Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • The Beacon Hill Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy

Adding: Figures & Books

September 3, 2014 at 8:44 am by Claudia

Yesterday, Don had to go into Manhattan to sign some contracts. He dropped our 13 year old car off for its annual inspection (glory be, it passed!) while he took the bus into the city.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I tackled the dreaded taxes. We end up filing for an extension every year because our taxes are complicated and usually one of us is gone during tax time. I sat at the kitchen table for 4+ hours, adding up figures for my deductions. Eventually, I broke free from the eye glazing land of sheet after sheet of paper with figures and sums and notes with most of the work done.

I had to; I would have gone nuts, otherwise.

Don, in the meantime, was figuring out his end of the deductions on his laptop while traveling on the bus. What a team.

He came home with a present for me.

lee child personal

Eeek! On the day of its release, no less. My TBR (to be read) pile is growing and growing with no end in sight.

This surprise was the byproduct of Don’s quick visit to B & N on the East Side (near his agent’s office) to get more books by an author he has just discovered.

william boyd books

He bought the book on the right at our library’s used book sale and was immediately riveted by Boyd’s prose. The other two books were picked up at B & N yesterday.

Reading material for home and away. I take him to New Haven on Sunday, where he will be acting in the Long Wharf Theatre’s production of Our Town. Then, in a few weeks, I travel to Hartford to work on Hamlet. It is that all-too-rare thing, my friends – we’re both working at the same time. And in Connecticut, only 40 minutes apart.

It’s unbelievably hot and humid around here this week. But I managed to get outside and take some photos toward the end of the day.

fall new dawn

New Dawn in the early evening.

Two new book reviews up on Just Let Me Finish This Page. Both books are highly recommended.

Happy Wednesday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, bookstores, Don, New York City, On The Road 24 Comments

I’d Rather Read than Pin

September 2, 2014 at 8:30 am by Claudia

As I was walking through the kitchen yesterday, I spied a butterfly in the Chicken Wire Fence Garden.

Me: Oh, there’s a big butterfly in the garden!

Don: (silence)

Me: Do I dare try to get a photo? It will probably be gone by the time I get out there.

Don: I wouldn’t bother.

Me: (ignoring him, because I wasn’t really asking his advice) I’m going anyway.

These kinds of conversations go on all the time here.

monday giant swallowtail 3

It was hot and humid and sunny. And the butterfly stayed long enough for me to get a few pics.

monday giant swallowtail 4

monday giant swallowtail 5

And now for the gist of this post:

I’ve come to the conclusion that I’d rather read than pin.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been on Pinterest. It simply hasn’t been on my radar. Oh, I know that Pinterest can bring a lot of visitors to a site and that means more ad income. A lot of bloggers strategically pin images (and also pin for pleasure, of course) that will hopefully go a bit viral. I get a fair amount of visitors from Pinterest and I’m grateful. I’m also flattered and grateful when others pin images from this blog. Perhaps I could get more income by strategically pinning. It’s one of those “I know I should, but I just can’t bring myself to do it” situations.

When I’m working on the dollhouse, I’ll usually end up pinning some images and tutorials. I know my sister loves it for crochet and knitting patterns. I totally get why so many people love it. The truth? I don’t go back and ‘visit’ my boards very often. Once pinned, usually forgotten.

I just can’t seem to get excited about it. I am bombarded with images (especially decorating photos) on a daily basis, simply by visiting other blogs. And let’s face it, both on blogs and on Pinterest, there is often a sameness to the designs and color choices, so it’s very rare that I see something startling and unusual enough to want to pin or repin it. More often than not, the images/designs are variations on the same theme.

Heck, I’ve had a copy of Flea Market Style sitting on the coffee table for a week now. I bought this particular copy on Tuesday in NYC. I’m sure it’s full of beautiful photos and great ideas for repurposing.

Have I cracked it open? No.

I am sadly lacking in the Pinterest gene.

Is it simply a matter of Decorating Photo Fatigue? Or, just plain Photo Fatigue? Probably a little of both. I just don’t want to spend hours on Pinterest. Or even an hour. I have no desire to be a Pinning Pro.

But I know lots of you spend time on Pinterest and love every minute of it. It provides lots of good tips, ideas, and inspiration. It’s like an uber-magazine.

So, I have a feeling I’m the exception here. The oddball. That’s okay. I’ve certainly been in that position before and most likely will be again.

I’m sure you’re thinking, “What are we going to do with her?”

Sigh.

My name is Claudia and I’d rather read a good book than pin.

(New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.)

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, butterfly, pinterest 65 Comments

September

September 1, 2014 at 9:19 am by Claudia

September.

That came up rather quickly, didn’t it?

I remember when summer seemed to last forever; a long stretch of endless days of reading, riding bikes, playing outside, camping. Ninety days turned into 1000 days. Three months were more like six months.

As we get older, not so much. A summer seems to fly by. A blink of the eye and suddenly leaves are on the ground and the bright light of summer is beginning to turn into the golden light of autumn.

How grateful I am that this spring and summer were the first in a long time where I wasn’t away from home for several weeks. Only two and a half weeks in Chautauqua. I got to see the gardens in all their stages of growth. Usually, I miss either the beginning or the last couple of months of the gardens. So, I’m grateful.

garden and fallen leaves

It may be September, but the Chicken Wire Fence Garden is thriving. Leaves on the ground. Flowers blooming.

Sort of perfect.

3 morning glories

I finished The Heist by Daniel Silva yesterday. I’m now reading The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olsen (an author you really should get to know) and a wonderful book by Pat Conroy, My Reading Life. Conroy writes so beautifully that I’d even read his grocery list. He’s that good.

I also had a 2½ hour phone conversation with a wonderful friend of mine – a fellow voice/speech coach. Lovely. Don was away on a gig, so I took advantage of a chunk of quiet, undisturbed time in the house. It was so great to catch up with her.

And I mowed the whole front yard yesterday! That’s a workout, my friends, and I was exhausted afterward. It was more humid out there than I had thought. I was trying to beat out the rain that was coming (we really need it) and I managed to finish about ten minutes before the first drops fell. And then it rained quite a bit, which the gardens and trees and plants are clearly appreciating this morning.

My husband is a proud member of three unions. Unions gave actors fair pay, regular hours, protections of all kinds, and health benefits; things they didn’t have for years and years. Happy Labor Day.

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: books, flowers, garden, morning glory, reading 28 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 1232
  • 1233
  • 1234
  • 1235
  • 1236
  • …
  • 1849
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2026 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in