We’re quite happy with this tree. We have low ceilings downstairs and we had to trim a bit off the top, but what a pretty shape it has! We’re going to decorate either today or tomorrow. (I’m pushing for today.)
Since we were on a roll, we hung three of the framed pieces of art we found in the shed. The poster I showed you before that we got in Lake Louise is at the bottom of the stairs. We’ll be adding to that wall over time, making it another gallery wall.
Then we went upstairs and hung two more pieces.
I found this reproduction poster in London many years ago and had it framed when I lived in California. We both love it.
The framed photograph on the floor is also one of my favorites. It will be hung at the bottom of the stairs – it exudes joy. (I had it on the wall in my apartment in Cambridge so I’ve had it for over 30 years.)
The other is one of my favorite things ever.
(Trying to take a picture full on is difficult as there is glare from the window.)
This is from a production of The Mikado at the Stratford Festival in Canada in 1982. I saw it and it was wonderful. I love the graphics. On a personal note, I love Gilbert & Sullivan and have performed in two of their creations, HMS Pinafore and….The Mikado, in which I played the character pictured here, Katisha. She was deliciously devious!
Growing up in the Detroit area, I was able to visit Stratford for many years as it was only four hours away. I haven’t been there for a while and I’d love to go back. But I was lucky enough to see many great actors perform there; William Hutt, Martha Henry, Nicholas Pennell (who I had the pleasure of coaching many years later,) Len Cariou, Brian Bedford, and Maggie Smith.
So this poster brings back all sorts of happy memories.
Interesting news, first sent to me by my longtime friend Donna. A class action lawsuit has been filed against the SAG/AFTRA Health Plan by, among others, Ed Asner. Among the complaints; “premiums have skyrocketed and medical coverage is being stripped from elderly guild members under the guise of a COVID-19-related restructuring, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in California federal court.” This is potentially good news. Here is the link to the article in The Hollywood Reporter (there was also an article in the New York Times.
I read it to Don and we felt a smidgen of hope, which is more than we had before. Read it, if you can, because you’ll understand the enormity of the whole thing.
Rain on the way tomorrow and Saturday – a lot of it. Now, with all the leaking, I fear rain.
But today is cold and sunny.
Stay safe.
Happy Thursday.
That tree is a symmetrical beauty!! So happy to see it brighten the house. The art pieces are wonderful, each one very different but striking. I wish I could redecorate my house under your skillful eye. Your little houses and big one are always so cosy and full of personal touches. It’s good news about the class action suit. They can take a long time, but Ed Asner seems like he’s been a very strong SAG representative for a long time–is he the current president? At any rate, very grateful that he is bringing this to public attention. I’ve had some Christmas music on the past few days and it’s lifting my spirits. I adore the Muppets Christmas with John Denver, Jimmy Buffet’s Christmas Island album, Elvis’s Christmas album, and of course Charlie Brown Christmas. On the poor taste side, I can’t get enough of Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. There are actually some very sweet, sentimental and lovely songs on it. No lights up here yet, but waiting eagerly for the new artificial tree–it’s a tall, skinny one, an Alpine fur new design for me. I’m devastated by the number of new Covid cases and terrified of the wave of Thanksgiving infections to come. The complete failure of our federal government is a betrayal and a crime. Sine there is nothing I can do except follow the directions to stay in, I’m going to continue to pray for the doctors, nurses, technicians, first responders, and hospital staff, as well as the patients and families. And try to give thanks instead of feeing guilty for what we have. And light a candle in the darkness, which is my favorite theme of the holiday season. Thanks for doing all that you can for shining light all year but especially this season.
It certainly brings to cold, hard reality what people in so many other countries have to deal with on a daily basis. The complete betrayal by those who should be protecting us. It’s heartbreaking on every possible level.
Ed Asner isn’t the President of SAG now. He was in the past. I think if he’d been the current president, this wouldn’t have happened.
Stay safe, Nora!
to claudia and don …
i hope the news of that lawsuit and the sight of that tree lift your spirits!
may there be a swift legal decision in your favor along with much ensuing relief and dancing in your home!
and to ed asner (one of my longtime faves), all the other plaintiffs and their attorneys …
go get ’em! and thank you for pursuing a remedy and rightness!
also, claudia, thanks for the art tour … beautiful!
happy thursday. stay safe and well!
kathy in iowa
Legal action is never swift, but I have hope for next year, Kathy.
Thanks so much, Kathy.
Stay safe.
Hi Claudia, have fun decorating your beautiful tree! Love the art pieces. Have a great day!
Thank you, April.
Stay safe.
Oh, I’ll bet your house smells wonderful!
It sort of does, the scent isn’t as strong as in other years. Usually, we get that scent when it’s starting to dry out.
Stay safe, Shanna.
Nice looking tree. Very interesting about the lawsuit – I just read the whole thing and the complete lawsuit filed. Sounds like they really tried to pull on over on the guild members! So keeping my fingers crossed for the guild members.
Thank you so much, Dawn. They did. We all have such a sense of betrayal. Thank goodness for people like Ed Asner and the rest of the plaintiffs who are taking action.
Stay safe.
We like glimmers of hope. Sounds like Ed Asner and company, may be on to something. Fingers crossed!
Your tree is perfect where you have it set. Our tree will go up tomorrow…lots of fluffing will be involved. And, the lights…can’t wait for the lights.
Those are outstanding pictures you found in the shed. And, what memories. I’m excited for you to start another gallery wall. Oh, the possibilities.
Take care…have fun decorating your tree! ;)
Today is the day we decorate. Cannot wait for the lights!
Stay safe, Donna.
Your tree looks great and I bet it smells good too! Hope the lawsuit helps you get your insurance back.
Have fun decorating!
I’m hoping it does, too. I have several choice words for the union, but I can’t use them here!
Stay safe, Ellen.
Sounds like Mr. Asner is on to something!! Will be interesting to hear what unfolds. Keep us posted.
The pictures are so pretty. I saw the one of the people dancing and it made me smile and then I read that you said it is joyful. I nodded in agreement!!
I am so sorry about the rain coming your way. I saw that on the news this morning and thought about you. Have you found anyone to come and look at the porch? It seems that all of the construction people are so very busy now. Hope that you and Don are decorating and having a fun and peaceful afternoon. Take care.
We contacted someone this morning and he’s going to come by next week when he has a break. We hope he can patch it, or we can persuade him to re-shingle the porch roof (and maybe the shed) and we might be able to hold off on the rest of the house until we can raise more money. No income makes for no roof money.
Stay safe, Chris.
Beautiful tree. I look forward to seeing it decorated. I enjoy all your vintage ornaments. Happy day.
Thank you, Linda. It’s even more beautiful now, as the limbs have settled and the shape is gorgeous.
Stay safe!
Now THAT was powerful. And oh, I hope it does some good. There is no worse time for people to be dealing with insurance hikes. None.
I love your tree and look forward to seeing it decorated. And oh, the posters and photo are just wonderful. I suspect you and I were at Stratford around the same time — I remember seeing many of those actors there too. And don’t forget a very young Christopher Walken, if you saw “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1968 or 69! I was planning to see three shows in the last (canceled) season. Who knows if they’ll still do the same line-up when they are open? Take care.
Yes, I did see a very young (and beautiful) Christopher Walken in Midsummer. I bet Jerry went along on that school trip, too.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Your tree has a really beautiful shape; how nice. You picked an excellent tree!
I’m so glad our local ‘tree’ guy wasn’t set up yet; his truck hasn’t arrived yet with his Oregon Christmas trees. If it had come early, our WEATHER would have played havoc with his tree lot and the fresh trees.
No sleep here last night; absolutely VIOLENT Santa Ana winds, everything rattling. Collapsed a canopy shelter we had (which we had anchored securely!!), tore two NEW tarps off outdoor sheds, debris all over the place like palm fronds and dry leaves and tree branches, people’s city (large!) waste cans flat on the ground, spewing trash/garbage; definitely the worst wind we’ve had yet in 2020.
And so many people had already decorated their home exteriors, so of course the decorations on the ground and any inflatables flattened. I even saw a rather heavy outdoor chair of a neighbor’s out in the street from where the wind carried it from the edge of their garage. I caved and went to sleep during the day, which I don’t like to do, but I was exhausted from being up all night with all this racket/noise; it was still windy all day, but somehow in the night it was worse (and we’ve got another two days of this although it has died a bit right now at 5:30pm-ish which can be typical [then it starts up again at bedtime]). Part of the problem now in SoCalif is that we can no longer associate these winds without companion wildfire, so it puts us on edge/alert. Just another thing to add to my anxiety!
And then to add to the edginess, I just got an online order but it wasn’t the cat food I’d ordered; instead, a box of children’s clothing. It was resolved with a customer service online chat, and I must say this has never happened before with them; is just indicative of how many people are ordering from home and their employees must be so deluged, so I don’t blame them and they made good on it. Still, it’s just one more THING.
Our Calif governor is warning us that we’ll soon be under a very-strict stay-home order again. Los Angeles is in a world of hurt…I’m in the burbs but the virus knows no borders…and the health officials are sounding such dire predictions (the overwhelmed hospitals and health-care workers). Where I am, our restaurants, bars, schools, museums, etc. are already closed; I guess imminently it’ll be hair salons again and the like. L.A. Mayor Garcetti has called for ‘hunker down’ like never before. We’re back to March and worse. And the public health director says, “This is not the time to skirt or debate the safety measures that protect us because we need every single person to use every tool available to stop the surge and save lives.” All public and private gatherings with anyone outside a single household is banned (tell this to my neighbors on my street).
We all have big and little things we’ll miss this Christmas as we shut ourselves off. Sounds ridiculous and unfeeling to even say it, when other people have much larger problems than I can imagine, but I don’t even want to risk buying homemade tamales in my hometown, which is a huge holiday tradition in my life. They’re saying stay home as much as possible, so we’ll comply.
By the way, Claudia, that’s a hopeful development from SAG. I’m glad you got interim coverage on your own in the meantime.
Now, if you can just get your leaks resolved. I’m sorry you’re having to fear rain the way I fear the wind. We’re warm-hot, too; I’ve had to have on the central air conditioning yesterday and today. Too, too dry; just no moisture in the air at all. We feel like shriveled, dried prunes. And the sun is intense when you’re in it midday. No rain is forecast; maybe we’ll get lucky and have some in January. It depends upon location, but we’ve been in the 80s temp-wise; however, if this were Sept/Oct, we’d have wind with MUCH higher temps; so, on the one hand, 80s is nuth’in.
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas. Dreaming being the word.
I’m so sorry about the high winds, Vicki! Besides the damage, they are so unsettling. Impossible to sleep, I now.
I hope you get some relief soon, my friend. By the way, we haven’t ordered any food from any restaurant or take-out since March. We don’t know who has prepared it, how it was prepared, or what precautions have been taken, so we just don’t do it.
Stay safe!