Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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The Decision

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Whew. I confess I sat in bed last night, constantly refreshing my Twitter feed to see what was happening with the vote on health care. All I could think of last night was the very real chance that millions of people were going to lose healthcare. I couldn’t shake it. I was up far too late but gave in to sleep before it all happened. And I had indigestion because Don tried a new recipe which took far too long to prepare and we didn’t eat until 9 pm.

So. With not enough sleep, Cranky Claudia arose this morning, afraid to check Twitter. Fortified by the first sips of a cup of coffee, I saw the news. Thank goodness! Thank you Democrats, John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins! For the rest of you who voted for  it?

2018 is coming.

Thank you, thank you for all of your comments on yesterday’s post! I have the best readers and believe me, I never take you for granted. Your support, your enthusiasm and your wisdom really helped. I read many of them to Don. By mid-afternoon, I had Don call Antique Stove Heaven to check on the cost of a double oven (though I knew we’d be fine without one) and the additional $1500 or so that it added to the cost of the one we were seriously considering gave us our answer. We’re going with the one in the photo.

We’re buying it!!

I transferred the money for the down payment yesterday and today I’ll call and make the payment over the phone. And then they’ll make sure everything is tip-top, convert it to propane, figure out the shipping cost, etc. At some point, it will start the trek to our little cottage.

On one level, it’s scary for us to spend this much money. I wake up in the morning thinking “What the heck (actually, I use another word) are we doing?” On the other hand, we’re really excited.

I read an article that really helped us make the decision. It’s older – it was published on Slate in 2009, but it really hit home for me. Especially since the writer used Antique Stove Heaven and had the stove shipped to Manhattan. If you’re interested, here it is.

Can you see a tiny glass vase full of flowers on that shelf above the stove? I can.

I did a ton of weeding yesterday. I also cut back lots of brambles. I was tuckered out by mid-afternoon. But it looks better out there.

Again. Thank you. I love you all. You have been such a source of support for me through good times and bad and I bow to your wisdom and kindness and compassion.

Much love from Don and me.

Happy Friday.

Pondering

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I can’t believe July is almost over! How can that be? I leave for Hartford two weeks from today, which, though I am always grateful for the work, is more than a bit disheartening given the fact that Don has just returned home after 4 months in California.

At least I won’t be dealing with snow and winter in Hartford this time around. Instead, I will be able to walk in the park and see the flowers in bloom.

Don mowed yesterday, I mowed yesterday, I had the passenger-side airbag replaced in the car, I pulled lots of weeds. I have more to do today and I’ll try to get that done before storms arrive in the afternoon.

We’re still dreaming about our vintage stove. We spoke to Marco at Antique Stove Heaven yesterday. It’s an expensive prospect: the stove, converting it to propane, crating, and shipping across the country. We waver. We go back and forth. But we love it so much and it’s still cheaper than the modern Vikings, etc. And more reliable because the design is basic and built to last. They knew what they were doing in those days.

I think one or both of us looks at this photo several times a day.

I can’t even…I love it so much. Do we bite the bullet and get it? I grilled dear reader Shanna (who painted the wonderful portraits of our dogs) about her vintage stove and converting to propane and more. Marco has it on ‘hold’ for us.

I feel like it’s meant to be here at the cottage. And an added bonus would be having a gas stove when the power goes out, which it does, as you know. We’ve had more than a few incidents in the past couple of years. We could still cook. With bottled water (which we always have on hand) we’d be okay. Most importantly, we could make coffee, since we use the pour-over method!

We don’t have a lot of money and we’re pretty frugal. The road trip was a wild expense for us but worth every penny. But we hadn’t been on that sort of vacation ever. Ever! It was a trip we will remember always, and it brought us even closer together. We’re still living with the sofa we bought 22 years ago and the loveseat I bought when I was living in Boston, which means it’s over 25 years old. Our chairs are gently used – in fact, everything is vintage except for our bed and the new ‘blogging chair’ I purchased this year – and my desk and chair in my office. All that is to say that we’re not used to spending a whole heck of a lot of money on anything. The things I collect are small potatoes, price-wise. Even all of the new cushions for the porch and the two adirondack chairs and small table and wire shelf totaled less than $200!

I just scrolled up and looked at the photo again. I am officially obsessed.

I could take this to a ‘fated to have this stove’ level when I remember that, as we were driving, I had my head buried as I scrolled through something or other on my phone and lifted it just in time to see the sign for Antique Stove Heaven. I mean, just  in time. If I hadn’t done that, I would have never known it was there, on that street, and Don would have never seen these stoves in person and fallen in love with them.

Sigh.

And how am I going to leave my flowers, my gardens?

Sigh again.

The winner of a copy of Another Man’s Ground  is Kim in Maryland. Congratulations, Kim! Send me your mailing address and I’ll pass it on to TLC Book Tours.

Happy Thursday.

 

On the Road: Back to Guy Wolff’s Shop and Studio

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It was a cloudy day yesterday and very cool for this time of year. Both of us miss the adventure of our road trip, so I suggested a drive to Connecticut and Guy Wolff’s Pottery Studio. If you remember, when I visited there a few months ago and talked to Guy for a couple of hours, in addition to hearing him play his banjo, I was sure he and Don would hit it off. I vowed to come back with Don in tow.

So, off we went. This time, the GPS took us on another route to Bantam, CT, and thank goodness it did! It was so lovely and avoided the interstate (I’ll have to travel that all too soon when I head to Hartford).

Quintessential New England country towns and historic homes, white steeples and green everywhere. And this:

A covered bridge in Kent, CT. It’s very narrow and allows only one car through at a time. We stopped on the other side to walk back and look at the river.

There were windows cut into the bridge walls. But here’s the view without the window:

So beautiful!

After the inevitable bathroom stop, we drove up the driveway to Guy’s studio. The door was locked and I thought “Oh no! He’s not here!” but just as that thought entered my brain, I heard his voice calling out to us as he came out of his house, where, as it happens, he was playing his banjo.

This time, we entered through his workroom, where the clay is shaped and made into the pots and the kilns fire the clay . He gave us a brief tour. Then, into the shop, where I showed Don Guy’s banjo and Guy immediately started playing it for Don. Then they started talking and got on like a house afire.

While they were doing this, I was looking at the pots. They talked music and musicians and theater and life. I sat down and joined them. It was just as fun and stimulating as the last time I visited. For an hour and a half or so, we had him all to ourselves, but eventually other customers came knocking at the door.

I bought these smaller versions of my favorite design, based on pots found in Cornwall. I love the pie crust edge.

But I also wanted to get some of his terra cotta pots.

On the left, an English hothouse pot, with his name and Bantam, CT marking the design. On the right a pot in his President series, this one based on pots found near Camp David, Maryland.

All of the pots are inside the cottage. Now I have to buy some more houseplants, don’t you think?

I also got this book. I regretted not buying it last time I visited.

Don bought a CD featuring Guy playing the banjo.

Such a lovely day!

Today: a visit to my car dealership for a recall replacement of my airbag. And mowing.

Happy Wednesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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