Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Day Fifty-Nine

May 11, 2020 at 9:43 am by Claudia

We have at least two more nights – Tuesday and Wednesday – with temps potentially reaching 32 degrees. Then we’re done. This Spring has been the Non-Spring. Thankfully, I got a day and night off yesterday. We put all the plants back outside and last night it only went down to 40 degrees so I didn’t have to schlep the plants back in the house.

I did, however, wake up at 4 am and never got back to sleep. So there’s that. It’s a rainy day so I plan to sit around and work on the puzzle. I did a lot of chores inside the house yesterday – I think I was so happy to see the sun that it supercharged me – so I can lay low today.

Don brought me three handpicked bouquets yesterday, in honor of his mom, my mom, and me, former mom to three beautiful dogs. I teared up. I had just been thinking of my babies and how I miss them and I’d been missing my mom and regretting that I never got to meet Don’s mother.

Rest in Peace to the great Jerry Stiller, who had the most amazing career, spanning decades. I remember watching his comedy routines with his beloved Anne Meara on Ed Sullivan. I had him pegged as a stand-up comedian at the time, but he was so much more. I loved his work in The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3  and on Seinfeld, of course. But I think his best work was on King of Queens, where the character as written and performed by Stiller was outrageous and crazy and touching and much more nuanced than his character on Seinfeld. Frank Costanza was basically a very funny blowhard who appeared only occasionally so that’s all he needed to be. But the character of Arthur Spooner was a regular, allowing time to develop the character and to add layers to his storyline. Anyway, just my thoughts. I’m very sad at his passing. He will be missed. I was watching some clips this morning and couldn’t stop laughing.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden, mom, social distancing 27 Comments

Day Fifty-Eight

May 10, 2020 at 9:34 am by Claudia

More difficult, slower going, but a good challenge. This one will take longer than my previous forays into the 1000-piece puzzle world. I will say this, I’m really learning about Van Gogh’s brush work!

I spent what seems like way too much of the day yesterday trying to figure out what the low would be here. One forecast said 31. One said 33. Another said 32. And yet another said 34. As you all know, the difference between these numbers is huge when you’re talking about plants. Should I try and cover some of my perennials? Or should I just let go and hope for the best? I went with the latter and, as far as I can tell this morning, all is well. I did cover the potted hollyhock and geraniums again, but that’s all I did. It looks like it might go down to 32 on Tuesday and Wednesday – hopefully, that will change – but after Wednesday the weather should be back to normal.

After I finish this post, I’ll begin lugging all of the plants back outside. And I’ll be able to get to the vacuum again, as it’s currently blocked by big pots of pansies.

I just found out that one of my colleagues from Boston University died. Bill Young was a marvelous actor, a wonderful teacher, as well as being funny, eccentric, and a joy to work with. Rest in Peace, dear Bill. Thank you for everything. There are legions of students (and colleagues) who adored and respected you.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you moms. And to my sister, who is a devoted mom to all her boys, human and animal. It’s always a bit of a difficult day for those of us who have lost our mothers, of course. I sure miss mine and would give anything to be able to see her again.

And Happy Birthday to Fred Astaire, who is and will always be my favorite. I’ve been a devoted fan since I was 12 years old. I just had a conversation with reader Kay about our shared love for Mr. Astaire.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: flowers, garden, mom, social distancing 25 Comments

Day Forty-Two

April 24, 2020 at 9:51 am by Claudia

An in-process photo, hampered by the lack of light this morning, as we have another rainy day. I’m very close to finishing and I will most likely do so today. I’m having a lot of fun doing it.

Some of you asked for sources online for puzzles. There are the obvious ones; Barnes and Noble (though they don’t have much of a selection at the moment) and Amazon (there’s a treasure trove of great paintings turned into puzzles – some of them are real beauties.) I find I’m drawn to something either fascinating enough or beautiful enough, hopefully both, to keep my interest going. I also like 1000 piece puzzles with tinier pieces. The more complex the better. It’s why I prefer harder crossword puzzles. I want the challenge. In the course of searching for puzzles, I found a few websites that sell only puzzles.

Galaxy Puzzles

Serious Puzzles

Both sites have lots of inventory and they’re still shipping. I’m sure there are even more out there. Also, I found it helps to search for ‘adult jigsaw puzzles’ so you’re not wading through a lot of puzzles meant for children.

If you find more sites, share them with us here. Thanks to Sharon who informed me there is another Nancy Drew puzzle out there with the original vintage covers (the same ones I have in my collection.) I got it at Galaxy Puzzles. The other puzzle I purchased was a beautiful Japanese print of peonies and I got that from Serious Puzzles.

We may go to the nursery after I finish this. It’s raining, but it’s going to rain off and on for the next week. We’ll see. Don needs to stock up on fresh vegetables and this is the place that has the farm stand and the nursery so we could do it all at once. Or, if it’s raining too much, we’ll go tomorrow.

I’m sure you heard he-who-shall-not-be-named suggest that, since disinfectants are used to kill the virus, perhaps it could be treated or cured by injecting disinfectant into patients. Or exposing their internal organs to ultraviolet light. Perhaps he will volunteer as a test case?

We’re hanging in there. We get restless, of course, but mostly we’re surprisingly peaceful. We’re finding that lockdown is a chance to discover new things, new passions; in Don’s case, new music to learn, in mine, the jigsaw puzzles. We just want to keep our creative juices going, our brains stimulated, and our bellies full.

Remembering my mom today. She died six years ago on this date. It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been that long. I love you, Mom. I miss you terribly.

Stay safe. Stay home. It you go out, wear a mask and gloves. And wash your hands.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: jigsaw puzzles, mom, social distancing 57 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.

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Lambs Like to Party

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