Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for jigsaw puzzles

Day Ninety-Four

June 15, 2020 at 9:36 am by Claudia

Another beautiful morning here in the Hudson Valley. No rain on the horizon until Friday. I sprayed some deer repellent on the hostas late yesterday afternoon. So far, so good. But I’ll be doing it again after it rains. Every year, I forget about the deer until I see some damage. Then it’s, “Oh, right! I have to spray some stuff on the plants!” Duh. My brain seems to be a sieve lately anyway. Anyone else experiencing foggy brain during lockdown?

C’est fini!

I worked on this a lot yesterday and then, as the end came in sight, I kept going even though I was tired. As always seems to happen, the final pieces – which looked like nothing specific and were therefore maddening – made absolute sense when I figured out where they belonged. But I could only do that when it came down to just a few missing pieces.

This is Don’s favorite so far. He actually suggested framing it and hanging it at the bottom of the stairs. Hmmmm….I guess I’d better slide it onto some foam board while we ponder this. Terri, thank you again for the puzzle; it was a real challenge and so satisfying at the same time.

We just put in a grocery order and will pick it up at 3:30 today. It used to be impossible to pick up the same day. We’re happy campers.

Governor Cuomo has threatened to add restrictions again in NYC due to thousands of complaints about people drinking and congregating on the street sans masks. See? It’s happening here as well. What fools. I hope he comes down hard on them. He said that local governments need to enforce the rules. Mayor de Blasio (not a fan) got defensive. And so it goes.

A new puzzle on the horizon. I’m not sure which one. I received two this past week but I’m also looking at some of the other puzzles Terri sent. A happy quandary.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

 

Filed Under: deer, garden, jigsaw puzzles, social distancing 41 Comments

Day Ninety

June 11, 2020 at 9:37 am by Claudia

We are in the middle of a torrential rain as I write this. Wow. It’s been humid for a few days and it rained all night long, but this particular line of storms is very intense. Hopefully, on the other side of this, the humidity will drop.

More info about Cheers:  one of my readers says the entire series is on Hulu. So if you’re watching it on Netflix and have Hulu, you’ll be able to keep on going. (We don’t have Hulu.) And Don’s episode is in Season 6, Episode 7:  The Last Angry Mailman. Don made a couple of appearances on Frasier  as well and has known Kelsey Grammer for years. They were in a couple of plays together in Los Angeles, right when Kelsey first started appearing on Cheers, and Kelsey also had a relationship with the Old Globe. Small world. I think it was Cheers – I’ll have to check that with Don – that Don was filming right after we moved in together and the guy who warmed up the audience called me to ask me questions about Don and I was speaking live on the set. Weird, but funny and that was, of course, his goal.

Both Don and I love Cheers, of course, but after watching it in this way – start to almost-finish – we’re convinced that it was at its best when Shelley Long was still on the show. She left after year number five. Another little story: I saw Shelley years ago, live, as a member of the cast of Second City in Chicago. This was before Cheers. That cast was full of people who eventually went on to SNL. I remember thinking Shelley was brilliantly funny.

Did a lot of work on the puzzle yesterday, but boy, is this one hard! (Of course I say this about every puzzle.) But it is true – this one is harder than the previous one, the Mucha. Two more puzzles (from Galaxy Puzzles) are arriving in today’s mail. One is a Van Gogh. Apparently, I’m a glutton for punishment. And the other is a beautiful vase of flowers done by an artist that I can’t remember at the moment.

I’ve been sleeping erratically this week. Last night it seemed as if I didn’t sleep at all, but I must have. It was one of those nights where you wake frequently, so it seems as if you haven’t been sleeping. In the middle of the night, I asked Don to hold me and that helped a great deal. I slept in and I’m grateful that I did. Who knows why? It’s been a momentous and tragic two weeks in this country, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, Don and I are feeling a bit restless as we hit the three-month mark in our self-isolation – all of that certainly takes its toll.

It will pass.

The rain just stopped and I can hear a tree frog in the distance. I think we’re due for more later in the morning.

Hey, I don’t have to water the seedlings today! I may have to check on them, as this rain certainly pummeled them to the ground.

Reading Maigret Defends Himself,  one of the later books in the series. I’m not reading them sequentially. Today, more work on the puzzle, maybe some work on the dollhouse – we’ll see.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: Don, flowers, jigsaw puzzles, rain 20 Comments

Day Eighty-Seven

June 8, 2020 at 9:29 am by Claudia

I was sure it was Sunday when I first woke up. It wasn’t until I was downstairs that I had a suspicion in might not be. One day flows into another flows into another. I know many of you are experiencing the same thing.

We did a lot of mowing yesterday and I watered the pots and the seedlings. Don did some work up in the woods. I started my new puzzle, which is one of the puzzles Terri sent me; a cover from The New Yorker  called The Bookshop. It’s an interesting puzzle – the illustration is not as defined as the Mucha, for example – more impressionistic. Unlike the other puzzles, the shape of the individual pieces is much more varied. I’ll try to take a picture of some of them today to show you what I mean. So, it’s a challenge and you know I like that! I also have two more on the way from Galaxy Puzzles.

New York is automatically sending out absentee ballot request forms. Our county sent us one last week and we’re putting them into the mail today. Our primary is June 23rd. I am grateful that I don’t have to stand in line at a polling station right now. Obviously, this is the first time absentee ballot requests have been sent to everyone in the state. I wonder if it will also occur in November?

Brought back to the house after someone’s walk this morning. Daisies! Aren’t they lovely? Cut to Kathleen in You’ve Got Mail: “They’re so friendly. Don’t you think daisies are the friendliest flower?”

He picked them along the roadside. Aw……

Today, I’m taking it easy. Alas, every time I do major work outside at this time of year, my allergies kick in and I feel crappy. So my new rule is: A day working outside, a day staying inside. I have to give myself time to recover. Today is a day to stay inside (except for watering and a bit of time on the glider.)

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: bees, Don, flowers, garden, jigsaw puzzles 24 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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