Early morning kitchen.
We had a thunderstorm yesterday. I like a good thunderstorm. This one was perfect. Lots of rumbles, some wind – but not too much – heavy rain, and then it was over. This morning is foggy.
We sure do lose track of the days around here. One morphs into another. There’s not a day that goes by where one of us doesn’t ask, “Is it Saturday or Sunday?” Or “I just realized it’s Saturday but it feels like a Friday.”
I can hear birdsong right now and it’s lovely. The peepers were amazing last night. I always stop at the window at the top of the stairs, open it wide, and say hello to them.
I’m reading The Lincoln Highway and I love it. I’m not at all surprised because I was eagerly awaiting this new novel by Amor Towles, whose A Gentleman in Moscow remains one of my favorite books of all time. I got the new book when it was first published last fall and took it to Brooklyn with me, but as you know, I barely had the time to read anything while I was there.
I’m on a mission to read the books in my TBR pile and this was next up. What a pleasure! You know that feeling when you sink into a new book by a favorite author and your shoulders drop because you know you’re in good hands? That’s how I feel about The Lincoln Highway.
I’m itching to start oil painting again but my back is still an issue, though it’s getting better. Today, I’m wondering if I can use the smaller easel and put it on my lap here in the den. That way I wouldn’t have to lean forward at the kitchen table. (I’m doing everything very carefully nowadays.) I want to paint some small studies of some of my egg cups and I could easily set them up in here.
We’ll see.
Happy first day of Spring!
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
I, too, am trying to make my way through my TBR pile. Spring arrived here a few weeks ago despite the continued, out-of-the-norm low temperatures for our part of Texas. Before I had finished my Evusheld injections, a neighbor and I sat bundled up in our front yard to talk to each other. Suddenly, behind her, I heard lots of birdsong, as if the songbirds had just then arrived in the three oak trees we and our neighbor have between us. When I mentioned the birdsong, my neighbor, who describes herself as hard of hearing, shook her head and said, “I can’t hear it.” Her “hard of hearing” means when I visited her in the past, I sometimes had to point out that the battery needed to be changed in her smoke alarm since it was going off above her head. I feel sad that she’s cheated of birdsong, that her first experiences as a child with hearing aids was so negative that she is not now willing to wear them, and that she misses out on so much. My daughter chose cochlear implants for my deaf granddaughter when she was a toddler, but because they used to have to be removed around water, my granddaughter had never heard the sound of the ocean until recently although they traveled to the Cancun area every year for their vacations.
Heartbreaking not to hear birdsong or the sound of the ocean – things I take for granted.
Stay safe, Linda.
Just FYI – they have art canvases of all sizes up to 11 x 14 at Dollar Tree in their Crafters Square area. Some come two to the pack. All prices are $1.25 for singles or for a multiple pack. I think on their row of Dollar Tree Plus items that are $3-5 they offer a really large canvas. You might be interested in some of the many other craft items if you haven’t been to a Dollar Tree in awhile. Some really nice things!
Thanks so much, Sharon!
Stay safe.
Yes….Happy Spring! Seems like it’s been a long time coming….or it could be just my inability to measure time lately. Much like you and Don questioning what day of the week it is! I spent a good portion of yesterday planning out my flower gardens and pots. I know it’s a long way off….but a girl has to dream.
I loved yesterday’s slice of life post. And today’s pic….great. I am wondering on the right side of the white cabinet the plant it trailing down on something. Is that a hat? My old eyes can’t figure it out.
Enjoy today…for all the promise it holds! ;)
There’s a potted pothos on top of the cabinet and yes, that’s a tendril hanging down. There’s an old blue hat hanging from the side of the cabinet which is my gardening hat. And then there’s a wooden crate full of hats, mittens, and scarves on the bench.
Stay safe, Donnamae!
Happy Spring!
How is your repaired rain gutter working?
Take Care,
Kaye
Park City, UT
It’s working very well!
Stay safe, Kaye.
I am waiting for a nice spring thunderstorm. Our snow is gone and we have lots of yard clean up waiting for us. We saw a chickadee sitting on top of one of our birdhouses yesterday and then another one popped out of the house so I think they have claimed their home.
I’m glad to hear your back is improving. I hope Don is doing better too.
Happy Spring!
Yay! New tenants, Marilyn!
Stay safe.
It is a beautiful Spring day here! I have been doing more watercolors and I’m enjoying it very much. I would love to see a paint study of your egg cups. We are in a season of the circle of life right now. Mom’s sister passed yesterday and her brother is in ICU. So keeping her spirits up is important to me right now. Hugs!
Oh, I’m so sorry, Linda! This is so difficult. Give your mom a hug from me – and one for yourself, as well.
Much love,
xo
Good idea to use a small easel on your lap. I look forward to seeing your painted egg cups. As always, thank you for your posts!!
Thank you, Jenny!
Stay safe.
Glad the back is better.
Yep, my husband and I definitely lose track of days; really started noticing it with lockdown and early days of pandemic and ever since. But then as well, how fast they fly, when there’s really nothing all that remarkable which fills them up.
Unfortunately, the back is worse today. So frustrating!
Thanks, Vicki.
Stay safe.
Oh, I loved those books, too. Tried to find his other one—Rules of Civility. No luck yet. Have you read it? I’m encouraged by all of the upcoming books from favorite writers, some just out, some still to come—Susan Hill, Deborah Crombie, Robert Galbraith, Harlan Coben, Alafair Burke…
Reading Donna Leon’s new one in the Guido Brunetti series, Give unto Others.
Yes I’ve read it. I liked it a lot, though not as much as A Gentleman in Moscow. I just saw the Susan Hill in a Brit Instagram account the other day. Hurrah!
Stay safe, Shanna.
I’m attacking my TBR pile also. I do hope you enjoy the new Towles novel. It started out so well and then just went flat for me. He’s such a brilliant writer and I was so disappointed. Looking forward to hearing your review.
I hope your back feels better today!
-Suzanne
You’re the only person I’ve heard say anything negative. Also, in the future, can you wait unti I’ve read it to tell me your reaction? I don’t like to hear anything about a book until I’ve read it myself.
Thanks, Suzanne.
Stay safe.
I love rainy days but thunderstorms are on my list of things I do NOT like. I think its because of the wind that usually accompanies the ones here. Reminds me of tornadoes, so always a bit of anxiety when the wind picks up and the rumbles begin. But give me a quiet rain any day! A pot of tea, a great book and a cozy spot while the rain waters the garden. The best kind of afternoon.
Hope your back continues to heal.
X Chy
Well, we get strong winds, too, and I don’t like that. We always worry about our trees. But in this case, the winds weren’t all that strong so I could enjoy the thunder!
Stay safe, Chy.
good morning. hope you have a nice day ahead!
kathy in iowa
ps … could that board now on the kitchen table set on the arms of the easier chair and hold your easel and other supplies for painting in the den?
No, it’s way too big. I tried it the other day to see if I could work on puzzle. It’s too awkward and it would fall.
Thanks, dear Kathy.
Stay safe.
Happy Spring, Claudia! A day late here to visit but hoping that your back improves with every moment and that you can paint soon — although “The Lincoln Highway” is not a bad substitute for a paintbrush!
No, it sure isn’t!
Stay safe, Jeanie.
Oh I am glad to hear that you and Don have the same conversations that me and my husband have! Remembering days and peoples names is a major problem lately. I too love thunderstorms! We just don’t have them enough in Phoenix. Sometimes I listen to them on tape. We are hearing more birds here too. We have a lot of lovebirds that have made Phoenix their home. I love their songs! Take care!
We hardly ever had them when we lived in San Diego.
Stay safe, Deb!
that picture of your room looked like an interior of a dollhouse to me for a few seconds!!!
I understand!
Stay safe, Jan.