Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • The Beacon Hill Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

Snow, Pillows and Hunting

November 17, 2018 at 9:18 am by Claudia

The annual pillow migration has begun. I’ve retrieved all the cushions from the glider and the adirondack chairs. Some will be stored. But the three that are the back rests on the glider move to the loveseat in the living room. They work the best there. The pillows that I had on the loveseat (including the red checked one above) are, at best, filler during the spring and summer. I search every spring for indoor/outdoor pillows that will work on the glider or sofa, so I can have two good sets, but so far, I only have one.

Don just left for a rehearsal in the city and the loveseat is in a state of disarray, so I’ll take a picture of it later today.

We spent several hours shoveling yesterday. The snow was heavy and wet and there was a lot of it. Don wanted to do it all because I wasn’t feeling well, but I wasn’t going to let that happen. It was exhausting. We took a break for a while, went back out and shoveled some more, but the snow was even heavier. And our muscles were complaining. So we did everything we had to do to make sure Don could leave today and I could get out if necessary. There’s still a bit to shovel, but there might be some melt today, so I’m hoping I can avoid that. Still not feeling tip-top.

We hobbled around the rest of the day. I treated myself to some hot chocolate. We made dinner and watched the tube. All the while, we were saying that we couldn’t wait to go to bed!

We were cheated out of the pleasure of watching the first snow, which is usually gentle, with maybe a few inches falling. Nope. We got a big storm and giant mess.

Oh, in case you’re wondering, we didn’t use the snow blower because it tends to eat up the Item 4, or gravel. Since we just had the driveway done, we trying to insure that it stays in place. It’s impossible not to get some in a shovelful of snow, but there’s much less. If we had someone plow the driveway? Forget it. We once watched in horror as a guy plowed our driveway, depositing the snow and half of our new gravel along with it in a pile across the road.

I have heard four rifle shots while I’ve been writing this. Hunters. I despise hunting with every fiber of my being. I want to find them, grab their damn guns, and tell them what I think of them. Obviously, that’s a fantasy, but the intensity of my feelings about hunting are not a fantasy. And please don’t bother with any of the usual defenses of hunting. In truth, there are none. Not in this day and age. The most egregious excuse is that it’s a “noble” cause, that the hunter is just helping to thin a population that will starve over the winter. I’ve never believed that for a second. It’s about killing an innocent, magnificent animal and finding an excuse to do it.

My dad, gentle soul that he was, had a bow and arrow and went hunting every fall for a number of years when I was in high school. He never killed a deer. Because, when up against it while aiming at a defenseless animal, he knew it was wrong. And he stopped any pretense of hunting after that. We had many arguments about hunting before he stopped, but it wasn’t until several years later that I realized that he deliberately missed. That he didn’t have the heart to do it.

I talk about this every other autumn, it seems. We live in the country. I see these guys wearing camouflage in local shops and at gas stations. It’s an unfortunate fact of life here. I can’t wait until hunting season is over. Unfortunately, it just opened today and it goes until December 9th.

Wonder what it would be like if animals had the guns and we were the prey?

Happy Saturday.

 

 

Filed Under: den, hunting, living room, snow 26 Comments

Isn’t Winter’s Arrival in December?

November 16, 2018 at 9:26 am by Claudia

What did I say the weather forecast had predicted?

3-6 inches with sleet?

How about 11 inches with sleet? Cause that’s what we got.

Every forecast was wrong. We got walloped. And it came down very quickly, changing to sleet overnight and now – more snow. Unbelievable.

I’m not a real happy camper this morning. It’s too much snow, too early. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to dig ourselves out, but it’s not going to happen quickly.

I’m already over winter and it hasn’t even started yet!

Plus, I’m feeling under the weather with some sort of sinus/cold thing, so that’s not helping my attitude.

Okay. Enough complaining.

These are the times I long for a flat, short driveway. Ah, well.

We have a roof over our head, food in the fridge, more than enough oil to heat the house, power, and I’m in the midst of reading a novel set during the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, and that puts everything in perspective.

You know, we were in the midst of moving to the cottage during Katrina. We had no access to cable and we were so busy unloading and then cleaning our rental that we had no idea of the enormity of that disaster until several days later. It was just awful. And now the horrors of the fires in California.  Is this what it’s going to be for the future? Fires, more and more hurricanes, extreme temperatures, permanent seasonal changes?

Praying for lives lost, homes destroyed, brave firefighters, animal rescuers, those who offer shelter, and those who have lost everything.

And for our planet.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: climate change, snow 45 Comments

Nesting Mode

November 15, 2018 at 10:59 am by Claudia

We’re awaiting the winter storm that is going to arrive around 5 pm. 3 – 6 inches of snow and, because it will be mixed with sleet, it will be heavy, wet snow. So, we’re not going to get that first pretty, fluffy snow. We’re going to get a friggin’ mess.

We did what we had to yesterday, pulled the A/C units out of our windows, put them in bins and stacked them in the shed. Then Don went off to run errands and I worked outside (and it was cold!) for about three hours, emptying pots from the front porch, taking the cushions off the porch furniture, moving things into the shed. Don offered to help, but really, I’m the only one who knows exactly what to do out there as it’s my territory. There are a couple of plants that are still blooming, so I left them there. I am incapable of dumping a plant that is still alive. It’s simply not possible. Next week, we’ll take the adirondack chairs and a couple of other porch pieces to our storage facility and I’ll move the Secret Garden and Funky Patio chairs and tables to the porch for the winter.  There’s still more to do out there, but the bulk of it is done.

Yours truly was tuckered out last night.

We fell asleep while watching a documentary about Henry VII last night. If you ever want to catch a nap during the day, watch a documentary. I like documentaries, don’t get me wrong, but the voice of the narrator eventually becomes white noise and you’re off to slumberland.

I finished the James Lee Burke novel last night and, since I’m in the mood for more, found another on my shelves from a few years back that I had barely started and never finished. I’ve read most of his Dave Robicheaux books, but I went through a period where I stopped reading them.

Time to catch up.

Oh, and I received the most wonderful, whimisical book about miniatures from an English author. I’ll share it with you after I’ve explored it.

I’ve officially moved into nesting mode, as I do every year about this time. Our cottage seems especially cozy and I find myself looking around, searching for things to change and/or tweak. I’m switching out the pillows on the loveseat, putting the cushions from the glider on the sofa (after cleaning them.) Some will go in storage, others will join the mass of cushions on the sofa in the den. And I’m reading, reading, reading. After the reading drought earlier this year, I’m so grateful to be immersed in a book!

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: books, porch, reading 28 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 737
  • 738
  • 739
  • 740
  • 741
  • …
  • 1847
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

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

All Content © 2008 - 2026 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in