Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for life

Mama Robin

July 6, 2021 at 9:11 am by Claudia

This mama is sitting on a nest right outside our kitchen window. We noticed that she had officially taken up residence yesterday morning. And then…later in the day…we saw her lay an egg! It was extraordinary.

She’s there again this morning. I read that robins lay one egg a day, so I suspect there’s more coming. But, having said that, we have very strong thunderstorms coming today and tomorrow and this particular nest location isn’t at all protected. It’s in the crook of a branch on a black walnut tree with nothing overhead. I wonder how well she will weather the storm and/or if she might abandon the nest.

Fingers crossed that all goes well for mama and the eggs.

We mowed yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve mowed in a while as I’ve been dealing with shoulder and neck pain for over a month. I finally reached the point where I felt I could join in again, though Don mowed a bit more than me. It felt so good to be back at it. I also pulled a lot of weeds because the gardens had become messy during my ‘resting phase.’

We were tuckered out.

Coneflowers are everywhere. They’ve sprung up in new places. That’s what I love about them. They’re strong, beautiful, and they self-seed. What’s not to love?

And down by the street:

These beauties.

We’re off Lowes this morning to get a few things. Don wants to get going early because of the incoming storms, so after I post this, I’ll throw on some clothes and we’ll head out.

I finished the Elly Griffiths and now I’ll tuck into the next one in the series. I preordered the next Louise Penny, which comes out next month. Can’t wait.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: bird nest, birds, flowers, life 8 Comments

Number 6 – Roseville Ixia

July 5, 2021 at 9:48 am by Claudia

Pottery Portraits #6 – Roseville Ixia.

Oil on Paper 6″ x 9″ Finished 7/4/21

I’m really pleased with this one. I can see improvement each time I tackle a new painting. Maybe it’s crazy, but, though I certainly don’t want to limit my painting to Roseville Pottery, I’m quite happy capturing the beauty of Roseville Pottery for the time being. I also think these pieces are a good teacher, if you will. The shapes and the variations in the glaze work together as a lesson in highlights and shadows. That realization struck me this morning.

Yes, I want to do more landscapes and buildings and maybe some animals, but right now, I feel these pieces are my instructors and I’m so grateful I had the idea to paint one of them.

I’ve titled the series: Pottery Portraits.

Thank you for all your lovely anniversary wishes yesterday. I took the day off from replying but I hope you know that I read each and every one of them. Bless you.

As Don said this morning: “We’re ridiculously happy.”

We are.

It was a quiet day. I weeded a bit outside, trying to corral wild vines and mint-run-amok. I hadn’t planned on finishing the painting yesterday – I was going to give it one more day to dry – but I came in from outside and looked at the easel and thought, “Why not?” So I corrected some areas that didn’t look right and picked the background color and it’s done. Now for the next subject. I have a couple in mind.

But first, some mowing is in order.

Everything is flowering here; coneflowers, chickory, phlox, day lilies, bee balm. Splashes of color are everywhere. I love this time of year.

More fireworks last night, this time from another direction. I suppose there will be more tonight. I’ve seen more than my share of fireworks in my lifetime and I’m over them. We don’t even get up and look outside to see if we can spot where they are in the sky. They upset animals and birds, they upset those with PTSD, they can be a danger to vegetation and wildlife, especially in dry areas. Why do we need them at this point?

We’re currently watching a Swedish version of Wallander. Excellent. And I’m reading the second Ruth Galloway mystery,  The Janus Stone. I’m just about to finish it. And we watched the Mets/Yankees game yesterday afternoon.

Okay. Hope you’re all well. I’m going to make some oatmeal and get ready to mow.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: life, oil painting, painting 53 Comments

A Rainy Day

July 3, 2021 at 9:07 am by Claudia

In process. Much more to go. After I’m finished for the day, I like letting it sit on the easel overnight so I can look at it occasionally from the living room. I already see elements I need to tweak. This, by the way, is one of my favorite pieces of Roseville. The pattern is Ixia, a flower I hadn’t heard of. It’s also known as Corn Lily. When I get around to adding them, you’ll see that the flowers themselves are on the smaller side. I’m sure you know by now that I love Art Deco and this particular vase’s design is definitely Art Deco. I have another Ixia piece as well. This shade of green is also one of my favorites and I think I’ve mixed the right color, which is not always so easy to do when trying to match the glaze on a Roseville piece.

All in all, a satisfying painting session yesterday.

It continues to rain here, which will make for a quiet day today, perfect for painting. Though I woke up way too early today, so there’s that.

Painting, a bit of cleaning, and reading.

This rain will continue through the Fourth of July. Monday will be rainless. I’m not sure when fireworks are happening. Around here, during the holiday weekend, there are usually fireworks every day in one of the neighboring towns or the campground. In the days when we had Scoutie it was a nightmare. Most dogs don’t like fireworks, but collies, especially, are known for very sensitive hearing. And she was a border collie. There was nothing we could do to calm her. I don’t know how well they work, but we saw a commercial for a thunder shirt last night. They weren’t around back then, but I sure would have loved that option for our girl. It might have relieved much of her stress.

My beloved sister’s birthday is today. How thankful I am for her! She is an extraordinary person in every way and I love her dearly. Happy Birthday, Meredith!

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: life, Meredith, oil painting, Roseville pottery 19 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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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

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