Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for anniversary

On Sunday

October 13, 2019 at 10:01 am by Claudia

Thank you for all the lovely anniversary wishes yesterday!

Don was taking pictures for much of the day, but he had a special dinner up his sleeve which he proceeded to concoct as soon as he got home. It was lovely. We also opened a bottle of sparkling cider and toasted each other and our marriage. Lovely.

Today, we meet Rick and Doug late in the afternoon to celebrate Rick’s birthday, which is today.

But before that, Don is working at the Farmer’s Market.

I’m about 3/4 of the way through A Bitter Feast  by Deborah Crombie. Excellent. But then, every book she has written in her Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series is excellent.

Today, some chores, some celebration, and some rest – eventually.

Thank you again.

Happy Sunday.

 

Filed Under: anniversary, books, Don, friends 34 Comments

Anniversary

October 12, 2019 at 11:08 am by Claudia

21 years today.

I searched for recent photos of us together and there aren’t that many. Or there aren’t that many that I consider worthy of posting. But these two photos together, I believe, capture our happiness. The wedding photo captures our joy that day. The recent photo captures a quieter joy, the joy we find in each other, the joy in traveling this life of ours together.

Both of them capture who we are and who we were.

I never expected, or necessarily wanted, to be married. And I don’t think I could ever have made that commitment to anyone but Don. The fact that two people from completely different parts of the county came together 25 years ago is nothing less than a miracle.

That we loved each other enough to make this commitment is another miracle.

And that our marriage has always been solid and strong and loving – that love growing with each passing year – is yet another miracle.

We married 21 years ago today. It was Columbus Day. We were in Nevada City, CA where Don was doing his one-man show, Jeeves Take Charge (he was brilliant). Don and our friend Lynn planned the whole thing, really, because I was working in San Diego. Don’s brother and his wife were there. Our friends Claire and Phil were there as well. Phil was Artistic Director of the theater where Don was performing. We chose the 12th because it was a Monday and Don’s day off.

We wanted a small, meaningful wedding. We didn’t want to make our families, mine especially, fly across the country and incur that expense. We didn’t want the pressure of all of that. We just wanted to commit to each other in a small, intimate ceremony. We wanted to be present for every moment of it.

And that’s what we did. We remember every bit of that ceremony, a ceremony where I came down a flight of steps in a cast (I had broken my ankle in a fall,) leaning on my sister-in-law. Where, the minute I looked down the stairs and saw Don, I started crying and couldn’t stop, where Don saw me and started crying, and soon, everyone was crying. It was utterly beautiful in every way.

Afterward, we went for a horse-drawn carriage ride through the streets of Nevada City and then dined in a private dining room with our friends.

Perfect.

I love this man more than words can describe and I’m so grateful that he loves me.

Happy Saturday.

 

Filed Under: anniversary, Don 57 Comments

The Fifth of July

July 5, 2019 at 9:50 am by Claudia

Thank you for the lovely messages yesterday! I forgot to mention that yesterday was the 21st anniversary of Don’s proposal of marriage. That came four years to the day after we met. We were getting ready to go to Kathy’s again and our dog Winston was outside in the back yard. We had left the door open. Suddenly, Don got down on one knee and proposed and I said yes and as we hugged, Winston came running in from the yard, jumped up, and joined the hug! Such a wonderful memory.

We did just what we wanted to do yesterday. We hung out at home, our favorite place. It was lovely.

We shared our memories of that day with each other. We remembered old friends, now gone – Kathy and Jonathan. We toasted each other in the evening with Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider.

It’s a big deal for us. Don had been married before when he met me. His memories of marriage were not happy ones. I had never been married. I never thought I would be married. I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to be. I was fine with that. I couldn’t conceive of 2 years with someone, let alone 25. Yet, somehow, we found our way together and these past 25 years have been the best of my life.

Lonesome Dove sitting on one of the power lines across the street.

I’m having lunch with Rick today. We haven’t seen each other for a while and it will be good to catch up.

We watched Casablanca  last night. It has to be one of the best movies ever made. Perfection: screenplay, cinematography, direction, acting – everything.

And that’s about it. I hope your July 4th was a good one, however you celebrate.

I took this yesterday. There are even more flowers open today.

Okay, my friends. I have to get moving!

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: anniversary, birds, flowers, mourning doves 16 Comments

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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.

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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.

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