Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for books

Fog and Books

August 18, 2019 at 9:05 am by Claudia

I love a foggy morning. After last night’s intense thunderstorm, we woke up to this view. Perfect: not so much that it’s dangerous to drive, but just enough for ‘atmosphere.’

We tag-team mowed the front lawn yesterday and it was so humid that we were dripping! It was one of those days where the temperature was not all that high, but the humidity was. So, we went outside thinking it would be cool and quickly realized it was unbelievably uncomfortable. But we did it. We also took a morning walk right before we mowed.

Couldn’t wait to get in the shower and turn on the air conditioning.

All of that left me feeling tired, so I didn’t do any work on deductions. But today is another story and I have to tackle that chore while Don is taking photos at the Farmers Market. Tomorrow, I have to take the car in for a yearly inspection. And on Wednesday, I fly off to Las Vegas. Don is working on Friday on a new show called Starling that will be on Apple’s new network.

Suddenly, we’re busy. Feast or famine. But it will all get back to normal next weekend.

Thanks for the great discussion about children’s literature. I loved all sorts of books – many of the titles elude me because we didn’t have many books that we actually owned, but instead, checked books out of the library/bookmobile. Since I had to return them within a week or so, I didn’t often have the option of reading them over and over. All I know is that I read a lot of books and the authors I most remember are Beverly Cleary and Laura Ingalls Wilder. My grandmother had a book of fairy tales that I would thumb through on visits to her house. My mom’s childhood books sat on a shelf in our bedroom; Jack and Jill,  Anne of Green Gables  and Anne of the Island, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, Little Women. Later, when I could buy Scholastic Books through my school, I saved up my pennies (or Mom and Dad gave me the money) and all of a sudden, I had books of my very own! I still remember when those boxes of books arrived in our classroom and my teacher would make a big deal of the unboxing. Sometimes, I was lucky enough to be the student who got to pass out the books.

My dad wasn’t much of a reader, he tended to read the newspaper and magazines. But my mom was a voracious reader and she made sure I had a lot of books to read via weekly visits to the Bookmobile. (I wrote a post about the Bookmobile long ago on this blog – it was everything.) When I had my book blog, I dedicated it to her. I am enormously grateful that she passed on her love of reading to me.

There’s nothing better.

Happy Sunday.

 

Filed Under: books, reading 24 Comments

Childhood Reading

August 17, 2019 at 10:02 am by Claudia

The zinnias are blooming.

Always a sign that we’re entering late summer. Soon (hopefully) we’ll see the morning glories as well. Last year, one of the morning glories bloomed and the other didn’t. Fingers crossed. The moonflowers? Well, they’re growing very, very, very slowly. We’ll see.

Every year is a different story when you’re gardening. Very little is predictable.

It’s a gray day out there, with rain on the way this afternoon. In the meantime, we have to mow the front lawn, at the very least. It’s getting quite long.

I’m reading Bookworm  by Lucy Mangan, a memoir of childhood reading. It’s very entertaining. But I also have to choose a novel – maybe Transcription  by Kate Atkinson. When I’m traveling, I like to take a novel in which I can lose myself during the flight. Atkinson might be perfect. I briefly considered A Book of Ghosts  by John Connolly, but at 600 pages plus and a hardcover to boot, it’s not the most packable of books.

The next chapter in Bookworm  is about Dr. Seuss. Should be interesting. I have a confession to make about Dr. Seuss. I never liked those books. There, I’ve said it. I owned  The Cat in the Hat and If I Ran the Circus. They were read to me many times and when I could read, I would give them another try to see if my mind had been changed. Nope. I never liked them. I found the characters annoying. I didn’t particularly like the illustrations either.

Years later, when The Old Globe premiered the How the Grinch Stole Christmas (with the blessing of Audrey Geisel, Theodore Geisel’s widow – they lived in La Jolla) Don originated the role of Old Max. I briefly worked on the show. But I still didn’t care for the story and the thought of having to perform it throughout the Christmas season would have sent me over the edge. (That may be the reason that Don declined the offer to do it again the next year. Once was enough.)

I’m sure that I’m the rare exception and I’m fine with that. I also wasn’t a big fan of cartoons. I got bored by them pretty easily. Go figure.

Today, work on deductions. Mowing.

Exciting, right?

What books did you love as a child?

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: books, flowers, garden, reading 72 Comments

Dinner With Friends

August 16, 2019 at 10:17 am by Claudia

My wonderful husband saw this on a ‘free books’ rack and brought it home to me. It’s an edition I don’t have with wonderful cover art. And there’s a little sticker inside the cover with an address in Boca Raton, Fl.

He gets me, that Don.

As I was sitting at my desk slogging through records and figures when he came in the door, this little present was a welcome respite.

I just finished The Overstory  and I’m still reeling from the power and majesty within its pages. It’s surely one of the most meaningful books I have ever read – right up there in my Top Ten. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so. It’s long, dense, beautifully written, and ultimately, life-changing.

I’m not sure what I’m going to start next. I’ll figure that out later in the day.

We had the best time last night. Three of our former students were visiting. Rick, Doug, Don, Christine, Glen, Julie and I gathered round the table and shared stories and memories and caught up with each other. It was as if no time had passed. The three of them have wonderful lives. They’re doing well. They are, as they were when we first met them, formidable and beautiful human beings. To have a positive impact on someone’s life, no matter how minuscule in the larger picture, is its own reward. It was a very powerful and wonderful evening.

Today, more figures. And maybe some lawn mowing. We’ll see.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: books, friends 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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