cottage — Page 2

Upstairs in the Cottage

April 20, 2022 at 9:29 am by Claudia

I happened to look up at just the right time. This is the schefflera that is across the room on the sideboard.

I added a Wallace Nutting to this wall in the den.

And here’s a view of the hall upstairs, where I used to have my studio. It’s changed a great deal since then.

These days, Don’s dresser is in the niche under the skylight. We added the framed posters that we rediscovered when we had the big shed clean out. On the left near the dresser is a reprint of a London Underground poster – The Playgoer Travels Underground. It’s very Twenties/ArtDeco – a period I’ve always been drawn to. I bought it in London in 1991. On the right, a poster I’ve had even longer – since the late Seventies. It’s from a production of The Mikado that was done at the Stratford Festival in Canada. As I played Katisha in a production of The Mikado many years ago, I wanted to see Stratford’s production and it was brilliant. It’s faded a bit over the years, but the graphic design remains incredibly striking. I distinctly remember getting both of these framed during the first year I lived in San Diego, when I could finally afford it.

That bookshelf is a vintage and handmade find. I bought it about 4 or 5 years ago at a local antique shop. It holds all my vintage children books, some of which were my mom’s, and my vintage Nancy Drew collection. My dad’s lead Model-T car is there, as well as a train car he made many years later.

I’ve obviously never seen a shelf like this one – it’s truly one-of-a-kind. This young girl – Martha Jane – seems to be dressed up in a nurse’s uniform.

The pine piece functions as our linen closet since we have none. You can’t see the stacks of books that are piled on top of it – all of them read by Don or me. My dress form is to the right of that, as well as a couple of tripods and my vintage wire laundry basket.

Today we’re going to do some initial work outside. Since it’s going down to 32 degrees tonight, I’m not going to start uncovering the garden beds until tomorrow when the danger of a freeze is gone for good.

Such a late spring this year!

But I’m really ready to get the glider and chair cushions out of the closet under the stairs (currently hidden by the egg cup cubby,) do some more sorting in the shed, move the vintage wrought iron chairs back to the Secret Garden – that kind of thing.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Day One Hundred Thirty-Nine

July 30, 2020 at 9:57 am by Claudia

Two things: First, some of you might have tried to get on the blog between about 3 pm and 7 pm. It was down because the server was down. Sorry for that. It’s the second time that’s happened in two weeks. It is ultimately frustrating because you can’t come here, I can’t answer comments, and there’s always a loss of ad income (which is happening to every blog and website during this period of lockdown.)

Second: Look at my boxwood! I truly thought it had come down with box blight. There were dead leaves everywhere and they looked exactly like the photos of boxwood after box blight. My original suspicion was that the dead growth was due to the late freeze we had in May. But then I started to worry about blight. I cut out most of the dead growth, pruned the bushes, and was sure we’d have to remove them at some point – because that’s what you have to do with blight. And now, after a month or so, there’s new growth everywhere and they’re looking healthy again. Hurrah!

The four boxwoods were the very first thing we planted here. We moved in at the end of August and there was nothing we could do about planting anything in the big bed or anywhere else on the property until the next spring. But I managed to dig out a bed in front of the porch and we bought 4 tiny little boxwoods and planted them.

See? That’s all we had. Those itsy bitsy bushes are now huge, nearly 15 years later. Don and I were chatting on the porch this morning, remembering that there was nothing but a couple of hostas in the bed to the right of the boxwoods and some sedum in the big garden bed. Nothing else. I planted everything else; the three garden beds on the far side of the house, the bed in front of the house, everything in the bed by the porch and the big garden bed, and the chicken wire fence garden and the memorial garden. Don was telling me that I should be proud of my work, my creativity, in creating all these gardens, and you know what? I am.

Especially when we are so homebound right now. This little oasis has made a huge difference in our daily lives. I cannot tell you how much I love our home and our property. The addition of Don’s work on the paths in the woods and the work done in the Secret Garden has made an enormous difference, as well. I dreamed for decades – literally, decades – of a little cottage in the country with gardens everywhere and it finally came true. But not until I was in my fifties. I’m here to tell you it can happen.

Just grateful for what we have today as we know so many are unable to pay rent or mortgages, are out of work, don’t have enough money to put food on the table, have run out of unemployment. We have to fight for them. Because the GOP has shown, by and large, that it won’t.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Around the House: The Artwork by the Front Door

January 17, 2020 at 10:38 am by Claudia

Oh, boy. It’s cold here. The temperature is now 20 degrees, but it feels like 4 degrees. It will be the same tomorrow when the snow arrives. Right now, it looks like we’ll get anywhere from 2 – 6 inches. Here’s hoping it’s on the low end. Nonetheless, I’m looking forward to watching snow fall during the day tomorrow. It’s been a while. Just not too much, please.

Kathy mentioned yesterday that she’d love to see some of the artwork we have on our walls, sparked by yesterday’s photo which showed something on the wall by the front door. I’d love to share that with you. We have a lot of it, comprising vintage, new, photos, watercolors, my dad’s oil paintings, signs…you name it.

The piece that Kathy spied yesterday is a vintage calendar print (we think) of a Norman Rockwell painting. The print itself is quite old; we can tell by the frame and the backing. I’d say 30s or 40s. This is the original frame. We found it several years ago when we were renting in Westchester County. I can’t remember whether we found it there or in the Berkshires. Something tells me it was the Berkshires.

It’s called “It’s Your Move.”

It shows a group of circus performers gathered together backstage playing a game of checkers. It’s so vivid, with each person beautifully painted and realized. As in all Norman Rockwell paintings, a moment in time is evoked by body position, facial expression, clothing, and subject matter. He was so good at that. There’s a clown, a ringmaster, an animal tamer, a female performer, and a performing dog, with a ruff around his neck. You can see part of the circus tent in the background. I love the details: the animal trainer is sitting on a bucket, the clown is sitting on a wooden box with the number 5 painted on the side – maybe it’s used in performances. The ringmaster’s top hat is on the floor and he’s smoking a stogie, completely engrossed in the game. Love the mustache on the animal trainer and the adorable and tired mutt, resting between performances. And the lovely young girl, maybe she rides bare back on the performing horses? She’s seen the men playing and is now watching the game. The clown is a little cocky, knowing that he’s got the upper hand.

As longtime performers in the theater, we are very familiar with the ongoing activities/games that sometimes occur backstage while awaiting entrances. This reminds us of them.

I just love this piece. It’s one of our favorites.

I also love the green mat and the old off-white frame. I have a few pieces that are framed in off-white – almost cream colored – frames, and I love them. We always assumed this came from a calendar, but it might be a print someone purchased. I don’t want to take off the backing or disturb it, so we’re content to not know for sure.

It’s a little gem and one we treasure.

Happy Friday.

Upstairs in the Cottage

Day One Hundred Thirty-Nine

Around the House: The Artwork by the Front Door

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