Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for life

My Kingdom for Some Half and Half

August 8, 2014 at 8:15 am by Claudia

Because I can’t have any dairy two hours before and after I take my antibiotic, I have to drink my first cup of coffee black.

Yuck.

It’s not so long ago that I would only drink my coffee black. Now, I shudder to think of it. Right around the time I had my gall bladder trouble, I stopped drinking coffee. For a couple of months, actually. The acidity of coffee wasn’t doing me any favors at the time. The gall bladder was eventually removed and a month or so later, I happily resumed coffee drinking, but this time, I started adding half and half because drinking it black was suddenly too much. Funny, how tastes change. So now I find myself drinking it black for that first cup of the day and I try to stretch that particular cup of coffee out until two hours have passed and I can treat myself to a cup with half and half.

Not to mention the fact that I have to cram some food down my throat when I first get up so that I’m not taking the pill on an empty stomach.

My morning routine is topsy-turvy.

geraniums up close

I ventured outside yesterday, sunhat on my head, to water the plants and take some photos and walk Scout around the yard. The garden needs weeding. Desperately. I’ll have to do it very early in the day or very late in the day. Early is tough for this slow waker-upper. I’ll figure it out.

In the meantime, I’m reading, doing crossword puzzles, watching Masterpiece Mystery and wonderful old movies like Ball of Fire with Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper (one of my absolute favorites.)

I have to coach one of my former students who has been cast in an episode of a television show. The character she is playing has a Hungarian accent. So we’re going to Skype this weekend and work through her script. That will be fun (she’s one of my favorite students, though I know I’m not supposed to have favorites.)

brown eyed susan

I’m off to read some blogs, read about Harper Lee, and read the mystery I will be reviewing here next week. Speaking of reading, today is the last day to leave a comment on my review of Deadly Assets on Just Let Me Finish This Page. I’m giving away a copy, but you absolutely have to leave a comment today to be considered. I’m drawing the winner this evening. Just click here to be taken to the post.

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, coffee, life, reading 28 Comments

Muscling Through

August 7, 2014 at 8:47 am by Claudia

thursday limelight hydrangea

This process of writing a brand-spanking-new blog post every day is usually a true pleasure for me. Somehow, I always seem to find something to talk about, even when I think there is absolutely nothing that is even remotely interesting happening in my life. Every post is written by yours truly. I don’t pull photos from other sites or blogs and use them as the basis for a post. As tempting as that may be for those days when I could use some ‘filler,’ it just doesn’t feel right within the context of this personal blog of mine, which has always consisted of original content. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of thing, but I have to stay true to my vision.

So it’s all me, for better or for worse.

thursday zinnia

Some days I find myself thinking, “What can I possibly write about today?” Or I find myself looking into the future and wondering if I can even hope to keep this up and maintain a certain level of interesting and compelling writing. Because I couldn’t bear it if the content on this blog became boring. Or routine. And I’m only human. Some periods in my life are more exciting than others. Some days are rather humdrum.

Or I worry about what I will take pictures of when the gardens have faded. How many times can I show you my living room? What happens when I finish my dollhouse? Then I remind myself to stay in the present and take it one day at a time.

This week has been a little tougher than others as I’ve been under the weather battling something that we are now pretty sure is Lyme Disease. We’re very familiar with it around here. Don has had it. Both dogs had it. (I was the last holdout.) Most everyone in these parts has one or more family members who have had it. I would go so far as to say it’s commonplace in our neck of the woods. Anyway, on Monday, I finally connected the dots between a few things that have happened – starting with that 24 hour fever and virus thing I had about 3 weeks ago. So off I went to the doctor and he drew some blood and prescribed Doxycycline, which I started taking right away. I’m improving for sure, though I’m awfully tired.

So I’ve found myself struggling to write interesting posts this week. And what do I do when that seems to be a problem? I’m honest with you and I ‘fess up. And then, what do you know? I have a post.

thursday pink phlox

Don’s been taking care of me and I’m feeling much better. When taking Doxycycline, you are supposed to stay out of the direct sun or your skin can be affected. Not everyone who takes it suffers that side effect but I have very fair and sensitive skin, so I have to be careful. That’s a drag for this gardener and lawn mower. And wouldn’t you know it, we just got those passes to hike the trails in the mountains. Frustrating.

Ah well. It is what it is.

Back to the blog posts. I’m stubborn about them, you know. I won’t recycle an older post. I won’t use photos from other sites and comment on them. I won’t take the day off, unless I have to and I tell you about it ahead of time. I power through, because writing is cathartic for me and muscling through that ‘roadblock’ always takes me to the other side where I discover something to write about. And I feel better for it. The daily challenge of crafting new material is a good discipline for me.

So there you have it. Dear friends, don’t worry about me. And, as well-meaning as I know you mean to be, please don’t tell me stories about others who have had Lyme Disease. I believe in staying positive and eliminating anything negative from my consciousness, especially when dealing with sickness. Believe me, we’ve been through it before and it’s under control and it’s not a big deal and I caught it early and all is well.

thursday zinnia 2

Let’s close with this photo. Remember the zinnia bud I showed you on Monday? Here it is this morning. Little miracles happen every day.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: blogging, life 72 Comments

Untethering

August 3, 2014 at 8:27 am by Claudia

My laptop has been acting up a bit, which means I’ll have to take a trip to the Apple Store sometime this week. But there’s a silver lining: I’ve limited my time online and have actively shut down the computer for periods of time during the day. Normally, I tend to have it up and running throughout the day and I find myself checking my email and checking comments on the blogs, even when in the midst of doing something else.

That’s an easy habit for me to fall into, because I love blogging and reading other blogs and answering comments. But the fact remains that it isn’t a good idea for me to be tethered to a computer, especially when I have the option not to be.

It’s a good reminder that turning away from the computer should be a routine part of my day. Yesterday, I was working on some other things – doing some reading and research that is necessary for my personal growth – so I didn’t get around to answering some of the comments. That may happen off and on. So don’t worry if I don’t answer your comment. I’ll do my best to get back to all of you, but I’m setting some priorities for the present.

side of the porch garden

As I write this, I can hear the sound of a mourning dove. Goodness, I love that sound; so haunting, yet so beautiful. It’s a bit rainy outside. I don’t know what the forecast is for the day but I hope we can squeeze in a little hike. Our temporary passes that we were using to hike up in the mountains expired and we had to wait a couple of months before we could get new ones. We got them on Friday and they are no longer temporary, but for a whole year. We’ve missed hiking and want to get back into the rhythm of it. It keeps us fit.

Not to mention the fact that it’s beautiful up there.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: life 28 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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