Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for birds

Puzzle and a Bird Nest Question

March 5, 2023 at 9:14 am by Claudia

It’s coming along. I’m in the tedious part of this puzzle; trying to figure out where the leaf pieces go. Once I get those in, along with the blue background, I’ll work on the edges. This is the kind of puzzle where, if I figure out where 5 pieces go during a session, I’m thrilled.

I just heard a Carolina wren calling from our maple tree. Soon enough his/her partner appeared. And they perched right outside the birdhouse. I think one went in. Now, I’m wondering: we haven’t got around to neatening up the nest that was turned on end when the squirrel knocked the little trailer out of position last year. That’s an awkward sentence, but I hope you get the idea. We were going to attempt to do that this week. When the squirrel incident occurred last spring, they never came back. Do we mess with it? Should we clean it out? Or should we just leave it? Last year they started adding materials to what was already there from the previous spring. Then, once the nest tipped a bit – even though we righted it – they didn’t come back. They’re perfectly capable of pushing everything back down and adding material.

I’ve googled this and some birds come back to the same place and add to their previous nests and some don’t. The jury is out on Carolina wrens. Some sites say yes, they’ll come back, and some say no. I do know that the male will show his mate 3 or 4 options. She picks the nesting site in the end. They left very quickly after they had briefly checked out the birdhouse. But it is perfect for them, and safe.

Any thoughts? I’d sure like to have them back this year.

Thank goodness, it appears to be sunny out there. Yesterday was gray and messy and downright depressing. Hopefully, more of the snow will melt and we can say goodbye to the slush on our driveway.

Petra: this is the wig that Katie arrived in. I like the braids, but the back of the wig is sort of messy. I still have it and I suspect I’ll use it again at some point. I did undo the braids and it looked cute, but it was too thin and wispy. Wigs slip, even with a silicone wig cap in place. So, every time I pose her, I have to tweak the wig a bit. What she really needs is a scalp which is attached to the face plates. But I haven’t found one I like yet.

Okay. Don has to tape an audition and I suspect he’s waiting for me to finish this post, as I read all the lines that aren’t his.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: bird nest, birds, Blythe dolls, jigsaw puzzles 25 Comments

Sun, Kitchen, and Books

February 15, 2023 at 9:24 am by Claudia

We just had the nicest day yesterday. Did we go anywhere? No. Did we give each other a gift? No. We just spent time together on a perfectly sunny day. We talked a lot, we cuddled, we repeatedly said how much we love each other.

Frankly, that’s all I need.

The kitchen yesterday. This photo, however, doesn’t really show how gloriously sunny it was. But it will have to do. I quickly took the photo while Don and I were sitting on the living room sofa. (Excuse the little bag of trash on the counter! Real life.)

This book is extraordinary. It’s nonfiction, which is always slower going for me, but, oh my, is it worth it. I never quote blurbs, but I will with this one, simply because I couldn’t write anything better:

In Underland, Robert Macfarlane delivers an epic exploration of the Earth’s underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself. Traveling through the dizzying expanse of geological time – from prehistoric art in Norwegian sea caves, to the blue depths of the Greenland ice cap, to a deep-sunk “hiding place” where nuclear waste will be stored for 100,000 years to come – Underland  takes on an extraordinary journey into our relationship with darkness, burial, and what lies beneath the surface of both heart and mind.

I hear a Carolina wren as I’m writing this. I’m wondering if the birds think Spring is coming soon? Ive certainly got spring fever, but the reality is we might get some snow next week and the unseasonably warm temperatures are going to plunge for a couple of days. (Thanks, Mother Nature. With all this warmth, I’m ready for Spring!)

We have to get out there and clean out the trailer bird house to get it prepped in case they want to nest there. Right now, I can see a wren on the branches of the big maple tree that is right next to the porch. And now he/she is on the porch. And back to the tree.

Okay, my friends.

Stay safe.

 

 

Filed Under: birds, books, kitchen 31 Comments

Swoosh and VOTE

November 8, 2022 at 7:27 am by Claudia

Sunrise, complete with jet trail.

Both of us woke up too early today. Election Day is the reason, of course. We’re excited and very nervous.

We will go and vote in about an hour and a half. Don has to chair a Zoom meeting first.

This will be brief because I haven’t a whole lot to say other than “VOTE!!!!!” I suspect most of you have already voted, but if you haven’t, get out there and make your voice heard.

Yesterday I was sitting at the table working on the puzzle and I heard a huge SWOOSH! It was so loud that I thought something bad had happened. I jumped up and went outside. The sound had come from a huge murmuration of starlings right outside our door. It was stunning. The starlings hung around our property for hours. Then they seemingly left, but an hour or so later, as I was standing in the bathroom, there they were in the secret garden. Luckily I had my phone with me so I shot some video. You can see it on my IG account, if you’re interested. Not quite as dramatic as that first swoosh, but pretty darned beautiful.

Little miracles keep me going.

I’ll announce the winner of the calendar tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: birds 12 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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The Dogs

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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.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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