Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Mom, Thoughts on Blogging, Roses

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I’ve added some dried roses to my little egg cup. When I first arrived in San Diego, I bought some roses that were so lovely that I felt compelled to save them. They are pretty fragile and won’t be able to travel home with me. In the meantime, I think they look perfect in this sweet cup.

I’ve been reading so many posts about the state of blogging lately. And one thing I keep reading is that bloggers hate word verification. To be totally honest with you, I’ve never had a problem with it. Maybe because I’m a fast typist? I have always thought if a reader can take the time to type several words for a comment, what is the problem with typing a few more characters? I’ve never let it keep me from leaving a comment on someone’s blog. Also, I’ve had spam problems in the past and having word verification really makes a difference.

But, I will bow to pressure and try….and I mean try…eliminating word verification. One caveat, however: if the spam gets out of control, it goes back on.

I am going to drive out to the beach today and do something I haven’t done since I arrived. Walk on the beach, take some photos and look for seashells. Most importantly, I am going to breathe in that salty ocean air. My Mom was admitted to the hospital yesterday because she passed out. She is being held overnight for observation. I have a feeling this is a recurrence of a blood pressure issue and I hope she is allowed to go back home today. So far, all tests have been negative. But she has been having a very hard time of it lately. I can hear it in her voice.

This distance thing is very frustrating at times.

A Reunion & a Package in the Mail

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Good morning! As you know, I attended a memorial last night for Craig Noel, the man who shaped this theater for 70 years, first as an actor and director – then after WWII, as the Artistic Director. It was beautifully done, with tributes from many actors and directors who worked with Craig over the years. At the end of his career, he was awarded the National Medal of the Arts – the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence – at the White House. I was proud to have known and worked with him, to have called him my friend. I worked as a vocal coach on many shows he directed and he never gave up trying to get me to act in one of them. He was passionate about theater, about education (he founded the MFA program that brought me out to San Diego in 1993), about actors and how theater could enrich the community. He had a wonderful laugh and a wicked sense of humor. He was a mentor to so many – he was my husband’s mentor. Craig was the kind of man who enriched and touched the life of everyone around him.

So many people were there from years past; it was amazing. I saw many, many old friends and students. It was that rare event that became a reunion. I was very conscious that an era had ended and that I would never be with all these wonderful artists again. So today I am reflecting on a life well lived and on all the people who are better for having known Craig Noel.

I have to switch direction a bit here to share a package that arrived in my mail slot yesterday. I waited until I arrived back at the apartment to open it.


International Air Mail! It was from my friend Norma who lives in Australia. What is inside?



My very own cuddly Koala – and baby! Norma wrote me after reading my post about Darcy and said she was sending me a cuddly Koala. Isn’t Mrs. Koala adorable?


A close-up of the little baby. Remember that list of possible names? I have to go back to it and pick out names for these two.

Norma told me that there is a place in Sydney where you can visit Koalas who have been raised to be around humans. You can cuddle them. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Thank you, Norma for this wonderful gift. I am very touched by your thoughtful gesture. As I mention frequently, the generosity of bloggers continues to amaze me.

Have a wonderful day.

Jasmine, Darcy & Stitching

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Certain scents evoke a strong response – a sense memory so strong that you are instantly transported to a place, an event, a time in your life. For me, Jasmine is one of those scents. You find it everywhere in San Diego. Night Blooming Jasmine reminds me of walking my dogs in the evening in my old neighborhood here in San Diego and walking through Balboa Park on my way to a performance. It reminds me of meeting my husband and stealing a kiss as we walked to our cars along the back road behind the theater. It is such a heady, glorious scent. It is one of my favorite things about being in San Diego.

We have finished our rehearsals in the rehearsal hall and will move onstage Tuesday for the beginning of tech rehearsals. Monday night is the memorial for Craig Noel, the founder of the theater. Several hundred people are expected. I look forward to seeing many old friends.

I see Darcy most every day. Here is a photo from my walk home today:

Awwww.

For the first time since I arrived here, I did some stitching. This is my project based on Theresa McFayden’s Freestyle Embroidery EZine. Since I will have more free time in the coming weeks, I hope to add more to it.

By the way, as I was yet again sitting on the sofa, I experienced another earthquake yesterday. This time I was talking to my husband on the phone and I told him it seemed worse than the last. It was. It was a 5.3 earthquake with a 4.5 aftershock.

I think 2 earthquakes are enough, don’t you?

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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