Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for Don

A Quick Visit and a Gift

April 29, 2013 at 8:44 am by Claudia

How can everything be overgrown here in the one week that I’ve been gone?

It’s as if the grass and the weeds shouted, “Hey, she’s gone, let’s go crazy!” Yesterday, Don mowed most of the lawn that is right in front of the house and it was so long that the lawnmower kept stalling. That leaves a whole heck of a lot of grass yet to mow and it’s looking like rain today. Don considers the front lawn the only area that needs to be mowed. That leaves out the grassy area behind the kitchen and the whole back forty. We have this argument every year. Like clockwork. I insist it needs to be kept under control because it’s prettier that way, plus, there are less ticks if the grass is mowed. If you remember, I’ve had too many experiences in the past where I had to clean up overgrown areas that Don ignored while I was away. Sigh. I have to get some mowing in before I leave for Hartford.

I let Scout out this morning, walked outside and immediately came in and started to charge the battery for the weed whacker. I’ll be decimating some weeds later today. The garden, though, is filling in nicely – that makes me happy. Still only blooms on the daffodils, but the tulips are about to open. I imagine that as soon as I leave, blooms will burst forth everywhere.

There was a box waiting for me. It arrived in the mail when I was gone. I knew it was from Judy, who just might be the sweetest, most thoughtful person in the world. It was from One Kings Lane. You can bet I opened it immediately. Well, not quite immediately, I showered sleepy Scout with hugs and kisses first.

judyeggcups1

Oh my goodness. Could these be any more adorable? Four egg cups that come with the eternal question: What came first, the chicken or the egg? They are designed by Keith Brymer Jones, who is a British ceramic designer.

judyeggcups2

I’m thrilled. What a marvelous addition these make to my collection!

Judy, you are the best! Thank you. I love getting surprises in the mail. These made my day. Week. Month.

Don has been taking Scout for rides in the car every day. And walks. She’s been on several adventures. What a good daddy he is! I can see where this is going: Don will be the fun, exciting parent, while I will be the medicine giver, food deliverer, bath giver, toenail clipper, sort of boring but necessary parent. Ah well.

Happy Monday.

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Filed Under: Don, egg cups, Fellow bloggers, garden, Scout 33 Comments

My New Housemate

April 28, 2013 at 9:33 am by Claudia

maggiestanding

I’m more than a little in love with this creature.

She seems to have sprung up as if by magic from a Hansel and Gretel-y type woods. I can imagine her playing with the bunny rabbits on our property. Surely they would get along?

maggiesitting

She’s not perfect, but I’m not either. When I make another one, and I will, I will do things a little differently. I learned a lot on this project. And let me say that there’s a reason I don’t make my own clothes. Enough said.

Nevertheless, I’m in love with her. Alicia called her creation Maggie Rabbit and I thought to myself, I must change her name. But then I thought about my great-aunt Maggie who died in 1920 during the terrible flu epidemic and remembered that my mother’s middle name is Margaret in honor of Maggie. So Maggie it is.

I hesitate to share this with you as she might be embarrassed.

maggiesansclothes

Here she is, sans clothes and pre-nose. Don’t tell her I’m posting this on my blog. Years from now when she’s older, she’ll be mortified.

She and Wayfrum immediately bonded.

holdinghands

See? They’re holding hands.

holdinghands&lamb

Then Little Lamb joined in.

myhousemates

Meet my housemates. On the left, Wayfrum Holmes, with Little Lamb in the center and Maggie Rabbit on the right.

This project was so much fun! I’m not the most patient or even remotely adequate hand sewer in the world and there was a lot of blanket stitch which took me a bit of time to master. Heck, I didn’t master it, but I did get better at it.  I want to make another one out of fabric. I’ve saved all the pattern pieces and the directions for future use. I know that Alicia plans to offer these kits again, so keep your eye on her blog for the details. If you’re at all interested, jump on one. I guarantee they will go quickly – she sold out of thousands of these kits in the blink of an eye.

I’m feeling better – that headache was the all day kind that increasingly got worse as I tried to coach and fulfill my other obligations. I used to get those headaches more frequently, but thankfully, I rarely get them anymore. Still stuffy, still sneezy and have watery eyes – but this, too, shall pass.

I have rehearsal this afternoon and then Don is picking me up for 2 days at home. Since Tuesday and Wednesday are going to be days where I can’t really do any one-on-one work, I figured this would be a good time to snag a few days back at the cottage. On Wednesday I’ll come back and move from the hotel to the apartment. (I’ll miss the hotel. I’m settled in here and am not thrilled with packing everything up and moving it all – again.)

The winner of a copy of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life is Janice Murphy! Congratulations.

Be sure to stop by and leave a comment on my Poise Feminine Wellness products review. You could win a $100 Visa Gift Card! Click here.

Happy Sunday.

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Filed Under: crafts, Don, On The Road 52 Comments

Guest Post: Don on Prague, Part 3

April 17, 2013 at 8:30 am by Claudia

What a fun time I’ve had visiting with you in these guest posts! I want to thank you for your wonderful comments, and I want to thank my wife for inviting me to share my time in Prague with you.

Whenever I had any free time from the film shoot, I would walk around and see as much as I could. I couldn’t use my iPhone to call back home, so it became a full time camera. I put it to work, because every time I turned around I would see something I wanted to capture! So many great images. Not all of them “touristy”,  just some hidden away places and vistas that caught my wandering fancy.

This first one, however, IS a big tourist stop. It’s in the Center Square of “Old Town” (kind of Prague’s equivalent of New York’s Time Square). It’s the famous “Astronomical Clock,”  first installed in 1410, the third oldest in the world and the oldest still working!

astrologicalclock

You can learn a good deal more about it by clicking here.

I could reach the Square in Old Town by crossing the Charles Bridge. Here’s one of the beautiful views it afforded me:

viewfromthebridge

Here’s another shot of the Old Town Square. Interestingly, the row of small red shops (unlike those in most “farmer’s markets”) are permanent structures and privately owned. One of them is where I found the beautiful painted eggs I bought for Claudia.

oldtownrows

I just love this little canal I found tucked away on one of my walks. Talk about a beautiful “alleyway!”

praguecanal

Finally, a story I can’t believe happened. While I was out and about one very cold afternoon when I was at liberty from the film shoot, I came across a young lady walking with her young son and carrying a guitar on her back. She was dressed very colorfully and I summoned the courage to talk to her, hoping she spoke a little English. I asked her if she was a performer and she told me that she and her son were a musical duo and were playing that night at a popular club. Her son was the guitar player and she played the violin. I told them that while I was in Prague principally as an actor, I was also a performing songwriter.

Turns out she was “hosting” the show of singers that night, sort of running the evening, and to my great surprise she invited me to come to the club and play a song! So…

Just a few hours later (and borrowing her son’s guitar) I performed before a packed and enthusiastic crowd! Yes, I’ve gone “international”!

donatclub

(Thanks to the kind Czech stranger who took my iPhone and was willing to take this shot!)

So, I hit the jackpot: here I was, an actor filming in a beautiful European city who was also lucky enough to play his music at a cool coffeehouse. You know, I could get used to that!

Well, I’ve really enjoyed reliving all this by sharing it with you. I hope you enjoyed it. I also want to thank you for supporting Claudia and her wonderful blog. Believe me, she gives it a lot of love and thought, and is so grateful that you give it back.

Na shiedanou! (Goodbye!)

Don

Filed Under: Don, On The Road 38 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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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

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