Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Snow

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As I vowed to on Friday, I cleaned off the porch and stored everything in the shed. Not a moment too soon! That night, the weather report said our first snowfall was due on Saturday. Big, fat snowflakes fell and we were treated to our first glimpse of winter. This particular snowfall was very wet and only an inch of snow accumulated. Perfect. No shoveling.

This morning as I was letting the dogs outside, I took this photo of the sun rising through our trees.

Then I took this one:


Have a wonderful Sunday.

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!

Scout and Riley

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Today has been about watching the beautiful snow fall all day long – and shoveling, of course. It really is a winter wonderland out there. There is that hush that happens when snow falls steadily and there is little traffic.

I thought I’d take the time to introduce you to our dogs, Scout and Riley. I come from a dog-loving family. When I was a toddler, we visited some friends of my parents and their dog jumped on me. I guess I was knocked down and consequently developed a fear of dogs. Quite a big fear. I would cross to other side of the street if I saw a dog in someone’s yard and run away as fast as I could. Dogs reduced me to tears. So my parents decided that the answer to my problems was to adopt a dog. Frisky, a terrier, became part of our family. After a somewhat rocky start, my fears gradually left and I came to adore him. He even slept under the sheets at the bottom of my bed.

When my husband and I moved into our first rental, we made sure there was a fenced-in yard so that we could adopt a dog. (I am an animal lover and a great advocate of rescuing dogs and cats. There are so many animals who need homes and they are so grateful to be loved and cherished.) That is how we found our first dog, Winston. We loved Winston deeply and after a while we felt he needed a companion. So we adopted Scout. She and Winston were fast friends. After 7 wonderful years, we lost Winston very suddenly to cancer. Our hearts were broken and we grieved for a long time. Having Scout really helped us through that period. She is a loving girl and a happy one, but we couldn’t help but notice that she was lonely.

After a few years, we adopted Riley (also a rescue) and he and Scout immediately became good buddies. You never know what issues these little ones have as a result of being abandoned. Riley seems to have been abused in some way and it took him a while to accept the fact that we were a family…that he wasn’t going anywhere. We were shocked to discover he had heartworm not long after we brought him home. He had to go through 3 months of very tough and dangerous treatment – luckily he came through all that with flying colors. He has his “issues” but he is a very good and loving boy. Scout has endless energy and a great sense of fun.

They are my babies. I love them dearly and they bring joy to our lives every day. They are funny and loving and endlessly fascinating. You will notice that Scout has a heart-shaped spot on her body. No kidding – we call her our “magic” dog.

This is my favorite picture of Riley – He’s smiling!

Hope your day is a good one!

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