Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Is Your Gardening Thumb Green or Black?

March 3, 2012 at 11:24 am by Claudia

As I look out on a sea of melting snow and mud, I ponder how I’m going to reseed the now-missing front lawn. That’s something I really didn’t want to tackle, especially since I have to go out of town in April. Don will have to be in charge of watering and that doesn’t inspire me with confidence!

Thank goodness my garden was undisturbed in all the septic/tree removal mess. I find I am counting the days until I can work in the garden again and lose myself in planting and pruning and mulching. Nothing makes me happier than puttering in my garden.

I waited a long time to have my very own garden. I spent hours dreaming about it. When we rented in San Diego, I put in a garden, knowing that I would eventually have to leave it. Same thing for the cottage we rented for 4 years when we first moved out East. I took a strip of grass bordering the side of the cottage (with my landlord’s permission) and created a garden. When we moved here, I knew that I was finally going to have my own garden, not a temporary garden.

I am a fairly successful gardener who knows that she has much to learn. As all gardeners know, some plants thrive and others inexplicably fail. It’s a trial and error process – learning what your particular soil needs, where the shade is, how much sun a particular area gets.

There’s a lot of clay-like soil in these parts, so I’ve had to amend the soil in my garden beds. And now that the Willow has been removed, the pattern of sun and shade in my front yard will change, no doubt affecting my plants. Oh, but wait…that means I can plant more roses!

What about you? Do you dabble in gardening? Are you a passionate gardener? Or do you leave the gardening and planting to someone else? Is your gardening thumb green or black?

Do tell, my friends. And let’s all count the days until Spring planting season together.

I’m spending the weekend with some crochet and the new Lee Child thriller: The Affair. Just checked it out from my local library – thank goodness for inter-library loans!

Filed Under: flowers, garden, spring, trees 24 Comments

Contemplating Copyrights and Privacy on the Internet

March 2, 2012 at 11:52 am by Claudia

It’s the third grey skies day in a row here. Time for the sun, Mother Nature.

So I’ll post a photo of the kitchen on a sunny day, just to remind myself that sunny days do exist.

Ah, yes! That’s what sunny looks like.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about Pinterest and copyright issues. It’s all over the Internet. I was vaguely aware of the discussion but then my friend Z posted about it the other day. She referenced an article (which you can read by clicking on Z’s post) that I find very troubling. Today, I received this post from Amy (I subscribe via email) that had even more links to posts about Pinterest/copyright problems.

I’m not a lawyer. Frankly, the minute I start to read legalese my eyes glaze over. But there are serious issues about pinning other’s images, repinning without linking back to the original source and, to the best of my knowledge, Pinterest’s policy; which basically says they are not liable for any copyright infringement, but we (the pinners) are.

If you pin, I urge you to read the links. I’m not on Pinterest all that much. I have a few pinboards and I see that my photos are being pinned regularly. As to latter, so far I’m flattered. As to the former, I’m going to go back and make sure every image I have pinned is linked back to the original source. If I can’t link it, I’m deleting it. Everyone deserves credit for their work and unfortunately, I see many, many photos on Pinterest that are not linked to the originator.

Who knows? I may even delete my account eventually.

I watched a story on the NBC Nightly News yesterday that discussed Google’s new Privacy Policy, which has also sparked a bit of controversy. That policy went into effect on March 1st. I’ve done what I can to edit my privacy settings but since I use Google for this blog, there’s only so much I can do. I certainly can’t opt out.

I’m not lying awake worrying about any of this, but I do think we have to be careful in this Internet world. Writing a blog automatically puts us in the public eye. As I’ve said before, I’m not comfortable with the push to use Google+. So I don’t want to edit my photos on Google+, which is where we will find many of Picnik’s editing capabilities on April 20th.

Another reason for me to consider a move to WordPress. And I am. I’d like to own the content of this blog. It seems only right that this space that I have carefully crafted over the course of 4 years should be my property.

I must confess, sometimes the Internet seems a bit like the Wild West. And I guess it is. It’s all relatively new, therefore, new issues are popping up every day. All the more reason to exercise a bit of caution and use common sense – we are public in a way that seemed unthinkable a few short years ago.

If you have thoughts about this, please share them. I’d love to learn more about these issues and your insights will be greatly appreciated, as always.

Don’t forget that I’m having a giveaway for the series of 3 Prime Suspect mysteries. Just scroll down one post to my book review and leave a comment. I promise you, there are no other hoops to jump through. I never do that.

Filed Under: blogging, blogging tips, internet 27 Comments

Book Review: Prime Suspect 1 & 2

March 1, 2012 at 9:25 am by Claudia



(Before I begin, let me mention that the Frugal Five are featuring Diane on the always popular topic of bargain shopping for this week’s edition of Thrifty Living 2012. Please go visit her at Lavender Dreams.)

Hello, everyone. Today I am reviewing two books, Prime Suspect and Prime Suspect 2: A Face in the Crowd  by Lynda La Plante for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the books in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t know about you, but I watched every episode of the Prime Suspect series starring Helen Mirren that aired on PBS several years ago. It was absolutely riveting. This year, a new edition of Prime Suspect starring Maria Bello is airing on American television and the wonderful series of Prime Suspect mysteries written by Lynda La Plante, the creator of the television series, have been reissued. Lucky us!

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, these London-based mysteries feature Jane Tennison, a Detective Chief Inspector with Scotland Yard. They were originally written in 1993 when a woman on the police force was a relatively new thing. Jane is resented, marginalized and kept off of cases she should be directing by the good old boys on the force. She’s smart, savvy and incredibly good at what she does; nevertheless she has to fight to head up a case, dealing with harassment and prejudice at every turn.

In the first book, after having been assigned menial duties for several months, Jane is finally given a case involving a murdered prostitute (but only after the male officer heading it up suddenly dies.) She must solve a series of murders, all the while dealing with her fellow officers who refuse to take her seriously and try to thwart her along the way. In the second book, Jane must solve the murder of a young black woman in a neighborhood already full of racial tensions.

Far be it from me to give the plot away from either mystery! I respect a wonderfully plotted mystery too much. La Plante is a wonderful writer who manages to create such a vivid picture of London and the police department that I felt I was there. I could picture it all. Her characters are richly drawn, incredibly detailed, and the stories are so well written that you simply cannot put them down. When I am completely immersed in a story and feel as if I am living in the world created by the author, I know I am reading a gem. These two mysteries are gems, indeed.

When I accepted this assignment, I wondered if my memories of the PBS series would be a hindrance to losing myself in the stories. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Enough time has lapsed that each story was fresh and new.

I will be reviewing the third mystery in the series in a few weeks. If you love mysteries, you will love these books. La Plante is a gifted writer. I highly recommend them.

About the author:

Lynda La Plante’s fourteen novels, including the Prime Suspect Series, have all been international bestsellers. She is an honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and a member of the UK Crime Writers Awards Hall of Fame. She runs her own television production company and lives in London and Easthampton, NY.

Edited to add: Just found out I can give away a set of these wonderful mysteries to a lucky someone who leaves a comment. Go ahead, enter! I’ll draw the winner’s name on Saturday evening.

Filed Under: TLC Book Review 24 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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