Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for garden

Wet Lilacs. Wet Everything.

May 4, 2016 at 9:13 am by Claudia

Weather forecast: More rain. I’m feeling soggy just thinking about it.

5-4 wet lilacs

The poor lilacs are trying to open, but the relentless rain is beating them down. We’re sick of the rain here at the cottage, though we certainly realize that this is nothing compared to the terrible rain and flooding in Texas. It’s inconvenient and not at all fun, but it isn’t dangerous. (Just keeping things in perspective.)

Last night I had trouble falling asleep. That might have been due to watching a certain someone speak (incoherently, of course, and always with ‘me, me, me’ as his focus – ‘they were good to me’ ‘I won by this much’ ‘I’m wonderful, I’m the best thing since sliced bread.’) No details as to how he’s going to accomplish what he so blithely promises. No seeming realization that the government has checks and balances and three branches and, therefore, he can’t just do anything he wants. Did he ever take a class in government?  Demagoguery, of course, appeals to fears and prejudices, not to any rational argument. I don’t know about you, but I like my presidential candidates to be a wee bit more prepared for the job. And when I say wee, I’m being about as sarcastic as I can be. The “Party of Lincoln,” as I so often hear it described, is rallying around a huckster, a megalomaniac, a narcissist, and a liar. I had to narrow it down to 4 adjectives. There are a whole lot more. Misogynist, bigot – I’d better stop.

By the way, I’ve ordered my Woman Card.

Consequently, I tossed and turned for a while. I can only imagine what the rest of the world is thinking. Actually, I don’t have to imagine – I read a lot of commentary on the subject. We look like fools.

5-4 wet lilacs2

Today, I’m off to Hartford to spend the night. I was hoping not to have to do that, but the run-through tomorrow morning is at 10 am and, if I left tomorrow morning, there is no way I could guarantee getting there on time during the morning rush hour. I-84 in Connecticut really is a mess during rush hour. So…off I go to spend the night in Hartford once again. The hotel screwed up, by the way, and billed both of my previous visits to my card, rather than Hartford Stage. It took a while before I figured that out. Eventually, it was resolved, but that means I have to make sure that this visit is billed to the theater, as in “I want proof.”

I’m looking forward to the run-through, as I’ve never seen the whole show and they’ve been doing a lot of rewrites in the past week or so. It will be fun and exciting.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: coaching, flowers, garden, On The Road, politics 70 Comments

Oh, Rain…Go Away

May 2, 2016 at 9:34 am by Claudia

Rain. Dreary. Dark skies.

For the entire week.

I’m trying to stay upbeat in the face of dreariness. I need to plant my morning glory and zinnia seeds and weed the garden bed so I can put some mulch down. Doesn’t seem like that’s going to be on the agenda this week.

So, all I have to share with you are these photos I took rather hurriedly the other day.

5-2 hosta

The hostas (and there are many) are really growing. This one, in the sunniest bed, is the furthest along. I never tire of hostas. There are so many varieties and they’re so dependable.

5-2 hostas etc

More hostas, along with coneflowers, daylilies, and sedum Autumn Joy. They will eventually fill out the entire bed.

Now I hear thunder.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading – both fiction and nonfiction. I just finished That Darkness  by Lisa Black, which I will be reviewing today on Just Let Me Finish This Page. Now I’m reading In the Clearing  by Robert Dugoni (I’ve reviewed the other two books in his series and I’m a fan.) I’ve got several eGalleys in the queue on my Kindle, as well as the slew of books in my TBR pile, including the next two books in Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole Series.

I also just got to download the eGalley for John Connolly’s next book, which doesn’t come out until August. That makes me very happy!

I have to go to Hartford later in the week to watch a run-through of  Anastasia.

And of course, ongoing work on the TSP. I tried making a sound board yesterday and I ended up not liking the final result. I haven’t trashed it yet, but it’s definitely been shoved off to the side. As much as I’d like to make one, I well remember Don recording and mixing all his compositions via Garage Band, which is on all Macs. So the computer monitor that is on it’s way from Thailand via the post office just might do the trick.

Okay. Have a good day, despite the rain. And if you’re not getting rain and the skies are sunny, I’m jealous.

And stop by Just Let Me Finish This Page to read my review of That Darkness. It’s awfully good!

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: books, garden, reading 31 Comments

Lilacs, Orange & Movies

May 1, 2016 at 9:14 am by Claudia

It is going to rain for the next three days, so I ran outside yesterday to check on the ‘status of the lilacs.’

5-1 lilacs2

Oooh! They’re blooming!

5-1 lilacs1

You’d better believe I was getting as close to those flowers as I could in order to get a whiff of that heavenly scent.

5-1 lilacs3

Now that the daffodils have bloomed and the lilacs are just about to be in full bloom, I can say that Spring is finally here.

Yesterday we did something we rarely do. We went to the movies, and not for the discount matinee. The back story is that a movie has just come out that features a close friend of ours and we knew we had to see it. We wanted to see it. So we drove across the river to a neighboring city to catch the 12:10 matinee. Tickets? $20.00. A bottle of water and a modest size of popcorn? $13.00.

What the heck?

$33.00 to see a movie? This is why we don’t go and instead, wait for the movie to be On Demand on our cable network or on Netflix. How do people who routinely go to the movies afford it? We sure can’t.

And then we had to sit there and watch a bunch of commercials and previews for television  shows. Really?? I can see that at home. Unbelievably annoying and, unfortunately, no mute button (something we freely use during commercials.)

More and more I feel like one of those older people who say, “Back in my  day…” Heck, I remember going to matinees when I was a kid – double features, no less – for a grand total of 25 cents.

Another reason not to go is the noise/texting/selfie ridiculousness that goes on, but thankfully, there were few people in the audience and they were all older, so no problem on that front.

On the TSP front: (Don, stop here.) I had an epiphany about a color choice, but now that I’ve executed the whole thing, I’m having some doubts. I may have to change it out.

I made two table tops for a working desk/console. Don likes color and, as I mentioned before, I have been thinking that the other side of the room needs color. And I want it to be cheery. So I made two table tops and painted them turquoise, which is a color Don really loves. So far, so good.

5-1 tabletops

Then, to weigh them down and keep them from warping, I used an old standby:

5-1 shakespeareweight

It helps to have a heavy volume of the Bard on hand.

Earlier in the week, I had purchased a couple of dowels at Michael’s and I decided to use one for the legs on the table. Now, unlike a lot of miniaturists, I don’t have any power tools (except a 25 year old drill) and no place to store them even if I did have them, so I have to resort to a hand saw or my trusty Easy Cutter. I measured out eight legs and cut them as best I could.

Here’s where I think I made a mistake – paint color. I was debating whether the legs should be black or silver or white when I thought…”Orange! Like the fireplace!” Turquoise and orange look great together so why not? I grabbed my can of orange spray paint and went to town, then I glued the legs on (a pain in the tush) and let them dry overnight.

You see, I wanted the studio to be cheery and bright and full of color – an inspiring place in which to create.

Here’s the end result.

5-1 tablesTSP1

Does this look too circus-y to you? Keep in mind that there will also be a computer monitor and a mixing board on top of the longer table. I took the legs off the keyboard because I’ve seen so many home studios with just the keyboard on the work surface and I like that look.

5-1 tablesTSP2

There will also be a modern swivel desk chair (in black) at the desk, which will help to cut some of the color. And there will be guitars somewhere on that wall, as well as some artwork, all of which might help to balance out the orange legs and end up making that whole wall look quite colorful.

Which I like. And it does help to define the working/recording area of the studio as opposed to the lounging area. And the eating area.  There will also be a rug on the floor, though I’ve not made the final decision on which one I want to buy.

I could always change out the legs, but I think I will hold off for a while until I tinker with the rest of that side of the studio.

Now, I’ll close so I can go upstairs and stare at the desks. And ponder.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden, miniatures, movies, Top Secret Project 56 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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