Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for life

A Monarch & Mr. Robot

August 18, 2016 at 9:36 am by Claudia

Patience is a virtue that I don’t always have. But I do  seem to have it when trying to capture flora and fauna on my camera. I’ve noticed that butterflies tend to come to the butterfly bush in the late afternoon/early evening. Around 6 pm I ventured out to the porch and peeked around the corner at the butterfly bush. Aha! A monarch! (And a hummingbird moth, I might add.)

I ran into the house grabbed my camera and then proceeded to contort myself into a position that entailed leaning out over the porch railing and then torquing my body to the right with camera in hand. For a long time.

Here’s what I got:

8-18 monarch1a

8-18 monarch2

8-18 monarch3a

8-18 monarch4

And, in flight:

8-18 monarch5

There’s more, but I picked the ones I thought were the most interesting. I like to think this one emerged from our very own milkweed plants.

This butterfly bush has been a joy. I planted it a few years back and now it grows very tall each year, with blooms emerging in August. I love its graceful lines. It draws small, beautiful moths, all sorts of butterflies, hummingbird moths – and hummingbirds. If you don’t have one, consider planting one next year. The bloom time isn’t all that long, but boy, is it worth it!

The morning glories and moonflowers are lush with green leaves and are climbing all over the place. Still waiting on some flower buds….

We mowed yesterday and it was exhausting. Since the grass was so long and wet because of the humidity, the mower kept clogging and we’d have to repeatedly stop and scoop up all the cut grass from underneath the mower.

Just under two weeks until the newest Louise Penny is published on August 30th. I will be at the bookstore that day, that I can promise.

Don was on Mr. Robot last night and we kept flipping back and forth between the Olympics and Mr. Robot to try to catch his scene. We were successful! He was wonderful in a scene with his daughter; heartbreaking, sad, bewildered, angry – very real, which, on film, is much more difficult than you might imagine. I’m very proud of him. We haven’t actually watched any episodes in the second season as of yet. We will. So we didn’t try to understand what the heck was going on with the rest of the show; we just caught his scene.

By the way, we didn’t find out that his episode was airing last night until mid-afternoon. I edited this post to include that information and mentioned it on FB and IG. Sorry if you missed it!

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: butterfly, Don, flowers, garden, life, monarch butterfly 34 Comments

Limelights, Finches & Scout

August 3, 2016 at 9:00 am by Claudia

I’m writing this post on Tuesday afternoon, since we’re picking my best friend and her husband up from the train station on Wednesday morning – right around the time I’m usually writing a post!

A few things:

8-2 limelighthydrangea

The limelight hydrangea is blooming. Actually, it’s even further along after all the rain, but I haven’t been out to take a picture yet.

8-2 finchesinbirdbath

Two finches clearly admiring my car.

8-2 scoutmarker

And this surprise, which arrived in Monday’s mail. It is a gift from my dear friend, Linda. A marker for our Memorial Garden. I was completely surprised and both Don and I had tears in our eyes.

It’s from the Etsy shop, Secret Garden Herbs, and was made by Cecilia, who blogs here. It’s perfect. I’m going to order two more; one for Winston and one for Riley. I love it.

Thank you, Linda! And thank you, Cecilia! We are thrilled with this memorial for our little girl.

If you want to know more about my best friend, read this post: On My Best Friend Laural.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

 

Filed Under: life 14 Comments

Let’s Not Let Dryness Get In The Way

July 27, 2016 at 8:42 am by Claudia


coneflower
I am – ahem – over 60. We’ll leave it at that. That means a lot of things, one of which is menopause. Now, at this point in my life, I’m on the outside edge of menopause, but I still suffer from some of the symptoms. In fact, one of the things I learned last year from last year’s Google Hangout – Embracing the Change with Dr. Mary Jane Minkin (remember our video?) is that those symptoms can hang on a lot longer than you think. (That explained my occasional encounters with the dreaded hot flash!) During that Hangout, we talked about being of a certain age, menopause, perimenopause, as well as Replens™ Long-Lasting Vaginal Moisturizer and Replens™ Silky Smooth Personal Lubricant because, let’s face it, one of the side effects of menopause can be vaginal dryness. I suffered from it and I bet most of you who are of that age group have suffered from it, too. It wasn’t fun; in fact, it was often painful. Replens-Boxes
Did you know that Replens™ is the #1 doctor-recommended brand of vaginal moisturizer? And here’s something I didn’t know: vaginal dryness not only happens to those of us who are menopausal. It can happen to new mothers, cancer/chemotherapy patients, and women with dryness due to medication, stress, or tampon use. That’s where Replens™ comes in. It’s estrogen-free and fragrance-free. It helps replenish vaginal moisture, supplements the body’s natural lubrication and lasts for up to three days. It’s long lasting. I love that. It’s estrogen-free, and I really love that as the veteran of a Hormone Replacement Therapy-free menopause (though I know that isn’t possible for everyone.) I certainly didn’t want moments of intimacy to be less than wonderful because of a side effect of menopause. And for the many women who suffer from vaginal dryness for reasons other than menopause, Replens™ products just might be for you.

From the makers of Replens™: Replens™ is the clinically tested, doctor recommended brand of long-lasting vaginal moisturizer. As with dry skin that you experience on your face and hands, regular moisturizing treatment with Replens™ Long-Lasting vaginal moisturizer may be necessary to prevent dryness from recurring. Replens™ Long-Lasting vaginal moisturizer is different from most other lotions or lubricants because it contains a patented bio-adhesive ingredient that allows it to attach to dry vaginal cells and deliver continuous moisture for days. Click here to learn more.

This is a sponsored post by Replens™. I received compensation for this review but the opinions are 100% my own.

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 ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: life 94 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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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

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