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Shutting the World Out

September 5, 2021 at 9:37 am by Claudia

It’s a rainy Sunday morning, which is a relief. After lots of mowing yesterday that left us feeling very tired, we decided to take today off. It’s as if the universe is supporting that decision. Don mowed even longer than I did and I had to force him to stop. We still haven’t finished but we’ll get to the rest of it tomorrow or Tuesday.

Of course, I do have to work today as I have a Zoom session with the actor I’m coaching in the movie. But that’s only an hour or so and he’s delightful, so it will be fun.

And laundry. And dusting. And….

But still, no yard work!

It’s a quiet day. We’ve been talking a lot lately about our preference for Lockdown Mode. By that, I mean a bit more cut off from “the world” with a feeling of being snug and safe in our cottage. Turns out, we prefer it – at least for now. I guess I’m thinking about it a lot because I have to go out into the world for work in October, November, and December and that makes me uneasy. I would never turn down either opportunity, I’m grateful for them, and I will be masked in the rehearsal room for Anastasia, as well as on the movie set. The safety protocols for film are rigorous. But – I’ll be commuting around NYC, going to various locations, I’ll be around lots of people. After more than a year and a half of only working via Zoom, turns out I actually have to go out there to really do my job(s) and get paid. Who knew?

Also, of course, is the fact that world seems more insane by the moment. People are more insane. I’m so tired of it all and I know you are, too. There was a brief moment there, around the Inauguration, where I thought we might be relatively home free. Silly me. I’m tired of willful stupidity and ignorance. Tired of a barrage of misinformation. Tired of liars and cheats and those who want to overturn everything we hold dear. Tired of natural disasters. Tired of white men trying to tell women what we can or can’t do with our bodies, with the added bonus of putting a bounty on us. At times, I’m enraged.

Self care. That’s what we all need to do and that’s what I plan to do today and tomorrow. No news. N0 24 hour a day barrage of talking heads. Yesterday helped, as mowing the lawn, doing something physical, vacuuming, watering plants, etc., are all great ways to lose myself in the moment and shake off the world.

None of this is new, of course, It’s just what we’ve been confirming in the course of several conversations. Shutting the world out isn’t a bad thing.

Wanted to add that we’ve been watching a great French series on Netflix, Black Spot. It’s a mystery/police/detective series, set in a remote area of France, including a fair amount of magical realism. Beautifully captured on film, it’s full of wonderful actors and nifty plots. So far, there are two seasons. It definitely reminds me of Twin Peaks in its humor, otherworldlyness (I think I made up that word) and dense forest setting full of mystery. We love it. And we’re due to finish it tonight and then I’ll be sad.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Zinnias and Work

September 4, 2021 at 9:33 am by Claudia

Sunny, but with a golden quality to the light that tells me autumn is coming.

I’ve had to reschedule my coaching sessions at the last minute twice this week as the actor is filming a series in England and the filming has gone past the time originally scheduled. We’re going to work tomorrow on his day off. (Not his fault, of course!)

I also was contacted by the next Anastasia tour – this one is non-union, as it’s the second national tour – and we’re trying to schedule some days where I come in and work with the actors. All of this conveniently falls in late September – mid October, before I start work on the movie. I am grateful for the opportunity to be the main source of income for the next few months. Really, really grateful.

As you might imagine, our lawn throughout the property is very overgrown because of all the rain. Today, we’ll start to tackle that. I’ve been wearing a mask when I mow because my allergies are so bad this year. I don’t know if it helps, but I do it anyway. Anyway, we have our work cut out for us this weekend.

Hopefully, I’ll get some time to paint. Fingers crossed.

Sad to see summer ending, but ready for fall.

Hope all is well with you.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

The Aftermath

September 3, 2021 at 9:50 am by Claudia

My walk down to what is known as the ‘creek’ but is really a river (we also have another river steps away from the creek) showed me just how bad this storm was around here. I’ve never seen the level of the creek so high, completely covering little trees that were on bits of land within the river. The sound of the water is so loud, even this morning. I stood on the bridge (which has a deepening crack in the road – I called the county to report it) and looked down on the water, stunned. Then I walked down the road that my neighbor lives on, which also leads to a very popular campground. The entrance to the road said ‘road closed’ and it was quickly evident why it was closed. The water from the creek was right up to the doors of two different houses, one of which is a sort of shack, but lived in and maintained by a guy I’ve spoken to before. They weren’t trapped, as they could get out the back door, but it was frighteningly close. And down the road, another home that had been raised with supports (I’m not sure what you call them) under it because of another storm – that storm happened a few months after we moved in – had water covering the entire property.

The road to the campground was closed because water was completely covering the road. At 2:30 am, they had to evacuate everyone camping there. Everyone was transported to our fire station.

Don went into the neighboring town and the river had flooded the area called ‘the flats.’ Roads were closed. Bridges were closed. And this doesn’t take into account the horrific scenes in NYC, the tragic deaths throughout the Northeast.

I’m going to walk down there with Don when I finish this post to see how much of the water has receded.

We are on higher ground. The creek which is across the street is well below my neighbor’s property. And we are at a higher elevation than they are. The elevation changes that make mowing this property a bit of a pain are, it turns out, a good thing.

It’s a beautiful day today. The ground is very soggy, but as so often happens, you’d never guess what was happening two days ago.

After nearly a month of not painting, I did start one the other day. But I haven’t been able to get back to it because of…life. I was supposed to coach Ben yesterday via Zoom, but he asked if we could do it today instead as he’s got a heavy filming schedule and he’s just plain tired. So today, I’ll be working in the afternoon.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Shutting the World Out

Zinnias and Work

The Aftermath

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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