Another view of the yarrow. For some reason, yarrow has always been difficult to photograph. Ah well, I keep trying.
It’s a beautiful morning, though it’s turning cloudy and we’re due for rain and perhaps a thunderstorm this afternoon and evening. I can see catalpa flowers falling slowly – one by one. Don and I were outside early this morning and the scent coming from that tree is heavenly. By the way, all of the wild phlox and the wild roses have lost their flowers. Their time is truly fleeting.
I was so excited when a box from Denmark arrived in the mail yesterday. Huzzah! Here is the beautiful easel made by Hanna of Atelier Hannas Mini on Etsy. The easel is hand made using beautiful wood, and it works!
Isn’t it gorgeous?? You can see that the easel is adjustable. I’ve already played with it. Hanna is so talented. This one took a long time to get here. Hanna had to make it and she was awaiting some parts that come from England. It was worth the wait.
I had to try out one of my mini paintings, which suddenly looks like a big canvas! I think I’ll eventually put a work that is in progress on the easel, so it looks like our resident artist is currently working on a new painting. We’re going to assume that there is a big window on this side of the easel that floods the room with light.
Truthfully, I’m a little jealous of the artist. She has this lovely space, a large easel, a comfy chair and lots of light. I work at the kitchen table with a small “sort-of-an-easel” and am surrounded by kitchen stuff. I hope she knows how lucky she is!
Okay. Business stuff. As you may or may not know, the email versions of my last two posts didn’t go out. Traffic to the blog greatly decreased because many of you rely on the email to tell you I’ve posted, even though you know that 99% of the time I post every day. That means lost ad income.
Last night, at 3:30 am, both of those posts went out. Go figure.
Here’s the problem. I, and many, many other bloggers, use Feedburner, a free service owned by Google, to send out updates of our feeds, as well as email versions of our posts. For the past several years, Google has virtually ignored Feedburner. It is impossible to get any sort of help when something goes wrong. In doing some research, I learned that Google recently announced that they were going to do some work on Feedburner, but had decided to get rid of email subscription services. So, as of July, it is no longer an option. That means I have to find another way of sending the emails and all the alternatives cost money. And I didn’t particularly want to invest any more money in the blog.
But I have over 400 subscribers, so I have to face reality and choose a new service. Truth be told, I’m not at all sure how many of the 400+ still actively read the blog and Feedburner doesn’t supply any information as to who, specifically, doesn’t read the blog. All of the alternative services determine pricing based on subscriber count.
I did some initial research yesterday and I’ll keep on working on it. I have to make a choice soon, as the emails will no longer go out as of July. In the meantime, I hope the current problem has been corrected and you subscribers will get your emails on time. I promise to do my best to find an even better service than Feedburner. Thanks so much for your patience.
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
Love the artist’s studio and the painting!!!
I guess I don’t understand the need for email alerts. You post every day so why do people need a reminder? I do not also comment but I read your blog every day.
Thank you for your dedication!
I’m not sure they should need a reminder but I get plenty of responses from people who do use the email as an indicator that a post is up.
Thanks so much, Betsy!
Stay safe.
Love the easel! It’s just perfect.
I use Bloglovin to follow blogs. It puts every blog I want to follow in one feed and I can just scroll down and read them…easy peasy.
Once in a while there is a glitch or delay and nothing new is posting. Since I know you rarely miss a day and usually post around the same time I just google your blog and go directly there.
I do think email notification is nice for replies to comments but I usually miss checking that box before I hit post. I don’t expect a reply to comments I make on blogs but it is nice. Again, since I know you always reply I just check back on the blog.
I find email notifications are just one more thing cluttering up my inbox.
That’s my input for what it’s worth.
Have a happy Sunday.
To be honest, I pride myself on replying to comments. Many bloggers don’t. But I like the conversation we generate here.
Thanks, Marilyn.
Stay safe.
I feel that when you comment to us readers, it shows you care about your readership. It takes you extra time beyond already doing the post, but it’s how you’ve built a MHC community. I get a lot from you and your readers’ comments or else I wouldn’t come here every day. I love the exchange. The back & forth. It’s what friends do. Like a real in your face, face to face, sitting down, with a friend in the flesh, or next best thing.
I love it too. We’re a community.
Thanks, Vicki.
xoxo
I love that easel, Claudia. What a fine addition to your miniatures! And to use your talent to paint mini paintings…delightfully.
I read your blog via Feedly, where I read all the blogs in which I’m interested. Like Marilyn S, I don’t expect replies from comments I make, but it is so gracious of you to acknowledge every comment. (I understand there are times you can’t or don’t want to reply….it’s your blog, your decision.). Lately, I haven’t commented on blogs as frequently as I used to, but I do read and enjoy them every day. They are better than the newspape
I agree with the other comments. You are so faithful about posting it’s no problem to go directly to the blog. I don’t always comment but I always read each day. Its like having coffee with a friend. As always thanks for all you share.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Janet. They mean a great deal to me!
Stay safe.
They sure are better than the newspaper!
I don’t comment on other blogs as much as I used to, either. But I love the conversation we have here on this blog.
Thanks, Wendy.
Stay safe.
sorry for the e-mail problem and loss of ad income. hope it gets fixed soon for you.
i don’t go through e-mail or some blog-reader service to read your posts. i just come here directly via a search engine. hope that helps you in some way.
thanks for all your time, effort, other costs to maintain your blog and for all you share.
the easel looks great, fits right in that lovely studio. i like your idea of putting an “in progress” painting on the easel. and i, too, would be happy with such a (life-size) studio!
hope you’re having a good day.
kathy in iowa
Anyone who comes directly to the blog does indeed help me. No one has to click on the ads, just coming to the blog generates income.
Thanks so much, Kathy.
Stay safe.
I don’t need an email notification as I have bookmarked your blog and check it every day. Works for me!
Yes, I bookmark all the blogs I visit. Works for me, too!
Thanks, Ellen.
Stay safe.
Love the studio. I have my favorite blogs bookmarked and never receive e-mails. I just alot a certain bit of my morning, with my cup of tea, and go to each blog. I hate to see you have to spend money for an e-mail service when it is such a simple process without it. Thanks for sharing with us every day.
I do the same. All of the blogs I read are bookmarked. I’m not sure why people don’t do that – that’s a handy tool on any browser.
Thanks so much, Lynn.
Stay safe.
Exactly so… Every day at a fixed time I just click on the blog — and if it isn’t there yet, I try again later. What do I need an e-mail announcement for??
Thanks, Petra. I don’t subscribe to any blogs – only my sister’s and that’s because I helped her set up the email service, so I used myself as a guinea pig!
Stay safe!
I don’t subscribe to you via email. I just naturally google you every day as part of my routine on the computer.
The easel is the bomb; it’s very elaborate and looks incredibly well made. Wonderful miniature to purchase!
Where I am in Southern Calif, the weather service has put us on heatwave alert from Tues thru Friday and our temps may go as high as 109 degrees (f). I don’t expect 100s til after Fourth of July so this is a very unwelcome development, especially considering our awful drought. We’re not on water restriction yet (it’s coming) so I imagine my husband will start soaking the landscape today and tomorrow (within reason). It will be a time to stay in, try to stay cool, don’t go anywhere. Tomorrow we’ll get errands done early and I have a medical appointment early; but, other than that, time to hunker down. As it was, yesterday we peaked at 93 degrees. I’m so over it, and it all hasn’t even started yet for the summer. Sigh. I pray our old central-air conditioning in this house will keep working. Just in case, we’re pulling standing fans (electrical) out of the sheds today as a back-up safety precaution because this kind of heat can kill.
Oh no! That sounds dreadful. And dangerous for so many. You’re handling it wisely, Vicki. It sounds like you and your husband have prepared well.
Please take care of yourself!
Stay safe.
I read your blog first thing. Also do crossword puzzles to wake up my brain.
You would love our weather. Heavy rain every night and clouds all day. In the 60s and little wind. Boring.
I wouldn’t love it, because I love sunshine! I like an occasional rainy or cloudy day, but since too many clouds for too long don’t help my anxiety and leave me feeling down, sunny is my preferred day.
Thanks, Jan.
Stay safe!
Love your easel and the studio. I have your blog saved as a favorite. I just click on that every day to see if you have posted yet. If not I go back later. Hate to see you invest more money.
I’m not too happy about it either. Maybe I should advise people to bookmark the blog or save it in favorites because I’m going stop sending the emails? It’s a quandary.
Thanks, Claudia.
Stay safe.
The easel is perfect, so well made. I know that you post every day and so do all your regular followers, so I don’t need a reminder. I know you will always be posting something interesting, although how you come up with so many things to write about is beyond me. You are such a good writer that I am surprised you haven’t written a book by now! So sorry you are running out of affordable options to send out emails to subscribers. It makes it that much harder for bloggers to make a profit. Thanks for all the effort you make to keep your blog going.
Thank you, Diane. I’m wondering if most of those who subscribe really don’t read the emails anymore and just haven’t bothered to unsubscribe. I’m going to have to take some sort of survey, I think.
Thanks so much for weighing in.
Stay safe.
I’ll jump in here to say I have my favorite blogs bookmarked and check them that way.
That’s what I do as well, Margaret.
Thanks.
Stay safe!
I bookmark yours and other blogs, too. Never have I subscribed to a blog, either. No need for e-mails here. I’ll just keep checking in by bookmark for as long as you are willing to post.
Thanks, Shanna. That’s what I do, too.
Stay safe!
That easel is perfect….and your painting looks perfect. You’ve created a great artist’s studio.
While I do get email alerts from you, I don’t need them. I often check to see if your post is up before the email arrives. Sorry this is another headache for you to deal with. Always something it seems like.
Enjoy your Sunday! ;)
Always something, especially in the blogging world!
I might take a survey, both here and on IG. I’d love it if I didn’t have to try and move all the info to another provider.
Thanks, Donna.
Stay safe.
Good afternoon! I have your lovely site bookmarked as well. I thought the ad revenue came simply by my opening the blog. Sorry if I was wrong about that. There seems to be many changes going on in the internet world lately and not all so good.
To Vicki in CA: we are in CO and it is going to be 105-108 the next 4 days. Unbelievable! And the slurry bomber just went over to the Moab fire that spewed too much smoke to have the swamp cooler on. I have a feeling we are all in for a wicked summer one way or another.
Is Hummingbird Cottage listed on AirBNB yet? It’s seriously luring me in for a stay. Such a sweet room and we could use a great get away!!!
It does! If you come to the blog, which you do, that’s my ad revenue. But those who come here after they get the email, don’t come if there’s no email. See?
If you’re talking about this dollhouse, it’s the English Cottage. Hummingbird Cottage is my first dollhouse. But either way, no AirBNB yet!
Thanks so much, Verna.
Stay safe.
Oh dear, Verna, we’re sisters in a heatwave! I do not remember these temps in my SoCalif youth; if we had a hot July day and it was 102 degrees, that was about IT for us. However, times have changed. We’re a warming planet I guess.
I read every day and I’m fairly sure you post by 11 am each day. I’ve bookmarked your blog and that works fine for me. Hope you will continue to blog and if there is something we can do to improve whatever income you receive, please ask.
I’ll keep blogging, never fear, Terri!
Stay safe.
I’ve read every post you write for years. In fact, yours is the only blog I still read everyday! Many have just slipped away, no longer posting.
Because of your enthusiasm for miniatures, I have used our covid lockdown time to explore minis as well. Last Christmas, I made a “secret shoebox” dollhouse for our grandson which he and his Mom have enjoyed together. I have a roadside find dollhouse now which I hope to get to play with with my grandson soon!
I hope you can find an economical way to continue to bring us your thoughts and beautiful photos!
Thank you! Barb
Love that you’ve discovered miniatures, Barb! Wonderful!
Thanks for your kind words.
Stay safe!
You are one of few who comments…thank you…many bloggers just want to post their own opinions and either don’t respond to those who write on their blogs or turn off comments…as if to say, I am right, and I don’t want your opinion…they are just posting what they think about matters…I usually don’t read those anymore. Your blog is fantastic…those in England and Ireland always respond also…I like that…
Thank you so much for your kind words, Brenda.
Much appreciated.
Stay safe.
Ps
Your blog is in my favorites
Easy
Easy, indeed!
xo
Oh, Claudia! I have been subscribed to your email for about 8 years, maybe? So every day I receive your post via email. Of course I can simply come here, and of course I will, but it is the habit I have been so used to that I get the email and read it. This has happened to several of the blogs I follow, so you are not alone. I just have to create a new habit!! Take care.
I know I’m not alone. I’m not sure what others are going to do. It’s even more of a hassle for those who use a free platform like Blogger. Will they want to pay for a service? I doubt it, nor do I think they should have to.
Google is basically abandoning bloggers who have used their email service for years.
Thanks, Chris.
Stay safe.
Claudia, your friend/follower Jeanie, from Michigan, wrote abt it on her blog. I now get an email from her directly when she posts. The other blog I follow, Bee Haven Acres, also wrote abt it & she does the same thing.
I surely don’t mean, or think you shd do that, but thought I’d share 2 bloggers who have talked about the mess they are leaving bloggers in w the change.
I think Jeanie uses another provider – the emails are personalized but they go through Mail Chimp or Mad Mimi or Feedblitz.
I bet if I google this situation with bloggers, I’ll find lots of posts!
xo
Chris, I tried to click on your name but this blog doesn’t allow that! I was wondering if you have a blog and where I could go to check it. You said that you get my emails from mailchimp now, so if you do have a blog could you please email me and let me know where I could find you? Or leave your blog name in a comment?! Thanks!
Oh, Jeanie, I don’t have a blog. I can’t imagine enough that goes on in my life to even have 2 days worth of posts!! I do enjoy yours, though, and love your beautiful photos. We live not too far from the UW campus, and our daughter attended there, so we have enjoyed the beauty of that campus for many years. The Michigan State campus is beautiful as well. Thanks for sharing your walks and observations with us. I do so enjoy your posts!!
The easel is really beautiful—so tiny and so detailed! Love your tiny painting, too, and applaud your ability to work so small. Your yarrow meadow is just magical!
Thanks so much, Shanna. I think that easel is extraordinary! Beautifully made. I’m really in love with it.
Stay safe!
Sorry I’m late to respond – we had grandchildren all weekend so life was busy! Yours is the only blog I read regularly – it’s part of my “morning coffee break” routine to pull it up and read it – I know from past posts of yours that you need me to come directly to your blog for the ad income, which is what I do. I don’t rely on email notifications – if they are going to cost money I suggest you drop it completely and people will get used to just coming directly to your blog! Loving your oil paintings, Claudia!
Thanks so much, Martha!
I’m glad you’re here.
Stay safe.
I don’t know how this happened but I definitely missed this post. I wrote some comments on today’s but after reading this — you have feedburner too. I DEFINITELY recommend the transfer to Mail Chimp, since you have less than 2,000 subscribers. The transfer wasn’t bad. I had someone do it for me because I’m known to really mess up things like that but Linda at lifeandlinda.com had a terrific post on it. Either check with me on the link for how-to or go to Linda’s site and go back into May (probably page 3 or 4 on her older-posts list by now). My mail has been going out regularly and I didn’t lose anyone.
As I said in the other comment, I, for one, rely on the emails. I can’t keep track of the blogs I follow without some reminder whether it is that or googlereader or bloglovin. I always go to the emails first. I don’t care if I’m first to check into a blog so the timing doesn’t matter too much, so long as it arrives!
Now, about this scene! I adore it! Oh, that’s the most charming studio and I love the painting, too. It’s the perfect little scene and I can imagine the artist — maybe in an apron or maybe living dangerously, working on a scene out the window. I am enchanted!
I’m on bloglovin, by the way. You can follow me there.
I’m still weighing the whole thing. As I said in my earlier reply: 423 followers times 30 posts a month is 12, 690 emails, which is over the limit of most services.
Thanks so much, Jeanie!
Stay safe.
First of all, I am jealous you have rain and thunderstorms! I live in Phoenix where it is going to be 118 for the next 4 days and no rain in sight! I do a lot of watering to keep our yard green. I love seeing pictures of your house and your property…..so beautiful! The easel is adorable! Looks so cute in the room.
Thanks so much, Deb! I appreciate your kind words.
Stay safe.
Hi Claudia,
I read your blog everyday, I rely on the email that says “Mockinghill Bird Cottage” to access your blog. This seems an easier way for readers of your blog to access your blog but I honestly do not know that much about how blogs work on the internet so whatever is best for you to continue your blog posts I’m all for it.
You use a browser, right? Either Chrome or Safari or something else? All browsers have something like ‘favorites’ or ‘bookmarks’ You can add a site to those bookmarks and when you click on it, you will be taken directly to the site. Just a suggestion. If you rely completely on the email, you will miss some posts because – at least with Feedburner – they aren’t always consistent.
Thanks so much, Linda.
Stay safe.
Claudia, I am an email subscriber but it is just as easy for me to visit your blog as to read email and I enjoy it just as much or actually even more. I would be happy to discontinue email and visit your blog for inspiration, especially if that earns money rather than costing. I appreciate you sharing your inspiring journey as a person and dollhouse lover.
Thank you so much, Barbara.
I’ll keep you all posted as to what I decide!
Stay safe.
Google is my homepage and I have a shortcut to your blog there. I haven’t subscribed because I go directly to your blog without having to open email. Plus, I have so many subscriptions that come to email that I don’t read – it’s just so much easier to read your blog everyday without a subscription.
I agree – that’s how I handle reading blogs, as well.
Thanks so much, Anne!
Stay safe.
Caludia, I encourage my readers to use Bloglovin but not many people seem to have discovered how useful and well-organised it can be to have all your blogs in one place.
I also have the Feedburner dilemma for the blog I write. I started by downloading my subscriber email list, in case it disappears in July. I intend to move my mailing list over to follow.it. The free version seems to have all the features I need. I haven’t tested it yet though so can’t share any teething problems. If you find the perfect solution, please let us know!
I think someone from follow.it contacted me. I’ll have to see where that information is.
Thanks so much, Megan.
Stay safe.