Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for flowers

A Favorite Appears

November 18, 2018 at 9:48 am by Claudia

Look who was at the birdbath this morning. Our very own lonesome dove! Don pointed him out to me. I had just been wondering if the doves were still around and I got my answer. I can’t tell you how happy this made me. He drank quite a bit of water and stayed perched on the rim for about 5 minutes.

I still feel like crap, especially first thing in the morning. But I have to get it together because we’re going into the city this afternoon. Don is singing in a concert version of a new bluegrass musical called Johnny and the Devil’s Box. It’s still in development and this concert is being done to get a good recording of the score. It’s at 7 pm at the Rockwood Music Hall which is on the Lower East Side. Should be fun. Don plays a character called Pappy and has one song.

I’ve taken to calling him Pappy.

We’re taking the bus because we don’t want to be bothered with driving. So it will be a long day. And I have to go back into the city on Tuesday for a run-through of Anastasia.

Great new series on Netflix alert: There’s a new series called The Kominsky Method, starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin. It premiered on Friday and we’ve already watched all 8 episodes (wish they’d done more!). It’s really good. I like both actors, but I’m a big fan of Alan Arkin. He never makes a false move. Such an incredibly gifted actor. It’s funny and sad and lovely.

In the midst of the snow, and they were covered in snow the other day, the pansies are still blooming.

The nighttime lows are going into the teens later this week, so I don’t know how much longer they’ll be around. But it’s a blessing to see this splash of color on my porch right about now.

I love pansies.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: Don, flowers, New York City 20 Comments

Short and Sweet

October 5, 2018 at 10:47 am by Claudia

I shot this from inside the kitchen this morning, which is why you see a smudge or two and the reflection of the kitchen door. But it was so pretty out there with the sun coming through the trees and the leaves on the ground that I couldn’t resist.

The posts for the next few days will be on the short side simply because I have so, so much to do before we go! Every day, there is a new list. Today, errands this morning and this afternoon, mowing the front lawn. It should be dry enough then. Because…you guessed it…yesterday’s beautiful morning turned into clouds and rain in the afternoon.

Tomorrow we clean the gutters and rake and that kind of thing. Since we’re not leaving until Sunday night, we also have Sunday to do laundry and pack.

This morning, we sat on the loveseat and looked at maps of Paris, figuring out where the hotel is in relation to everything else in the city. I must say, we couldn’t have picked a better place to stay! A short walk to the Luxembourg Gardens, another shortish walk to the Seine and Notre Dame and the Louvre. Not far away is the Pont Alexandre, the bridge referenced in Anastasia. You can bet I’ll be walking across that bridge. I am so excited – more excited about Paris than London, but that’s just because I’ve never been there. Taking some time together to look at the maps and talk about what we want to see and do made us both so happy and eager to start our adventure.

Paris readers: Do you know the best way to get into the city from Charles De Gaulle Airport? Any advice would be most welcome.

Before I forget: Don and I saw the most wonderful movie on Netflix the other night. It’s a little gem that I didn’t know about previously. It’s called The Man Who Knew Infinity. It’s based on the true story of a young man from India who is a brilliant mathematician and travels to England in the early part of the 20th Century to study with a well known mathematician who teaches at Cambridge. It stars Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons and a cast of wonderful supporting actors. The acting is impeccable. It’s very moving. So it you’re looking for something, we recommend it highly.

This beauty greeted me this morning. I’m so happy there are blooms, especially since I didn’t get any morning glories this year.

By the way, I am taking my laptop with me so I will be blogging. Not every day. Just when I can. When they will post is anyone’s guess because of the time difference. Just check in every couple of days or so. I have to take you along, right?

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden, movies, our trip to Europe 53 Comments

Trees, Wildflowers & Ferns in Unexpected Places

October 4, 2018 at 10:15 am by Claudia

It’s a beautiful morning. It’s so lovely to actually see the sun shining for more than ten minutes at a time! Golden light, leaves falling, the beauty of autumn.

The top of the big maple.

The house this morning:

These wildflowers are growing everywhere on the property.

Those specks are falling leaves.

This is one of those longed-for spectacular fall days. We deserve it, if I do say so myself.

I have errands to run today. 4 days until we leave! There’s so much to do in that time but I have to say this: I am so happy to be leaving this country for a couple of weeks. I’ve had it with the corruption running rampant in Washington and I desperately need a break from it all. And yes, if it was at all economically feasible and/or practical, I would jump at the chance to stay there for six months. I don’t know my country anymore and it’s always a good thing to experience another culture. Hopefully, it will help put things in perspective.

If I could curse on the blog as I do in real life, I would.

I was worried about the big Boston Fern on the porch. I expect the other potted plants to die, as they’re annuals, but the fern isn’t. I wanted to bring it in for the winter, but the only place I could see it working (it takes up a lot of space) was on the kitchen table. So, yesterday, while I was waiting for deliveries, etc., I brought it in and plopped it on the table. I had to raise the hanging lamp, as well. Fully expecting Don to hate it, I waited for him to come home.

He loved it. Actually, he was initially more enthusiastic than me! But now, we both love it.

Yes, it’s huge. No, I don’t know how it will do in the kitchen. But we’re going for it. We never eat at the kitchen table, it just becomes a repository for mail and sunglasses. We eat on trays in the den. And you know that we like eclectic and funky. We like putting our own stamp on our house.

As I said on Instagram: At the very least, it’s a statement.

Excuse early morning kitchen view.

Okay. Have to get a move on.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: auction, flowers, houseplants, our trip to Europe, trees 35 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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