Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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MHC – 15 Years

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Well, here we are. It’s hard for me to believe, but it’s been 15 years  since I wrote my first post on this blog I decided to name Mockingbird Hill Cottage. 15 years! That’s longer than I’ve held any job. I suppose this is a job of sorts…just not as well paying as any of my other jobs and that includes my job in an office where I had the most dismal paycheck ever. It was still more than this blog ‘pays’ me.

But that’s the point – I don’t write this blog for any sort of monetary gain. That’s never been my goal. It’s purely for the pleasure of sharing.

My goal when I contemplated writing a blog was to share a sort of visual journal with as-yet-unknown people out there in the blogosphere. I was fascinated by the blogs I was seeing which were a whole new way of communicating. And for me, someone who never really succeeded at journaling, the combination of writing (which I loved) and photography was a perfect fit.

In those days, I just hoped that someone would follow me! I followed lots of other blogs, they followed me back, and I was off and running. But it was very early days in the blogging world. Crude, by today’s standards. But I sometimes miss those days. It was a wonderful time of discovery.

Now, less and less people blog. But some of us are still hanging in there. I love Instagram and use it every day, but it will never take the place of a blog post. Never. You simply cannot get into the depth of writing that you can in a blog.

I venture to say that few of the people who were blogging way-back-when still blog. Those that do, generally don’t blog every day. Maybe a couple of times a week, once a week, once a month, and for some – once every 6 months or so. I blog every day with rare exceptions; when I’m working long hours on a show or when I’ve been in mourning for my mother, my father, my dogs. Then I needed to take some time away from the blog. I like the routine of blogging every morning. I think it focuses my mind for the day ahead. And heaven knows, it’s been cathartic and beautiful and painful. As it should be.

It’s been so rewarding.

The community that has emerged from the comments on the blog is the BEST part of all of this. We reach out to each other, we offer help, support, prayers, laughter – whatever is needed. I’m so proud of it and it’s not something I fashioned. It just happened.

Thanks for being there for me through losses and triumphs and all the days in-between. In-between is where life is truly lived, don’t you think? Thanks for indulging my passions for collecting, nature, animals, books, decorating, my pets, gardening, dolls (who knew?) and my husband. Thanks for everything you have given me over these 15 years. Every day I feel your support. You are my friends. We haven’t met in person but we have  met. We know each other and care for each other.

Without you, I’d just be writing and sending posts out into the ether. That would be okay, but, as a longtime performer: it’s sure nice to have an audience.

Thank you for being here. You mean more to me than I can say.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Happy Mockingbird Hill Cottage.

 

Comments

  2. I found your blog during Covid. It sustained me….comforted and connected me. I congratulate you on 15 years…a true accomplishment . Thank you Claudia.

    • Thank you for being here, Maria. I’m so glad you found this little place on the Web.

      Stay safe.

  3. Congratulations Claudia, 15years is a real achievement. Yours is the blog I read each and every day, I’m a poor commentor, only managing occasional comments but you are a valuable part of my life so thank you. Here’s to the next 15 years !!

      • Congratulations on 15 years of blogging! I look forward to reading your blog each day and have been doing so for at least 12 years. Thank you for sharing your life stories with us.

  4. Congratulations! I wish I had found your blog sooner, I usually start my day by reading your blog.
    It’s so nice to read how things are going in your normal, sane word. Have the best day!

  6. Congratulations! I read your blog religiously. You have a gift of writing. Keep it up for another 15 years!

  7. Congratulations Claudia. 15 years is really an achievement. I no longer blog but I do a YouTube video and I have enjoyed that for several years. I have enjoyed getting to know you, Don and sharing in your ups and downs for many years now. I look forward to reading your blog and I hope you continue for some time. Hugs!

  8. Claudia….thank you for writing this blog! I’m relatively new as one of your readers, but I really enjoy all you have to share! Thank you again!

  9. Happy 15th. I am late to blog life…just last few years. Yours is one of the best. I love sharing books…your life…thank you so much for your dedication. I also am thankful that you respond…so many don’t do that. Prayers

  10. Congrats on 15 years! Has it gone fast for you?

    You hit the nail on the head, when you said that we started out as strangers and became friends. I found myself caring about you, Don, and your readers…total strangers, yes. But now…no…friends. I think of it as one of the good things to come from the internet.

    Enjoy your day! ;)

    • Hi, Donnamae! How have you been enjoying our weekly Thursday snow storms? Crazy, isn’t it? I am so ready for Spring!!!!! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers over the past weeks, I do so appreciate them and truly feel the difference they make in my recovery. Going home next week. Can’t wait!!!!

    • It’s gone fast, but it does seem every bit of 15 years!

      Thank you for your kind words, Donnamae.

      Stay safe.

  11. Congratulations on 15 years! You have created a nice little “community” here. I think I have been reading for close to 10 years. I didn’t comment for quite a long time. I haven’t had time to comment as much lately but I visit every day. Thank you for enriching my life with books, Don’s music, your many interests and collections…here’s to another 15 years!
    Take care

  12. congratulations and happy 15th mhc anniversary, claudia! here’s to as many more years online as you want.

    thanks for all that you have shared with us … pieces of your life, your thoughts and your heart. sometimes funny, other times poignant and always inspiring, thoughtful, charming and real. always much appreciated.

    i know it takes time, effort and money to start/keep a blog … thanks for that, too.

    have you ever thought about getting mhc turned into books for you to keep? seems very fitting (also probably expensive; sorry to say) for a reader.

    i agree about the community of people gathered here … wonderful! thanks to you all, too, for what you share. through you all and claudia, i have received so much support, friendship and kindness. thank you all.

    happy, safe friday to everyone.

    kathy

    • Hi, kathy! I know you have been sending prayers my way and I wanted you to know how much I appreciated each of them. I am going home next Thurs. I can’t wait. I have learned a lot on this “journey”, and I truly do thank you for your thoughts and prayers!!!! They absolutely do make a difference.

      • that is great news, chris! :) i don’t want to wish away time, but for you i hope february 23 gets here in the proverbial blink of an eye so you get to go home, sleep in your own bed, eat home-cooked food and be surrounded by your favorite books, other comforts and your loved ones.

        prayers will continue. i agree … they do make a difference. as the expression goes (sorry; source unknown), “the power of prayer is not in who says them, but He who hears them.” :)

        sending hugs. and if i could, i’d leave one of my family’s favorite casseroles and a treat at your doorway next thursday.

        kathy

    • Way too expensive. In the early days of the blog, I got the first year of posts put into a book. That was expensive, and in those days, I was on Blogger and only blogging 2 or 3 times a week. Add fourteen years on to that, with posts every day? It would be astronomical. I could never afford it. Besides, last time I checked, you can’t do that with a WordPress blog, which this is. I had to go with WordPress when I needed the safety of a server.

      Thanks, Kathy.

      Stay safe.

      • pricey, for sure. and too bad about that … but glad you have the blog online (and share it with us).

        kathy

        • When I stop blogging it will disappear – unless I pay the fee for the server. And I won’t do that.

  13. I wasn’t there in the early days, and I honestly don’t remember how I discovered your blog. (I don’t do Instagram.) But I have enjoyed your thoughts on the day and your many beautiful photographs. Happy Anniversary and have a great weekend!

    Oh, and I love your house and always enjoy reading about new items moving things around. And the Christmas tree.

  14. Thank you Claudia for being you. You lift my spirits every day and I really enjoy your writing style. My family is enduring an extremely difficult time which has been going on at the same time as the pandemic. I’m sure we will get through but the repercussions are almost overwhelming. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back for being here and sharing.

    • I’m sorry to hear you’re going through a difficult time, Tracy. Thoughts and prayers are with you.

      I hope this blog is a bit of an escape for you. Thank you for being here.

      Stay safe.

    • hej, tracy.

      prayers said and will continue for you and your family … that you all have comfort, answers and resolution, relief, peace of mind, whatever you need.

      hugs, too.

      kathy

  15. Congratulations!!! I remember when you painted your white cabinet with blue handles pink! After the cabinet had been in a magazine with the original colors. That’s when I knew you were my kind of person. :)

    • I forgot about that! Yes, I did repaint it after it had been in a magazine!

      Thanks so much for being here, Betsy.

      Stay safe.

  16. Congratulations on 15 years! Your blog and one other that I read are how I start each day. I used to read many other blogs but tired of them all being the same. When I read yours, it’s like ‘talking’ with a dear friend and that’s what I love about it.

    Take care and I hope you and Don have a wonderful weekend!

  17. Thank you for your interesting life and sharing it. You have educated me, enriched me made me happy and sometimes sad. I am so happy I discovered your blog along time ago. You never disappoint!

    Take Care,
    Kaye

  18. Oh, wow, 15 years! Congratulations, Claudia. Once I discovered your blog I went back to your very first post and read them all. It was like reading a good book, happy to have read it but sad that I finished it. But…now I have a new post to look forward to every day. I sometimes wait to read your blog till late afternoon so I can savour the anticipation of it. Great big thank you for sharing your creativity with us all. And thank you for introducing us to Blythe dolls. Keep those pictures coming of your beautiful girls. Hugs, Elaine

  19. Congratulations on fifteen years and thank YOU again for posting nearly every single day!!! It is a treat to read your blog, see your beautiful home and gardens, hear about your loving relationship, and follow the adventures of the dolls and doll houses. I love it!!

  20. I love your blog! I don’t answer every day but religiously read you every morning. You are certainly a very important part of my routine and I miss you when you aren’t able to post. I appreciate all you share and comment on your Instagram posts often as I really relate to those too. Hears to many more years of your wonderful blog! Congratulations, Claudia!

  21. 15 years! Thank you so much for providing such an interesting and thought provoking blog. I really enjoy reading about your life.
    I like how you express your feelings and are not afraid to say if you disagree with things that are happening in your country.
    I always read it every day even if I don’t always comment.

    Happy Friday

  22. Congratulations Claudia! I have been a follower for a number of years. During that time, life has changed drastically for me. I now live in a province 1200 miles from my previous home. I am happily settled now.
    You helped me during that stressful time. Reading your daily blog made me feel that a friend had come with me on my new journey.
    I start my day with a big cup of coffee and your comments.
    Thank you.

    • Oh, what kind words! That means so much to me, Lyn. I’m glad you’re settled in your new home.

      Stay safe.

  23. Happy 15th anniversary, Claudia. I have many blogs go into my feed, but yours is only one of a handful that I read every time there is a new entry. Your blog does feel like a community, a safe and rational harbor on which to land daily. Thank you for keeping it going.

  28. Thank you for blogging Claudia – I forget now how I found you but I’m so glad you’re still there. Bravo you and Congratulations on 15 years!

  30. One of your gorgeous photos of a flower caught my eye some years back. I thoroughly enjoyed your positivity back then. Your photos of your garden, your flowers, your pottery and even your egg cups were always a bit of a bright spot in my day. Here in Metro Detroit, Michigan, it is so dreary. This past year, quite a few of your posts are about weather, puzzles and dolls. So looking forward to some of your lovely photos that showcase spring, joyous blooms and your garden. Your love for your husband and his thoughtfulness are always touching to read. I hope that this year proves to be successful and happy for you both.

    • I post about what’s happening at the moment and it’s weather, puzzles, dolls, and books. I look forward to getting outside again, but that won’t be for a few months! And it will be even longer until there are flowers.

      Thanks for your kind words!

      Stay safe.

  32. Congratulations on 15 years! I have been reading your blog for most of those years. You have built a community where we feel safe and secure. It is good to know that there is so much caring and support here. Even though we will probably not meet in this lifetime, we are all friends. Thank you, Claudia, for sharing with us.

  33. Claudia, you have coffee with me every morning! I value you and your readers each and every day. What we’ve been through!! Keep living your sweet life and just being you. Thanks too for bringing Don, furry family, and now the girls along for the ride. You have all been a great shining spot in my life.

  34. Congratulations on 15 years of blogging!
    I read you every day, and although I may not comment often, I feel a part of the community which has grown here.
    Thank you for sharing your life, laughter, joys, disappointments, sorrows, irritations, book, movie, TV, and theater recommendations, etc. with this wonderful community. You and Don are so REAL and wonderful!
    Stay safe & well.

  35. I’m glad you still enjoy the blog and I appreciate how you write it and manage it and fill it with SO many interesting things and people. You are right; so many blogs have fallen away. But yours is always fresh and fascinating; your blog is a big part of my day, Claudia, and I am very, very appreciative for you, Don and the community here you’ve created. Thank you for hanging in there with MHC. I-Vicki am the lucky one; I haven’t been there for all of the fifteen years but I sure have been for a lot of them and it’s been an education and a comfort. Congratulations, Claudia!

  36. Congratulations, Claudia. Indeed, 15 years is a major achievement and I’m so glad that I found your blog in these recent years. I’ve loved every minute of the journey through what you share of your lives. Here’s to many more!

    • Thank you, Jeanie!

      As you are a fellow blogger, you know it isn’t always easy to come up with subject matter! But somehow it happens.

      Stay safe and thanks for being here.

  37. Thank YOU, Claudia!! I’ve been a daily reader for, at least, 13 of those years. I’ve always been a collector, but you’ve introduced me to SO MANY things that I wish I’d collected, and even sparked an interest in egg cups (I now have four!). And, as you know, it was your encouragement that helped me to (finally) pursue my love of all things miniature.

    While I don’t always agree with you, I’ve LOVED learning a new or different perspective on a variety of subjects. You always bring interesting, enjoyable and knowledgeable ideas to the table.

    Thank you for sharing your life (and Don) with us! Congratulations on 15 years!

  38. Oh, Claudia, I think I have been following you for nearly 12+ years now!! Congrats on your 15 yrs!

    I am doing much better…going home next Thursday (23rd)!!!!!!!!!!!! can NOT wait!!! All of the prayers and positive thoughts and energy are so very very appreciated! I thank everyone.

    xo♡xo

    • Yay! So glad you’re going home, Chris! That is great news.

      So glad you’re a part of this community and here’s to getting back to your home and family.

      Stay safe, my friend.

  40. I only found you through your sister’s blog, a couple of years ago.
    I love reading about your life which is so different from mine.
    You were, and are, a beacon of sanity and wisdom in what sometimes appeared to be a maelstrom of nuttiness coming from the US during the worst of the last few years.
    Please keep on writing!
    Denise in Australia

  41. Claudia, I’ve enjoyed your blog for many years and appreciate your writings, musings and creativity. I felt like you were an ally of mine during the dark and scary orange man years. Thank you! Jen

  42. Thank you for this Blog Claudia, I know you work hard on it. I started reading it when my husband and I moved from Scotland to here in Wales and knew nobody.To me it was like meeting a group of friends every day.
    I then started my own craft group and met some lovely ladies who are now very supportive friends for each other. However you have managed to do that without meeting actual people and that is a great achievement . Be proud.

    p.s. i was attracted to the blog by the name cos in the 50’s there was a song with the line ” the sun in the morning on mocking bird hill” I used to listen to when I was 5 eating my porridge !
    Megan in Llandudno X

    • I have the sheet music for that song and know it well!

      Love the picture of you eating your porridge while listening to the song.

      Thank you, Megan.

      Stay safe.

  44. Congratulations on 15 years! I’m so happy you’re still blogging. You are the first blog I followed and you are still my favorite.

  45. Dear Claudia,
    Your love and creativity shine through howsoever you are expressing them and it is always special to take the time and look in and find your dear presence here. Several times i have lingered over your ‘7 years’ post and sometimes there just are no words. The picture of Scout speaks volumes. While i don’t manage daily viewing here and not much of a commenter i also wish to add my appreciation and thanks here.
    much Love

  46. Happy Blog Anniversary! I’ve always enjoyed your blog since I first discovered it, but it became an important safe haven space from 2016 up through the worst days of the pandemic. Thank you for continuing.

  47. Thank you for your lovely blog. I read almost every day and when I don’t I do manage to catch up. I found you about five years ago when I bought a very small 1940s cottage and was looking for inspiration on how to make use of the space. I used your idea of the kitchen island which I still love. I look forward to visiting you into the future. Petie

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