Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Thursday Thoughts

June 16, 2022 at 9:03 am by Claudia

• Yesterday, I was talking to my best friend on the phone, while sitting on the porch glider. About 5 minutes into our call, I saw a deer run across the street toward our house, run up the driveway and then to the corral and the woods. Luckily a car slowed down and the deer made it safely.

We continued talking. I’d say it was about 20 minutes later when a fawn – THE fawn – also ran across the street, jumped the culvert and ran in the same direction as the other deer. This fawn is very, very small, by the way. It became clear that the deer that I saw earlier was the fawn’s mom.

Both times, I held my breath, praying that they would cross the road safely. Remember, this is a very busy road.

Later in the conversation – maybe 10 minutes later? – I looked up to see the fawn on the front lawn, clearly still looking for mom. I stood up because I knew I had to stop her/him from running across the street again. As soon as we locked eyes, she reversed and ran back up into the woods.

After we finished talking, I put on my muck boots and walked through the woods, looking for mom and baby. I never saw them. So I kept watch for a couple of hours, just in case I needed intervene. Poor baby was frantically looking for mom! But she never came back so I have to think they found each other.

And that’s how I proceeded to worry about the fawn for about 3 hours.

• In other news, Jim Parsons messaged me on Instagram yesterday with the news that Spoiler Alert (the movie we worked on) is coming to theaters on December 2nd. Whoo hoo! This is very exciting. It will premier less than a year since we wrapped the film, which was on December 10th of last year. I can’t wait for you to see it.

• Day three of the January 6th Committee Hearings is today at 1:00 pm EST. Be there or be square.

• We got up around 5:30 this morning and soon after that, we had a morning thunderstorm. There’s something about early morning thunderstorms that I love. Sipping a hot cup of coffee, lamps on because it’s still somewhat dark, and thunder and lightning filling the skies. Very cozy.

• Question for introverts: Have you run into problems with some friends who don’t understand what an introvert is? Or take your need for home/quiet/solitude personally? That’s what Laural and I were talking about yesterday. (Note: Laural completely understands and accepts me and she’s an extrovert. I was talking to her about other friends.)

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Okay.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: deer, flowers, garden, introvert 50 Comments

In Bloom

June 15, 2022 at 8:28 am by Claudia

We sat on the glider last night and marveled at the beauty surrounding us. Especially lovely, and deliciously fragrant, are the blossoms on the catalpa. This is that brief period in which all the catalpas – and there are a lot of them in my area of the Hudson Valley – are covered in beautiful, white blossoms. Don says the fragrance reminds him of night blooming jasmine. He’s absolutely right. I miss that scent, part of our everyday lives when we were living in San Diego, but we get to have much the same scent wafting through the air for a week or so.

Yes, that’s one of two wood/debris piles we have on the property.

The spirea, which I had to cut back a bit earlier this spring, is in bloom. It grows right next to the annabelle hydrangea and both plants suffered damage during the last two winters.

Speaking of the hydrangea, an update –

Some of the shoots coming out of the ground are going to blossom! I’m so happy to see it coming back. I still have some cutting back of the dead wood to do, but I was careful to keep some support for the new growth. Once I see how it all turns out, I’ll cut back some more.

Yesterday, I spilled an entire cup of coffee all over the table next to this chair, and all over the floor and several nearby objects. Sigh. The cleanup took forever, but all is well. I also mowed the corral and the back forty. It looks very pretty out there at the moment.

So glad that bunnies are back! We see one or two nearly every day now. One area that Don cleared in our woods has now grown back, affording more cover for our little friends. Hurrah!

I woke up way, way too early this morning, so I’m going to stop now. I’ve expended all my energy.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: flowers, garden, trees 27 Comments

A Rose

June 10, 2022 at 8:34 am by Claudia

I almost missed this beauty. It was peeking out from the yarrow in the memorial garden. I don’t get many roses from these bushes – maybe one or two – but when they do emerge, what loveliness! They are almost always accompanied by these little bugs.

Well, all I can think about right now was last night’s January 6th Committee hearing. I hope you watched it. If you didn’t, watch it online. There is nothing more important than what is happening in the hearings: the systematic laying out of facts about January 6th, all of them leading to the ringleader, Trump. This is the first in a series of hearings where the committee will unveil what they have discovered.

The video of the attack on the Capitol, taken by a documentary filmmaker, was absolutely horrifying. The evidence that Trump knew he had lost, had been told that he lost by advisors, but kept inciting his cultists no matter the evidence was chilling. Equally chilling are his words about hanging Mike Pence.

These are facts. Those who blindly follow Trump’s lies and conspiracy theories won’t let themselves be swayed. That would be admitting they’d been taken in by a conman, a carnival barker. They’re lost.

But for the rest of us who value truth and the Constitution and our democracy, this evidence is chilling. And it’s just the start.

Bravo to GOP Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both of whom are risking their careers in the pursuit of truth.

It was riveting. We’ll be watching the next hearing on Monday at 10 am.

The word “patriot” has been bastardized by those who are anything but patriots. But I’ll invoke it to say that I believe it’s our patriotic duty to watch these hearings – to bear witness. Just as I watched the Watergate hearings (Watergate seems like child’s play now) I will watch these hearings. Yes, it can be upsetting. You should  be upset.

And please, if you’re going to say “It won’t make a difference” please don’t. It’s defeatism, which isn’t helpful. The fact is we don’t know what will happen. But it’s clear to me that the Committee is skillfully and painstakingly laying out a case against Trump and all who enabled him.

It’s all Don and I can talk about this morning.

It’s a gorgeous day and I can hear a bird singing right outside my window. I’m reading The Punishment She Deserves  by Elizabeth George, trying to finish it by tomorrow because I have another book waiting for me at the library.

The puzzle I’m working on is the hardest I’ve ever encountered, so it’s very slow going.

I will post Don’s recipe for sugar-free apple pie over the weekend.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden, January 6th Committee 42 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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