Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Good morning!

I’m back home. I’m so glad I do not have to make that trip again! I will say that all four trips to and from Rochester were beautiful. Beautiful scenery and beautiful weather. I’m grateful for that. On the return home, Google Maps sent me on a different route for the last leg of the journey and that helped perk me up. I came home to a big hug from my husband, who was concocting a new recipe for dinner as a welcome home.

I drove directly to the hotel this time as I had a few hours before I needed to be at the theater. This time, my room was smaller but faced the Genessee River, so I had a lovely view. So much nicer than facing the parking lot, like my last visit.

At the last minute, I decided to bring Holly along for the ride because I had also packed some yarn to crochet another hat and I needed a model.

She liked the view, too.

My husband made the most wonderful dinner for me. The cooler worked beautifully, by the way. (I had no idea what was in the containers as they were supposed to be a surprise.) The contents: fried potatoes, thinly sliced, which is one of my favorite Don creations, and a vegetarian stir-fry full of tasty favorites. Oh my goodness! It was so appreciated after the long drive.

I headed to the theater to watch the final Preview. There were so many technical problems earlier in the week. These things happen. So a couple of previews had to be cancelled. I have to say it’s in great shape, despite all the stress earlier in the week. The cast is wonderful. The actress playing Jane did it in Hartford, as well, and she’s such a powerful and heartbreaking Jane. The actor playing Rochester is simply wonderful. They have terrific chemistry. The audience loved it and stood up immediately. I’m glad for the cast, but my side note is that standing ovations are a dime a dozen nowadays. In my earlier years in the theater, they were rare, so their impact was powerful. Now? People just stand up no matter what. Sigh. I’m not saying this cast didn’t deserve the ovation, just that if ovations always happen, they lose their power.

I took notes, talked to Elizabeth (the director) and Fiona (the dramaturg) and then got back to the hotel around 10:45. I called Don to let him know I was safely in the hotel, and took a bath, as my back was very painful after the drive.

The next morning, I finished crocheting the hat. I left a little later than planned because I didn’t want to leave any stitches still on the hook, so I crocheted like a madwoman. Hat? Finished.

I’ll let Holly model it for you (picture taken in the hotel.)

I’ve figured out the kind of yarn I need to use, so this one turned out perfectly.

I left Rochester around 9:40 and arrived home exactly 5 hours later at 2:40.

I regret to say that my back suffered from all the hours in the car, so I was in pain last night and am this morning, as well. It will get better. I have a few days free before I coach again and I’m going to baby it.

Coaching on Jane Eyre  is complete.

I’m happy to be home. It’s raining outside!

I write about 9/11 every year. This year, I’m simply going to acknowledge the date.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Friday

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Because it’s Friday at the end of a long week: Pippa in her new crocs.

I can’t get over this pair of crocs. Oh my goodness!

They were made by my favorite “cobbler” Cora Huang. I have shoes and boots from other makers and I love them. However, when I first purchased Sophie and was wondering where I could get shoes and boots, and was completely new to the Blythe community, I stumbled upon Cora. In a truly international doll/clothing/shoes world, Cora, much to my delight, lives in Connecticut. It’s nice to order something that won’t take weeks to get here. But the best part is her craftsmanship. Her shoes are beautifully made.

I’d say the majority of the shoes the girls wear are Cora’s.

I have one more new pair that I’ll share when I actually put them on one of the girls. They remind me of back-to-school shoes. I always got one new pair of shoes in the fall, invariably brown. As I got older, they were invariably brown penny loafers. Do you remember Bass Weejuns?

Now ask me when I last bought new shoes… Answer: last year. A new pair of Birkenstocks. Ask me when I last bought any new clothes…Answer: last fall when I had to order long underwear and heavy socks for cold location shoots on Spoiler Alert. I don’t much care about clothes these days. I’m happy with a new t-shirt. Maybe one new sweater in the winter. But I don’t have a lifestyle that requires being fashion conscious. I used to love it. Now I find it  exhausting.

Technically, the girls don’t need any new clothes or shoes, but much of the fun in collecting these girls lies in dressing them up.

Today I coach Jim for a bit in the early afternoon and then we’ll go vote.

Yesterday, on my one day off from coaching this week, I cleaned, watered plants outdoors – all sorts of little things that needed to be done.

Very satisfying.

To close,  I marvel at Lucy’s strength! She’s been holding her arm up to give the peace sign for two weeks now. How does she do it?

I certainly couldn’t do it.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Seasonal Shift

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I started a new puzzle the other day but I never got to it yesterday.

It was a full day, with a first read-through of Jane Eyre in the morning and 3 hours of coaching in the afternoon. I’m tired.

I have more coaching to do later this morning.

The actors are very nice and eager to figure out the dialects.

It takes such concentrated effort to coach one-on-one. But when you’re in the same room as the coachee, it’s easier to pick up on facial expressions or frustration or whatever mood the actor is in. It’s much, much harder to do when coaching via Zoom. With Jane Eyre, I was coaching actors sitting in a board room and they were quite far away.

By the way, after I finished for the day I told Don I was absolutely sure I was speaking too loudly the whole time I was coaching. Not on purpose, of course, but I think that “They’re far away and I have to talk loudly” feeling crept into my voice. I’ll try to do better today.

On my break between the read-through and coaching sessions, I ran outside to water everything, folded clothes that had just come out of the dryer, and made a quick lunch. Don had gone out to take some pictures.

I’m coaching for two hours today, so it won’t be quite as tiring.

Then Jim again, later in the week.

The theme for this week is Zoom Dialect Coaching.

Don mentioned that it’s dark now when he gets up. And we both keep mentioning that it’s getting darker much earlier in the evening now. Sigh. Summer, you’ve been a huge challenge, but I’m not sure I’m ready for you to go. I think it’s fortunate that I’m coaching now, just as I was last year around this time when I coached during September – December. I’m so busy that I won’t have the time to be sad for very long..

And the light is different. You can tell that we’re heading into Autumn.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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