Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for life

An Intense Saturday

October 20, 2013 at 9:39 am by Claudia

quilt

(photos from the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone)

Yesterday, I started work on the quilt again. There’s a lot of hand quilting to do on this baby, mostly because I’m using random circles that are overlapping each other to create a fairly densely quilted top. What have you started, Claudia? It’s so easy to get discouraged because the squares themselves are large and there are 25 of them. I’m just now in the middle of my second square. But that’s what winters, with more than a dash of patience, are for.

We were witness to a frightening car crash yesterday, right in front of our house. We were sitting in the den when we heard the screech of brakes. I looked out the window to see a car skidding out of control. Then I heard the terrible sound of metal hitting a solid object, in this case the trees that border the road just beyond our next door neighbor’s property. I jumped up, put on my shoes (I was in my pajamas) and ran across the yard in the direction of the crash. Don was right behind me. At first I couldn’t see the driver at all, which filled me with dread. There was another car parked ahead of the damaged car and they were calling 911. As I ran toward the driver’s side of the car, I saw a young woman sit up, clearly shaken. She was crying. She may have sustained an injury to her hand. When I asked her what happened, she said something about the brake and the gas pedal. Apparently she had almost hit the other car head on and when they saw her car go into a tailspin, they doubled back to help her. I can’t imagine how terrifying the crash must have been to this young woman, who kept saying that she had never had an accident before.

Perhaps she hit the gas when she meant to hit the brake and then slammed on her brakes so quickly that she couldn’t maintain control of the car. I don’t know. The ambulance and fire trucks came very quickly. All I could think was thank goodness she was alright. She slammed into a tree; it could have been so much worse.

It prompted Don and me to once again acknowledge that everything can change in an instant. I’m grateful that she is relatively unscathed. Cars can be fixed.

I don’t think Don has ever seen me run that fast.

quilting

So we started the day with a very frightening accident and we ended it (at 1 am) with the euphoria of the Red Sox winning the American League pennant. It was a nail biter. At one point I screamed and shouted so loudly (after a grand slam by Shane Victorino) that my throat felt raw. Oh boy. A voice coach and teacher should know better! Now we get a few days off before the World Series starts on Wednesday. Yay, Red Sox!!

Last chance to enter the book giveaway. If you’re interested, scroll down for the book review and leave a comment on that post.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: life, quilting, red sox 30 Comments

Around the House

October 6, 2013 at 9:13 am by Claudia

sundaymccoy

My newest piece of McCoy – I found it about 3 months ago.

sundayfeathers

Feathers.

sundaymaple

The view from the porch.

sundaycosmos

Cosmos as seen from the den.

sundaygamache

More Chief Inspector Gamache. (I can’t get enough.)

sundaypothos

Potted pothos.

sundayporch

The porch in autumn.

sundvernors

On the kitchen table.

sundayscout

My girl.

It’s a dark and rainy day here, with more coming tomorrow. Wet leaves are everywhere. Scout is snoring on the sofa. Don is still sleeping. I’m on my second cup of coffee. We watched the Red Sox/Tampa Bay game last night (we won!) and then we watched World War Z. Ironically, we had just watched Night of the Living Dead the night before. In all honesty? Night of the Living Dead, filmed in black and white with a minuscule budget, was better. World War Z was overblown, overdone and became monotonous. How many scenes can you watch with zombies attacking people en masse? All the younger actors in the Rep were thrilled with it, which is why I thought it might be worth watching. I guess they’re more into the idea of zombies I am.

Did you know that Don worked with Brad Pitt when Mr. Pitt was but a young lad? They did an episode of Freddy’s Nightmares (I’ve seen it.) Brad was just starting out and I asked Don if he had any idea then that Pitt would turn out to be the actor/star/celebrity that he is today. No, was the answer. He was young and sort of green and a very nice guy who was model handsome. That’s it. Ah.. ..I’m one degree of separation from Brad Pitt. And from a lot of other famous actors. In some cases it’s Don who’s one degree of separation away from a famous actor or two because of my work.

Yes, we positively vibrate with ‘celebrity.’ Oy.

Scout continues to improve. So grateful.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Don, life, McCoy pottery, Scout 62 Comments

The Lamb With The Party Hat Says Welcome

October 3, 2013 at 9:22 am by Claudia

My husband is a fun, slightly wacky guy. He has a wonderful sense of the absurd, as well as…get ready for my favorite word…a sense of ‘whimsy.’ Since I’m the same way, we get on beautifully. During one visit to Hartford, he saw my new Lamb with the Party Hat canvas and loved it. His immediate reaction? Hang it in the living room.

canvas2

Since I had been thinking he would most likely think it was cute but would go along with my idea to hang it in my studio or above my desk in the den, I was surprised. And pleased. So this is what greets you if you enter the cottage via the front door. Is she the official greeter? Ummm, no. Scout would have a problem with that. But she’s certainly second in command.

canvas1

Gosh, I love a splash of whimsy in a room.

During the course of our initial conversation, Don said we should hang it above the piano. Yes, I said, it would look nice there, but one of my favorite things is hanging above the piano and that bit of wall space is the perfect place for it. This is what I was referring to:

keyboard

(There’s a post on this blog that tells the story of this sign. You can read about it here.)

Turns out Don isn’t so crazy about this sign.

What???? I couldn’t believe my ears. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I am absolutely gaga, certifiably crazy, as well as nutty, about this sign. When pressed to give his reasons, he said it just didn’t do anything for him.

Well, I said, with hands on hips. It’s staying. I’m not moving it. It’s the perfect place for it. It’s staying.

Then I gave him a look of utter disbelief.

And besides, I said, there’s enough aqua in and around the piano. I don’t want things to be too matchy-matchy.

I put my proverbial foot down.

Actually, we’re pretty sympatico as to the decorating of our house. For the most part, we like the same things. This is the rare blip on the horizon. But I am the driving force behind most of the decorating. I usually get the final say, except for parts of the guest room/Don’s studio/office. I let him have (mostly) free rein there.

He’s a pretty easy-going guy about this sort of thing.

Nevertheless, I was sort of shocked. Just when you think you know someone….

In other news, the New Dawn Rose stopped blooming a long time ago. What did I see yesterday evening?

rose

A single blossom. A surprise early autumn gift. Lovely.

Scout turned a corner yesterday. She slept a lot the night before and when she woke up, she looked more like herself. She’s been eating white rice and cottage cheese, with the addition of few pieces of kibble. She was hungry all day long, not surprising considering she hadn’t had anything to eat since Friday. We’re taking it slow. She is getting around just fine and any pain she had seems to be gone. She’s still bleeding a bit, but the doctor said that would happen, as the blood has to drain.

We still have to keep a close eye on her, but the relief we both felt yesterday was enormous. I’m starting to see my girl again. What a trooper she is! What a feisty, strong, beautiful girl.

We’re all recovering here at the cottage.

Happy Thursday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: decorating, life, Scout 70 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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