Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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It’s Not Fair: Caroline vs. Claudia

June 3, 2015 at 8:00 am by Claudia

I’ve been examining some inequities re the dollhouse  and my  house, the most blatant of which I’m sharing with you.

My ‘potting bench,’ for lack of a better term:

5-23 gardening stuff

Caroline’s Potting Shed:

2-6 DH Potshed 1

2-6 DH Potshed 2

2-6 DH Potshed 3

First of all, it’s a shed. With a skylight. And she has a sink. And a bench. And a red floor. And the walls are painted in my favorite color.

My studio space, crammed into a hallway upstairs – not even a separate room – and my desk space, which is usually the kitchen table:

studioupdate1

Corners-studio 2

Caroline’s studio/office. In a separate room. With a big cutting table. And plenty of desk space.

WWW - office-studio2

WWW - office-studio3

She even had the temerity to tell me she’s going to add an easy chair to this space. What the heck?? Clearly, her paycheck goes further than mine.

My kitchen with a standard stainless steel sink and a basic stove (not pictured):

Corners-kitchen 12

Caroline’s kitchen:

WWW - dollhouse kitchen 2

Crap. She’s got a farmhouse style sink. And the tile used in her backsplash is just what I’ve been yearning for. And where the heck did she find a plate rack? Let’s not even talk about the retro mint green refrigerator.

Wait – are those wood countertops? I hate my tiled countertop.

WWW - dollhouse kitchen 5

She has an Aga. Do you know how much they cost? And how much I’d like one in my kitchen? Copper pots? My pots are from IKEA.

On the list of things we wanted in a house was a fireplace. Do you see one here?

living room july 2014

No, you don’t. Just a chimney. Without the fireplace.

You know what’s coming. Let’s visit Caroline’s living room:

mondhlivingroomrug

WWW DH LR2

Complete with birch logs, ready to burn. And shelves. And a mantel to decorate.

And the bathroom? I’m not even going to go there.

Listen. I like Caroline. She’s a nice person. However, it seems to me that there is a sort of ‘flaunting’ going on here. Here we are in our cottage; sans farmhouse sink, sans vintage stove or Aga, with no fireplace, and a studio space for yours truly that is in the hall, for heaven’s sake, and there’s Caroline, ensconced in her perfect house which is smack dab in the middle of our living room. Right there. I cannot avoid seeing it. I cannot pretend to be unaware of Caroline’s activities. I hear her laughing and humming little tunes, singing in the shower. I see her go into her studio/office and shut the door for privacy. I see her reading by the fire.

Sometimes I can even catch the scent of wood smoke.

Do I sound bitter?

I am.

Wouldn’t you be?

New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: dollhouse, Mockingbird Hill Cottage 73 Comments

Rain Drops

June 2, 2015 at 8:12 am by Claudia

And the rain continues. And continues. And continues.

The temps have dropped, it’s much cooler. I miss the sun, but I am fully aware that the rain that I am tired of is the rain that many of you desperately need. So I won’t complain.

One of the perks of rain is getting the chance to photograph rain-drop-covered flowers.

6-2 rain peony 4

The other peony bush is about to pop.

6-2 rain peony 2

6-2 rain peony 3

6-2 day lilies

And look what decided to bloom yesterday… the first of the day lilies. Hello.

It looks to be the kind of day where a good book and a mug of hot chocolate is in order. I have to send off the tickets to the winners of the Country Living Fair giveaway. Congratulations Betsy and Damara! Don is going with me this year (hurrah!) but since he has a wardrobe fitting on Friday for the next episode he is filming of Mr. Robot, we’ll go early Saturday morning.

I’m leaving in less than two weeks for Chautauqua. I’m looking forward to three weeks working and playing in that beautiful community. But I’ll miss my family and the cottage. That’s a given.

The winner of a copy of The Daughter by Jane Shemilt is Kim Stewart. I’ve sent you an email, Kim. Congratulations!

And the third congrats goes to my former student, Chris Nee, who is the creator and Executive Producer of Doc McStuffins. That show just won the prestigious Peabody Award. Bravo!

Happy Tuesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: Chautauqua, flowers, garden, giveaway 31 Comments

Early Morning Contemplation

June 1, 2015 at 7:33 am by Claudia

6-1 lavender

We had such a heavy downpour last night, with more rain expected today.

The three remaining poppies are, I’m sure, no more. Those delicate petals cannot withstand even a light rain. And the peony from yesterday? I’m afraid to look. I was going to go out and rescue it (in the dark and in the heaviest part of the downpour) but saner heads prevailed: in this case, Don.

And I woke up at 4 am. What?? You know the drill; you wake up and some worries start batting around in your brain and you try to let them go but you can’t and you finally give up and get up. Scout looked rather shocked when I appeared at such an early hour. She’s currently snuggled right next to my feet.

6-1 grasses

I planted this ornamental grass the first summer we lived here. I’ve never seen these – what do you call them – feathers? or plumes? appear. I love surprises in the garden. As long as they’re not the deer-chomping kind.

We watched Bridget Jones’s Diary  again last night. It’s one of our favorite movies – the kind we watch when we need a lift. It makes us laugh out loud. It’s full of wonderful performances from the leads and a marvelous supporting cast. Hugh Grant does so well with this kind of caddish character. He oozes charm while he tells lie after lie, whatever he needs to come up with in order to get what he wants.

Have you ever known or encountered a habitual liar? I have, unfortunately. And I don’t mean the little white lies we all use from time to time. I mean the lies that are told to manipulate others, to bend and shape reality into something that ends up being far from the truth, to change the story in order to make oneself look good, or to look like an innocent victim, rather than the perpetrator.

What fuels that need, I wonder? It certainly involves a need to create an alternative reality in order to, what? Pump oneself up? Avoid taking responsibility for an action? Create a persona that is carefully crafted and is not the reality? I’m not a psychologist, that’s for sure, so I can only surmise. I suspect some habitual liars repeat the same untruth so many times that they actually come to believe it.

Sometimes you are fortunate enough to be able to correct the ‘story.’ Sometimes you just shake your head and realize it’s a losing battle and it’s better to vacate the premises. In the end, you’re powerless to change someone’s habitual behavior, so detaching is the only thing you can do.

Anyway, watching the movie again got me to thinking about that kind of behavior, that kind of person. Grant’s character, Daniel Cleaver, is going to end up sad and lonely – you can see it coming – because he can’t be trusted.

What are your thoughts, my friends? Have you dealt with this kind of thing in your life?

Let’s close with another pretty picture.

6-1 rocket

Ah! That’s better.

There’s a new post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden, life, movies 41 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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