Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Snow and more snow!

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Well, all week long I’d been going on and on about how I wanted to see some real snow… I guess someone got the message because we got about 8 or 9 inches yesterday. Not only that, we’re going to get more tonight and tomorrow. We’ve spent a fair amount of time shoveling and will be doing it again tomorrow. But the snow sure is pretty. Unfortunately, because of tonight’s impending storm, the skies remained pretty gloomy today and this is the best shot I could get.

I do love knowing a storm is coming, stocking up on food, and being safely nestled in our cottage. Somehow being unable to go anywhere frees me to work on projects (like piecing my quilt), bake (like the chocolate chip cookies I made yesterday), watch old movies, drink hot chocolate, make popcorn, catch up on blogs…I love it.

I must confess I had another reason for wanting snow. Right after the first of next year, I am going to San Diego for an extended period. I wanted a good snowfall before I had to go. I’m going out there to fill in for the woman who replaced me in my former job when we moved out East. She is taking a sabbatical this semester and the Theater and the University asked if I would return to help the students through the semester and also coach the shows at the Theater and the summer Shakespeare Festival. Since both my husband and I freelance, I felt I couldn’t turn the offer down, especially in this economy. Unfortunately, my husband and dogs can’t accompany me and I will miss them terribly.

We’ve decided the only way to handle the separation is to see each other every 5 weeks or so. I also get a spring break in March and another break in April where I will be able to come home for 10 days. Don will come out and visit me, too, as his family is in San Diego. That’s the only way I can deal with this time away from my home and family and stay positive. I’ve shed many tears at the thought of all this.

I will be blogging about both my residences – a bicoastal blog (at least temporarily). I’ll be stocking up on photos of all things Mockingbird Hill Cottage for the blog. Since I will be staying in a large studio apartment supplied by the Theater, I thought it would be fun to explore how to decorate that kind of space on a budget. Because, believe me, I will have to personalize my space and make it my own. There are lots of antique/vintage shops that I know very well and we’ll explore them together. I have lots of exploring to do in Southern California. And my favorite quilting shop is there! I’ve been scouring ebay for a deal on a Singer Featherweight sewing machine that I can take along with me.

I’m so grateful for this blog and the support of my blogging friends. And…for my laptop, which will a lifesaver for me out there in San Diego!

In the meantime, Christmas is coming and I still have a lot to do!

San Diego Part 2

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More photos of beautiful San Diego flowers:

 

Beautiful Balboa Park:

and the gorgeous Pacific Ocean:

Now that I am back home, I am working on my garden. Plants are shooting up from the ground, birds are nesting (our starling friends are back in their preferred nesting place – tucked under the eaves of our porch roof – we watch their comings and goings from the picture window in our den) weeds are sprouting everywhere. I have to mulch, plant and tidy up. I just bought some hanging plants for our porch. I’ll take photos soon, but we have a few days of rain ahead of us. Next sunny day? Maybe on the weekend.

Back from San Diego

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I arrived back from San Diego late Sunday night. I had a wonderful time. I coach voice, speech and dialects for the theatre and this trip brought me back to our former home and my former employer. I was working on three Shakespeare plays to be produced this summer and the days were long but envigorating. This was the surrounding scenery:

I got to see some old friends, some who work at the theatre and some who are there as actors in the Shakespeare. Besides the work, the thing I most remember is laughing like crazy. Laughter really is the most wonderful thing, It makes the shoulders drop, shooing away tension and worries.

I walked from my hotel to the theatre every day and passed beautiful flowers:

I passed the dog park where my dogs used to frolic and which now has a fence around it. How that would have saved me from freaking out when my dog Winston used to take off and run down into the canyon because he “smelled” some critter!
Now the fence goes all the way around the park and keeps the dogs in.

This beautiful fountain was right outside the door to the rehearsal rooms:

And last, but not least, the Pacific Ocean! This is what I miss most about San Diego – I love where we live now with all my heart, but if we could just plop the Pacific Ocean down right here in upstate New York it would be PERFECT!!!

I have more photos which I will post in the next few days. I go back to San Diego in June for 10 days. Right now I am just happy to be home with my husband and my dogs. And, I get to garden!

More later.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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