Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for Blythe dolls

Garden Chores and Books

May 6, 2022 at 9:29 am by Claudia

Another day yesterday with lots of work done around the property. It was sunny and gorgeous. We mowed the lilac side of the lawn, dug out the remnants of an elm in the big garden bed – it had been bugging me for years and I also get a skin reaction every time I brush against the leaves, so it had to go. We raked up pods from the catalpa tree, and worked on the Secret Garden. The old cinder blocks (found on our property – there are a lot  of them) that I use as a little wall separating the the grassy area from the rest of the garden disintegrate over time. They’re very old. Three or four of them needed to be dug out and replaced. We found 4 blocks that were part of a bench that we made long ago and never use, so we brought them down to the garden one by one. The heavy antique pots that I use in that garden sit on the blocks, so they need to be steady and secure. Much better now!

I also grabbed my special poison ivy pruners and snipped the vines that are trying to make their way up my maple trees. Bye bye poison ivy.

Very satisfying!

The lilacs have yet to fully bloom and there are fewer of them this year. I’m not sure why, as I pruned them at the right time last year. Maybe it was the winter or our crazy up-and-down weather. The peonies are growing by leaps and bounds.

We’ll have rain today and tomorrow, so we’ll be resting up.

Zoe enjoying the glider.

I finished A Change of Circumstance  by Susan Hill and loved it. She’s a wonderful writer – the prose flows so easily. It’s a compelling mystery about drugs and drug runners invading small towns, which didn’t entirely resolve itself at the end. I liked that. Trying to eradicate drugs and the people that profit from them is an ongoing battle so to tie that part of the plot up neatly would be false.

And now I’ll start A Line to Kill  by Anthony Horowitz, number 3 of 4 books checked out of the library.

Happy Birthday to my brother, David, and to his son, Eric. I miss you, Dave.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, books, Dave, flowers, garden, reading 14 Comments

Fog and a Package from Ukraine

May 5, 2022 at 9:24 am by Claudia

Early morning fog. I rose early to a lovely foggy view and the sound of birdsong.

But it’s sunny now and the high for the day (so Don tells me) will be 70 degrees. I have some work to do outdoors so this makes me very happy.

I received a package in the mail yesterday. It took a long time to get here as it was sent from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Holding that box (stamped with the name of the postal service in Ukraine) in my hands was very moving. Somehow, with all the daily horrors, the postal service keeps running. I’m saving the box.

A Blythe customizer who lives in Ukraine was selling some things because, understandably, income is desperately needed. I wanted to help out. I’ve hit a pause on buying Blythe things as money is also very tight for us, but I’d sure love to buy one little thing from every Blythe lover/creator in Ukraine. A bit at a time. Anyway, I purchased this on March 24th and it arrived yesterday.

It’s a 1:6 scale chair. This is the scale used for Blythes and Barbies and, I suppose, other dolls that I know nothing about, as I work in 1:12 scale with my miniatures. I wanted to buy a chair for the girls to pose in, so when Sana posted this chair for sale, I snapped it up.

Someone seems to be enjoying it. And yes, of course I chose Madeleine for this photo op – she’s color coordinated.

Thank you, my friend from Ukraine. Praying for you and for everyone in your country.

I’m currently compiling a list of all makers/customizers in Ukraine and I will eventually post it on my Blythe IG account. I think it’s imperative that we support them in any way we can. One woman, who makes clothes for Blythes, had to flee to Germany. Surely she needs income. She’s lost her home.

Also, in case you’re interested, I did a quick little video tour of the interior of the English Cottage. It’s on my regular IG account. The house is nearly finished, just a few tweaks here and there.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Ukraine 18 Comments

Wednesday (Some Days I Just Can’t Think of a Title)

May 4, 2022 at 8:56 am by Claudia

Late last night, I closed the comments on yesterday’s post. The whole point of being pro-choice is just that. My choice as to what I can do with my body. Your choice, as well. One comment was judgmental and, in a moment in time when emotions are understandably running high, we don’t need that. I do my best to make this a safe place.

Anyway – years ago I gave up debating this subject with anyone who holds an opposing view. It’s fruitless. While I respect those views, I draw the line at someone imposing them on me, and I really draw the line at the government/courts legislating what should be a personal choice.

Really? We can’t tell you to wear a mask but you can tell me what I can and can’t do with my body? Shove it.

So we won’t debate this here. I am not going to get into it other than what I just wrote, as I spent most of the day yesterday working outside for hours in order to fight off the anxiety I was feeling. And yes, the rage, which I had to work through during the course of the day.

That’s why I had her by my side in the morning:

I went to the nursery and purchased some more plants for my pots, then came back home and potted for hours, walking back and forth with plants and heavy pots, lugging a heavy bag of potting soil, sweeping the porch and the shed floor. Then Don and I mowed the front lawn because it had grown by leaps and bounds and we have rain today and Friday. It would have been that much harder to mow later in the week. By the end of the day, I’d worked up a sweat and had a lot of exercise. I’d flushed out the emotional toxins. Then I took a nap.

I’m also using the Calm app, by the way. I’ve been using it daily for about two weeks and it really helps me meditate. That helped enormously.

By the way, we spoke to our neighbor while we were mowing. Mr. Pickens, the rooster, just fell over one day and died. She doesn’t know if it was a heart attack or something he ate, but he died of natural causes and not from the attack of a predator. We miss his loony call, unlike any other rooster I’ve ever heard. He really protected the other chickens. We were very fond of him.

Rest in Peace, Mr. P.

We’re taking it easy today.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, flowers, gardening 28 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

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

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