Proof.
I cleaned up the office yesterday and also dealt with the closet, which has everything under the sun in it, including our downstairs a/c unit. Lots of sorting, organizing, cleaning, and vacuuming. I also vacuumed and dusted both rooms on this floor. I tend to neglect them, as I’m usually downstairs. The closet will get an intense reorganization when the a/c unit returns to duty.
Since we share this space, I also dealt with plants, cameras, and empty boxes that need to be recycled. I’m always quite proud of myself when I do this as it’s so easy to turn it into a dumping ground. Don dealt with his desk a couple of weeks ago, so…for this moment in time…the room looks great. It’s a tiny space, shared by two tall people with lots of STUFF. We’re rarely up there at the same time, and we’re very amenable to vacating the space for the other person if necessary.
I’m still not quite ready to dive into renovating the Beacon Hill. I’m not sure why, but I have to trust that I’ll start in the near future. Last night, Don was looking at my very first oil painting and is now urging me to get back to painting. First of all, I have to deal with my coaching commitment, which starts in 3 days.
Day 8 of War and Peace and I’m really enjoying it. Don’s copy arrived yesterday and he read Chapter 1. I spent some time this morning following the hashtag for the readalong and there are over 800 people doing this! I love that – such a sense of community, and it’s literally taking place all over the world. Some readers are sticking to a chapter a day, others are reading several chapters a day. I’m going to do that on Tuesday because I won’t have time to read chapters Wednesday – Saturday. It’s highly readable. Tolstoy is a brilliant writer.
The sun finally came out towards the end of the day yesterday and it’s already shining today. Thank goodness. It’s been so dreary around here and, as you know, I need sunlight. It’s colder now, the warm spell is over, but I’m fine with that.
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
claudia, the studio looks great (also, beacon hill is huge)! hope that clean-up work didn’t bother your back.
if you don’t mind sharing, i’m curious as to the rest of the quote seen on the left of your desk, please and thanks.
glad you and don are enjoying “war and peace”.
and you got some sun. :) hope the weather cooperates on your travels to and from nyc.
here? sad for the passing of a friend of 34 years. had to dispatch a mouse from a basement (not here). and i have a new neighbor in the apartment beneath mine (not sam’s next door) and been smelling a skunk-y smell throughout my place a couple nights lately. heard that pot smells skunk-y and so am not happy if that’s what is going on. ):( don’t want to falsely accuse anyone of anything, but will be talking with my landlord tomorrow.
on a happier note, i get to spend time with members of my family soon. :)
happy, sunny sunday! stay safe.
kathy
Kathy you have some strict laws on marijuana in Iowa “For first offenders, possession of any amount of marijuana is a misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and/or up to 6 months of imprisonment” Medical is legal. I used to work in a casino on the Colorado River. If you walked outside by the river you could smell skunk. There were skunks you would see sometimes but most of the time it was some one smoking pot. They do smell similar.
thanks very much, olivia. :)
i knew about the allowance for medical use of pot here in iowa, but not those other details. appreciate you looking them up.
and sorry you had to deal with smoke at that colorado job. (an aside … for several months many years ago, i lived outside of denver… beautiful!)
my building is supposed to be “smoke-free” (of tobacco, pot or whatever) and thankfully is virtually all the time … just not lately. also thankful that i have a good landlord so hopefully if the new guy is smoking pot, that problem will end soon.
thanks again.
hope you are having a good sunday and week ahead. stay safe.
kathy
I guess it can smell skunky…hope your landlord can handle the situation.
As for the quote, that’s something that is just for me and why I make sure it’s partly covered when I take a photo.
Stay safe, Kathy!
i understand. thanks, claudia.
kathy
xoxo
Claudia, you inspired me to read W & P, and I found a group that is doing the chapter a week method. I’m so glad I jumped in, it’s a wonderful read. My first time :)
My first time, too. So glad you’re reading it, Karen!
Stay safe.
Claudia, like you I need sun. We finally had some sun this morning, but now it’s mostly overcast with a bit of dull sunshine. Sigh. I don’t look forward to the now unpredictable weather of summer, but I do miss the extra hours of light and the sunshine.
Your office looks great. I always enjoy seeing how other creative people set up their workspaces. Mine is a work in progress. Since storage space is limited here that room has become the holding area for the things which I don’t have storage room. I’m determined to get it cleaned out so that I can actually use it.
I get very down when there’s no sun for more than a few days. So does Don.
Stay safe, Denise.
Your office does look really nice, Claudia. I bet you keep going up there just to look at it, lol. I’m like that when I clean the oven. Everytime I’d go in the kitchen I’d have to peek in the oven. I’m trying to make some slippers for Jessie and Walter. They look really sweet in their almost-matching pjs. Sending good vibes that your week in NYC will go well. Travel safe. Hugs, Elaine
Good luck with the slippers, Elaine! I’m sure they’ll be adorable.
Stay safe!
Your studio is lovely
Just a thought not to get a discussion
Some of my friends are emailing and texting that gas prices are so low
I only get gas once a month unless Indy family is here and using car for Disney and they fill up
I don’t know what the price is but last year almost all blogs were blaming Dems for gas prices
They protest too much maybe
Where are they now being thankful?
Of course I don’t read most of those blogs any more but doubt they are giving Dems credit
Both parties have problems
I just get so tired of one party being blamed
Thanks for letting me vent
Out the window now
Of course, they won’t give Dems credit. They never do. Biden has accomplished more than any other President in his first two years, but never do I hear a good word from them about it.
Glad it’s out the window now, Brenda!
Stay safe.
Wow, I have ‘being organized’ envy; you did a great job, Claudia; I’ve always remembered this, that small-space living becomes ‘clutter’ in a nanosecond if you don’t keep on top of it. I need to paste those words on my forehead so that every day when I look in the mirror, that’s what I see as my reminder.
With your work assignment in The City, Claudia, if you could get thru all you did in pandemic stress last year, working late at night and getting back to your rented room in the wee hours, hiking around on public transport AND your tired feet; those long-hard days on set with the movie, you know you can get thru ANYTHING ala next week and as you said to me in yesterday’s comments, it’s a job, and think of it, that you’re retired, and you’re still getting work and MONEY, so give yourself a pat on the back and we’ll all be here rooting for you next week; besides which, when it’s done, you have your beautiful cottage and beautiful husband waiting for you. It’s all good. Good, good, good, GOOD!!!
PS Here in SoCalif, we’re to get so much rain Tuesday that my husband has already rescheduled his regular part-time work day to a non-rainy time in the week (we won’t get much of those times; we’re getting storm after storm after storm, but of course we NEVER get rain here [hint the sarcasm; ha; gotta admit, it’s easy to sometimes forget year to year, but I feel that I haven’t seen this much rain in a WHILE, but key wonderment is will it indeed break our drought?]; I was looking at our green-green hillsides yesterday and hoping this will bring us a bunch of pretty wildflowers come March-April!). He’s lucky he has the option, though; my husband; because not everybody can choose to stay home on the worst-weather days. We know we’re fortunate in this regard. This afternoon has been all about re-battening down the hatches as this next go’round of stormy weather is also to include a lot of wind with the rain. Claudia, I probably hate the wind as much as you do! What’s curious is that our SoCalif storms of late are not cold ones; today we’re cloudy the entire day, never saw the sun, but it’s almost 70 degrees (or at least it was a couple of hours ago). It’s tropical-style storms!
It sounds like the weather out there is rather intense and crazy. Please take care.
xo
Well, I’m not really retired. At least, I never officially retired, but because I freelance, I’ve been semi-retired for a while.
Yes, I’ll get through it and once I’m in the rehearsal studio, I’ll be fine. It’s just the hours of travel back and forth that take a toll. But hopefully, I can grab some sleep on the bus on the way home.
Thanks so much for your support, Vicki. Yes, I’m still working and I’m very glad I am!
Stay safe.
Your office looks great and very motivating. I made a first stab at mine (it became the holiday dumping ground) and I can finally see the desk again, but much filing to do and have to deal with that closet once the holidays are put away.
We had our first sun yesterday in close to a month. So welcome. My poor solar lights barely have lasted till 8:30 these day! Headed to Detroit tomorrow for a Van Gogh exhibit — and they’re predicting more sun! I’ll take it.
We had some sun yesterday, but today is quite gloomy!
Stay safe, Jeanie.