Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for Just Let Me Finish This Page

A Scrappy Little Garden

August 20, 2014 at 9:06 am by Claudia

At this point in the summer, it becomes increasingly obvious that things are changing. There’s a shift: more leaves on the ground, coneflowers looking past their prime, the yellowing of leaves after days and days of the hot August sun with no rain.

The sedum, always a spot of color in Autumn, is clearly gearing up for its show.

And then there’s my scappy little Chicken Wire Fence Garden. In this gardening zone, the morning glories don’t really begin to take off until mid-August. The zinnias start to bloom at the end of July and continue to bloom through August and September.

The Chicken Wire Fence Garden is cobbled together, planted in the soil in front of the rusty fence. It reminds me, more than anything around here, of a flower garden that might be found on a farm. It’s spare, almost utilitarian, but beautiful in its way.

Wed - chickenwirefencegarden

A landscape designer wouldn’t be impressed by this, that’s for sure.

I like it’s scrappiness. I like the bare bones quality of it.

It’s such fun. It makes the end of summer much more bearable. The morning glories will bloom until the first frost. The zinnias are always a surprise, each one different.

Like this one that just started blooming – a welcome splash of yellow!

Wed - yellow zinnia

But gosh, the morning glory vines are slow to grow this year.

We need rain. I water them every day, but we really need a good, long soaking.

Here is the latest bloom, which just opened this morning.

Wed - morning glory and vine

Another view:

Wed - morning glory number three

Sigh. I love my scrappy little garden.

There’s a new post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page – a book review of M. C. Beaton’s latest Agatha Raisin mystery, The Blood of an Englishman. Stop by!

And the winner of a copy of After I’m Gone by Laura Lippman is Lee. Congratulations, Lee. I’ve sent you an email.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, flowers, garden, Just Let Me Finish This Page 15 Comments

I’ll Take a Sense of Humor, Please.

July 28, 2014 at 8:15 am by Claudia

Have you ever watched Jerry Seinfeld’s web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee? Each episode is framed around a specific car (often vintage) that Seinfeld is driving while spending time with a fellow comedian. They go out to eat and get coffee along the way. It’s a simple and wonderful premise. The episodes are short-ish – usually around 15 – 20 minutes.

They make me laugh out loud. I saw a link to the latest episode with Sarah Jessica Parker (who is very funny) and that led me to another and another. Then I got Don involved and he was watching episodes on his laptop. Picture both of us in front of our laptops wearing our earbuds, laughing out loud.

monday - purple phlox

In the list of qualities I feel are absolutely essential in a boyfriend, a husband, a colleague or a friend, a sense of humor is at the very top. If Don hadn’t had a sense of the absurd, a streak of funny coursing through his veins, that first meeting I told you about would have been the beginning and the end of our relationship.

It’s that important to me. In all modesty, I’m a really funny person. I can make people laugh. It’s always been that way. And Don, oh my goodness, is he funny! He can make me laugh so hard and long that I end up gasping and begging for mercy, usually ending with “Stop! Stop! I’m going to pee in my pants!!”

And I make him laugh. There’s nothing better than making someone who has a fabulous sense of humor laugh out loud.

monday - white phlox

My sister and I have been known to laugh so hard that we literally – and I do mean literally – fall to the ground. One such situation comes to mind. I was living in Boston and Meredith was visiting with her boyfriend, who I was meeting for the very first time. We were in Fanueil Hall looking at a rack of cards and I said something that struck us both as funny. We started laughing and we couldn’t stop. This went on for several minutes with both of us eventually falling to the floor. John, the boyfriend who ended up being my future brother-in-law, took it in stride and quietly walked away from us while we were causing quite the scene.

Little did John know that was the first of many laugh fests. In fact, one of the first conversations John and I had was about Seinfeld episodes that we loved. We couldn’t stop laughing.

(It might be time to share the Henna from Hell story with you – yet another adventure with my sister. Maybe this week…we’ll see.)

I think you have to be able to filter life through a lens that sees the humor in things, that captures that sense of the absurd, the silly, the farcical, the satiric. Lord knows, it’s saved my sanity more times than I can count.

Is there anything better than laughing so hard you have tears rolling down your face? It’s cathartic. It cleanses. It releases.

I’m going to go watch some more episodes of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. There’s a few I haven’t seen yet.

New post today on Just Let Me Finish This Page. It’s a book review of Cop Town by Karin Slaughter. (Loved the book.)

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Don, Just Let Me Finish This Page, life, Meredith 44 Comments

Scrambling

July 16, 2014 at 8:21 am by Claudia

Today might be the last day of several days of rain. Fingers crossed. I’m really tired of it, though I know there are those of you out there that would give anything for some rain at this point. And I would gladly send it to you if I could. Everything is soggy. It’s humid. It’s dark. It’s depressing.

Again, when I ventured outside yesterday for a few short minutes…bam! Another mosquito bite. In the same place on my arm. The other day, I was bit on my eyelid. Lovely. I don’t really miss living in California, but I do miss the lack of mosquitoes there. For eight years, I was mosquito-free. Sigh.

new dawn bud

The Japanese Beetles have chewed on most of my New Dawn roses, save this bud. I’m pulling for it. A quick examination  yesterday of the roses that border the porch revealed no beetles. Dare I hope that they have left the premises?

One of my day lilies had exactly two blooms on it, ready to open. Had is the operative word here, as they are no more. My friends, the deer, decided to dine on them.

moth on coneflower

These coneflowers really are this color. No adjustments to the saturation of the photo. This is how they look. Hello, little moth.

The other day, when I mentioned my few kitchen accomplishments, one of them being fluffy scrambled eggs, Kathleen asked if I would pass along my secret. So yesterday, when Don requested scrambled eggs and I immediately responded with “No. I have a headache,”  I reconsidered my response, thinking that it might be a blogging opportunity. Don got his scrambled eggs, thanks to you  guys. I hope he appreciates you.

By the way, I really did have a headache.

I read this tip years ago and I couldn’t tell you where at this point. Here’s the tip:

Mix together your eggs and milk, whipping them with a fork. Pour the mixture into a frying pan.

scrambled eggs1

And here’s the trick: as the edges start to solidify, push the solid eggs toward the middle of the pan. Constantly.

This means, my friends, that you really can’t leave the eggs to attend to other kitchen duties, like making toast. Assign that to someone else. Because the eggs cook quickly, you need to use that spatula to push the eggs toward the center.

scrambled eggs2

See? More of the solidified eggs have been moved to the center. Keep doing this, never letting the eggs stick to the pan, occasionally flipping them to ensure even cooking. I don’t flip them until the end of the process. If you leave the pan unattended, you risk scrambled eggs that have browned, which is okay if you like that, but not as pretty. Or fluffy.

scrambled eggs3

Here they are, just about done. Don’t overcook them. Trust me, they are light as a feather. Don loves them. Add some salt and pepper, have your child or husband or partner or niece or nephew or dog butter the toast, and you’re all set.

What the heck am I doing giving cooking advice?

The winner of a copy of Elizabeth is Missing is Shirley Elliott. Congratulations, Shirley! I’m sending you an email as soon as I publish this post. (And I love your name. That was my mom’s name.)

And there’s a new post up at Just Let Me Finish This Page. It’s a book review.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: flowers, food, Just Let Me Finish This Page 40 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2025 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in