Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Goodbye, Sweet Nella

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My parents had to bid farewell to Nella today. She had been suffering with kidney failure for a few years. Within the last few days, Nella stopped eating and had difficulty walking for any more than a few steps. My Dad emailed me this morning to inform me that they would be taking Nella to the Veterinarian for one last visit. We are all filled with sadness. She was such a wonderful companion to my parents for 13 years. I spent the day running errands, but Nella and my parents were never very far from my thoughts.

When I arrived home, Don said there was a message from my Dad to call him. They said goodbye to Nella at 11:30 this morning. We talked about our grief for a bit and then he said they had ‘2 visitors.’ ‘Who?’ ‘Lydia and Luke.’ (I had never heard my parents mention a Lydia or a Luke.) It turns out they are 2 abandoned kittens that the Vet had been fostering. They have been adopted by my parents. I couldn’t be happier for them. For my Mom and Dad, Nella was a constant source of amusement and delight. They loved watching her and cuddling her. They need that. They need, like all of us, to nuture and take care of something. Lydia and Luke found my parents and I have to believe that Nella would be happy for them.

McCoy Monday

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In my second installment of McCoy Monday, I am highlighting one of my very first pieces of McCoy Pottery.


This is from McCoy’s Arcature line – it was made in or around 1951. The columns on either side of the bird are hollow and can be filled with water and used as a vase. Personally, I don’t think it needs any other adornment, the fabulous bird in the center is pretty enough for me. I’ve written before about my love for anything with birds. Fortunately for me, McCoy used a lot of birds in their designs. This 3 dimensional bird is especially pretty.


Isn’t it sweet? I’ve fallen in love with this piece all over again. And an added benefit: as I pull these out to photograph, they get dusted and cleaned!

Have a great Monday! I’m cleaning out the closet in the office/music studio/spare bedroom that has all my stuff in it (fabric, crafts, dialect tapes, yarn – you name it.)

The Long Drive Home

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I’m back from Long Island, where I worked at this charming old Summer Stock theater. Yes, it is in a remodeled barn, just like in a Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movie. This theater has been around since the 40’s. Columbia Pictures used to send their young actors out here for the summer to sharpen their skills and a young Robert Duvall (who was a friend of the owner’s children) used to perform on its stage. The playhouse is situated in the little town of Bellport.
Bellport’s main street is full of charming homes like these:




All the houses have picket fences. Sigh. I imagine the town is even more charming in the spring and summer.

However, this town isn’t that far from the exclusive and wealthy Hamptons. There was an antique shop just down the road from the theater and I stopped there on my way out of town. Most of the things were very expensive and too formal for my taste. I wandered to the back of the store and saw some McCoy. There was a sign on the display that said ‘50% off.’ Now, I don’t know if you remember this particular piece, but I have a shallow dish with a bird on it – 2 actually. One of my pieces was a gift, but the other I bought on Ebay for maybe $20.00. The shop’s display had the same dish, but in yellow/green. Imagine my shock when I looked at the original price – $150.00. Huh? I thought the sale tag said $22.00 but was informed by the owner that it was $72.00. Oh my gosh – talk about inflated prices. I wonder if anyone would actually pay that much money for a piece of McCoy? You know I love my McCoy, but not that much!

My journey home coincided with rush hour. I had to cross 2 bridges, the Throg’s Neck and the George Washington. There was bumper-to-bumper traffic for miles leading up to each bridge with a delay of about an hour to cross the George Washington. Then backups for miles in New Jersey, and more backups on the thruway. My foot ached from hitting the brake pedal and I thought I just might lose my mind. A 3 hour trip turned into about 4 1/2 hours. I was so happy to get home. Dear husband had dinner waiting, the dogs were happy to see me and we settled down to watch Medium. I think today will be a stick-around-the-house kind of day. Have a wonderful weekend!

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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