Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Critters

August 1, 2023 at 9:29 am by Claudia

A gorgeous eastern swallowtail dining on the zinnias. The sun was shining directly in my eyes, so I couldn’t see much. I just followed the butterfly from flower to flower, hoping something would turn out.

Oh boy. I really worked my butt off yesterday. I pulled weeds, weed whacked, carted buckets of weeds to our debris pile, I pruned and trimmed. And then I mowed the top of the front lawn, which is up the hill and leads to the secret garden. The secret garden was still too wet to mow.

Needless to say, my back is complaining a bit today, but it was so satisfying to finally  get a chance to clean things up out there! Still more weed whacking to do, but the battery died, so I had to charge it. Just as well, as the weed whacker is a bit heavy and I was feeling it. Don mowed the corral and the trails in the woods.

My mom’s birthday was yesterday and the day was filled with memories of her. I miss her.

Today, we’ll take it easy and then tomorrow…back at it.

Groundhog appearance on the porch yesterday. What is the attraction, I wonder? Also, a couple of times lately, I have gone out on the porch around 8:30 pm to put something in the recycling bin and I’ve startled a bird that is resting/sleeping on top of the porch light. I’m going to try to go out there an hour or so earlier. Same thing with the hanging plant. I normally water it earlier in the day but one day I didn’t get to it until late and I startled another bird settling down there for the night. I wonder if there are other pots that provide a bed for the night? There’s probably a whole world of activity I know nothing about.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: birds, butterfly, groundhogs 20 Comments

Monday Morning

July 31, 2023 at 8:41 am by Claudia

Well. Monday morning. Time to pay the bills, time to mow, time to clean up the garden and do some weed whacking. It looks like a lovely day out there with milder temperatures and much less humidity. Never thought it would come!

We’re going to mow this morning – Don is taking the corral, I’m finishing up the part of the front lawn that we didn’t get to last week. Constant rain makes for long grass. We’re busy emptying the dehumidifier bucket – it works so well! I now realize the old one was really on its last legs for a long time. This baby is efficient and we are very happy with it.

Saw one of the groundhogs on the porch the other day. I shooed him away. Then, an hour or so later, I saw a baby bunny on the porch! I’ve never seen any of the many critters on this property so curious about the porch. Chipmunks routinely run across the porch but that’s been it until this summer.

Looking forward to hibernation time in October, if only to have a break from Groundhog Watch.

I’ve been chatting with a friend from college days. We were very close friends during our time studying drama in Michigan. We’re actually going to talk on the phone this week, which I’m really looking forward to. He can do anything; act, direct, design costumes and hats (he designed for the Muppets for years – and SNL, too.) He also designed clothes for dolls, as well as designing his own line of dolls. He’s pretty extraordinary. I’ll share more about him later, but it’s been a joy to reconnect.

Speaking of dolls:

Nina walking Bertie.

Okay. It’s time to make our second cup of coffee and get going!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls 15 Comments

A Cool Morning

July 30, 2023 at 9:09 am by Claudia

What’s that? A cool morning? Yes!

The front that went through yesterday brought lots of rain and thunderstorms, but it also carried away the extremely hot and humid weather. This morning is so much cooler and sunny and just plain lovely. Thank goodness. And, breaking news: the week ahead is supposed to be fairly dry.

I have so much clean up to do outside; things I haven’t been able to do because of the weather. Everything is overgrown. I look forward to doing a bit of that today – but not too much. I’m going to try to police myself and not overdo.

In the meantime, I just might grab some porch time.

I finished Fifth Business  yesterday. I love Robertson Davies so much! Instead of going directly into Demon Copperhead, I’m going to go for something light – The Thursday Murder Club.

And I want to tell you about a series we’re watching that we absolutely love: Extraordinary Attorney Woo. It’s on Netflix and it is so well done! It comes from South Korea and the protagonist is a recent graduate from law school with honors who happens to be autistic. She is an extraordinary character, beautifully acted by Park Eun-bin. The series itself is beautifully produced and art directed. It’s funny, moving, magical, and charming. We are completely in love with it and are happy to hear they’re shooting a second season. It’s good for the soul. So nice to see a series dealing with autism in a moving and humorous manner. I’m learning a lot. Z is on the spectrum, so this really resonates with us.

I recommend it highly. Thanks to our friend Adrian for recommending it.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: life 27 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.

Thanks for stopping by.

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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!

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