Makeover.

10-26-17 SHORT HILLS: The madness has passed. The house has been roofed, painted, repaired, guttered and leadered. All the workman have taken away all the trash, tools, extra material, trucks, garbage and whatever. Damage to the plumbing and shrubs has been repaired, only in part for the shrubs. After they all left, I went around the outside of the house trimming broken branches and picking up more trash, two bags full, that they had missed. Now we wait a month for the window replacement.

While the work was ongoing, the weather was mostly dry, but since, we have had a bit of much needed rain. We have a fair amount of color here, and lots of trees, ash and walnut, are bare.

I saw Turandot last night with S-I-L Steve at the Met. Judy passed on the opera because of injuries from a recent fall. She will be fine, hopefully soon. The Zepharelli production is gorgeous and dazzling. Puccini would have been proud. The sets, costumes and staging were the way I remember the Met from years ago, extravagant and elaborate. The orchestra, under Carlo Rizzi and the two female leads, Oksana Dyka and Maria Agresta were especially good. Sadly, ten to fifteen percent of the seats were empty.

New blooms: witch-hazel.


Here's the house from the back with new roof, gutters and leaders, and paint job....

,,,,and from the front.

Burning bush in front is still green, but the one immediately behind is afire.

Burning bush and sugar maple.

Lincoln Center Plaza at the start of Turandot.

Curtain calls, anyone need a Halloween costume?

Dazzling sets for Turandot.