Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for Don

My Boys are Under the Weather

January 29, 2012 at 11:01 am by Claudia

Sunny skies on this Sunday morning. Thank you Old Man Winter. You’ll see photos of this particular view fairly often on the blog. This is what I see when I stand in the kitchen doorway and look up. That’s a maple on the left, the catalpa in the middle and our sugar maple on the right, along with a cast of thousands. We have a lot of trees.

My boy Riley had a very bad night. I woke up to discover he’d had some elimination problems (no big deal, we’re used to that now) and he’d somehow managed to get wedged half-way under the kitchen island. I can only imagine he panicked and, since he has problems getting around anyway, somehow slipped on the wood floor and couldn’t get up. When I managed to get him up, he kept collapsing. I finally got him outside where he regained a little strength in his legs.

He’s exhausted. Life is hard for my dear boy and I try to reassure him when he’s distressed or worried. Because he does worry. At this point in his life, nothing is worth one second of his feeling bad or guilty.

We try to make getting around as easy as possible. We lift him up and down the stairs. We help him up when his body is stiff and sore. When we look outside and see a mass of mud on the path to the corral, Don runs to the Agway to get some hay.

We cover the mud and tamp it down, so he can get a solid footing. (We put a bit too much down this time!) I vacuum up bits of hay every day. But if it helps Mr. Riley, I’ll vacuum ten times a day.

Don has a cold. Both my boys are having a tough time of it.

Scout and I are fine. Right, Scout?

What are your plans for this Sunday? Is it sunny in your neck of the woods?

Filed Under: Don, Riley, trees 32 Comments

Cooking in the Cottage

January 2, 2012 at 10:37 am by Claudia

At the risk of looking like a total fool (and I often do) I’m posting this little video we made the other night while cooking dinner. It was cold and windy out, which is why the shades are pushed into the window openings, and we were playing a favorite tune. Hijinks like this are the norm in our little cottage.

Starring: Don, Claudia, Scout and Riley
Don: the chef; in baseball cap
Claudia: in old sweater, baggy jeans and no makeup
Scout: looking for crumbs
Riley: looking for crumbs
Filmed: with iPhone
Quality: going for an edgy, cinema verite feel; in other words, totally amateur
Fun level: high

(I have 2 posts up today, there’s one with actual pretty pictures right below.)

Filed Under: Don, Riley, Scout 52 Comments

Printers, Typewriters and Rain

December 28, 2011 at 10:20 am by Claudia

Yesterday was about running errands, dealing with medical bills and attempting to get my printer to actually do its job and print out a script. I had the dubious pleasure of spending an hour and half trying to get that sucker to print every page. Not just every other page. And not to print 10 pages and then start over and print them again. Or tell me, over and over, that there was no paper in the printer when there was. I finally realized that a cheap, plastic part at the rear of the printer was becoming loose and I had to stand in an extremely awkward position and push against it to make sure it stayed in place. You would have loved that picture of me – hunched over, with my back protesting and a stream of curse words coming from my mouth – while 89 pages slowly printed out.

Makes you appreciate the simplicity of the typewriter. This is Don on Christmas morning, playing with his new favorite thing. (In the beginning days of this blog, I used to ask Don if it was alright to post photos of him. Now – I just post them.)

Anyway, after all the printer drama, I ended up getting a late start on my text research. It also rained heavily and I was constantly running upstairs to see if the roof was leaking. (It didn’t.) So I’ll be back at it today.

By the way, I’ve discovered that finding actual typing paper – not printer paper or all purpose paper – is next to impossible. Remember typing paper? I bought some parchment paper at Office Depot but it was a bit pricey, so I will have to investigate this further.

Normally, I hate photos of me. Especially now that the March of Time is clomping all over my face and neck. But Don took this one the other day.

I could use some lipstick but, otherwise, it might work for the blog at some point. Hello, 59 and one month. Yikes.

Time to feed the dogs. Have a great day!

Filed Under: Don, life 22 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

The Dogs

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.

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Lambs Like to Party

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