Good morning and Happy New Year!
I hope you had a peaceful New Year’s Eve. We did. We didn’t make it to midnight, nor did I expect to. But we made it until 11 pm. Yesterday, we took it easy. We’ll most likely do the same today. We’re going to have a FaceTime call with Rick and Doug later this morning.
The paperwhites in the den are in full bloom, so I get a lovely whiff of their scent as I sit here and blog. The tree is still up. It will most likely stay up until the end of the week. We take it on a day by day basis, but so far, 30 days after we brought it home, there has been no needles dropping and it’s doing very well. I can’t dispose of something that is still thriving. It’s not in my DNA.
Not to mention the fact that we love seeing it every day.
Tomorrow? Snow. 1 -3 inches during the day and another 1-3 inches overnight. We had rain and sleet last night but it’s going to warm up to 40 degrees today, so all that will be gone.
Still waiting on Don’s package. The good news is that it finally showed up in Springfield MA and stayed there for a few days. Then it moved to a neighboring town. It’s still not at our local post office, but I suspect it will be there by Monday.
We watched Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom last night (on Netflix) and I must say it is the best movie I have seen in a very long time. Incredible ensemble work by the whole cast, including my friend Michael Potts as the bass player. Viola Davis is amazing. But the actor who took my breath away was the late Chadwick Boseman. Stunning, brave, layered, complex, luminous, heartbreaking – my heavens, that man could act. He transformed; I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him. It’s clear he was very ill when he was filming. He had lost a lot of weight and was gaunt. But, somehow, he drew on some extraordinary power within and pulled off one of the most emotionally complex and brilliant performances I have ever seen. All Don and I could say afterward was the obvious; he was taken from us much, much too soon. His legacy is large, but if it was only this performance, this one piece of film, that legacy would be astounding. If you haven’t seen it, please watch. August Wilson, who wrote the play, was a masterly and much awarded playwright. He is no longer with us. I hope that somehow, somewhere, he saw Chadwick Bozeman’s performance.
18 days until sanity and honor and compassion and competence come back to the White House.
Stay safe.
Have a good good day. Prayers.
You, as well, Brenda.
Stay safe!
happy new year!
sounds like 2021 has started nicely for you (all things considered) … a peaceful new year’s eve, a video chat with friends, a good movie. also, the package is getting closer and so is january 20.
rain and snow is, too, but hopefully you’re stocked up.
glad you can enjoy the paperwhites and Christmas tree a while longer. you do so well with plants!
hope you don’t get any ice or sleet. we have huge piles of snow around here. thankfully we were spared snow that was in the forecast yesterday. :)
need to get going on the grocery shopping because then i can visit (from a distance) with at least some of my family. :)
stay safe and warm!
kathy in iowa
rain and snow “are”, too …
kathy in iowa
xo
We’re stocked up but it’s supposed to be a wet snow, which makes cleanup much more tiring.
Stay safe, Kathy!
Hi Claudia. Your paperwhites are lovely. Wish I had gotten some, as well as amarylis. We also watched Ma Rainey. I agree that Viola Davis was especially wonderful. Mr. Boseman did a fabulous job and was taken too soon from this world. We also watched Marshall, a movie about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Negro appointed that position. Very good.
We took our Cooper to local doggie park yesterday for a run but soon were pelted with sleet so headed for home. Pretty slick on the roads and was glad to get home. Now we have lovely white to cover everything again! Our tree will stay up for quite a while also. We love all the lights and decor around the house. After all, Christmas should be celebrated all thru the year!! Take care.
We’re going to watch Marshall and the film that Boseman did about Jackie Robinson, as well.
Stay safe, Penny!
Boseman’s star lit up the sky as it arced and then burned. He brought me to tears when he told us the story of his mother. All eyes were on him. The silence was deafening. He outshined Viola. I’m not sure if I can watch it again.
Happy New Year.
Be well.
I know. Too painful. Though I think I might.
I agree. I love Viola Davis and she was incredible. But Chadwick? Incandescent.
Stay safe, Bobbie.
I think Ma Rainey might be on my sofa-viewing list today! Sounds like a plan. and a great review.
I’ll take the big one down on or right after Twelfth Night but will leave up a few smaller ones, replace Santas with snowfolk and keep the winter vibe going for awhile. I need those lights and the color and cheer!
Meanwhile, today is a good day to read — I was given Mitch Albom’s newest, about his Haitian “daughter” and the tough, indomitable spirit she had during her all too short life. It is affirming and heartbreaking.
You will love it, Jeanie.
I’m so sorry you fell! Please take care of yourself. Get someone else to deal with the snow and ice.
Stay safe.
Happy New Year, friend. If we were not in the middle of a pandemic (the “Trump Virus,” which is how I will now refer to it), my wish for the day before the inauguration would be for millions of people to stand in front of the White House chanting “You’re Fired, Get Out” over and over! The knowledge that millions and millions of people are thinking that makes me happy! Your friend, Chris
Wouldn’t that be incredible? All the people who were out on the streets cheering for Biden’s win could travel to the White House.
Stay safe, Chris.
happy new year Claudia and Don!
I hope it treats you both with health and happiness.
I have to look up Chadwick Bozeman! thank you for such a wonderful review.
they’re always given with such care and real thought here. whether a book a play or a movie.
that is rare and so much appreciated.
stay cozy in the new snow! xo
He is/was and incredible talent, Tammy.
Stay safe!
I made it to midnight although I was in bed reading. Fireworks were pretty distant so Annie did freak out too much. Restful day yesterday but it’s getting time to take down the Christmas decorations. I have that movie on my watch list and will probably try to see it this weekend. After your review I’m even more eager to watch it. Yes 18 days. Hugs!
18 days. I wish it was sooner!
Stay safe, Linda.
Since the 12 days of Christmas don’t end until January 6. As you know that when the kings arrived with gifts for Jesus. So I am keeping my lights up until then. Also my Russian Orthodox neighbor celebrates Christmas January 7.
I saw Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. I liked it but it took me awhile to get the style. I will watch it again. It was very educational. It reminded me that childhood trauma lasts a lifetime. So many people especially minorities were traumatized frequently and yet we expect it not affect their behavior.
I am hopeful for more understanding in the future.
Happy New Year.
I am, too, Kay.
Stay safe!
Happy, healthy New Year to you & hubby, Claudia. Beautiful cool & sunny days here in OB.
We watched Ma Rainey’s also & loved it! What acting!! Such a loss of life w/Boseman. We’re having fun watching the Vera Series ! Lots of stories to entertain us as we wait for the vaccine to get here. We’re married 50 years in 2 wks & want to celebrate!! BUT, unable to yet:((((
18 days of torture with OM doing his damage. I just hope & pray Biden can get us back on tract. I really am concerned there’s just been too much damage to repair. We’ll see. Gotta think good thoughts!
Oh boy! 50 years! Congratulations, Priscilla! That is truly something special.
Stay safe!
I’m glad New Years was quiet for you. Us, too, which was perfectly fine. I did manage to stay up until midnight…just to make sure 2020 was gone!
This month will be a good one for movie watching. I think it will be a nice distraction from real world chaos, brought on by a desperate man over the next 18 days.
Our Christmas decorations are coming down today…including the tree. As lovely as it is, it is time for us. However…,I am leaving the battery operated candles for their ambience.
Enjoy your day of relaxation…stay safe! ;)
Thanks, Donna. Our beauty is still going strong, so let her shine!
Stay safe.
i think I might try to pot up some paperwhites for my house for next winter. It would be nice to have that smell around the house. Any other suggestions would be welcome.
Amaryllis, as well.
I love seeing them here and I love their scent. Especially when it’s so bleak outside.
Stay safe, Jan!
Our tree is still up as well as our nativity as we count down the 12 days of Christmas. I’m a big fan of the Wise Men bearing gifts. Any excuse to extend the Christmas spirit and a cozily-decorated house just a little longer! It’s the lights brightening our winter darkness that I miss the most as January wears on. Like you, I rely on flowers to bring that extra spark of beauty into our lives.
And now I know what we’ll be watching on Netflix tonight as we chow down on leftovers. Hopefully we will soon be listening to rain or shoveling snow as we wait for La Nina to bring us some sorely-needed precipitation.
Our new year celebration will start on January 20th at noon! Hang in there, everyone!
My new favorite motto: Wearing is caring.
I’m happy to extend the Christmas spirit, Roxie!
Stay safe.
Wow Claudia! I checked in your blog this afternoon to see if you recommended anything for our family to watch on Netflix tonight. Wow! Ma Raney’s Black Bottom was incredible! Chadwick
Boseman was incredible! Thanks for the recommendation!
Lottie
So happy you loved it as much as we did, Lottie!
Stay safe.
Happy New Year, Claudia! We slinked off to bed at 9 pm but that meant that we woke up refreshed and ready for the challenges of 2021. Whatever it throws at us, we’re going into it better prepared than at the beginning of last year. Winston Churchill said that if you’re going through hell, you’d better keep walking. It’s my favorite quote at the moment. I do hope that we’ve walked through the worst of it and that better times lie just ahead.
I wanted to give you one more link for a Beacon Hill under construction, in case you haven’t seen it already. https://beaconhilldollhouse.blogspot.com/ Theresa Marie has turned hers into the biggest house I’ve seen so far by adding a basement, sub-basement, and several rooms. It’s intriguing but more than I could manage.
Wishing you a happy day!
Love the Winston Churchill quote, Megan.
Thank you so much for the link!
Stay safe.