Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

Water Lily, Number 5

at by

Number 5 is finished, unless I tweak it a bit more today.

Water Lily, one of my favorite pieces. I distinctly remember bidding on it on eBay.

I learn something every time I tackle a painting. I am reminded that I am new to this, so I have to be kind to myself while challenging myself to grow. I love really getting to know these pieces of pottery in a way I didn’t before I studied them in detail. And the result is that I fall in love with them again.

I’m not sure what the next piece will be – I have a lot of small pieces and low-to-the-surface planters, etc., but I think the higher, more vertical pieces are best for these studies – at least, right now.

I sat in the kitchen, sweating, for two hours in order to finish this one yesterday. One more day of this dreadful heat and humidity and then we’re going to get thunderstorms and rain for the next couple of days as the system breaks up and moves out. Our brains are mush. Don put the container of dry brown rice away in the refrigerator instead of the pantry. Whoops. Half the time we don’t know what day it is.

Oh wait a minute…that’s normal for us.

I water around 7 am and keep refilling the birdbath all day. Speaking of birds, yesterday, I noticed a robin up in the branch of the black walnut tree right outside our kitchen. He kept moving around and I thought he might be preening himself.  Today, I looked out there and realized he’s making a nest. I mean it when I say it’s right outside our window. Very close to the house. So this morning we watched him work and work at making his nest. He sort of stamps his feet to tamp down the nest materials and his whole body vibrates. I’m going to take some photos.

Of course, this means we’re eventually in for another round of chirping and attacks. But watching all of this happen is an incredible opportunity, so we’ll put up with it.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Hydrating

at by

I’ve already watered – around 6:30 am – and I’m sweating. Yesterday, our heat index was 103°. Today, it will reach 105°. It’s unbearable out there. And in here, because when you have several days of this stuff, it builds up in the house. Our big window a/c unit could barely keep up with it yesterday. Same with the bedroom unit. And both are usually more than up to the task.

By early yesterday afternoon, I had painted and Don had worked up in the studio and we were resting with the a/c on. It was as if we were both drugged. We could barely keep our eyes open.

I had a strong memory flash this morning as I was filling up the watering can. When I lived in Philadelphia in grad school, I shared an apartment one year with my friend Carolyn. We didn’t have and couldn’t afford a window a/c unit. During the summers, I would do temp work in Philadelphia. Carolyn would go home to California. Philadelphia is not unlike Washington DC when it comes to crushing humidity. I would get up in the morning to get ready for work and after 5 minutes, I was already sweating. Work, of course, offered a bit of a refuge as it was air conditioned, but lord, by the time I reached home at the end of the day, I was drenched. I would take a shower and then, using the three fans that I owned, I’d sit on the bed in my underwear with one fan on my right, another on my left, and one facing me – all of them turned on full blast. And that was my station for the rest of the evening.

That’s what this feels like. It should break on Thursday, but in the meantime, my brain is mush.

This painting I’m currently working on is taking a bit of time – partly because I can only work for a short time every day, but mostly because it’s difficult. At the end of a session, I’m greatly encouraged; then after a break I look at it more critically and realize there are several elements I didn’t get right. And so it goes. It’s all a learning experience and I have much to learn!

Other than the above, there’s nothing new. We’re hanging in there. The birthday celebration has come and gone. The apple pie has been eaten. Prodigious amounts of water are being consumed.

I know it’s very hot in many places. If you are in one of them, hang in there. Stay hydrated.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Hazy, Hot, and Humid

at by

I’m still working on the shape of this vase. I thought I got it down yesterday (after this picture was taken) but as I look at it this morning, I realize I have corrections to make. None of this is helped by the weather. We had a heat advisory yesterday, another today, and it will go on until later in the week. It is very hot and very humid here. Consequently, I have a small window in which to paint because I don’t want the air conditioner blowing fumes from the oil paint all over the kitchen.

I am not a morning person, but I’ve already watered the garden, paid the bills so Don can mail them, started a load of laundry, and watered all the houseplants. And I haven’t even had my second cup of coffee! Have to get everything done early in this weather.

Sorry about the lack of a post yesterday. Sometimes I’m faced with technical problems on the blog, which have to be dealt with. I had to call my host and, frankly, the guy I spoke to wasn’t any help. Usually, they are very helpful, but we had a language barrier (turns out he was in the Philippines) and he didn’t understand what I was trying my best to explain. I turned to my security company and, because it was a Sunday, they took a while to get back to me. In the meantime, I discovered the solution to my other problem which had to do with my browser and an extension I was using. Once I dealt with that, everything was back to normal. Problems that were, in the end, very minor.

Sigh. It does make for a tedious day.

So, I’m back at it.

If you’re dealing with this same weather pattern, stay hydrated and stay inside.

By the way, I read that the World Health Organization is recommending that fully vaccinated persons should wear a mask in public places, especially indoors, because of the Delta variant, which is spreading quickly and has, in some cases, infected those who were fully vaccinated. I still wear a mask in the stores and it looks like my instinct about this variant was right.

So…stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 





Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party


A Note

			
Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.


Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’


Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!



		


Archives