And…another puzzle started. Interestingly, the black border was troublesome for a while because it became clear that the pieces were in the wrong order. But darned if I could figure out where the error was. So I looked for the connecting pieces that began the actual cover illustration and as I found them, I figured out what I had done wrong. After that, I went for the title.
We’re due for a boatload of snow tomorrow. (Will this ever end???) Don is currently trying to find some salt for the driveway and every place we usually buy it is out. Oh boy. A big snowstorm headed our way and a shortage of salt. Luckily he just found a couple of bags and is on his way to pick them up.
But the happy news of the day is this:
Today marks the 13th anniversary of this blog. Yep. 13 years!
I almost forgot, but fortunately, I had marked it in my planner.
I’ll be honest, there are times I consider shutting it down. Especially now, when I have very little interesting subject matter – at least, in my mind. But Don always reminds me that I wouldn’t be happy with that decision. I’d regret it. He’s right.
Writing a post every day has been a part of this blog for at least 9 or 10 of the 13 years. That daily writing commitment has been a good thing for me. I’ve always found writing to be cathartic and the discipline of sitting down, gathering my thoughts together, and crafting a post has provided structure for my mornings.
The blog also functions as a journal and I can’t tell you how many times I find myself wondering when something happened, search the blog, and quickly find the date.
Blogging has expanded my world and I’m very grateful for all the people I have met over the years. Followers come and go, just as friends come and go. But the relationships I have found through this medium are very real. I never consider them virtual. You are my friends.
I’ve never been a niche blog and it took me a while to realize that only writing about one thing – decorating, for example – would drive me nuts. Most bloggers that do that are interested in making money from their blogs. That’s absolutely fine. I briefly entertained revamping the blog to turn it into a money making venture several years ago. (We freelance and let’s face it, trying to do that made sense.) But it isn’t me. It felt false. I finally accepted what this blog was and is. A daily sharing of my thoughts and my life and my interests. That’s how I started out and that’s where I will remain.
Thanks for being here. I love hearing from all of you, knowing you’re out there, reading your thoughts. Without you, this would just be a virtual journal for me, myself, and I. This is much more rewarding!
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
Congratulations for your 13 years of commitment and success! I’m glad the blogging (usually?) brings you as much as you give us. Yes, more snow!!! All I can think of is at least I’m not in Texas right now. My sister and her family are on the coast south of Galveston and they have been out of power for days, and they don’t know how many more. My sister has parakeets which she is trying every way she can think of to keep them warm. They do have a generator but it isn’t very big and has had some glitches. I just feel sick for everyone (and every animal) there who are freezing, literally. I can’t watch the reports, but it’s on my mind. Our family is funny, tho; I interrupted my sister’s only chance at a hot shower to offer my credit card in case they could get a bigger generator! And when I confessed it to our other sister,, she said she had ordered them a gas heater which would have sent out deadly fumes. She pointed out that we all three mess things up when we’re just trying to help. Wishing you and Don some safe, warm days and strong backs. XO
HI,
I love your blog. It has educated me , delighted me, sometimes made me sad and brought me peace of mind. It has been a comfort to me. There are many reasons I have to look forward to your words for this I thank you from my heart.
I
Take Care,
Kaye
Park City, UT
Happy 13th blog anniversary! I read you every day and always find a connection to your words. I think of my blog friends as real friends also and I know you have all made my life better!
Thanks so much and best wishes for a happy, healthy future!
Congratulations on 13 years! I read your blog for years before I ever commented. And now I am getting to “know” some of your regular commenters. We’re a community of sorts and that’s pretty awesome.
Stay safe
Happy blog anniversary! I “stumbled” upon your blog just as I was leaving a creatively fulfilling job with a chamber orchestra and moving to a position with higher ed that provided better pay and benefits, buy much less opportunity for creativity. After admiring and reading your blog, I started my own as a way to still have something creative in my personal life. I loved writing my blog so much that I finally had the courage to apply for a writer’s retreat, and from that experience I was able to write a book about my father, which had been a long time dream of mine. I dreamed of being a writer ever since I was a little girl, and Claudia, your blog is where fulfilling my dream began. Thank you for that, and for being willing to share your dreams and disappointments with all of us that welcome you and Don in our daily lives. Stay warm, my friend, and enjoy those puzzles!
Thank you so much for your blog. I look forward to reading it every day because we have many similar interests. You are so articulate in expressing your thoughts and feelings.
Thank you for sharing your life with us. Happy anniversary!
Dear Claudia, happy 13th anniversary! Your blog is the only one that I read. I don’t subscribe to any other. I love the authenticity of your blog. It makes me think and I like that. Your life is not uninteresting to us! Life is happy, sad, messy and your writings express that. I hope you keep going because I would miss you very much! xo
happy blog-anniversary, claudia!
i have so much goodness in my life, thanks to my family, friends and especially God … and i want to say that you all are a part of that goodness.
i’ve learned about things not in my usual daily routine, seen beautiful photos of beautiful things i may otherwise never see and heard music that i keep humming that i probably wouldn’t have otherwise found. i’ve read thoughtful, passionate and compassionate words about a wide variety of things. i’ve heard titles of books/movies/tv shows (that i’ve written down with the hope to enjoy some day) and people cheering each other on for their accomplishments and during tough times. i’ve also found inspiration to do creative things and received support (including prayers) to get through hard things. i’ve met friends.
thank you, claudia and everyone else here, for sharing such things. means a lot.
claudia, it wouldn’t have happened (happen) without you … your decision and dedication to maintaining mhc and sharing parts of your life and heart with us. thank you for taking the time, effort and cost to do those things. never doubt that you make a positive difference because you do!
love,
kathy in iowa
Kathy,
Your comments to Claudia expressed my thoughts so well. You also included how her followers are wonderful friends, and provide what we all want in our lives.
Thanks to Claudia for providing our daily check in space where it feels like I am connecting with others of like minds, and hearts.
Thank you for posting about how we all feel.
I am sending prayers for your physical challenges, and well being.
It’s lovely to read about your activities, and those of other commenters as well.
Has Claudia created ‘a blog within a blog’?
Well done, Claudia😊💖💖💖
hej, jan. :)
i agree with you … claudia has created a wonderful place here … and so has attracted wonderful people here. thanks for being one of them.
i appreciate your prayers. recuperation is going slow and now delayed by the need to quarantine … but i will get there.
i hope you and your loves are all safe and well, that you have what you need.
thanks again.
kathy in iowa
ps … claudia, meant to add that while i hope you continue posting here at mhc, moreso i hope you do what you want with it … post every day, once a week or less often, take a sabbatical, whatever … up to you! i’ll just always be glad and grateful that somehow i found mhc.
Happy Blog Anniversary! I don’t comment very much, but I would miss you and your blog if you stopped. It’s nice to know there are other artists out there. I enjoy seeing your weather (I’m in Southern California); when my daughters were in college in Massachusetts, it gave me an idea of what they were experiencing. And your dollhouses have inspired me (and thanks to the person who mentioned Wayfair sold dollhouses)–I bought a one-room dollhouse that I haven’t started yet. I’m calling it my “she-shed”. Thank you for taking the time, every day, to share your world with all of us!
Claudia,
Thank you for your wonderful blog. It’s the first thing I turn to when I sit down for breakfast. It’s starts my day off just right. I love the varied threads that encompass your blog. How I found your blogs many years ago, I don’t know but I’m glad I did.
I hope you will continue to write for another 13 years! I admire your commitment.
Congratulations on your blogs 13th anniversary! We’ve never met in person but I feel like we’ve been friends for many years. Please continue with your blog as you are an inspiration in so many ways.
Stay safe and warm!
Thank you for writing your daily blog. It’s so good to find a community of like minded people.
Your posts are just real life for me and I look forward to every one of them. You’ve helped me get thru the political unrest we had to endure. I so look forward when we can get back to our lives before COVID. You’re a blessing!
Oh Claudia, I’m so glad you will continue your blog. I do check in every day!
I also journal on paper just for myself. It adds some ritual to these crazy but usually uneventful days. We’re expecting snow here in North Jersey as well.
I am grateful to be warm and have a big freezer and a snowblower, but I am just so over this winter. Stay safe!
Congratulations and thank you for the last 13 years and hoping there is more to come. Kathy in Iowa has summed it up far better than I could.
Wishing you and Don all the best for the next batch of snow.
Fiona x
Congratulations for consistent, long-time blog ownership, Claudia. I may be wrong, but it was always my understanding that blogs started out, back in the day, as online journals and you’ve kept it true to purpose (a rarity).
I hope the next snow dump passes by quickly for you and Don. I have relatives spread throughout the state of Texas (I lived on the Gulf for a few years myself) and they’ve been having such a terrible time, for days. No power. Just awful cold. One of my husband’s former co-workers in Houston said that the inside temp of his house was 34 degrees (and he has a brand-new, custom-built home [a retirement indulgence] that they only just moved into [so of course it has amazing insulation, and lots of other bells & whistles, none of which have helped much at all in the record-breaking weather]). Cousins in Dallas have been going house to house (braving the roads) to bunk with other relatives and friends, whomever still has power/heating, but they’re running out of places to go because everybody has the same problem. It’s apparently the worst blizzard(s) in 70 years in that part of the state (but look at snow on a Galveston beach; the whole state, as so many other states, blanketed with ice and snow [Louisiana, too ..?.. unbelievable; I’ve been both places {Galveston: Louisiana bayou country} when it was so hot I couldn’t stand it]).
But, you know, here they are, my dear folks of all ages, in broad daylight, trying to conserve power at home by having on no interior lamps/lights, curtains drawn, anything to keep the cold out (and save the power for the furnace and fridge in the rolling blackouts). One of my Dallas/Ft Worth-area cousins slipped on his covered porch when he had to let the dog out (exercise in futility; the old dog refuses!) and he couldn’t see that the brick of the porch flooring was iced over (with the clear ice) so he slipped, catching himself as he fell, but he clearly pulled some muscles and is in a world of hurt (not something you quickly rebound from when you’re already arthritic in your 70s). To make matters more frustrating, he’d had a vaccination appointment set up, something he’d been dedicated to getting (and spending hours/days/weeks on trying to get a reservation), but all of the vax locations shut down due to lack of electricity and impassable roads. He told me, before we lost contact on Monday (which I know is temporary; they probably lost cell towers in the same way those wind ‘turbines’ have frozen), that he hadn’t dared to leave the house since last Saturday. And I know they got a big bunch of snow again last night there; I saw it on the nightly national news.
I feel so badly for all of you who are just inundated with this dangerous weather. I think a piece on TV I saw was reporting from Houston and medical staff were staying overnight in the hospital for fear they couldn’t get back in (and then there wouldn’t be enough medical personnel to take care of all the patients). People first, of course (as another Dallas cousin of mine said, what about the homeless on the streets in this frigid and unrelenting, killer cold?); but I also worry about other important little lives, such as the alley cats; or dogs left out in decrepit dog houses or nothing but a lean-to. Somehow I try to imagine that wildlife finds some little burrow or hollowed-out tree; something for protection. But I remember how you’d worry about your neighbor’s elderly horses in an inadequate shelter on the trail you would sometimes walk; I’ve had to remember their names, it was Pliers and Ashley, right? It was such a blessing that you saw it through for them to find safety (on all levels) in the animal sanctuary, never to be exposed to the harsh outdoor/elements again. I really canNOT imagine the misery otherwise in this neverending, below-zero weather.
You two stay safe and warm; it’s good you have hobbies and lots of quiet interests for indoor life. Before you know it, though, you’ll thaw, and it’ll be Spring, when you can garden again, outside in shirtsleeves, enjoying the sun. Just try to get through tomorrow and Friday because I think by Sunday, your neck ‘o the woods/Northeast is indeed supposed to be sunny (weather maps are a sort of hobby of mine; I look at weather forecasts all over the place having studied weather/climate in the little bit of college I had; a wannabe meteorologist!) although it will still be basically ‘freezing’. Brrrrr …
prayers for your cousin, his dog and everyone else!
kathy in iowa
… thank you, kathy; it’s so bad, particularly in Dallas; one cousin has a friend who’s having to melt snow on a propane outdoor grill, just to have water for flushing a toilet; of course many areas in Texas are now under a boil-water order (as in safe drinking); is all a true crisis with no real answers yet of when electricity will be available …
Well, I’d say tomorrow is a red letter day! And I’m very glad you didn’t close down because you have been a bit of a touchstone here, a spot where we can come and share, comiserate, learn something new, find delight in all you share. So, three cheers, Claudia. And a Standing O! That’s a long while to write daily (I started in 2007 but daily would kill me! Especially when I was working and when I was ill! That’s a tremendous accomplishment!
Congratulations! (Can’t wait to see the image of the puzzle!)
Keep cozy. We’re sure trying!
Congratulations on 13 years of writing your blog. I enjoy reading it daily and hope you will continue.
I am wishing you a hearty congratulations on the blog anniversary! I retired 11 years
ago, and started reading your blog before that. So, I have enjoyed your posts for
many years. Thank you for all of your wonderful posts and updates.
Blessings to you and Don!
Congratulations for 13 years of blogging. I know I would miss you daily thoughts , so I hope you continue for a long time. I have enjoyed getting to know you and Don over the years and feel like you do, that we are friends who just haven’t met in person yet. Enjoy the new puzzle. Hugs!
CONGRATULATIONS! I Always enjoy reading your post every day. I know you will always be there and if you weren’t, I’d worry! I consider you a real dear friend and hope some day we can meet in person. Stay safe.
Congratulations Claudia on your 13th blog anniversary!
Everything the other commenters have said is so true. I look forward to your blog every day and enjoy hearing about your life, whatever you and Don are doing.
Take care and be safe.❤️❤️❤️
Congratulations, Claudia! Slaying the dragons and winning over the complex puzzles of life. I enjoy every minute of your sharing & the sharing of your followers. We all made it to the other side of the Orange Guy (who?)
XOXO
Echoing everything everyone else has said about your wonderful blog. Congratulations on 13 years! I love that it’s a place for folk from around the globe to share their thoughts and experiences and that’s all down to you, Claudia! Thank You.
Happy Wednesday
Congratulations on your 13th anniversary! I always enjoy reading your blog. You make daily activities seem interesting. Movie and book recommendations are a favorite too. I hope you continue as long as you still enjoy writing.
Happy Anniversary! I love reading your blog every day. Your exciting stories about teaching actor to talk and getting a job in New York and they give you an apartment and you decorate it with some of your personal things. Two things I would like for you to blog about if you need suggestions. Your dolls houses are beautiful and so much detail I would like for you to show and explain more detail. For example the trim around the windows? The popsicle stick wood floors you did so well. I got out my boxes of popsicle sticks and was surprised how many of them are warped.
Also hearing about your travels is interesting to me. Thanks for writing every day.
Yours truly- Elaine from Luray Virginia
Happy Anniversary! FYI, I lose interest in the niche blogs after a while when it always seems to be another version of the same thing.
Congratulations and thank you for this blog. I read you first thing and it makes this horrible time seem more normal. Being a full time caregiver doesn’t lead me to socializing much in the neighborhood so you are kind of filling in. Also it has taught me a lot about the theatre world.
Congrats on 13 years! I think I started coming here in about 2010 if memory serves me. I found you accidentally, and am so glad I did. Yes…we are friends.
While writing your blog is cathartic to you…reading your blog posts are cathartic to me. And I’ve learned so much, and met so many like minded souls.
Looking forward to many more posts from you about your life with Don in your cottage. Enjoy your day..,and stay safe! ;)
Claudia
Congratulations on your blog milestone. Have been laid up since the end of January with a broken arm that had to wait ten days to be fixed due to getting all vitals under control. But enough about me! Just wanted to tell you that I am glad to hear you and Don are well. Always a pleasure to ready about your lovely cottage. You are truly a gentle soul.
Best wishes from Best Bun
hej, best bun.
praying you have a fast and full recovery and (especially now, but also always) have whatever help, supplies and treats you need. and i hope the wrist you broke is on your non-dominant hand.
kathy in iowa
Hip Hip Hooray! Mockingbird Cottage is thirteen today!
We love you, Claudia! You are a bright spot and a touchstone. Our virtual friends today are much like pen pals in the past, I suppose. There is something special about the written word. We get to re-read and savor, rediscover, mull and connect on a heartfelt level.
Thank you for inspiring us with your lovely, artistic, humane spirit.
Congratulations! I enjoy reading about your thoughts and activities!
You have the best blog and are so dear to your readers. I appreciate you and yiu ar way go to place in the morni mg. I read three in England and one in Ireland a couple in USA. Others passed on by because of political comments I found detestable and no isolating at all…discouraging to me and not worth my time. I love your puzzles and books…your home..you and Don’s antics…what you are doing …keep writing and using your gift until YOU don’t want to do it….prayers dear girl
I’ll add my congrats also, Claudia. The posts and comments always make me think. Sorry about the bad weather.
Happy 13th anniversary. I love reading your blog posts. They are never boring to me. I hope you aren’t overwhelmed with snow tomorrow! Our snowstorm is due Friday.
Claudia — congratulations on the anni — long time, lots of words, pix, etc. glad I discovered it — always enjoy all of it. sorry re: more snow — we are to get 4-6 more inches — maybe (fingers crossed) no frz rain this time — trees, power lines still covered–heavy wet snow is not needed here. good luck w/new puzzle — isn’t it funny(haha!) how one teeny, tiny piece makes a huge difference?? working on one now — just said to Mr: “how can that little piece throw you off track completely?” good luck. stay safe/healthy
Hi Claudia,
13 years! That’s big! I don’t know when I started following you, but it was a long time ago. You still had both pups, one doll house and your dad. Shortly after, someone copied some of your pictures and you began branding them.
I appreciate the reality and honesty of your blog, both your words and those of your friends and would be downcast for a long time if I didn’t have it to lift my spirits every day. Even the days when the news is depressing, I come here and realize I am not the only one stressing or whatever.
So, thank you!
Take care,
Kelly
I rarely comment but I’m here everyday! My day isn’t complete until I’ve had my daily dose of Claudia!
Congrats on 13 years! And, here’s to many more!
Brava, Claudia, brava!
13 years of eloquence, honesty, connecting to many scattered around the globe.
Read your blog every evening for a bit of sanity (yes, even during the years of 2017 through 2020 when so much insanity met us every day in news) and to relax.
Thank you for being true to yourself, and for sharing your life with us all.
Stay safe, well & warm!
So glad you’re still writing! You seem to me to be one of the few true voices left in bloggerville. I always feel that you’re letting us see the real life that you and Don live. And so, of course, I feel that we’re friends. I can’t let the day go by without wishing you my best! Here’s a book suggestion: The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly.
Thank you Claudia for 13 years of pleasure. I don’t comment a lot, but I do read everyday and am grateful for you!
Claudia, even when nothing much is happening, I think it’s good to write a blog. Before internet, some ladies used to write fantastic letters to their family and friends about their daily lives. Where those letters have survived, we love reading them now and they give insight to a time in history that no other records do. I think of bloggers as contemporary letter-writers. Niche bloggers who are in it for the money add very little value to the internet, they’re just polluters and corrupters of the proper intention of blogging if you ask me. I often hear people lamenting that the days of blogs are over and that no one reads them anymore. You need only look at the crap that people are writing about to know why. The world needs real bloggers who write about real life. Think of it as your diary, and write as though you’re talking to your friends; that’s my motto.
I’ve dabbled with the idea to start a blog with a single theme (I have a idea for something good) and did some research. I contacted a few bloggers about their experience. My conclusion was that virtually the only people who make money from blogging are the ones who write about how to make money from blogging. None of the real bloggers with fantastic blogs and a big following who I contacted have become rich from blogging. But it can be a small steady extra income. If you have a good idea and you can put your heart and soul into it, it might be worthwhile.
It’s also fine to put blogging on your personal blog aside for a while if you feel that you need a break; I do that with mine but I always come back to write because the urge returns at some point.
Oh, and I should have said this first – CONGRATULATIONS on 13 years of blogging!
xoxo
I felt that it would also be too much work and my blog is a happy place for me. If I had a niche blog and was constantly chasing money, it would become everything I didn’t want it to be!
Stay safe, Megan.