Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Headline: Two Itinerant Artistes Settle Down in the Country

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7-14 coneflowers

It’s the height of the gardening season here in the Northeast. The coneflowers and brown-eyed Susans are opening their pretty petals, the phlox is beginning to bloom – and oh, that scent! – more day lilies are making their presence known. Bees are everywhere, especially in the catmint – a plant they seem to love. All of the hostas, and we have a lot of them, are blooming as well. All in all, a good time to come back home after three weeks away coaching.

7-14 hostablooms

Gol’ darn it! I love my gardens.

We’ve been here almost 10 years. Who’d have thought it? Two itinerant artistes got together and somehow landed here in this too-small-but-charming cottage situated on almost two acres with woods and grass and space for a garden bed or two or three.

This was a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I always wanted what I termed “a cottage somewhere in the country.” It took me awhile, but I got it. And I wouldn’t trade those years living in apartments in cities, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Cambridge, San Diego, for anything. They’ve shaped me; they’ve given me a strong taste of city life (which I still love) and countless adventures.

7-14 gazingball

But at this point in our lives, both Don and I find ourselves preferring this  life – this quieter version of life. Being in the Arts, with jobs and opportunities that have taken us all over the country and abroad, has broadened our horizons. Maybe that’s why we appreciate this little cottage and our life here all the more. It’s rooted in our love for each other and our doggie and our love for the simple beauty of nature. (And for eclectic and whimsical decorating.) It’s the culmination of our lives before we met each other and the twenty-one years we’ve been together.

7-14 pinkish daylily

Yesterday, my friends, was a stressful one for me. I had an appointment to have some dental work done (an extraction) and I, being petrified of the dentist, was rather a nervous wreck. Our health care changes every year and the dentist I trust implicitly (and who is quite near our home) was no longer available under our policy. I dithered about it for a while and finally decided to have the work done and pay for it myself. That isn’t the ideal scenario given our tight budget, but going to someone I already know and trust makes what is a scary ordeal for me much less stressful.

So at 10 am, I was in the dentist chair. Don, thank goodness, went with me for moral support and then got my prescriptions filled (which, thankfully, are covered under our health care) and then went back out in the afternoon to buy some soft foods for me to eat. I was on pain meds yesterday, but today I don’t seem to need any, which is a good thing. I’m also on antibiotics for a few days.

I have another appointment in a month or so to deal with another issue. But for now, I can relax.

And maybe work on the dollhouse roof garden.

Don’t forget to read the book review I posted yesterday. I really loved the book and I’m giving away a copy. (I loved it so much that I passed it on to Don, because I think it’s right up his alley. It’s funny.)

Happy Tuesday.

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It’s Not Fair: Caroline vs. Claudia

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I’ve been examining some inequities re the dollhouse  and my  house, the most blatant of which I’m sharing with you.

My ‘potting bench,’ for lack of a better term:

5-23 gardening stuff

Caroline’s Potting Shed:

2-6 DH Potshed 1

2-6 DH Potshed 2

2-6 DH Potshed 3

First of all, it’s a shed. With a skylight. And she has a sink. And a bench. And a red floor. And the walls are painted in my favorite color.

My studio space, crammed into a hallway upstairs – not even a separate room – and my desk space, which is usually the kitchen table:

studioupdate1

Corners-studio 2

Caroline’s studio/office. In a separate room. With a big cutting table. And plenty of desk space.

WWW - office-studio2

WWW - office-studio3

She even had the temerity to tell me she’s going to add an easy chair to this space. What the heck?? Clearly, her paycheck goes further than mine.

My kitchen with a standard stainless steel sink and a basic stove (not pictured):

Corners-kitchen 12

Caroline’s kitchen:

WWW - dollhouse kitchen 2

Crap. She’s got a farmhouse style sink. And the tile used in her backsplash is just what I’ve been yearning for. And where the heck did she find a plate rack? Let’s not even talk about the retro mint green refrigerator.

Wait – are those wood countertops? I hate my tiled countertop.

WWW - dollhouse kitchen 5

She has an Aga. Do you know how much they cost? And how much I’d like one in my kitchen? Copper pots? My pots are from IKEA.

On the list of things we wanted in a house was a fireplace. Do you see one here?

living room july 2014

No, you don’t. Just a chimney. Without the fireplace.

You know what’s coming. Let’s visit Caroline’s living room:

mondhlivingroomrug

WWW DH LR2

Complete with birch logs, ready to burn. And shelves. And a mantel to decorate.

And the bathroom? I’m not even going to go there.

Listen. I like Caroline. She’s a nice person. However, it seems to me that there is a sort of ‘flaunting’ going on here. Here we are in our cottage; sans farmhouse sink, sans vintage stove or Aga, with no fireplace, and a studio space for yours truly that is in the hall, for heaven’s sake, and there’s Caroline, ensconced in her perfect house which is smack dab in the middle of our living room. Right there. I cannot avoid seeing it. I cannot pretend to be unaware of Caroline’s activities. I hear her laughing and humming little tunes, singing in the shower. I see her go into her studio/office and shut the door for privacy. I see her reading by the fire.

Sometimes I can even catch the scent of wood smoke.

Do I sound bitter?

I am.

Wouldn’t you be?

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Wednesday.

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Friday Thoughts

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I have two posts up today. In addition to this post, if you scroll down one post or click here, you’ll see I’m giving away two pairs of tickets to the Country Living Fair in Rhinebeck, which takes place next weekend, June 5-7. If you’re interested, make sure to leave your comment before Sunday evening at 9:00 pm. There’s a fast turnaround on this one!

5-29 rose in bud

A few days ago.

5-29 rose

Today.

Gorgeous. Mom, this rose is for you. Heartfelt thanks again to Martha, who gave me this bush last year in remembrance of my mother.

Henry has kids. Yes, just after I posted about him on Wednesday, I saw two little ones dining on some of our grass. Sometimes the kids are out on their own. Sometimes Henry is out there with them. Adorable.

Or perhaps I should say: Henri a des bébés.

Can you imagine them in little bérets?

5-29 poppy

Oh yes. The poppies have opened.

They are so breathtaking. And their bloom time is short. So I take tons of photos because I know they’ll be gone before I know it.

5-29 poppy 2

At the same time the poppies open, the catmint is flowering as well, so there’s a lovely purple and orange combination going on in the garden.

And, as I walked around the porch, I saw this:

5-29 clematis

The clematis is blooming, too! Glory be. The garden has said yes to Spring. I planted this clematis several years ago, but it didn’t start taking off until the weeping willow came down. The willow had blocked the sun which caused the clematis to grow lots of leaves, but no flowers. Now, it’s making up for lost time. Welcome back!

Don, Scout and I sat on the porch last night and watched the sun set and listened to the birds and talked about our life and our gratitude for our many blessings. We looked around our property that not all that long ago was covered in several inches of snow and marveled at the miracle of spring. We’re grateful for our marriage and the strong love we have for each other and for Scout. We’re blessed with friends and family and work in our chosen fields. We’re living our dream. Though at times it can be a stressful struggle to make the mortgage payment or pay those unexpected bills, we’ve managed to do it and we’ve managed to do it as freelancers, never sure of each month’s income. Our parents helped us as we started out on this dream of ours. For that we are forever grateful. We’ve made our choice and are holding fast; life in the country in a lovely little cottage with our beloved animals around us, with green things growing and blooming, with music and laughter and a lot of hard work. We’re coming up on the tenth anniversary of Mockingbird Hill Cottage (in August.) It doesn’t seem possible, but it’s true!

Anyway. We’re grateful. We’re thankful. We’re blessed.

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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