Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Saturday

October 19, 2019 at 9:32 am by Claudia

The excitement is growing here at the cottage!

There’s lots to do between now and tomorrow, but I’m confident we have it all under control. Meanwhile, Don is taking portraits at a Fall Fair in our neighborhood for a few hours this afternoon.

We had a frost last night, and while I don’t think it was a hard frost, the morning glories look like they may be done, as well as some other tender plants. I brought the Boston Fern inside. The other porch flowers look okay so far, though some of the impatiens might be gone. I’ve decided I’m going to place them all outside the porch on benches and chairs, as it looks like it might rain enough to keep them moist while I’m gone. If they make it, great. If they don’t, I’ll be okay, as they won’t have much more time after that. There’s definitely a change in the weather around here as we head toward the end of October and the beginning of November.

All the things you have to think about – especially at this time of year!

Both Don and I got hair cuts yesterday. I got a couple of inches taken off and I’m glad I did. Last year, I didn’t have time to do that before we left and I felt that my hair looked ragged. Don took this pic after I got home.

Okay. Lots to do today. I have to get moving.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: autumn, flowers, garden 21 Comments

A Perfect Autumn Monday

October 14, 2019 at 10:11 am by Claudia

It’s a beautiful day today – sunny and cool. I just might do a bit of raking.

Don had a good day at the Farmer’s Market yesterday and then we met up with Rick and Doug for dinner. Our neighborhood restaurant, which is a favorite, was extremely busy yesterday – I guess because the fall colors are bringing people up to our area and it’s a three day weekend – so we put our names in and went back to Rick and Doug’s to wait an hour or so. That meant we got to spend some time with Sam, so…bonus.

We finally got our meal, which was delicious. This is a German restaurant and there’s a lot of meat on the menu, but they always have at least three vegan/vegetarian options and I’ve never had better vegetarian food. This was a big birthday for Rick, so I think our time spent laughing and having great discussions, as we always do, helped him to weather the tiny ‘storm’ that big birthdays can sometimes bring.

I finished A Bitter Feast. Reading one of Deborah Crombie’s books is like getting to spend time with old friends. The same feeling you have with a new Louise Penny. It was simply splendid and I recommend it highly. I just finished it this morning, so I haven’t decided what I’m going to start in on next. We’ll see.

Today is grocery shopping day – I know, too exciting for words! But we’re out of almost everything so it’s the first thing we’re going to do after I finish this post.

Thought you might like to see the photo of us that Rick took yesterday:

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: Don, flowers, friends, garden 32 Comments

Back in the Blogging Saddle

October 10, 2019 at 10:13 am by Claudia

I’m back. I called my internet provider on Tuesday and the tech said that the signals coming from our modem were very weak and he scheduled an appointment with another tech yesterday afternoon.

In the meantime, the modem was in and out all morning long yesterday, so each time I started to write a post, the wifi/modem would go out. I finally gave up, posted on IG that we had internet problems, and hoped you all would check there. If I can’t post and I can get to my IG account, I’ll always let you know what’s going on.

The tech arrived, couldn’t find anything wrong with the modem (though we agreed that it’s probably time for a new router) and he went outside and checked the cable going into our house and then drove down to the road and climbed a huge ladder. At one point I heard voices and realized my neighbor was out there talking to him. I ran outside to chat with her and, sure enough, they were having problems, as well. Then, as I was headed back inside, my other neighbor walked down her driveway and talked to the tech. Clearly, it was a neighborhood thing – which the tech confirmed. He found out there had been a crew working all morning elsewhere in the neighborhood and everything looks okay now. A day or so before I called them, I noticed them working at another neighbor’s house. So it’s been ongoing for a week or so. More info than you really needed, but there you go.

Leaves and more leaves. Today it’s supposed to be a bit windy…so more leaves. But it’s awfully pretty out there.

I’ve started reading Gaudy Night  by Dorothy L. Sayers. I’m not too far into the book yet, because my time has been taken up by wifi/internet. But I like it so far. Oh, forgot to say, yesterday’s impending visit by the tech necessitated a major desk cleanup by my husband because that’s where the modem and router are. I had been gently asking him to clean up his part of the office for quite some time – to no avail. It was a MESS of stacks of paper, photos, mail, files, memorabilia from the run of Escape to Margaritaville, camera stuff, etc. With a deadline, Don had no choice but to go through everything with a ruthless hand. Huzzah! It looks much better now.

I’ve never seen the limelight hydrangeas look as spectacular as they do this year. That color is so intense! Gorgeous.

We’re into Season 2 of Goliath  on Amazon Prime. We really love it. I’m partial to Billy Bob Thornton, who is one of the most honest actors I’ve ever seen. Not a false move. And Tony Award winner Nina Arianda, his costar, is the same. She is simply wonderful. (Don’s crazy about her.)

I just finished Paris to the Moon  by Adam Gopnick, a series of essays he wrote for The New Yorker, when he and his family lived in Paris 20 years ago. I recommend it highly if you’re at all interested in Paris, Parisians and the differences in our cultures. Gopnick still writes for The New Yorker and I’ve been a fan for a long time.

A reminder that I’ve disabled my comment reply plugin, so you’ll need to check back if you want to read my reply and the comments of your fellow readers. Thank you!

Okay. Glad to be back!

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: autumn, blog, books, flowers, garden, internet, reading 26 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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