Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for life

Surprised by Blooms

July 11, 2013 at 8:55 am by Claudia

hostablooms1

Our little, and I mean little, town is bursting with activity lately. In the short drive from my house to our version of Main Street, one encounters all sorts of delays while workers are busy doing what they do. First up is the bridge over our local river. It’s being painted a lovely shade of brick red. This has necessitated the closing of one lane of traffic, while the workers paint each half of the bridge structure. For several weeks we detoured to the right. Now that one half of the bridge is completed, we’re detouring to the left. All of this is controlled by some temporary stop lights.

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Yesterday, I had just been freed from the delays at the bridge when I saw a workman holding a Slow/Stop sign. More vehicles ahead. Ah. They were trimming trees. Another delay.

I emerged from that to encounter yet another. After many years of waiting and hoping – at the very minimum the eight years we have lived here – our little main street is getting sidewalks. When I heard it might be happening earlier in the year, I said I’d believe it when I see it. Well, I’ve seen it. Finally! This is a big deal around here because walking from post office to shops to market to pizzeria has been rather treacherous in the past. Not to mention muddy and/or slippery when dealing with rain and snow. That is very exciting news indeed and the shop owners are very pleased. As am I.

So these delays, though sometimes maddening, are something I accept gladly because our little town is being beautified. And I am in awe of these workers who toil for long days in this infernal heat and humidity. That cannot be easy.

hostablooms4

Some of the books you saw in yesterday’s post are books I will be reviewing in the future. How grateful I am to get the opportunity to learn about authors that are new to me – that I might not hear of otherwise – and then share my thoughts about them with you. Reading is all important to me, as you know, and the more I can share the joy of reading with all of you, the better. I have a couple of reviews coming up in the next 3 weeks or so.

I mowed yesterday in the sauna that is our weather, even through some rain. That ever present rain is sure making my grass grow quickly and it’s difficult to keep up with it. But I’m getting lots of good exercise as I push our lawnmower here and there. Hopefully, I’m sweating off some pounds, as well!

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The hostas, and I have many of them, are blooming. Each one slightly different, but all with the palest of lavender blooms. No matter how long I’ve had hostas in my garden, I’m always taken by surprise when the shoots emerge from the leaves. Oh that’s right, I think, the hostas have flowers! You’d think I’d be used to it by now.

Does that ever happen to you?

Happy Thursday.

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Filed Under: garden, life 29 Comments

As Is

July 10, 2013 at 7:59 am by Claudia

Shot at 7 am on Wednesday morning. No staging. As is. Welcome to my cluttered little cottage.

wed-desk

wed-jumpingjacks

wed-coffeetable

wed-chalkboard

A reminder, in case it rains.

wed-kitchencabinet

wed-kitchentable

wed-lampden

wed-yarn

wed-den

wed-scoutie

I look around here and immediately think I need to sort through some things and straighten up. On the other hand, the rooms are filled with stacks of books, yarn that I won’t touch until the weather gets cooler, collections, artwork, dog leashes, a dog, and work-in-progress. And I realize that when I was younger, that’s exactly what I imagined my dream home would be full of – and it is.

That’s a good thing, right?

Happy Wednesday.

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Filed Under: life 71 Comments

East or West….

July 9, 2013 at 7:30 am by Claudia

Before I forget, I did a post about the Hummingbird Moth last year, which you might want to visit if you want to see a couple more pictures of these intriguing creatures.

Speaking of moths and/or butterflies, I spied this beauty through the kitchen window and managed to snap a few pictures. Again, I used my older camera with the zoom lens, which was handily nearby on the kitchen table.

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He’s enjoying the milkweed.

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Identified as the Great Spangled Fritillary. And, according to the description, they love milkweed.

The heat and humidity slogs onward here. Unrelenting. Temps in the nineties with 90% humidity make for a tropical rainforest-like atmosphere. I am mostly staying inside but I try to grab a few minutes here and there to pull some weeds, fill the birdbath and water my seedlings. The seedlings I am now thinking won’t turn into anything pretty until after I leave for Hartford.

I can’t go there. Away from home again? Leaving the day after my husband returns from being away from home?

And frankly, Hartford is nice but there’s not a lot to blog about and this will be my third go-round there. I’ll have to resort to pictures of my navel.

Rest assured, I kid. Sort of.

hensandchicks

I plopped this Hens and Chicks in the ground last year. It consisted of one hen and one chick. When I checked it out after a long winter, I was pretty sure it would wither away. Things were not looking good. But look! It has revived and there are a lot of chicks growing alongside their mama. Succulents are fascinating to me.

Today is a driving day. We leave early to transport Don back to Williamstown. This is when I wish I could blink my eyes and magically transport myself to another place. Or, in this case, transport Don to another town in another state – all without my having to drive in this awful weather. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just plop ourselves down in another place? No gasoline, no tolls, no long, long drive. We’d arrive refreshed and restored and everyone would be happy.

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East or west, home is best.

Happy Tuesday.

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Filed Under: butterfly, cottage, Don, garden, life 26 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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