Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 1123 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Waiting for Postie

July 15, 2015 at 7:46 am by Claudia

7-15 white moth on spirea

Thank you, little moth, for staying on the spirea for quite a long time. I enjoyed taking lots of pictures of you.

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I also saw our friend, the Hummingbird Moth, flitting around the geraniums. And there’s been a steady stream of visitors to the birdbath. The temps have been quite warm and humid and they need some relief! Even the bees take a little drink from the birdbath. It’s the neighborhood pool.

I’d have loved to take some pictures of the frolicking birds with my telephoto lens, but alas, I don’t have one. Plans to buy one were scotched in favor of paying my dentist! There must be priorities, after all.

Starting my Christmas list right now.

It rained last night and we’re due for storms today. I’m anxiously awaiting a package from miniatures.com containing two hedges for the dollhouse roof. I thought it would be here yesterday, but no such luck! I’m terribly impatient when I’m waiting for a package – are you? If it isn’t here by the time I think it should be; well, it isn’t pretty.

I’m also anxiously awaiting my copies of American Miniaturist, so I can see Hummingbird Cottage’s spread in the August issue. Caroline is also experiencing some impatience. She wants to see her house in print!

I’m reminded of this print that we have on our bathroom wall:

sunpostie

It’s actually a card Don gave me long ago because it reminded him of Scout and Riley. It’s entitled “Waiting for Postie.” Very British.

That’s me at the moment – I’m waiting for postie.

Sneak peeks:

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I have to say that I’m loving the ‘pea gravel’ more and more. Though it was a pain in the ass to execute, I think it looks great.

I’m already thinking about my next project, which will have to be on the smaller side. Mockingbird Hill Cottage is definitely on the smaller side, which means there’s only so much display space. Even thought I don’t want to admit it in the midst of all this summer splendidness, winter isn’t that far off, and winter is the perfect time to work on a new dollhouse.

Ideas, ideas – I’ve got a lot of them.

Happy Wednesday.

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Headline: Two Itinerant Artistes Settle Down in the Country

July 14, 2015 at 8:32 am by Claudia

7-14 coneflowers

It’s the height of the gardening season here in the Northeast. The coneflowers and brown-eyed Susans are opening their pretty petals, the phlox is beginning to bloom – and oh, that scent! – more day lilies are making their presence known. Bees are everywhere, especially in the catmint – a plant they seem to love. All of the hostas, and we have a lot of them, are blooming as well. All in all, a good time to come back home after three weeks away coaching.

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Gol’ darn it! I love my gardens.

We’ve been here almost 10 years. Who’d have thought it? Two itinerant artistes got together and somehow landed here in this too-small-but-charming cottage situated on almost two acres with woods and grass and space for a garden bed or two or three.

This was a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I always wanted what I termed “a cottage somewhere in the country.” It took me awhile, but I got it. And I wouldn’t trade those years living in apartments in cities, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Cambridge, San Diego, for anything. They’ve shaped me; they’ve given me a strong taste of city life (which I still love) and countless adventures.

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But at this point in our lives, both Don and I find ourselves preferring this life – this quieter version of life. Being in the Arts, with jobs and opportunities that have taken us all over the country and abroad, has broadened our horizons. Maybe that’s why we appreciate this little cottage and our life here all the more. It’s rooted in our love for each other and our doggie and our love for the simple beauty of nature. (And for eclectic and whimsical decorating.) It’s the culmination of our lives before we met each other and the twenty-one years we’ve been together.

7-14 pinkish daylily

Yesterday, my friends, was a stressful one for me. I had an appointment to have some dental work done (an extraction) and I, being petrified of the dentist, was rather a nervous wreck. Our health care changes every year and the dentist I trust implicitly (and who is quite near our home) was no longer available under our policy. I dithered about it for a while and finally decided to have the work done and pay for it myself. That isn’t the ideal scenario given our tight budget, but going to someone I already know and trust makes what is a scary ordeal for me much less stressful.

So at 10 am, I was in the dentist chair. Don, thank goodness, went with me for moral support and then got my prescriptions filled (which, thankfully, are covered under our health care) and then went back out in the afternoon to buy some soft foods for me to eat. I was on pain meds yesterday, but today I don’t seem to need any, which is a good thing. I’m also on antibiotics for a few days.

I have another appointment in a month or so to deal with another issue. But for now, I can relax.

And maybe work on the dollhouse roof garden.

Don’t forget to read the book review I posted yesterday. I really loved the book and I’m giving away a copy. (I loved it so much that I passed it on to Don, because I think it’s right up his alley. It’s funny.)

Happy Tuesday.

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Book Review: Bum Rap by Paul Levine

July 13, 2015 at 7:37 am by Claudia

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Today I am reviewing Bum Rap by Paul Levine for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About the book (from the publisher): NFL linebacker-turned-lawyer Jake Lassiter has had it with shifty clients, dirty prosecutors, and a legal system out of whack. It’s enough to make a man want to leave Miami and never look back – until he gets a call from Victoria Lord, the better half of hot local legal team Solomon & Lord. Her partner in life and law has been arrested for murder. What’s worse: the only person who can clear him has fled the city. Now it’s up to Jake and Victoria to track down the witness – a stunning “Bar girl” – before she’s roped in by the Feds…or eliminated by the Russian mob.

Jake knows that if he doesn’t get to the witness first, his client’s case is lost. Luckily, he’s got some good advice from his college football coach: “Buckle your chin strap and hit somebody.” And sometimes, the only way to win a tough case is to do just that.

My review: There’s something about Florida that makes it the stuff of off-beat and funny crime novels. Since I have family living there, I’ve witnessed enough to understand that its quirkiness is the draw. Miami is the setting here and Levine has made it a character in itself. It’s so vividly portrayed that I felt I was there, walking the streets, sitting at the beach and watching a parade of quirky, sometimes crazy, characters walk by.

I love mysteries and thrillers. I especially love that genre written with a dash of humor and this novel fits the bill. Jake Lassiter, the protagonist, has a self-deprecating sense of humor. He’s a legal veteran who has seen it all and observes life through a wry, no-nonsense lens. Consequently, the cast of eccentric characters provides a treasure trove of observations as well as fuel for the very well written plot.

Levine is a very good writer. The plot is tight and compelling. He writes a mystery that keeps you reading, all the while weaving in humor and a surprise or two. I wasn’t sure how it would end and, as you know by now, that in itself earns this novel a gold star.

Levine, a former lawyer, understands the legal world, the way the courts work, the back and forth between prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the police. That knowledge provides the reader with a detailed, nuanced – and sometimes funny – look at the negotiations and maneuvering that go on in the background.

I found myself charmed by Jake and the cast of eccentric characters. I think you will be, too. The humor is always character-driven, so it comes from a rooted and real place. It’s never imposed. It just is. That’s what makes it work.

This is my first encounter with a novel by Paul Levine and I really liked it. When I looked at the list of books he has written, I was delighted to see there is a Jake Lassiter series, another series involving Solomon and Lord, as well as several stand-alone novels. I see more reading ahead. Levine has become a new favorite.

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About the author: Paul Levine worked as a newspaper reporter, a law professor and a trial lawyer before becoming a full-time novelist. His books have been translated into 23 languages. Levine has won the John D. MacDonald fiction award and has been nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe award, the Macavity, the International Thriller Writers award, the Shamus award, and the James Thurber humor prize.

One of you will win a copy of Bum Rap. Just leave a comment on this post and I’ll pick a winner on Thursday evening. Good luck!

Happy Monday.

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Waiting for Postie

Headline: Two Itinerant Artistes Settle Down in the Country

Book Review: Bum Rap by Paul Levine

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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