Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Back in the Blogging Saddle

October 10, 2019 at 10:13 am by Claudia

I’m back. I called my internet provider on Tuesday and the tech said that the signals coming from our modem were very weak and he scheduled an appointment with another tech yesterday afternoon.

In the meantime, the modem was in and out all morning long yesterday, so each time I started to write a post, the wifi/modem would go out. I finally gave up, posted on IG that we had internet problems, and hoped you all would check there. If I can’t post and I can get to my IG account, I’ll always let you know what’s going on.

The tech arrived, couldn’t find anything wrong with the modem (though we agreed that it’s probably time for a new router) and he went outside and checked the cable going into our house and then drove down to the road and climbed a huge ladder. At one point I heard voices and realized my neighbor was out there talking to him. I ran outside to chat with her and, sure enough, they were having problems, as well. Then, as I was headed back inside, my other neighbor walked down her driveway and talked to the tech. Clearly, it was a neighborhood thing – which the tech confirmed. He found out there had been a crew working all morning elsewhere in the neighborhood and everything looks okay now. A day or so before I called them, I noticed them working at another neighbor’s house. So it’s been ongoing for a week or so. More info than you really needed, but there you go.

Leaves and more leaves. Today it’s supposed to be a bit windy…so more leaves. But it’s awfully pretty out there.

I’ve started reading Gaudy Night  by Dorothy L. Sayers. I’m not too far into the book yet, because my time has been taken up by wifi/internet. But I like it so far. Oh, forgot to say, yesterday’s impending visit by the tech necessitated a major desk cleanup by my husband because that’s where the modem and router are. I had been gently asking him to clean up his part of the office for quite some time – to no avail. It was a MESS of stacks of paper, photos, mail, files, memorabilia from the run of Escape to Margaritaville, camera stuff, etc. With a deadline, Don had no choice but to go through everything with a ruthless hand. Huzzah! It looks much better now.

I’ve never seen the limelight hydrangeas look as spectacular as they do this year. That color is so intense! Gorgeous.

We’re into Season 2 of Goliath  on Amazon Prime. We really love it. I’m partial to Billy Bob Thornton, who is one of the most honest actors I’ve ever seen. Not a false move. And Tony Award winner Nina Arianda, his costar, is the same. She is simply wonderful. (Don’s crazy about her.)

I just finished Paris to the Moon  by Adam Gopnick, a series of essays he wrote for The New Yorker, when he and his family lived in Paris 20 years ago. I recommend it highly if you’re at all interested in Paris, Parisians and the differences in our cultures. Gopnick still writes for The New Yorker and I’ve been a fan for a long time.

A reminder that I’ve disabled my comment reply plugin, so you’ll need to check back if you want to read my reply and the comments of your fellow readers. Thank you!

Okay. Glad to be back!

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: autumn, blog, books, flowers, garden, internet, reading 26 Comments

Flowers and a Little Housekeeping

August 20, 2019 at 10:24 am by Claudia

Late summer garden. It’s sort of a mess, though I did do some weeding the other day. Truth is, it’s so hot and humid this week that I couldn’t weed if I tried. I just turned the A/C on at 9:30 this morning, which is far earlier than usual.

Tomorrow I leave for Las Vegas, quite early in the morning. So I won’t be posting. I’ll try to post while I’m there. If I can’t, I’ll be posting on Instagram. If you don’t have an IG account, you can come to the blog and click on the Instagram link on the right sidebar and it will take you to my account.

I know I’ve said this before, but I have to say it again because it still keeps happening. For those of you who get my blog post via email, please understand that if you ‘reply’ via that post, I am unable to respond. Those posts are sent via a special email address that is just for the posts. Not for correspondence. I’ve had people get upset with me about that in the past, even though I remind everyone about this at least 3 or 4 times a year. Go figure.

If you want to write me, come to the blog. You can click on the title of the post in the email version and it will take you to the blog. Personally, I’d rather  you did that as clicking on the blog gives me the ad income necessary to support this blog. (You get it for free, but it isn’t free for me.) Once you get here, go to the top of the right sidebar and you’ll see an envelope icon. Click on it. An email form will appear.

Easy.

I say this because a reader wrote me the other day via the email blog post asking how she could find the post I wrote about Bookmobiles. Again…the sidebar. There is a box on the sidebar that says ‘Search.’ Type in ‘Bookmobile’ and it should come up. There may be more than one post referencing them, just look for the post that has Bookmobile in the title.

Okay. Here’s a picture of Don and me taken by one of my former students last week.

It’s a bit blurry, but at this point in my life, blurry is a blessing, you know? Anyway, we like it.

I’m a lucky girl having that man as my life partner.

I’ll see you when I see you – in the next couple of days, most likely.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: blog, Don, flowers, garden 33 Comments

In the Mail

August 9, 2019 at 10:03 am by Claudia

Friday. I find that half the time I have no idea what day of the week it is. Though I’m constantly aware of how quickly the weeks fly by. This summer, especially. This summer has definitely had its challenges, but I’m not ready for it to end. This morning I realized I can see changes in the light, changes in the look of the gardens, and the sun comes up a bit later and sets a bit earlier. All signs of the seasonal change to come. Sigh.

I mowed yesterday and did it slowly, constantly monitoring my back. Though, frustratingly, I did feel a twinge in my left lower back when I pulled the cord to start the mower. That hurts a bit today, but my original injury is much, much better. Don took over the mowing when he got home and will finish it up this weekend, so I’ll rest. But it was so good to DO something! My endorphins kicked in, which is always a satisfying feeling.

Two packages arrived in yesterday’s mail:

Cara (a reader of this blog) sent me her copy of Colleen Moore’s Dollhouse – a dollhouse I didn’t get a chance to see when I was in the Chicago area. Thank you so much, Cara!

And Kathy from Iowa (also a reader of this blog) sent me this:

To Kill a Mockingbird  in Spanish! I was completely surprised.

I’ve written before on the blog about my desire to collect as many copies of TKAM in foreign languages as I can. When Don was in Prague several years ago to film for PBS, he looked everywhere for one in Czech, but couldn’t find one. Last year, while in Paris, I found an edition written in French. I also found a copy when we were in London. It’s not in another language, but it is a special edition that was printed and published in England and it’s quite lovely.

Now I have one in Spanish! What next? German? Italian? Russian? Greek? Portuguese?

Thanks, Kathy!

The nicest people read this blog! I’m blessed.

It’s a gorgeous day today. I plan on sitting on the porch – carefully – and watching all the birds and bees and insects. I saw a hummingbird yesterday. And I saw Henry the day before that.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: blog, friends, gifts, To Kill a Mockingbird 14 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.

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