Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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In Need of Sunshine

September 6, 2011 at 5:44 pm by Claudia

Rain, rain, rain. It seems to be raining endlessly here, which is bad news for the already swollen rivers  and for those who are still coping with flood damage from Hurricane Irene. So many people in our area have lost so much. One of our friends still does not have power. Another has 3 feet of water in his house. Enough already, please?

I took this photo the other day – you know fall is on the way when the Sedum Autumn Joy starts turning pink. Such gentle splashes of pink all over the garden.

This vine is growing in our back forty. Does anyone know what it is? The leaves are star-shaped with spiky white flowers.

Growing all over the edges of our property – and everywhere else on my travels around the neighborhood.

The day after the hurricane I noticed this spectacular spider web. It’s stretched between two trees in our overgrown back forty. Amazing, isn’t it?

Mom is still in the rehabilitation facility. She is barely speaking to anyone – she says about 10 words to my Dad and my sister and then sends them home. I call her every day and lately I get about 30 seconds of phone time before she cuts me off. She is withdrawing from everyone. She wants to die and she says it fairly often. I wonder if this is her way of pushing us away so she can transition. I don’t know. I only know that my father is heartbroken and that my mom is desperately unhappy and determined to remain that way and that there is nothing but sadness permeating everything.

A little sunshine might help.

Filed Under: Dad, flowers, garden, mom, rain 28 Comments

At the End of the Day

August 22, 2011 at 8:17 pm by Claudia

Early evening at Mockingbird Hill Cottage.

Riley isn’t doing well at all. I thought we might lose him today. He’s hanging in there, however. He’s such a sweet, gentle boy. I hope he lives for years, but I find that I am preparing myself. I cried on the phone with my sister, cried while talking to the Vet Tech on the phone and then cried in front of the Vet. He’s home with us now and I’m praying he turns a corner.

Mom has been moved to a rehabilitation center. She’s been there before. And she’s not happy. More and more often lately, she says she wants to die.

Dad has become increasingly hard to handle. Without going into details, I will just say that he’s exhibiting some of the same behavior that made growing up very difficult for all of us.

My parents have become the children. I know so many of you have dealt with this and understand it completely.

Patience. Compassion. Understanding. Tolerance.  Each of them needed every day. Some days they are readily available and easily embraced. Others? Not so easy.

How about some photos to make you (and me) smile? Miss Scout, at the end of the day, waiting for me by the side door, exasperated because I’m taking pictures.

Filed Under: Dad, dogs, mom, Riley, Scout 44 Comments

Random on Wednesday

August 17, 2011 at 9:44 am by Claudia

:: Greetings on a foggy Wednesday morning. The sun has just popped out as I write this. After several extremely gray and rainy days, it is most welcome. I am ashamed to tell you how overgrown our yard is due to the rain and the fact that I can’t use the weed wacker until Monday. The doctor has ordered me not to lift anything heavy for 4 weeks, severely cramping my style. I can’t lift Riley when his hips are bothering him or help him up and down the stairs. Can’t weed wack. Can’t move furniture. I did slip up a bit the other day when a dead limb from this maple fell to the ground. I immediately went out to the yard to clean up the mess, toting one part of the limb to a pile on the edge of the property. As I started to lift another section, the voice inside my head yelled, “What are you doing?!?” I dropped it like a hot potato. Sorry, Doc.

:: Scout had to go to the Vet the other day. She had a huge hot spot and yucky stuff in her ears. Allergies and humid summer weather are not a good combination for my dogs. At least Scout, however grudgingly, will let me put something in her ears. Riley? No way.

:: Our hot water heater is dying. Oh joy. This is just one in a series of things in this house that need to be updated or replaced. Our favorite repairman, Gino, who is also our heating oil guy, came over to look at it yesterday morning. The diagnosis is eventual replacement but for now we’re trying to baby it along. Gino is a swell guy. He didn’t even charge me for his time.

I need to win the lottery.

:: After almost 7 weeks without coffee, I grew tired of the endless stupor I seemed to be in every morning. I did pretty well. I really did. But it took me hours to wake up. That’s okay if one is still recovering from surgery, but not when one is trying to actually get something done. I gave it up for two reasons: it wasn’t good for my gall bladder, nor for my slightly high blood pressure. Well, the gall bladder is no more. So I made a deal with myself. One cup of coffee a day. That’s it.

Oh, how I missed it. Thank goodness I still had some Peet’s French Roast in the refrigerator.

:: I had been obsessing about a metallic rattle I kept hearing when driving our car. Don is perfectly capable of ignoring these things but I am not. The car was driving just fine but it is 10 years old. I stopped by our mechanic’s garage yesterday. A loose heat shield. No biggie. Sigh of relief! He’ll fix it when the car gets its annual inspection in a few weeks.

:: Lots of drama and worry continues on the parent front. I seem to spend a good portion of the day on the phone with my dad or my sister. I don’t know what we would do without my sister. Because my parents decided to relocate to Florida ten years ago, Meredith has been the one who has to handle all of the middle of the night phone calls and everything that goes along with aging parents. My crotchety parents are not always as grateful or appreciative as they should be,  but I sure am.

:: Look what arrived in the mail! My friend Meri sent us some jumping jacks! I suppose they are really for Don, as it is his collection. Lord knows, I have enough collections around here. Aren’t they cute? I promise another photo when they are hanging in their proper place. A big hug to you, Meri. Thank you.

:: I forgot to address a comment or two on this post. Florida Bird asked if I would post a tutorial on the fabric lampshade. To be perfectly honest, I did a sort of slap-dash job on it. So I don’t feel qualified to guide you through a tutorial. I’m fine with the way it looks, but I have a feeling a tutorial should be a bit more precise than my “grab-some-fabric-and-glue-and-if-it-doesn’t-fit-slap-some-more-fabric-on” way of working on this project. Also, Into Vintage said she was admiring the jar of cookies in the background. Well, they are cookies, just not for us. They’re dog biscuits for Scout and Riley.

:: If you’re interested, there is still time to leave a comment on my book review post. You might win a free copy of Just My Type, a book about fonts. You have until Thursday evening.

Okay. I’ve talked enough. Bye for now.

Filed Under: Dad, Fellow bloggers, mom, Riley, Scout 20 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.

Thanks for stopping by.

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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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