Claudia — Page 1572

5 Years at MHC

August 29, 2010 at 9:41 am by Claudia

We moved into Mockingbird Hill Cottage 5 years ago tomorrow on August 30th, 2005. It was such a wonderful day for us, two artistic types who worked in the fickle performing arts and had been through their share of financial ups and downs. We actually bought a house. My dream for years had been to have a little house in the country. The locale in this dream changed depending on where I was living at the time, but the idea of a place in the Northeast kept recurring. Then we moved from San Diego to Westchester County, NY, rented a little cottage and the dream became more specific: find a place that is affordable in the the very expensive greater NYC area. That led us to the Hudson Valley and eventually to our little abode.

My wish list at the time included an attic, a basement, 3 bedrooms and a garage. We looked all over the area, on both sides of the Hudson River, and saw house after disappointing house. One day, after seeing the listing for this house, we paid it a visit. Light filled the rooms. The kitchen, in a house with low ceilings, had a very high ceiling – perfect for a guy who’s over 6’4″. It was built in 1891. It had been owned for years by the local ‘cat lady’ and when she died, the new owner took it down to the studs, rewired everything and flipped the house. But – it only had 2 bedrooms, a basement that was small and entered from the outside (no storage opportunities there), no attic and no garage. It had a large shed that had been built recently. And it had a glorious, wrap-around bluestone porch.

Don loved it. I loved it but was hesitant. Where was the attic, the extra bedroom, the basement? We sat in the realtor’s office, debating our list of ‘must haves.’ In the end, we knew it was for us.

The day after we moved in, we drove back to our rented cottage and spent the most humid day I can ever remember cleaning every inch of the space. We put things we no longer wanted out on the street with a ‘free’ sign. Exhausted at the end of the day, we left renting behind and moved into the new world of a mortgage payment that is larger than the rent we were paying. Sometimes I miss renting – the smaller monthly outlay, someone else being responsible for repairs. But not really. This is our house. We have almost 2 acres of land that is ours.

We freelance in an enonomy that is deeply troubled. We sweat the payment every month. We dream of winning the lottery and just paying the whole thing off. Stranger things have happened. We know this whole house-owning thing is a gamble…but it is for everyone, isn’t it? We are no different.

We love this little cottage with its quirky imperfections. We love the warmth and shelter it gives us. There are things that need to be done around here ( a new furnace in the not-too-distant future) and things that we dream of doing (adding an extension that would have a master bedroom, laundry room, family room, studio space, and storage.)

Sometimes the dream seems impossible but I’ve learned that nothing is impossible. After all, a few short years ago, the dream of owning a home seemed equally impossible. And look where we are now.

Happy Anniversary, Mockingbird Hill Cottage. We love you.

Put a Lid on it

August 27, 2010 at 1:26 pm by Claudia

A few years back, my husband and I fell in love with a trash can. We’d seen one like it in my niece’s kitchen and then we encountered this one on display in a local gourmet kitchen shop. It was the OXO 40 liter wide-touch can in stainless steel.

You see, we’d been making the long walk to our trash can (out by the shed) every night. We didn’t have the right kind of receptacle – one that would shut tight with no possible chance for any bugs or dogs or anything else to explore the contents. Then we saw the wide-touch and we fell in love. It was expensive and a part of my mind was saying “…for a trash can?” Oh my friends, it was worth it. We have loved not having to traipse out to the big old rubbermaid trash can every night in the dark, wondering what critters we might encounter. It opened easily with one touch and closed up tight as a drum.

A month or so ago, I saw a crack in the plastic on the top. I glued it together. Then I noticed another crack in the back (again in the plastic) and it was impossible to glue. By last week, the top no longer popped open at the touch of my finger and had to be opened with the help of some tape and a binder clip that my husband put together to make a handle.

binder clip handle & crack in the rear covered with duct tape

We had to get a replacement top, so I wrote to OXO on their website inquiring how or if I might purchase one. I heard back from Brooke in Customer Care almost immediately and she asked me some specific questions about the exact make of the can, whether it was stainless steel, where we bought it and how the damage happened. I answered her questions and sent them back.

Now, my friends, understand that I had no receipt. All I could tell her was the name of the shop where I purchased it. And I honestly told her the damage was from every day use over the course of 2 or 3 years. Imagine my surprise when Brooke wrote back that a replacement was on its way via Fed Ex. This was 2 days ago.

This morning our replacement arrived. Free of charge.

You’d laugh if you saw how excited we were. There it is – all shiny and pretty and it opens and closes smoothly.

I’m writing about this because in this day and age where customer service seems to be a thing of the past, OXO treats its customers with courtesy and respect. I don’t know about you, but I dread it when I have to complain about a product in writing (will they believe me?) or call customer service (how many buttons will I have to push before I talk to a real person…and will they believe me? How many hoops will I have to jump through?) I’ve had my share of battles in the past.

OXO believed me, didn’t ask for proof of purchase, and though I was perfectly willing to pay, didn’t charge me. And they sent it Fed Ex so it got to me as soon as possible. They have made loyal customers out of us. Thank you, OXO!
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Mom is still in the hospital. She is going to rehab tomorrow. She is very down about everything. I’ll keep you posted.

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I also want to mention my friend Kelee Katillac’s party this weekend for Colette’s room makeover. Colette was suffering from cancer and was in need of a space that was uplifting to help her through her healing process. Kelee and Guideposts magazine teamed up and did a makeover. So Kelee is hosting a Magnificent Miracle Party. Please stop by Kelee’sto read all about it. For every comment left, $1.00 will be donated for the next makeover for someone in need.

The Living Room on a Rainy Day

August 26, 2010 at 12:00 am by Claudia

It has been raining on and off (more on than off) for the last 4 days. On Sunday we had a real deluge for most of the day. Huge amounts of rain fell. At one point in the afternoon, after a respite, it started up again while I was out running errands. The wind and rain and fog were so intense I could barely see more than a few feet in front of my car. At this point, I’m a little tired of it, but at the same time, I’m so grateful for this rain that we have needed all summer long. Brown grass is getting green, plants look happier and, thank goodness, our well is being replenished.

I took some photos of part of our living room on this moody, rainy early evening.

You can see how the living room and kitchen are basically one big space. Sometimes I like that and sometimes I don’t. However, the living room has windows but tends to be a little dark so the light from the kitchen windows is appreciated. If I didn’t know it was still summer, I would think this photo was taken in autumn. Still haven’t painted the kitchen table, but I will.

The yellow throw is on the loveseat because a certain Miss Scout considers it to be hers. She hops up there during the day and sleeps there at night. When I come downstairs in the morning, the throw is so rumpled that I might be led to believe she was tossing and turning all night long. Nope. She just jumps up, jumps down, and jumps up again throughout the night.

I suppose I should call this my Christie Repasy Corner. The small painting is by Christie and I bought the vintage lampshade from her last year at her shop. Doesn’t it look pretty with the light shining through?

In other news, my Mom has had a very hard time of it today. She fell early in the morning while trying to get back in bed, then she had two more episodes of weakness in the bathroom. After the 3rd episode, my sister called 911 and Mom was taken to the hospital. The latest news is that she is suffering from a severe urinary tract infection and is to be admitted to the hospital this evening (Wednesday.) We are all worried and Mom is very down. If you would keep her in your thoughts, I would be most appreciative.

5 Years at MHC

Put a Lid on it

The Living Room on a Rainy Day

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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