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Travel Day

September 18, 2014 at 8:00 am by Claudia

Oh boy. What a day we have ahead of us!

I still have to finish packing this morning and take care of what seems like a hundred things around here. There are at least 10 different lists sitting on the kitchen island.

travel day morning glory 1

That’s a bee diving down head-first into the morning glory.

I hope that the walk to the park from the hotel isn’t too far for Scout. That’s what I worried about last night. She limps because of the arthritis in her front leg. She’s a trooper, of course, but it would be so much easier if the apartment was available. So much easier. A quick walk across the street and we’re in the park. It’s more than a few blocks from the hotel.

travel day morning glory 3

This morning glory vine looks like a question mark.

Question of the day: Will Scout adapt to her new surroundings? Will she be able to handle the long walks? Or will I have to take her to Don’s place in New Haven?

This will be a short post, my friends. Too much to do before we head out around noon.

travel day morning glory 2

We won’t even mention how I’ve looked over the weather forecast for the next ten days and the lack of rain makes me concerned for my garden. Or how impossibly beautiful it looks right now as I prepare to leave and how sad that makes me.

It ain’t easy, this living and working away from home.

In fact, it gets harder, not easier.

Sorry for what seems like an excessive amount of in-post ads today. I’m looking into it.

Happy Thursday.

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Dreams, Lists, and Noise

September 17, 2014 at 8:35 am by Claudia

I don’t often remember my dreams, but I did remember a scrap of one yesterday. What it was about, I’m not sure. I don’t remember any details except for the fact that I was a younger version of my current self and my mom was there. The dream wasn’t about my mom, specifically. But she was there hanging out and talking with me, much as we interacted in my teens and early twenties.

That’s all I remember. But it was lovely. I woke up with a strong sense of my mother and a sadness and happiness for days gone by…I miss her.

I probably dream of her more than I know. Many years after my brother died – he’s been gone for 23 years now – I had a vivid dream in which he and I were dancing together. The dance, as I remember, was a waltz. It was joyous and happy. I woke up with a smile on my face. That dream was so powerful that I knew he’d been with me, as sure as I knew my name. I take comfort in that dream even now.

Ah, well.

from the rear rose

Thank goodness for a second round of blooms on my rose bushes. Every year, long after I’ve given up on them, they sneak back in for an encore presentation. Very welcome, indeed.

I ran a few errands yesterday, made more lists, and in a spurt of energy, mowed the entire front lawn. It’s big, my friends. I should have stopped much earlier than I did, but I kept at it, knowing my back would be shouting in protest at the end of the day. It did.

On the other hand, that’s one of the things on my list for today that I don’t have to do. I like that.

And in the same vein of planned obsolescence as the breakdown of the washing machine, the television is now acting up. We’ve been babying it for quite a while now – the sound has a background of crackles and pops. We would turn on the television, then immediately turn down the volume for about 10 minutes, then slowly increase the volume and all would be okay. No longer. Crackles, snaps, and pops are there no matter what I do. And a new wrinkle: the sound cuts out here and there.

I remember asking the cable guy about it and he asked me how long we’d had the TV. I said about 8 years. Yep, he said, that’s about as long as you can expect it to last. Then things start happening.

Planned obsolescence.

It isn’t so bad if I’m watching something with a lot of music and sound effects, but anything quiet, i.e., The Roosevelts, is not at all fun. I end up turning it off.

After we get back: dealing with the washing machine and a new television.

Shiny new pencils for my work in Hartford:

for the trip pencils

I bought a box of Blackwings. The 602. Our local used bookstore is so cool. I told the owner I loved these pencils and he nodded. They are the best, he said.

Yep.

Potpourri on Tuesday (I’m All Over the Place)

September 16, 2014 at 9:18 am by Claudia

As Thursday draws nearer, I find I have lists and more lists all over the cottage. Errands to run. Things to pack. Phone calls to make.

And I’m more than a bit spacey. The other day I posted a photo on a blog post that I realized – several days after the fact – I had already used in a post last week. After rereading yesterday’s post, I worried that it was sort of the same thing I’ve said before. And it is. Ah, well. Sorry.

Forgive me if I’m a bit stressed. Packing for five weeks is always hard, but now I’m also taking Scout. And, unfortunately, for the first two weeks, we have to be in a hotel. After that, we will move to an apartment. It’s sort of a pain in the tush. I like this hotel. I’ve stayed there before. Everyone who works there is really nice. But how will Ms. Scout adjust? I don’t know. It’s a bit further from the park and Scoutie has a limp these days, so I worry about her.

Oh lord, I’m all about worrying. I’ve been that way since I was a wee girl.

If Scout doesn’t adjust to the hotel, she’ll move to her dad’s for a week or so. Hopefully, she’ll weather the change and be okay.

beatles sign on piano

Remember the sign I got Don for his birthday? We temporarily propped it up on the piano until we could decide on a good place to hang it. Eventually, we realized that we like it where it is. So, for the time being, it’s staying right there. I added a photo I took of Don when we were in Boston – he’s doing his best to recreate the famous Abbey Road picture.

beatles sign on piano 2

Stepping back. I am still so in love with that lithograph of the Aquitania.

Yesterday was gorgeous. Today is rainy. I took advantage of yesterday’s beautiful weather and took at least a hundred photos of the gardens and the flowers and bugs and things like that. I’m stocking up on photos for future blog posts. Rehearsals are pretty intense for the first week and I might not have time to walk around Hartford and take pictures. And when I do walk around Hartford, I will often have Scout with me, so there’s that.

Don, my love, more of your zinnias:

for don

for don 2

We miss you.

We’ve talked about the ad income I receive (believe me, it’s minuscule) from this blog before, right? That’s the only income I receive. I say this only because a sweet and lovely reader assumed I was getting paid for my book reviews and I wondered if other readers thought the same thing? I never thought about it before, but I can see where someone might think that is the case.

I do not get paid for my book reviews. I receive the book in exchange for my honest review. If I got paid, I wouldn’t be able to be completely honest in my reviews. Now, if I worked for a newspaper or journal or something like that, I would expect to be paid because I would be working for an entity that is neutral as to the books being reviewed. But, since I get the books from the publisher and/or author, accepting any pay would be tantamount to writing a post in which I would feel pressure to give it a thumbs up. That’s why I include that statement in every review that thanks either TLC Book Tours or the publisher or NetGalley for a copy of the book “in exchange for my honest review.”

Just wanted to clarify that.

I’m off to read my lists and make a plan for the day.

Happy Tuesday.

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Travel Day

Dreams, Lists, and Noise

Potpourri on Tuesday (I’m All Over the Place)

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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