Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Joanna Pierotti

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A quick update: my back is getting better! I have less pain and more mobility. I’m taking it slow and being careful. I promise.

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a long time. In fact, I contacted this artist a while back for permission to write about her. Life intrudes, of course, and its craziness sometimes takes over. Having said that, I have been reading this book:

Have you seen it? It is a fascinating look at artists, what they collect and how they use those finds in their creations. I’d seen this book on a few blogs, most recently at Lisa’s, and it does not disappoint.

There, upon the page, was Joanna Pierotti, the artist I spoke of earlier in this post. The universe has given me a little poke and I am duly reminded.

I don’t know how I first discovered Joanna’s work, though it was most likely during that process of link-hopping in which we all engage. Joanna is a mixed-media artist whose work is simply beautiful. She creates collages, journals and the most heart-stoppingly beautiful art dolls I have ever seen. Art is subjective, of course, and each of us responds differently to it. When I saw one of Joanna’s art dolls, I felt Cupid’s arrow pierce my heart. I couldn’t stop looking at her creations. I scrolled through all her posts – present and past. I haunted her shop. I wrote her a fan letter.

Let me show you some of her work. (All photos are the property of Joanna Pierotti.)

This doll – the one I write this caption for – broke my heart with its beauty. It sold very quickly, of course, so I didn’t even have the chance to contemplate gathering all my spare change to buy it. But you see why I wanted it with all my heart, don’t you? I don’t know if I can explain the feeling I have when I look at this creation, but I’ll try. My heart is touched deep within. I feel a kick to my solar plexus.  Some day I will find a way to own one of Joanna’s art dolls. I will be the first one to click ‘buy’ and one of these stunning creations will be on its way to me.

Oh. my. goodness. How does she do it? I don’t know. I do know she is blessed with extraordinary talent.

Joanna has just moved from her home in California to a new home in Arizona. Her husband was critically ill this past year and I hope that their beautiful new home surrounds them with peace and healing.

To see more of her work, please visit Joanna’s blog, JoAnnA’s Art Journal. From there you will be able to visit her Etsy shop, see her art doll archives and view more of her mixed-media creations.

I also wanted to mention the lovely Jen Kershner, of The Cottage Nest, who featured me as her Reader of the Week. Thank you so much, Jen! Please stop by and visit Jen’s lovely blog. I’m a longtime fan.

I’m Stuck Here, So I’m Rambling

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A different view this morning. (Note painting by door that gets crooked every time we go in and out. Annoying.) Normally I’m ensconced in my chair in the den. However, that chair is not good for my back in its current condition. So the laptop, camera and heating pad have moved to a new location in the living room. I’m sorry to say that my aching back is still aching. Thanks for all your advice. In case you’re thinking that I clean the siding on my house on a regular basis, let me assure you, I don’t. The side of the house where I was merrily cleaning away gets that green, mildewy stuff occasionally, especially after lots of rain. I ignored it for a long time (2 years) and that is why I was wielding a brush the other day. And the cleaning didn’t injure me…not looking where I was going was the culprit.

Okay, since I’m stuck here, I submit some rambling thoughts for your reading pleasure:

::  If my beloved Red Sox couldn’t do it, the two teams I wanted to see in the World Series are in. Love the Rangers and the Giants. Mostly, I love that two scrappy teams beat the big guys. They play with such heart! Can’t wait for the series to begin on Wednesday. I might be watching it from the floor, but I’ll be there.

:: In the “Drives Me Crazy” category: the misuse everywhere of the word literal or  literally.  I hear it all the time: “I literally died laughing.” “We were literally sweating bullets.” No…you weren’t. Otherwise, we would be mourning your death or watching bullets pop out of your body.

I hate it when a word gets twisted into a casual, less-than form of what it was (i.e., ‘awesome’ – that’s another post entirely.) The latest example? A commercial for Dodge Minivans that has the tag line (I paraphrase): “…this minivan literally gave birth to all other minivans.” Really? That would have been a sight to see.  And this misuse was okayed by an ad agency. Someone actually signed off on the copy. Yes, I know that language changes, but it shouldn’t be cheapened for a lazy writer’s ad copy. Each of the sentences I referred to would be just as effective without the insertion of ‘literally.’

:: The kids have new clothes:

Scout obviously didn’t want this picture taken. Note slightly pissed off facial expression.

The ever-elusive Riley. Any photo of him requires some sort of sneak attack.
:: When I said there were no orange pumpkins here at MHC, I was sadly mistaken. What was I thinking? 

After the dogs reminded me about the dollhouse porch, I was shamed into taking a photo of the pretty display of lovely pumpkins – orange pumpkins.

:: I forgot how much I like crocheting. I’ve started a throw for the den and now that I’ve memorized the pattern, it flows and an almost-meditative feeling comes over me.

:: My Mom is scheduled to go home this Thursday. We don’t know how that is going to work out, as she is not really any better. There will be someone to help out a few hours a day. My Dad desperately wants it to work, but he’s 87 and this is enormously stressful for both of them. I’ll write more when I  know more.

:: Last but certainly not least, I had to share this photo with you. It’s my husband as young boy playing the steel guitar in his godfather’s Polynesian band.

He was 11. I can’t even begin to tell you how cute I think this is: the Hawaiian shirt, his sweet face, the look of concentration, the retro starburst clock. Oh, and his haircut. I just want to squeeze him.

Have a lovely day, my friends.

Pumpkins, Color & an Aching Back

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Imagine a woman who simply wanted to clean the dirty siding on the far side of her house. There she is, bucket of water and bleach by her side, long handled brush in hand, working away at a task she has put off far too long. Lots of trips back to the inside of the house in order to dump the dirty water, then back outside to refill the bucket. As she blithely walks on the uneven ground, she steps in a hole, twists her body and falls to the ground, thereby straining the muscles near her right knee and badly wrenching her already problematical lower back.

Well, obviously that’s me. The knee is all better but my back? Not so much. I’m walking around like an old woman. Sitting makes it worse, standing eases the pain. Last night, I watched the last hour of the baseball game flat on my back on the floor. Right now, I’m wearing my flannel pajamas, an old shawl that I knit a few years back and a heating pad on my back. The pain is getting to me, yes, but mostly I’m just ticked off that I am so incapacitated. I don’t do incapacitated well.

So let’s look at my new pumpkins. I did manage to get out yesterday to buy some yarn – my need to make something during the colder weather has taken over. I’m going to crochet a throw for the den. On the way home, I stopped for some cider donuts (husband’s request) and I saw these neat pumpkins.

They’re called Cheese Pumpkins. The color and funky shape called to me. I was going to buy one but I was using my debit card and a $10 minimum was required. So I bought two. There is nary an orange pumpkin in sight this year at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. I’m loving this more subdued, subtle coloring. And I have to thank Tracie for jump starting this with her gift of 3 white pumpkins.

Don’t you just love that stem?

In other news, Don shaved off his mustache and goatee the other day and it took me 3 days to notice the change. Does anyone else have this problem? He was patiently waiting 3 whole days for me to discover and comment on the new look and I didn’t come through. See? I always tell him that it doesn’t matter to me whether he has a beard or not.  Obviously, I proved my point.

One more photo of our trees in their fall colors:

Have a wonderful Sunday. Me? I’ll just be hanging around with my heating pad.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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