Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Baths, Photographing Trees & Presents

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Oh lordy. Today is dog bath day. I’ve mentioned before that this is a major undertaking. Unlike those of you who blithely give your dogs a bath in your own home, we must journey several miles away to a dog wash. Scout and Riley are fairly large, extremely hairy dogs. Riley hates getting a bath. I repeat: Hates It. Lifting him into the tub will accomplish nothing but the spectacle of a big, wet dog escaping and then running around the house, shaking every part of his body. At the dog wash, we can put on his muzzle, secure him to the tub, and wash away…all the while telling him what a good dog he is. He gets clean, we don’t get a fear bite, and all is well. Scout, on the other hand, loves getting clean. She’s a girl, through and through.

We put this off until we absolutely have to. We have to. Afterward, both dogs will be exhausted. The next 10 days will be about chasing tumbleweeds of dog hair around the house. Hopefully, by Christmas all will be in order again.

We got our tree on Saturday. Yesterday, we decorated it. I’ll have some photos later in the week, though I always get frustrated trying to take photos of the prettiness I see in front of me. Last year, I googled ‘photographing Christmas trees and lights’ and read all sorts of advice, but the running theme through all the posts seemed to be that it is next to impossible to take a successful photo of a lit tree unless you are a professional photographer with lots of equipment. This year I will adjust my expectations.

Once again, I have been blessed with treasures from my friends. When my friend Elizabeth and I got together in New York, she gave me a little present.

You know I’m loving that dress form. What was inside?

Homemade caramels. Oh boy. They are scrumptious! Thank you Elizabeth!

My friend Betty wrote me a note around my birthday saying she had something in her house that kept reminding her of me and she had decided to send it to me. It came on Saturday.

Gasp! Yes, indeed – it reminds me of me! Is this not beautiful? Here’s the other side:

I’ve done some research. This pitcher was made by Hull and the pattern is Sunglow. Uh oh. The collecting urge is starting again. How many kinds of pottery can I collect? If you were in my home right now, your answer would be: ‘Apparently, a lot.’ I cannot help it. I know. I’m hopeless.

Hey, I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I never did drugs. I’m a vegetarian. This is a relatively harmless vice, don’t you think?

My new obsession? Saving my pennies for a new camera. (Sssh! Don’t say anything about it to my current Canon. ) I love my camera. I just want to be able to do more. I really love photography and it’s time to step it up a notch or two. Or three.

I’m just putting it out to the universe.

Curvy

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You’re looking at the top of my 30’s era china cabinet which is in our den.  On it sits my vintage Hendryx birdcage, several vintage and well-loved books and some of my Roseville pottery. When husband and I sit on the sofa and watch television, this cabinet is right in our sight-line (as we say in the theater.) The other evening, Don asked me to look closely at one of the pieces – this one:

Says he:  Doesn’t it look like a woman’s body with hands on hips? Curvy with a waist?

Says me: Why yes, it does.

And now every time I look at it, which is often, that is what I see.  Should I name her? She’s sort of flirty isn’t she?

Speaking of curvy, my obsession with vintage dress forms continues. I scour Craig’s List every day. Sometimes several times a day. I’ve missed out on a few recently. There is a vintage Wolf dress form that has a lot of wear (to put it kindly – I swear a musty smell emanates from that listing) that I had my eye on, but it is way out on Long Island. If you remember my over 3 hour long journey there last year for a coaching job, you can see where this is going. Too much time, too much gas for something that might be too damaged.

I love this style – wonderfully vintage and usually with a wire cage at the bottom. However, most of the listings I see are pretty pricey, more than I’m willing to pay.

More and more, I find I am drawn to these adjustable forms. They are often made by Acme and might be better for the limited amount of space I have upstairs.

Once I am obsessed about something, there is no stopping me. I will find one. (I sound a bit like Scarlett O’Hara.) If anyone in the NY/NJ/CT area knows of a great deal on a vintage dress form, oh please let me know? Pretty please?

What have I come to? I’m reduced to begging.

Have a wonderful day!

Pottery, Stitching & Corn

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I found this funky little pitcher today while out and about. It’s not my usual style (though I love the color) but look closer.  Sure looks like ‘CH’ to me. Since those are my initials, how could I resist? The marking on the bottom says ‘Caribe, Puerto Rico.’

I’m slowly working on my sampler – I manage to get a bit done each evening.

There’s a lot to do yet, but I really enjoy the process and don’t want to rush through it.

We’re eating some of this tonight:

This stand has the best sweet corn I have ever had the pleasure of eating. I have to tell you that any other corn-on-the-cob pales in comparison. Did I ever tell you that when I was a college student, in the days when dorm food was basically starch, I used to have magazine photos of a baked potato smothered in butter and buttery corn-on-the-cob on my bulletin board? If I had added a photo of broccoli, I would have had my favorite meal. If you had been forced to eat that food, you would have done the same thing!

While at the farm stand, I snapped this:

If you don’t already know about it, I have a new photography blog: Through a Lens Daily. I’d love it if you stopped by. The link is on my sidebar.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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