Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Tiptoe Through the Tulips

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No wonder tulips are the subject of so many paintings. They’re rather perfect. I love the touch of white on the edges of the pink petals.

We’re in the middle of a wind ‘event.’ Do not like. I used to love the wind, but since we moved here, to this property with oh-so-many trees, I get nervous and edgy. It started around 5:00 pm yesterday and it’s still going on. I can never truly relax when this sort of thing is happening. Perhaps some coloring should be on the docket for today?

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I’m in the midst of some research for my next coaching job. Darko is bringing me in on his next production: Anastasia, a musical. It starts rehearsals next week. I’m going to be there off and on during the rehearsal period because there are lots of Russian and French names that have to be pronounced correctly. I read the script yesterday, wrote down all the names, and now I have to figure out the pronunciations and transcribe them phonetically.

I think they’re aiming to eventually produce this on Broadway – fingers crossed.

I’ve also got a day or two consulting on some projects being produced by an old friend of mine – sometime in early April.

It’s always good for a freelancer like me to have some work on the horizon.

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I’ve got a book review scheduled for tomorrow – it’s been a while, hasn’t it? It’s a very good book and I’ll tell you more about it then. I’ve been neglectful of my book blog and I want to start posting more regularly, but this period starting when my father died on October 29th has taken its toll in many ways, one of which is blogging about books. I’m reading. I love books. But writing about them has been difficult. I promise to do better very soon.

Happy Tuesday.

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Tuesday Stream of Consciousness

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• Another glorious sunset. Our house faces west, so as I sit in my chair or go about my business in the living room, this is what I see.

• Trip plans: We’re heading out tomorrow morning. Cannot wait. I’m currently plotting a route down to Florida that avoids the hell that is the Washington D.C. area and, instead, takes us through some beautiful country – courtesy of my Facebook friends. As I looked at the map today, I got those anticipatory butterflies that I get when I am about to explore and see something new.

When I was on the road more, especially when I worked for a theatrical touring company, I loved to explore whatever city I was in. I’m always up for getting out, walking around, exploring, and learning new things. Dallas; Cedar Falls, Iowa; Owensboro, KY; Gainesville, FL; Ft.Lauderdale, FL; Birmingham, AL; Charleston, SC – just a few of the places I was able to explore when I was on the road for a few days here and a few days there. Often, I had to pick up a car rental and drive many miles from the airport to the theater and I’d explore along the way.

Don loves car trips. It will be fun.

• Yesterday. This arrived….

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I know. I succumbed again.

It’s a double bud vase in the Clematis pattern. Need I say that it was a great score on eBay? It was.

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The other side. Isn’t it beautiful? Several Roseville patterns have their own version of this double bud vase. As crazy about Roseville as I am, I can see collecting all of them.

Stop me.

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There it is on the shelf; though I’ve since changed it out with the basket that Barbara sent to me. The double bud vase is now in the china cabinet in the den. I can see it from my blogging chair.

I may change that. We’ll see.

Can one have too much vintage pottery? My short answer: No.

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• My over-wintering geranium is blooming again! This little experiment was a complete success. I’ve been watering all the plants so they’ll be nice and moist while we’re gone. Even the succulents got a dash of water.

• Blogging Etiquette Question: Am I the only one who gets irritated when I see posts from bloggers where lots of photos are taken directly from a post on another site/blog? It seems wrong to me. Yes, they usually link back to the original source, but if they’re basically taking all the photos from the original post, who is going to click the link? (And often the name of the original blog is hidden – you have to click through to find out who it was.)

It seems a bit like cheating. The blogger gets a post out of it without doing any of the work. Not quite fair, I think. Though perhaps the photos get a wider audience? Still, it doesn’t sit right. Far better, in my humble opinion, to say something like, “You should see this wonderful home or apartment or miniature or whatever that I saw elsewhere – here’s the link.” And then the original poster gets the hits, which is the way it should be.

Just wondering. It’s been bugging me a lot lately.

Lots to do today.

Happy Tuesday.

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On My Mind This Morning: Words and a Gift

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Thank you for the fascinating discussion yesterday! I loved reading your comments.

You know by now that my life largely centers around words. It’s what I do for a living; I teach and coach speech, dialects, text and voice. All of that is about words and their use and how that changes according to the context in which the words are written. That includes regionalisms and dialects and how they change the texture and rhythm of speech.

I write this blog daily. Words. I write another blog that is all about books and literature. I read and review books. Words. I minored in English Language and Literature. I majored in Drama and Speech. Words and the use of them and, yes, misuse of them, and topics like ‘trendy’ word usage are always on my mind. Occasionally I will write about those things because they fascinate me. And I will have opinions about those things, just as you have opinions about them. No one, including me, uses words ‘correctly’ all of the time. If I tried to do that, I would be so self-conscious and self-aware in the moment that the emotion that fuels my words would be stifled. Who could live that way?

So, I hope you understand that I can comment on current trends in word usage and the ways in which words have been changed, for example, from a noun to a verb, and still respect and honor the incredible variety of sounds, speech, regionalisms, and dialects that are out there. Try as I might, and as careful as I am about the posts I write, I write a blog post every day and chances are I will offend someone at sometime. That is never my intention. Nor is it my intention to make anyone feel self-conscious. Everyone’s voice is welcome here.

Okay. On to something else.

My friend Barbara sent me a package. I picked it up at the post office yesterday and had to wait while I got an oil change and my tires rotated and then stopped at Target before I finally got home and could open it! Do you want to see what was inside?

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These are acrylic jewelry stands which are being repurposed as tables and desks by miniaturists. Since I have a couple of modern projects going, these will be perfect!

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Love this cup and saucer! Barbara ordered it from the Etsy shop Twelvetimesmoreteeny. I’ve several plates from that same shop in Hummingbird Cottage.

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This modern table is from The Little Dollhouse Company. Perfect! The question is: will it go in the Top Secret Project or in the Loft that I got from Target?

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And this miniature dollhouse is also from The Little Dollhouse Company. It’s for Caroline to work on. Somehow, Barbara knew that Caroline had been bugging me about getting her own dollhouse.

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Cool!

Also in the package was a piece of pottery belonging to Barbara which she decided should be in Mockingbird Hill Cottage. I am very grateful.

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A gorgeous basket in the Clematis pattern. Isn’t it lovely?

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The other side.

Thank you so much, Barbara! Goodness, you should have seen the smile on my face as I was unpacking everything!

And speaking of words, Rest in Peace, Pat Conroy. I loved your writing and the passion you had for words and literature. Thank you.

Happy Saturday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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