section almost entirely emptied). Slim pickings on nuts. (However, no prob with meat, dairy, produce. [This time! Seems to change, shopping trip to shopping trip.]) I wondered if people are shopping now rather than later for their fall casseroles/oven-meals and even holiday baking (items which have a good shelf life), since maybe they plan to be out less ‘in the world’ for this “Fall” Covid scare which is essentially Sept 1 thru Nov 30.
But hard to know. And if it’s just an individual store having a problem. My coffeemaker came by way of FedX, not the beleaguered USPS. Anyway, it does make you scratch your head, like what do other people know that I don’t: Should we do more stockup, or not. What will we be needing. It’s a kind of unsettling feeling. I think we need to go back (husband and I [the small-towners]) to going to stores in other parts of our county where there’s more competition (more stores) and the shoppers are more spread out. We’ll try that next time.
Hi Claudia, it’s been a few days since I replied to your blog post, only because I have been a bit down trodden. But, I don’t miss a day of logging in to read about your world, learn your perspective of whats happening and look at your pictures. The picture of Scout on the porch is one of my favorites.
Girl, I wish I could send you some of my morning glory seeds. I planted them about 25 years ago and each year I find myself franticly pulling them out by the roots before they go to seed as they want to take over my world. They are beautiful, but they wrap around everything and the birds help them plant their seeds in the middle of everything!
Enjoy the rest of your evening, and I wish you a lovely week ahead!
Take care…
Kelly
It wouldn’t make a difference, they are not perennials around here. They never reseed. When we lived in California, they reseeded every year, but not here.
I’m sorry to hear you’ve been a bit down, Kelly. Here’s hoping this coming week is a better one for you!
Stay safe.
I too have been having sleep issues. I sleep and wake up and then back to sleep and it’s crazy. I’m crazy right now. Life is so hard. I told my daughter Sara I’ve never been this afraid to live in the united states as I am right now. Covid is horrible but Orange Man is beyond words scary. Sorry I’m so down and it’s why I’ve been staying away but maybe visiting more often and sharing my feelings will lift my spirits. Hugs to you and Don.
Linda, I agree with kathy from iowa about you not being alone with the sleep issues and feeling down. It’s widespread; we’re all reading more and more about the effects on people with what’s happening in our country with Covid and politics and unemployment; schools. It’s too much. TOO MUCH. I spoke with THREE people by phone this weekend, doing our catching up, and all three (and me) are just like you, with the sleep interruptions and so much going on which drains our spirits. Thinking of you, Linda! Wishing you peace of mind and heart. I feel scared, too. (Things HAVE to get better; we know they will! There’ll be more of a handle on the virus as we begin a new year (vaccine); we’ll have a new President. Healing! And we’ll look back on 2020 and wonder how we got through it! Just because we started this new decade on a bad note doesn’t mean that the years ahead will be as bleak!)
We’re all scared, Linda, and we talk about it a lot here on the blog. And I get a lot of comments about how good it is to be able to share our feelings with each other, or rant, or cry. I think sharing your feelings here will help you. And you are welcome to.
So good to see you here, my friend. xo
Stay safe.
hej, linda mackean …
you are not alone in those thoughts and feelings and there are wonderful people here. :)
hope you feel better/know that things will get better, are safe and well and have an easier week ahead.
kathy in iowa
Grand Hotel. Sigh. If Don loves Garbo, he’ll love Camille and NInotchka. She was fabulous. I miss TCM. Since they moved it to the sports tier, I decided I didn’t want a bigger cable bill with the add-on but I do miss that one.
The garden looks lovely. My morning glories are a bit sad this year too.
I had one of those nights you described on Saturday. I’m always up once or twice in the night but back to sleep quickly. Saturday — no. I feel for you.
I’m sorry they moved TCM. It’s our one ‘must have’ – we watch very little broadcast television, but we do watch TCM.
So sorry about your broken sleep the other night, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
I sure hope TCM can continue to remain commercial-free as it’s the last one on my lower dial to do so. I just recorded a few of their Cary Grants (contented sigh, “To Catch A Thief” with Grace Kelly; I swear the ‘technicolor’ filming in Monte Carlo and Cannes and probably Nice is what fueled my teen wanderlust to try to get to France!) and next weekend, a slew of Natalie Wood movies, including my fave “This Property Is Condemned” (with Robert Redford) and the b&w “Love With the Proper Stranger” (Steve McQueen). I used to get their monthly line-up via email and it stopped, so I’ve tried to sign up for that again; I don’t want to miss the old movies I’ve loved, which sometimes go a long time before being shown again on TV.
(I noticed that “Gone With The Wind” is coming up this next week or so, and it has a notation that it may be offensive to viewers due to its era of filming in its day, and I don’t remember ever seeing that before, but I do think it’s good that TCM respectfully and appropriately added the remark. It’s a hard one for us who’d loved the book and film; I’d read GWTW at age 12-13, before I understood a lot of things. But there’s another book I’d read when I was age 13-14, a big-sweeping-epic ‘romance’ historical novel, one of the British pieces that had to do with the colonization of Africa/Zanzibar [LOVED it and even corresponded by snail-mail with its India-born/English-by-heritage author {she was old then; born just after 1900}]; that, in later years, when re-reading the book as an adult, I had to realize, perhaps unintentionally, glorified rape, which just killed it for me. [It was a LIBRARY book at the time of my pre-teen years!] That’s the diff, I guess, from writing something in 1963 and not 2020.)
I love TCM. We’ve tried to lower our cable bill but every idea we came up with involved no TCM and that was a no go!
Stay safe!