Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Groundhog Sighting, Dollhouse & A Question For You

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First groundhog sighting – not Henry, this guy was far too spry for Henry. In fact, I’m not even sure whether he lives on our property. I happened to look out the kitchen window and saw a groundhog on the ramp to the shed. Then he ran around the shed. (There’s another entrance to their home back there.) Then he ran around to the front and, to my surprise, jumped up on our overturned wheelbarrow.

Blurry. Taken through the window with my iPhone.

He was on the alert. He did this a couple of times, then he proceeded to follow the chicken wire fence toward the back of the property, stopping several times to stand on his hind legs and scout some more. Eventually, he ran across the back of the property toward my neighbor’s shed. And I know some ground hogs live there, as well.

Did he just wake up from hibernation? Is he looking for his friends? I’m not sure. But it sure was fun to watch him.

I worked a bit on the dollhouse yesterday. My English cottage concept involves stones. So I cut up some egg cartons (used by miniaturists for the texture) and played with paints.

Pretty good, but I think they need to be lighter in color.

And can you imagine how long this will take me to do? I woke up this morning feeling daunted at the very idea.

I also got about 2 hours of sleep last night, so that didn’t help. I went to sleep just fine. I woke up, went to the bathroom, and that was it for the rest of the night. Just dreadful. My sleep has been really off lately. I’m feeling ragged today, so I’m just going to take it easy.

A question for you: Don and I have been tossing around the idea of doing a podcast. Something that we would do every couple of weeks or so, where we chat with each other about the theater, our lives, life at the cottage, music, groundhogs, whatever. We’re sort of intrigued by the idea, but the big question is: Would anyone listen to it?

What are your thoughts? We wouldn’t inundate you with episodes, we might not even keep to a rigid schedule. Don could play a tune on his uke, we could swap stories about our careers and who we’ve worked with, and we’d be funny, to boot.

We’re going to research the whole thing because we haven’t a clue how to do one. But it would be fun for us and maybe fun for you?

Let me know.

The winner of a copy of How to Know the Birds  is Susan. Now, there were several Susans who commented, but I’ve sent you an email, Susan, so you’ll know if it’s you. Please respond with your mailing address. Thank you to everyone who commented!

Also, I’m playing with the size of my photos? Are these too big?

Happy Sunday.

 

Comments

  1. A podcast sounds like a very nice idea. I certainly would watch.
    Good luck with this project.

  2. Count me as a yes for the podcasts. I would love to hear from you and Don about your experiences. As for the larger pictures, they are a just a tad big for my screen.

    • Well, I use a laptop and my normal-sized photos are too big for the screen! These are just a bit bigger. Jury is still out on this one. Thanks, Karen.

  3. Your podcast would be interesting.
    The photo’s are just right to my idea.
    Your blog is very nice, as is your fabulous cottage and garden.

  4. Hi Claudia, A podcast is a wonderful idea! How fun it would be for us to hear you and Don. You have my vote! xo

  5. A podcast would be amazing! My dh has one. I’ll ask him which program he uses.

    Love the stones for the dollhouse. And how you made them. Ingenious!

    Hope you get some rest today. We’ve had our Septic System alarming all weekend – no sleep. But it’s a low level alarm so at least we know we won’t have an issue in the house. Just annoying and worrisome. Hoping our septic guy can make it out tomorrow. Then I’ll sleep!!

    X Chy

      • We have a treatment plant built in to our Septic, so technically, it would not need to be cleaned out for 8 to 10 years. However, last year, a contractor had a bit of a mishap and broke one of the lids, so we had to have it repaired. At that time, we had lived here for 2 years, so I asked to have it cleaned out anyway and they did but said it really didn’t need it.

        Right now, we’re getting a low level reading in the 4th pod, so I’m wondering if the filter, which gets cleaned out each year during the annual inspection might be clogged. This happened last April. Fingers crossed our guy can come out tomorrow and do the inspection and clean out the filter …. hope that’s all it is. My worry gut is in knots and will be until he comes out. I really need to work on that worry that I put too much energy in to!

        Chy

  6. Groundhogs have been out in full force here for a few weeks now. We have a security camera on our front door and when I check out the video clips, you can always see them scurrying across our property in the middle of the night. They look huge and fat! lol

    Your photos…I read blogs on my laptop and your photos were just a little too large.

    Podcast…it sounds intriguing, but I will be honest, I rarely listen to podcasts. It’s nothing personal; it’s just something that I’ve never gotten into. If I listen to anything, it’s music. But since it’s you and Don ~ I would give it a try!

    • They usually are fat! Unless they’re babies.

      I don’t listen to them all that much, either, but I’m going to do some research. We’ll see. Thanks, Melanie.

  7. Photo size works for me—how cute is that groundhog?!

    Your egg-carton stones are great—lighter color would be my choice, as well, for overall coverage. You could also use the darker stones as trim for windows, corners, etc. Lots of work…yes.

    If I could figure out how to watch a podcast, I certainly would!

  8. First off….love those stones. Tedious, yes…but I think it would be worth it.

    Secondly, on my iPad…the picture size is great.

    Thirdly…while I normally don’t listen to a lot of podcasts…count me in. It’s bound to be good!

    And lastly….enjoy your day! ;)

  9. A podcast would be great!!

    I read the blog on my laptop, and the 2nd picture seems rather large.

    Have a lovely Sunday!!

  10. Claudia, I like the egg carton stone. I think you are right, though, it’ll be a lot of work, but I think it’ll be worth it. Are you painting the entire egg carton piece then cutting out the rectangles?

    I don’t usually watch podcasts, but like Melanie says, if it’s you and Don, I’m game! It’ll be fun to see if the voices of you and Don in my head match your real voices….haha! Oh, and your photos are a bit big on my iPad, but I don’t mind.

    I spotted my first Spring hummingbird yesterday. I hope it comes back. I have lots of hummer-friendly plants and am thinking about putting more in.

    • I’ve been cutting them out and then painting them because I’d like some variation from stone to stone.

      It would be a listening podcast, I think. At this age, I don’t know if I want to be ‘on display!’

      Lovely to see a hummingbird, Wendy!

  12. I also vote “YES! PLEASE DO!” on the podcasts. (I listen to a young couple in London. who are originally from Sweden!) I’ve often wished I could hear your voices. I think podcasts would just wonderful! they’re fun and I think you’d both love doing them!
    another creative outlet for two very creative people!
    wow. only 6 exclamation points if you don’t count this last one! LOLOL. XOXO

    • I think we would, too! Just chatting together, with a different topic each time.

      Thanks so much, Tammy! I hope you’re feeling much better by this point, my friend.

    • I would love to subscribe to a podcast by you and Don. All of the possible topics you mentioned would be quite interesting and entertaining.

      After reading the comments there seems to be some confusion about podcasts. A podcast is an audio file similar in nature to a radio broadcast except it’s recorded, not live. You listen to them on your computer, phone or tablet via a podcast app (my favorite is Overcast). If you have an iPhone the Podcast app comes preloaded on your phone. If you have an Android phone you can listen to podcasts using Google Play Music. You can even listen to podcasts on your favorite music apps such as Pandora, TuneIn, and Spotify. I can listen to podcasts on my Amazon Echo. I just tell Alexa the name of the podcast and she plays it from TuneIn. (I have my TuneIn account linked to the Echo.)

      • Thanks, Denise. Good info to share. I get mine through iTunes. I’ve also been able to listen to podcasts on the blog of the blogger/podcaster. Just depends. We’ll try to list all of the ways to access it, if and when we do it.

  14. HI,
    I would listen to a pod cast that you and Don created. I would welcome it , I learn something from you all the time that enriches me .
    Take Care,
    Kaye

  15. I’d be interesting in a podcast. I’d just have to learn how to access it. I’m not exactly computer saavy.

  16. photo size works well on my cellphone.

    and henry’s relative is sure cute.

    someone found a large hole on the property at work one day. found out it belongs to a groundhog and that it is illegal here to fill in groundhog holes without having a professional first make sure there’s no one in it. yay for that, iowa!

    agree about the podcast idea … sounds great! i’d need to learn how to access them first!

    wow; do you have patience to make those egg-carton stones one at a time! i am impressed!

    congrats to susan for winning the book. thanks again for the chance.

    hope you have a good day and sleep better tonight.

    kathy in iowa

  18. A podcast sounds like a marvelous idea and your pictures are great too. You have so many interesting ideas to share it would be great to hear your actual voices and to hear some of Don’s great music too. Sounds like a great plan !

  19. I would definitely listen to a podcast with you and Don! :)
    The photos are a bit large on my IPad, but I’m ok with that.
    I’ve been meaning to tell you how much I love love love your pew!
    And I’m sorry to hear that Ashley and Pliers have passed on, but good to know in their last years they were well taken care of. I know it must have been heartbreaking for their elderly owner to give them up, even though it was for the best. That brought tears to my eyes.

  20. I didn’t have any problem with the size of your photos the way they always were…these, today, don’t fit in my screen frame so I have to scroll, although it’s no prob. Definitely amazing detail on your egg-carton bricks/stones.

    (Can’t see the groundhog at all; I know you said it was blurry anyway; not always easy to catch the creatures before they make a move. Our squirrels at seaside are a little too tame (tourists and treats) but I still can’t ever seem to get a good photo of them before they scamper away in & out of the beach rocks.

    Are you kidding? A podcast with you two? That would be the bomb! I’d love it.

    • You should be able to see the groundhog, it may be your monitor. Who knows? I can see it on my laptop –

      Thanks so much, Vicki!

      • Oh, I didn’t think about; it could very well be our monitor as we’ve been having trouble with it and it may need to be replaced; we get vertical lines running down it, a real nuisance. Just have been limping along with it for too long.

        • I looked at the photo again and realized that the shadowy groundhog would be mistaken for a tire on the wheelbarrow!

  21. I would listen to a podcast! I think it’s a great idea. The stone made from egg carton look nice! You’ll be able to get through it I put shingles on my dollhouse one at a time. Little by little. I now you did the same with the popsicle stick floors. What are you planning for the floor of this cottage?

    • I’m not sure yet, Jane. I’m thinking hardwood floors, since it’s a cottage. With throw rugs, maybe…

      Thanks!

    • The pics are OK on my iPad – love your whole cozy house by now ! It took me a minute to find your critter and to realize it was on a wheelbarrow. It’s spring-y but cold here the way it looks there.

      I am pretty old (75) and don’t know how to access podcasts. If I could get my son over here, he might help. That old phrase : “like nailing jello to a tree” applies here.

      Connie

  22. I would definitely listen to a podcast from you and Don. What a fabulous idea! Your photos worked fine for me.

  25. Podcast…YES!! It would be great to see you interact and tell stories. I don’t know about podcasts, but I have seen YouTube videos and watch them all the time. There are some dumpster divers in Calif I love (they dumpster dive big box stores and its amazing what they find), sometimes they go live. So just do it my friends. No pressure for a schedule but do it for you fans! Love you both.

    • You wouldn’t see us – you’d hear us. But you’d definitely hear us interact. Podcasts aren’t videos, they’re audio files.

      Thanks, Linda!

  27. I love the idea of a podcast! So sorry about the sleep problems. I often wake up too early and it’s impossible to fall back asleep. A few years ago I took melatonin and it really helped.

  29. Yes to the podcast. Besides the fact how fun it would be to actually hear your and Don’s voices, I’ve just really gotten into podcasts lately. It’s a fun thing to do while knitting.

    • Yes, I think they’re perfect for when you’re doing something like needlework, or cleaning – something repetitive. Thanks Kay.

  32. I’m just catching up on your weekend posts and I would definitely be interested in a podcast starring you two. What a great idea! And you are both so interesting and live a life so different than my own I’d love to hear what you have to share. Go for it!

  33. First of all, the bricks are a brilliant idea — egg carton has that texture of the Cotswold stone which yes, it is a little more yellow than the color here. I’ll be showing oodles of Cotswold cottages over the next couple of weeks on my Gypsy posts when I hit that area (finally finishing the England trip). Look for the post announcements on my fb page (thanks for popping over!). Although you don’t need to wait for that! I LOVED that area!

    I’d be interested in podcasts if not too frequent. I love all the topics you talk about and would enjoy them — it’s just if they are too long or often, I never get through and then feel guilty!

    A sunny day here — cold but sunny and that does well for the mood. Have a great day!

    • Thanks, Jeanie! The podcasts wouldn’t be too frequent. We don’t want to get caught up in something we have to do.

  34. I’d love a podcast–and if you use Podbean (which I recommend; many of my marketing clients use it because it’s pretty easy to start up) you could embed the link to a post here on the blog, so all we’d have to do is click it to hear it: http://blog.podbean.com/category/embed/

    Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve written a lot of outlines and scripts for people and companies, and I’d be happy to help!

    • Thanks so much for the information, Wendy. I just may contact you in the future. Much, much appreciated. xo

  35. I would LOVE to hear a podcast by you and Don. I know nothing about the theater so that would be wildly entertaining and informative. Getting to hear Don play/sing would be the icing on the cake. Just tell us when you go “live”.

  38. I don’t have a clue about how to listen to a podcast but my son does so he could teach me..I think it’s a great idea! Sorry to be late with this…

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