Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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From MHC West

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The view from my balcony on this foggy morning.

Hello dear friends. I arrived safely in San Diego yesterday afternoon. I was going on 2 hours of sleep (for some reason I lie awake for hours when I know I have to get up very early!) and the journey was long. By the time I got to the apartment, I was definitely dragging.I’m in the same apartment I was in last year. When I returned home last summer, I left some things behind. Some of them are still here…and others are missing. Hmmm. I had to rearrange things like they were last year so that I could feel more at home. I shipped two boxes here and they were waiting for me in the apartment – things like my own bedding, a pretty shower curtain and some little things to make it more like home. Since I stayed here for 6 months last year, I knew exactly what was needed. Believe me, the bedspread and the shower curtain that are normally on display at the apartment are ugly. I have to have some prettiness around me if I’m going to stay here for 10 weeks!

I walked to Trader Joe’s (oh, I love that place) and carried two bags of groceries back to the apartment. I have a rental car here but past experience tells me that it is impossible to park there on a weekend. So I walked. The bags were very heavy (remember, I had only 2 hours sleep) and I thought I might not make it back! But I did. I settled in as best I could and then I just watched television until 9:00 (midnight back east) and went to bed. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and I feel much better.

I’m catching up on blogs and then I have to walk over to the theater to meet with a director. Then I plan to go to IKEA and pick up a few things. I am on a much stricter budget than I was last year….so I must be frugal.

I’ll be back with more news and photos soon.

Thoughts on Leaving

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Scenes from the garden…as I prepare to leave.

Sweet Violets
Oriental Poppy
Annabelle Hydrangea
Slender Peony shoots – my favorite flower
Lilac buds – just waiting to flower
A Hosta in the midst of Jacob’s Ladder
A closer look at the Weigela bloom

The garden has been mulched, with help from my husband. I’ve had the chance to mow at least once before I leave. I’ve pruned some of the wild roses that surround the property. I’ve cleared brambles, raked dead grass, and today I will pot some Impatiens for the porch. I have another box to pack…and lots of little things to take care of. I keep putting that off and I know it is because I just don’t want to face the fact that I’m leaving.

I’ve done a lot of thinking about all this. I am a nester. I love this house, my husband, my dogs, my life here. I waited so many years to have my own garden – not just a little one I carved out on a rental property. We moved in here in August of 2005, so I didn’t plant anything until the next year. Since then, I’ve watched my garden grow with great pleasure. The last couple of weeks have been a mix of joy and sadness for me. I am joyful when I am in the garden or working on the property. I can spend hours working here and there and everywhere. It is as if I lose all track of time. And I’m so happy. One day, after finishing work in the garden, I sat on the glider and looked around and cried. When I came in the house, my husband asked me what was wrong and I did my best to put into words how much I love this time of year and how sad I was to, once again, leave right when everything was starting to take off. I feel like I am leaving my child.

Most of you know that we both freelance. It has been a tough time for us – there has been no acting work for my husband for over a year. I’ve had work, thankfully, but it is off and on. Don is searching for some other kind of job. And I certainly can’t turn down 10 weeks of work. I am grateful for it. Unfortunately, that job takes me to the other side of the country and away from my loved ones and my home and garden. Oh, I’ll be a big girl about the whole thing – once I’m there I will buck up and do my best to enjoy my time in San Diego. There are friends to see, family to visit, work to be done and places to share with you.

But…I’m having a hard time in the here and now.

I will probably not post again until after I arrive in San Diego. See you soon, my friends.

Split Personality

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My husband snapped this photo of me the other day…I had been working for hours cleaning up parts of the property. Covered in dirt, tired and seemingly missing my eyebrows, I was not a candidate for a beauty shot. Despite my husband’s assertion that I looked cute, I knew I looked just plain grubby.

I walked inside the house and found a package waiting for me. This was inside:


One of Lori’s beautiful puffs.


Besides being thrilled to receive this gorgeous, handmade, silken, feminine indulgence, I also laughed out loud. I guess that grubby girl in the photo has a pretty, frou-frou side. We all have contradictory sides to our personalities…I sure do. I think that makes us so much more interesting, don’t you?

I should have had Don take a picture of me in the grubby clothes holding the puff!

Much to do before my 7:15 AM flight on Saturday morning – I’m a bit under the weather today but I have to keep at it.

Have a wonderful day.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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