Claudia — Page 1692

How Does My Garden Grow?

July 9, 2009 at 10:28 pm by Claudia

I am still adjusting to being home. Lots of unpacking, weeding the garden, time with my husband and dogs. We have had a very, very rainy spring and summer so far and the evidence is everywhere here at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. The grass and trees are an incredibly rich green, the gardens are lush with growth and weeds are everywhere! When we moved here almost 4 years ago, the large garden bed (which has a steep slope) had one bush, and one hosta. That was it. We moved here in August, so I did no planting until the following summer. I could only add a certain amount of plants each summer. Last year I added a few that have spread this summer and I am amazed and thrilled. I thought I would take you on a little tour (with more to come.)

A pretty day lily – can’t remember the name, unfortunately.

Jacob’s Ladder – Heidi gave me a few cuttings last summer and I remember thinking they weren’t going to make it. Now they are spreading all over under the shade of the Sugar Maple tree.

The hostas are bigger than ever.

Lavender

I planted this hydrangea last summer – a small bush – and now it is huge, with big gorgeous flowers.

Spirea

Coral Bells nestled in Jacob’s Ladder

Bee balm and catmint

I’m so happy to be back home tending to my garden – I also love mowing the lawn, especially with our new lawnmower that propels itself. Since our property is hilly, any help is appreciated!

Today the Cable Company came and fixed the phone jacks and the modem – all of which had been damaged by the lightning strike. We are fortunate. I saw a news story yesterday about houses that had been hit by lightning and had fire damage. So we are very grateful that we had as little damage as we did.

Keep Calm

July 8, 2009 at 9:31 am by Claudia

I arrived at the Cottage at close to midnight on Monday – a long day of flying on very little sleep. My body clock is geared for the West Coast and I am now on the East Coast. Trying to sleep normal hours will take a few days. I went outside yesterday to pull some weeds and the thunder and lightning began. Not only did it storm, but lightning hit our house. Let me tell you, that was more than a bit scary. Now we have no phones (I think the lightning went right through the phone lines) and for quite a while we thought our nice flat screen television had been damaged. Miraculously, it seemed to correct itself later in the evening.

So the day was spent trying to call the cable company about the phones on our cell phones, which don’t work all that well out here in the country. We have an ongoing saga about a cell tower in our little town. Do I feel rested? NO. But I am home with husband and dogs and that is wonderful.

And I was surprised by my lovely friends last night. They came over with pizza, fruit salad, cake and root beer floats to welcome me home. I couldn’t have had a nicer evening.

(The sign in the photo is from my friend Joy’s booth)

Goodbye San Diego

July 5, 2009 at 2:22 pm by Claudia

I have two favorite trees here in Balboa Park. The other is a Eucalyptus tree with sprawling roots. This beauty is a fig tree that I pass by everyday. Huge, glorious, full – it is a miracle. Every time I walk by this tree on the way to the theater, it is bathed in this beautiful light. I will miss you, wondrous fig tree.

I am nearly packed – all the boxes have been sent off save a few that the Theater is sending for me. Tonight Coriolanus opens…I go to the Opening Night Party for all three shows in the Summer Repertory…and I say my goodbyes.

It is with mixed feelings that I leave San Diego. I used to live here and I am reminded every day of why I loved it here. The weather is beautiful, the daily sunshine makes a huge difference in my mood, the ocean and beach bring relaxation, every time I walk down the back road to the theater I am reminded of how much I love this place. However, things are changing at the Theater. It is not the same place I worked in several years ago. Things change, people come and go – that is the ebb and flow of life.

The Summer Repertory? That is a thing in and of itself and it is wonderful. We have 3 marvelous productions this year that everyone is justly proud of. I really love what I do. I love the wonderful creative people I get to work with, seeing a production grow from rehearsal to its life onstage with everyone doing their best to create a memorable production. The other night I stood in the back of the theater during Twelfth Night. For once I wasn’t taking notes and I watched as wave after wave of laughter convulsed the audience. What a magical thing this is – a group of strangers coming together to watch live theater – sharing energy with the actors, laughing, crying and standing to applaud the whole experience. The audience gets to travel to a different time and place and be transformed for the space of an evening – and maybe even longer. That is why we do it.

I will miss all my friends; the crew, the designers, the stage managers, the directors, the actors – and all my old friends from years back. I will miss my students so much. The Artistic Director, a man I admire greatly, has given notice and is leaving this week. That is very, very sad news for the Theater. He is wonderful and I hope I work with him again someday.

So goodbye to my students, my friends old and new, my colleagues, Vignettes and Lori, Cottage Antiques, the Barn Sale and everyone connected to it, the Theater, Balboa Park, the beach where I met my husband, and to glorious San Diego. Thank you for a great six months. If I had to be away from my home and family, this was the best place to be.

Thank you.

How Does My Garden Grow?

Keep Calm

Goodbye San Diego

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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