Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Eight Years

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I’ve come out of my hiding place to acknowledge and celebrate the anniversary of this blog. Eight years ago today, I hit publish. That first post, on Blogger, was just some text. The next day I figured out how to add a photo.

Baby steps.

Occasionally, I read posts by bloggers in which they are considering getting rid of older posts that don’t reflect where they are now. I always shake my head at that idea: you wouldn’t be where you are now without the journey you’ve taken. Right? Those older posts of mine, though shorter and somewhat tentative, are just as real and valid as any post I’ve done since.

They stay.

Over the course of this past eight years, I’ve kept to my vision for this blog. It’s a simple one. To share my life in our cottage with you. Until I got a laptop later in that first year, I was unable to share my life on the road with you, but as soon as it was purchased (in Iowa, on a coaching job) – freedom!

Along the way, I played the with idea of trying to get more readers. But the way in which I would have had to do that never felt like the right fit for me. It felt calculating. It felt false. About three years into the process, I started blogging every day, thinking it would help my ad income, but eventually I realized it was a gift to myself. The practice of writing a blog post every morning was grounding. It gave me focus. It kept me honest.

I also discovered a love for photography. What a gift that has been!

I accepted who I am and what this blog is; a daily journal that I share with you, my readers. To be perfectly honest, writing about one thing, one niche, all of the time would drive me nuts. I have a lot of passions and I refuse to limit the blog to just one. That specific focus, by the way, would have been a way to make this blog a money-maker. But it just isn’t me.

So I keep blogging, earning enough money from ads for the blog to pay its way, and that’s just fine.

I started out on Blogger, decided to move to WordPress in 2012, learned enough coding to design a layout and a look that I liked, and here we are today. Yes, there are hassles. Nefarious types are always trying to hack into the blog. Actually, if you blog, they’re always trying to hack into yours as well, I just have the security measures in place that tell me what’s going on at any given moment. Maybe ignorance is bliss? Anyway, it’s annoying and sometimes alarming, but in the big picture, it’s not a big deal. I’ve never regretted my move to WP. I have more control over the look and feel of the blog. It’s a good fit for me.

Along the way, I’ve shared our home with you. I’ve shared my gardening adventures. I’ve shared my on-the-road stories. I’ve shared my handwork. I’ve shared the dollhouse – from its very beginnings to its publication in two magazines. I’ve written about my husband and my dogs and my sister and my parents and my nephews and nieces and my ‘lost’ sister and my friends and colleagues. I’ve written about my work and my love for the theater. I’ve written about things I believe in. I’ve written about animals and animal rights. I’ve written about my longtime vegetarianism. I’ve written about the serious and the silly.

I’ve shared the painful loss of Don’s father, my mother, my father, Riley, and Scout.

I couldn’t have done that without you. Truly. Without you out there reading, commenting and reaching out to me, I probably would have thrown in the towel. One of the best things about the move to WP in 2012 was that it gave me the chance to reply to comments and to let you know, via email, that I had replied. The conversations that have come out of that have been stimulating and moving and funny and sad and everything a good conversation between friends should be.

Thank you. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being there anytime, but especially in those times when I have suffered profound loss. I can never thank you enough for that.

I can’t imagine not blogging, but who knows? Maybe somewhere down the line, I’ll feel it’s time to move on. But not right now. Right now, with your understanding that I will occasionally take a few days away from the blog, as I have been doing since the loss of Scout, I’ll keep on keeping on, as they say.

Thanks. And Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Comments

  1. Happy Anniversary! While you may not know what you would do without us, we don’t know what we would do without YOU — THE bright spot in our day!
    Muah,

  2. Claudia, congratulations on 8 years of sharing with us! I don’t have my own blog but I enjoy reading yours very much. I have also learned many things from you about good books and your work to name just a few things. Take care,Doris

  3. For sharing your passion, interests, loves, and life with your readers – thank you! And, I for one, am honored to be on the ‘reader’ side of your blog.

  5. Happy 8th year Anniversary!! That is amazing! I LOVE your blog. If it was the same thing everyday, I think it might get boring. Thanks for doing what you are doing!! It’s FABULOUS!

  6. You take as long as you need. We’ll all be here when you feel like you want to blog. Thank you for everything you have shared! Being you and the way you share the real you is the reason I keep reading to see how you are and what you are getting up to.
    Time heals till you can get to the point where you can cope with the scar. Every death leaves us with loss but when you can every loss fills us with the joy of the time we did spend with them.

  8. Happy blogging anniversary! I’m so glad I found your blog. What I love best about it is your writing and the fact that it isn’T a niche blog full of pop ups and overwhelmed with ads. Your blog is real and genuine and I look forward to reading it every day.

  10. HaPpY aNnIvErSaRy Claudia! I’m so glad I found you through Merdith’s blog. You and your life are a gift to me. Thank you for sharing your ups and downs with us. It’s a privilege. Have a wonderful Wednesday! We’ll be right here waiting.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

  11. Congratulations on 8 years of blogging. Love reading your blog and glad to hear you will continue on, at least for now. I was trying to think of how long I’ve been reading your blog and I remember when you made the switch to WordPress, so it’s been a while, though I’ve only commented more recently. We are around the same age, but I’ve been slow to embrace social media. Heck – I just started on Facebook last fall! Thanks for the honesty and beautiful photography.

  12. Happy Anniversary! I started blogging as a diary for myself … And then it seemed bigger than that and I got overwhelmed so I stopped. It’s funny to read that you stopped trying to get readers and just did it as a gift to yourself. That’s how it started for me and now I’m back to that.

  15. My one & only blog read every day Claudia. Thanks for sharing so much with us . I feel like we are friends. Bless you & Don as you begin to heal. We are all rooting for both of you.

  16. Happy Anniversary Claudia! My heartfelt Thank You for sharing your life in such a touching way. Bless you!

  17. Happy Blogiversary…I think that’s how you dork it! This whole blog thing is quite amazing when you think about it. We, as readers, get so involved in your life…..and yet we’ve never met. I look forward to your posts, always wondering what it is you’ll be talking about on a particular day…and you never disappoint. Take your time…come back when you are ready…you know we’ll be here! ;)

  18. Happy Blog Anniversary, Claudia! I’ve always been inspired, encouraged, and touched by my visits to your blog. I am happy to have been along for much of the ride. I’m glad you are keeping on, Claudia…you inspire me to do the same. xoxo

  19. When I talk to my husband about something you write, I refer to you as “Claudia, my friend with the blog…. the one who has the same buffet as we do.” A few weeks ago he raised his eyes from what he was reading and said “The friend you have never met, right??”
    So I thought about that, and I decided we have met!! We meet every morning for coffee. We meet when we exchange a word or two. With the new technology around us, the world has opened up so much, and we are so fortunate to make friends we might not have had the chance to meet just a few short years ago. And for that I am grateful.
    Here is to many more years of following the daily happenings at Mockingbird Hill Cottage!!! Congrats, dear friend!! ?

  20. Congratulations! I’m always so happy to see you in my Inbox every day. You and Don and the cottage have become long-distance friends, probably to more people than you realize. I hope you will be around for a long time to come!

  21. I, for one, am so happy that you take time out of your life to connect with so many. When we had your mom I felt we were still connected as she always shared news and happenings. Now, even though I don’t reply very much, I always read both your and Meredith’s blogs and love my time spent with you both.
    Thank you,
    Eileen

  22. Eight years is such a big accomplishment. The reason I love your blog is that is is about you and your life. It is how I blog and what the whole experience is to me. We have become friends and I cherish that so much. This funny world we live in has let me make friends I have never met…yet, but we are as close as can be. Sharing your life each day and your honesty has made you someone I really admire. Our shared grief these last few months has been hard but also comforting to have someone who understands. Take the time you need to heal and know that your friends are here for you.
    hugs,
    Linda

  23. Happy Anniversary, Claudia!! Though I seldom comment, I get your complete blog post in an email each day, I find myself wondering where you are if I haven’t heard from you by lunch time!

    You have been through so much lately, my heart has just gone out to you, I have shed tears with you during your most recent losses. I just love your creativeness, your trips, your interesting career, something I didn’t even know existed until I ‘met’ you! I have read many books that I would have never known about, had I not read your blog.

    I recognized Don on an old Frazier a year or so ago and wrote to verify it with you and you answered me! I felt like a friend of mine had made an appearance on that show! And I rented P.S., I love You – again – just to look for Don after you mentioned he had a part in the movie. It’s like I KNOW famous people!!

    No pressure, dear friend, but I would SO miss hearing from you, should you stop blogging!!

  24. I have no idea how I found your blog a couple of years ago, but reading it is one of the first things I do each day. Bouquets to you on your anniversary; may there be many, many more!

  25. Happy anniversary Claudia. Found your blog and many others looking for a crochet pattern. I was so delighted to have found you and others like your sister. Until then I had no idea what a blog was. Thank you…Nidia

  27. Happy Anniversary Claudia!! I’ve been enjoying this blog for about 5 years – it’s the only blog I read consistently … every day. I love that you share about such a variety, and I especially appreciate that it’s your content. Each day it feels like I’m hearing from a friend.

  29. Congratulations on your anniversary and on your persistence! Way to go girl … and I’m glad you are continuing. I look forward to checking in with you every day and seeing what is happening at the cottage and your adventures.

  30. Congratulations on your 8th anniversary. You mean as much to all of us as we do to you. Thanks for sharing your life with us. We’re all glad that you are going to keep on keeping on!

  31. Happy Anniversary, Claudia! There are so many things I love about your blog. Knowing that you pretty much always have a post up in the morning is something I’ve come to look forward to. Kind of like my favorite newspaper column with my cup of coffee. I like your candidness and your willingness to share the many aspects of your life and your interests. The progression of the dollhouse has been a favorite, and — guess what?! — I found my dollhouse! At the ARC store last week, for $19. I’m giddy with excitement. Thank you for sharing that passion with me and for inspiring me! Big hug to you today and I hope that knowing you make so many people happy with your blog will bring you a bit of peace to your heart today. xo

  33. Congratulations, Claudia! I can’t tell you how much I look forward to receiving your blog posts in my inbox. I scroll though all my incoming messages and open yours first. I love your writing style and am always interested in the topics you discuss. I can hardly believe you were not a photographer before the blog. I hope you keep on keeping on with the blog. I truly appreciate your stories and insights. Sincerely, Jill

  34. I am honored to be able to read your story, the happy parts and the sad. I have laughed and cried with you. And you have given me decorating ideas for my home. Many thanks for your beautiful blog!!

  35. Congratulations, Claudia. That is quite an accomplishment and you should be very proud of yourself! I have been a fan of your blog for about a year now. I don’t often comment (still a little shy about doing that) but during the past year you have become a very special friend to me. I too have my morning coffee and read your blog. I love your writing style and your common sense approach to life. You are a very positive influence.
    I know these are hard times. So many precious souls gone in such a short span of time.
    I am grieving as well and I know the pain in your heart. It will take time to recover and go forward.
    You take as much time as you need. Your many friends will be right here waiting for you.

  36. I would say, “It is our pleasure.” Your blog gets me out of myself. I am a caregiver 24/7 for over 40 years with a child who is severely retarded. It wears a bit after so long. Your blog takes me places I cannot go. I get to look over your shoulder at your garden, I get to know your delicious Scout and enjoy the knowledge of a profession I will never come close to. Thanks.

  38. Congratulations Claudia!! Yours is one of the very few blogs that I continue to read on a daily basis. Through the good times and the very sad times, thank you for sharing your life with us.

  39. Congratulations, Claudia! I have learned from you and have been inspired and motivated by you. You are one of the few blogs I check on a daily basis because I know a very smart woman has posted something.

  40. Thank goodness you’re still blogging! Blog on! And many congrats. You’ve stayed true to yourself. I very much respect that!

    I went back into a blog I formerly read all the time and I’ve been so disappointed with the blog owner in the past year or so. Kept thinking something might have changed…but, no. I just wish she’d be honest with her readers as to WHY her blog is so stale. She just keeps recycling and recycling AND RECYCLING posts from the past; she’s very, very heavy with ads. I just don’t think she has time for the blog anymore or has become disinterested in it, yet she wants the ad income. (She also does ‘way too many sponsored posts on things I feel certain she doesn’t use or know about. Her post winds up sounding like a page out of Wiki or a info sheet from an advertiser/manufacturer.) It makes me feel manipulated (being ‘used’) so I decided last night, that’s it, for her. And this time I’m sticking with it. I don’t mean to be mean about it, but MY time is valuable, too. I’m bored with her blog. There are so many blogs; lots more to choose from out there. I feel like she’s scraping the bottom of the barrel and needs to stop, wants to stop but is reluctant to give up the small, added income (which is her ONLY income as a stay-at-home mom with a child of elementary-school age who she ‘home schools’…I mean, I understand it; she’s probably super busy…but it’s just not for me anymore). I would support her if she shared something new, like even a new idea. She formerly would share her thoughts about a lot of things and I could identify with a lot of it. Anyway, I have a choice.

    (Incidentally, you’re the opposite of what I describe, which is why I so heart your blog! You’re the real deal. And you have a great exchange with your readers which I feel privileged to be able to peek in on. As I’ve said, my opinion is that you are a marvelous writer.)

    An aside. What did you think of the Grammy tribute for Glenn Frey? I initially felt it was lackluster. Until I remembered that the band mates only lost him a month ago, so it was probably excruciating to be onstage, incomplete and without his presence; grieving him and also the demise of the Eagles. Nobody really could have sung that song but Jackson Browne, his co-writer…but, again, JB seemed to be struggling. Of course, the production had TOO many audio issues. I know a teeny bit about the TV business from working in it and sh*t happens (as Adele was quoted as saying) but for something of that caliber, with the best-of-the-best camera people, sound folks – a production of huge proportions and broadcast to millions – I also felt there was just no excuse for such mess-ups. It made the artists look bad. Sound bad. My husband was texting a guy he knows who does audio and the guy (older dude, like us; been doing it a LONG time on the nat’l front) said, in all his years, he’d never seen such a poorly-executed show on TV.

    • The sound problem (and the lighting) concerning Adele’s performance was inexcusable. I think the Eagles did just fine. If you looked at Don Henley’s face, he looked like he was trying hard to keep it together on their bow. He was very stoic. It had to be incredibly hard for all of them to perform that song without Glenn Frey.

      • Yes, you’re right. I did notice that Tim Schmit’s face looked just ashen. Joe Walsh’s smile was rueful; bittersweet. I like Henley but find him hard to read. His statement at the time of Glenn Frey’s death was poignant and eloquent. As Henley quoted J. D. Souther in the Eagles documentary, “Time passes. Things change.” Soundtrack of my life, like so much of the incredible music from the ’70s. What a time. So grateful I could experience it as it happened in my teens and young adulthood, here in Southern California where a lot of it was happening. But you could be anywhere and be lov’in that music!

        Hope your day is going along okay today, Claudia. Our temps have plunged 20 degrees, to 70 at about 11am (I’ll take it; beats the recent hot 90s) and we actually have some rain coming in soon, if we’re lucky down here in the south of the state, to be followed by another heatwave. It’s just nuts.

        • Well below zero wind chills on Monday – 55 degrees yesterday – 35 degrees today. It makes no sense.

  41. Congratulations Claudia. It has been a lot of years and a lot of shared memories. There is a website called blog2print that publishes blogs. I published my blog every year thinking that someday somebody might be interested in it? We put a lot of thoughts ,feelings and emotions into our blogs. Thanks for sharing yours all these years. Hope you are well

    • I published a book of the first year of my blog. I meant to do more but as I started posting every day, the cost would have been exorbitant. And now that I’m on WP, I can no longer do that. Something about self-hosted blogs (which mine is) doesn’t work with their software. I wish I could, though. Thank you for your kind words, Missy.

  43. Happy Anniversary Claudia. I lol forward each day to read your blog and enjoy hearing about your life. You have touched many readers lives with your writing each day and hope you continue with your blog!

  44. Happy Blogoversary and congratulations. I love that you have enjoyed sharing your life and journey. Obviously we return to continue to enjoy that share. I’m grateful for your sister Mere who has also provided a sneak peek into her life and led us to you. You both have very distinctive voices, but both comfortingly remind us how to focus on the positive in the hardest of times.

    • Thank you, Ellen. We Hill girls are made of strong stuff and we do try to find the positive in our daily lives.

  45. Congratulations! I enjoy reading your blog posts and often feel that you have touched my life in different ways. You have inspired me to be more creative and motivated. Your sharing the difficult & sad parts of you life has helped me in dealing with those aspects of my own life. You do so much good through your blog and I thank you for it!

  47. How fitting, Happy Anniversary to your blog and my 46th Anniversary to my best friend and husband. Since I found your blog I feel like I have a new friend in you. I’ve enjoyed your travel pictures, your cottage and Caroline’s little house. I have cried with your over your heartbreaks and sent prayers. Keep a strong heart and all your friends and Don will be with you.

  48. Happy blog anniversary. I just discovered your blog a few months ago when the dollhouse bug bit me and I have so enjoyed reading about Hummingbird Cottage. Now I check in each day to see how YOU are doing, and it’s always a nice break to hear about someone happily going about her business and dealing with ups and downs of life. Eight years ago began a terrible phase in my life, which thankfully is over with. But it was the year I first started reading and following blogs, and have learned and enjoyed so much! Thank you for always being correct in your spelling and grammar, always being kind to your readers and the general world, and always being there in the morning for me to check in and take a little break. Hope you are still blogging 8 years from now!

  49. I have enjoyed every post! I also know that you are going thru some really tough times.
    Everyone grieves,and I cannot say this enough, over their own time and pain,and it’s going to take as long as it takes. Every person will use what ever they have available,or can grasp on to, to get them thru every hour of everyday.
    You are a very well Loved, and intelligent,kind hearted ,principled gal.
    You do what you have to do. With My Prayers for your courage, and strength, Love, to sustain you, Deepest Sympathy, For You to Draw on, Lean on, when ever it might help, Claudia and Don Love Judy A-

  50. Congratulations on your Blog Anniversary Claudia! Thank you for all the wonderful posts. I wish I had found your blog much earlier, I must have missed so many beautiful posts from previous years – which I still need to check btw! Thank you for sharing your honest thoughts and feelings and for being an inspiration even now to all of us! Hugs, Susi

  51. Congratulations! I LOVE your blog! Although we have never met and probably won’t in this lifetime, I feel like we are friends. I enjoy seeing how your day is going, seeing the interesting pictures you post, and just spending a little time with a friend. I even share some things you post with my husband. Sure don’t do that with the other blogs I follow. Thanks for everything you do. Take as much time off as you need. We’ll all be here waiting.

  52. Thanks for inspiring me to start my own blog, and thanks for being true to your voice and teaching us that each blog is unique and can bring value to this world. Congratulations and keep on writing!

  54. Happy eighth anniversary. I have truly enjoyed the life experiences that you have been kind enough to share. Looking forward to many years to come.

  55. Your blog is my favorite, Claudia. Really. It. Is. And I read a lot of blogs, mostly about crafting, needlework and knitting. But I love yours the best. It’s like having a real chat with a friend whenever I read a new post. I love how you always stay true to yourself. Inspiring and fantastic.

  57. I believe that sharing the real things makes us all feel stronger and lets us know that we are not alone…Thank you for everything…

  58. Oh Claudia – I hope you never decide to retire from your blog!! I look forward every day to your post being there and always worry if it’s not (which is very rarely). I enjoy your everyday view of what’s going on in your world. You have so many people who depend on you to start their day.

    I know you are going thru such a rough time right now. And I have no encouraging words to give you. It just takes time and remember, if you hadn’t loved Scout so much, you wouldn’t be grieving so hard. It is hard for some people to believe you can love a pet/family member that much but I know how special Scout was to you as was Riley. So, grieve as long as you have to. As a country song says “a love like that is not easy to forget”.

    Love you dear friend,
    Judy

  59. Congratulations on your anniversary! Your blog is one of the few I read on a regular basis any more, and I’m glad you are still writing.

  60. . . . . . and I’ve enjoyed every post you’ve shared these past many years dear Claudia. Keep on keeping on – you would be greatly missed I assure you.
    Congrats on this important anniversary.

    Love and hugs – Mary

  61. Congrats on your anniversary, Claudia. I’m glad you have a little something to smile about at this sad and difficult time. If it means anything, yours is one of only 3 blogs I read, and you are the only person who writes daily. And have for 8 years!! I can’t tell you how impressed I am by that. You really have embraced that “the show must go on” mentality and I think that’s really terrific. Take care, stay warm, and try to be happy.

    PS – Spring is coming, and the boys are back at spring training – yay!

  63. Claudia,je me réjouis de vous lire chaque jour ,les sujets sont très variés et intéressants.
    Je partage vos joies,vos peines au fil du temps.Je vous remercie d’écrire ce blog.
    Claude

  64. I feel the same as you about cleaning up a blog. We all had to start somewhere. Those beginning posts show us how far we’ve come. And being open, honest and down to earth is what makes and keeps true blog friends. Best wishes, Tammy

  65. CONGRATULATIONS, Claudia, on your eight years of blogging. The reason I love your blog so much is because you are always so honest and the fact that you don’t try to keep up with all the latest ‘trends’. You are who you are and we love you for that! We have never met in person but I feel like we have been best friends forever. Keep up the good work! xoxo

  67. From the minute I first saw your fun blue glasses and sweet, pretty smile, I knew I was going to enjoy your blog, and I have and I do. My first thought was, “There goes a creative, kind person” which is a winning combination in my book, and that first impression still holds true.

    Thank YOU, Claudia, for inviting us into your life. I’ve enjoyed you sharing it with us, and I wish you a Happy Annivesary and many more years of blogging to come. Thanks to Don, too, for putting up with us as your blogging posse!

    xo

    Sheila

  68. Claudia,
    Yay! Wonderful post and well said. I love how you have touched on the growing of the blog and how our writing comes out of all life’s happenings and our reader base.
    I enjoy reading here at MHC … I understand the breaks and the reason behind them. So glad you’ll be sticking with it. Happy blog-aversary.
    I love the photo !

  69. Claudia, I have to give you credit for the time that you take to
    write in your blog. You are dedicated and that I admire.
    You keep it real here and that’s why I keep coming back.
    I hope you have a nice weekend. Spring is on the way. Right?
    Take care,
    Monica

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