Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Clarifying Thoughts in my Cold-Ridden Brain on a Saturday

September 27, 2014 at 8:08 am by Claudia

That little cold/sinus thing became rather a big thing and I’ve been very much under the weather. I even had to miss the last day of table work yesterday. To be perfectly honest, I’d love to stay home today but I just can’t. Since I’m usually suffering from some sinus/allergy thing on a daily basis, when a cold arrives, it hits me smack upside the head and I go down for the count.

As I said on Facebook yesterday, being sick is crappy but being sick when you’re away from home is even crappier. I know that is not the most elegant use of language, but I feel far from elegant. I am grateful for a rather large suite here at the hotel. I think if I was in a small room, I would feel very confined and want to climb the walls, especially because I was room-bound yesterday. I wanted Don to be here and he couldn’t be here. I needed a cuddle.

You understand.

I’m supposed to drive home tomorrow night in order to spend Monday mowing the lawn, etc., but we’ll see about that. Right now, it’s the last thing I want to do.

thistle - fuzzy

A thistle turned silky.

I’ve been pondering something for a while now. I’m just going to say it: I’m really tired of decorating blogs. I find myself reading them less and less. Why is that? This is purely from my particular point of view, of course, and I’m sure many of you feel the exact opposite. And, let me hasten to assure you, I still read the blogs of my blogging friends – I don’t count them in this equation.

But in general? I’m over them.

Now, I’ve loved decorating from my childhood days of wallpapering my Barbie case to the present. I’ve spent who-knows-how-many dollars on decorating magazines over the course of my lifetime. I love to see unique and striking rooms. And I like decorating my little cottage. I’m a nester, for sure. So, it’s not as if I’m a person who just doesn’t care about that sort of thing.

I used to love reading them. But, there is such a glut of decorating/diy blogs now – so, so many that it makes my head spin. And quite frankly, there aren’t a whole lot of new ideas out there, just variations on the same theme. To be fair, I suppose that’s the way it is with most things, not just decorating.

Is this just a phase I’m in? Maybe. I do tend to do things in phases; for example, crochet. How many scarves and throws did I crochet? Over a hundred. And I haven’t picked up a crochet hook in about a year. Been there, done that. So, you see, I do tend to be that way about things.

But, further examination brings me to the realization that there is just too much out there in this virtual world. Too many decorating blogs, too many photos on Pinterest, too many faux animal heads, too many vignettes, too many, too many. I suppose I can be included in that: too many garden and flower photos. Maybe even too many decorating photos, though I haven’t really posted anything of that nature for a while now. I mean, you’ve seen my house. If something changes, I’ll share it with you, but in the meantime, nothing’s new. You may get a shot of the living room every once in a while, but that’s about it.

Your response to this might well be: “Well, Claudia, if you’re tired of all that, don’t visit those blogs. You have control over where you go on the Internet.”

And you’re right. I do have control and I haven’t been clicking on those sites lately. I’ve stayed away. I’d much rather read about a good book or a social issue or see someone blog from the heart or, if we are talking about decorating, see a room that has been decorated in such a purely individual and quirky way that it doesn’t look like anything else I’m seeing on the Web. That takes some digging, of course, but to me, it’s worth it.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I get bored too easily. Maybe writing the book blog has sent me in a new direction, has solidified what I am truly interested in. I’m not sure.

Anyway, when I’m wrestling with some realization, I generally try to put it in words in this online journal of mine. The process of writing about it always helps me come to terms with whatever change is on my particular horizon.

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

 

Filed Under: blogging, decorating, life, On The Road 50 Comments

Dreams, Lists, and Noise

September 17, 2014 at 8:35 am by Claudia

I don’t often remember my dreams, but I did remember a scrap of one yesterday. What it was about, I’m not sure. I don’t remember any details except for the fact that I was a younger version of my current self and my mom was there. The dream wasn’t about my mom, specifically. But she was there hanging out and talking with me, much as we interacted in my teens and early twenties.

That’s all I remember. But it was lovely. I woke up with a strong sense of my mother and a sadness and happiness for days gone by…I miss her.

I probably dream of her more than I know. Many years after my brother died – he’s been gone for 23 years now – I had a vivid dream in which he and I were dancing together. The dance, as I remember, was a waltz. It was joyous and happy. I woke up with a smile on my face. That dream was so powerful that I knew he’d been with me, as sure as I knew my name. I take comfort in that dream even now.

Ah, well.

from the rear rose

Thank goodness for a second round of blooms on my rose bushes. Every year, long after I’ve given up on them, they sneak back in for an encore presentation. Very welcome, indeed.

I ran a few errands yesterday, made more lists, and in a spurt of energy, mowed the entire front lawn. It’s big, my friends. I should have stopped much earlier than I did, but I kept at it, knowing my back would be shouting in protest at the end of the day. It did.

On the other hand, that’s one of the things on my list for today that I don’t have to do. I like that.

And in the same vein of planned obsolescence as the breakdown of the washing machine, the television is now acting up. We’ve been babying it for quite a while now – the sound has a background of crackles and pops. We would turn on the television, then immediately turn down the volume for about 10 minutes, then slowly increase the volume and all would be okay. No longer. Crackles, snaps, and pops are there no matter what I do. And a new wrinkle: the sound cuts out here and there.

I remember asking the cable guy about it and he asked me how long we’d had the TV. I said about 8 years. Yep, he said, that’s about as long as you can expect it to last. Then things start happening.

Planned obsolescence.

It isn’t so bad if I’m watching something with a lot of music and sound effects, but anything quiet, i.e., The Roosevelts, is not at all fun. I end up turning it off.

After we get back: dealing with the washing machine and a new television.

Shiny new pencils for my work in Hartford:

for the trip pencils

I bought a box of Blackwings. The 602. Our local used bookstore is so cool. I told the owner I loved these pencils and he nodded. They are the best, he said.

Yep.

More on the To Do list today.

Oh, Scoutie, I hope you’re up for an adventure.

On Just Let Me Finish This Page today: On the Road: What if I Run Out of Books to Read?

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: life, mom 20 Comments

Rays of Light

September 14, 2014 at 9:00 am by Claudia

It rained all day yesterday; a quiet, steady rain that we very much needed. The rivers are low here. Our cottage is just a short walk away from two rivers and I’ve been shocked lately at how low the water level is.

The gardens are loving it. I’m hoping that it rains every few days while I’m gone so my gardens can thrive in between visits home.

This is what it looked like outside this morning:

rays of light

Sunlight peeking through the trees.

This photo rather reminds me of one I took last year in the summer of 2013. While I was out of town working in Hartford, (sound familiar?) I used it to illustrate a Leonard Cohen lyric. That photo had such pretty bokeh! You can see that particular post here.

But I digress. I say all that only because I seem to be captivated by rays of light coming through the trees. Today’s photo was taken while it was still a bit foggy out, with drops of rain still hanging from all the plants. It’s all rather magical and you have to run outside and try to capture it before the light changes. That kind of light always seems to transport me to another world; a world of beauty and spirit and possibilities.

But, brrrr! It was nippy outside this morning. Autumn is definitely in the air. Along with my non-flannel pajamas, I’m wearing my shawl and a pair of socks. However, I refuse to turn the heat on this early. I simply can’t.

candy stripes & mg

Back to yesterday. Scout and I tucked ourselves in for the day. I finished Act Four of Hamlet and I sent off our tax deductions. I was quite pleased with myself. Then I read and read and read some more: Deborah Crombie’s newest, To Dwell in Darkness.  How lovely it is to read a new book by a favorite author, but what a double edged sword it is. I become happily immersed in the writing and the plot, while at the same time, I try to stretch the experience out as long as possible. However, it can’t be too long, because I have other books to read and review.

A quality problem, that’s for sure.

sunlit zinnia

Today: Act Five and then I’ll be done with my Hamlet prep. I’m also doing a load or two of laundry over at my neighbor’s while they are away for the afternoon. Bless them. I will take advantage of the opportunity to play with their adorable cats.

It’s time to start making lists of all the things I have to take with me as I prepare to leave for Hartford. And lists of all the things I have to do before I leave. Then the inevitable worry: what the heck will I blog about? This is my sixth go-round in Hartford, which is a nice city, yes, but not very lively. I feel like I’ve completely plumbed the depths of that experience.

Ah well.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Hartford, life, On The Road, reading, Shakespeare 22 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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