Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Unexpected Blessing in the Mail

October 1, 2010 at 2:14 pm by Claudia

I don’t make it a habit to post twice in one day. However, I had to share something with you that just happened an hour ago. If you’ve read the earlier October 1st post, you know we were dealing with a leak in the kitchen yesterday caused by a combination of too many leaves in the gutters and torrential rains. Tending to that took a few hours. Thank goodness we were home.

I’m going to be honest. I had an argument with my father last night that kept me awake for about 3 hours in the middle of the night. The worries about my mother continue. I have a dog (Riley) who seems to have lost control and periodically poops in the house. This morning, after keeping him outside for a long time, I relented, let him in and he promptly pooped on the floor. We are dealing, as are many of you, with financial worries. This morning, I sat down and cried my heart out for a while. I just needed that release.

No sooner had I done that than I heard the toot of our mail carrier’s horn. That means a package has been left down at the mailbox.

The box was from my dear friend, Donna of An Enchanted Cottage. Donna is one of the first bloggers I was privileged to meet and we have been friends ever since. She is a lovely person with a heart of gold. She also loves all animals, as I do and we bonded initially because of that shared love. She also has a beautiful home. Donna’s father is fragile, so we have that worry in common, as well.

I found this inside the box. Donna had enclosed a card, which couldn’t have been more perfect.

If you read Donna’s blog, you know that she has a cat. She also has chipmunks and a squirrel named Sammy that hang out on her property. She is the Chipmunk/Squirrel Whisperer. Look what I found:

Beautiful notecards with gorgeous cherubs. I’ve written many times about my love of cherubs. My beloved cherub painting is hanging on the wall of our bedroom. These are beautiful, aren’t they? There was one more package, taped so tightly that I must admit I had no idea what it was.

Yes, I gasped. Two beautiful saucers in the Spode Claudia pattern! I mentioned this pattern at the very end of a previous blog post – my friend Jill had alerted me to its existence. I thought it looked like a perfect pattern to collect. Someday. I kept the photo Jill sent me on the desktop of my laptop. Every once in a while I would look at it. I don’t know where Donna found these, but I’m here to tell you they are beautiful. Even my husband remarked on how lovely they are.

Beautiful crazing. And I love that mark – “Spode’s Claudia.” I didn’t know that Spode loved me so much!

This gift, arriving out of the blue, for no reason other than my friend knows I’m having a hard time right now, was perfectly timed. As if on cue. I am so touched and grateful. Thank you, dear friend. I am blessed.

Filed Under: Fellow bloggers, gifts 28 Comments

In the Gutter

October 1, 2010 at 10:16 am by Claudia

(taken from my perch on the ladder)

Too many leaves in gutter + torrential rains = leak in kitchen. Yes, that’s what we dealt with yesterday. I’m sure you’ve read that the East Coast has been getting heavy, heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours. Yesterday, I looked up to see water dripping down the wall near our stove. Uh oh. We put on our grubby clothes, grabbed the ladder and up to the roof went husband. At first we thought it might be the roof itself. But we soon discovered that the gutter was completely backed up and the water had nowhere to go but into the house. Luckily, as soon as we cleared it, water flowed freely down into our rain barrel. The gutters around the porch were full as well, even though the leaves have only been falling for about 10 days.

(again, taken from my precarious perch on the ladder)

So we cleared those. Lesson learned: when rain is predicted and leaves are falling, check gutters. We love our trees, but we pay a price for their close proximity to the house. Overnight, we had more heavy rain and I’m happy to report the kitchen stayed dry. Oh, the adventures of home ownership!

In the midst of all this, my rose bush presented us with a surprise:

I thought the bloom period had long ended, but perhaps because of our recent warm weather, there are several buds ready to open. It’s going to get cold over the weekend so I am urging my little buds to open today.

Filed Under: Mockingbird Hill Cottage, rain 13 Comments

B is for Bakelite

September 29, 2010 at 1:41 pm by Claudia

I love bakelite. I started collecting it back when I was living in Boston. I had begun to collect the original Fiesta pottery and bakelite flatware went perfectly with it. Eventually, I amassed quite a collection of Fiesta, which I later sold. But I kept the bakelite utensils.

Bakelite was invented by Leo Baekeland, a Belgian chemist, in Yonkers, NY (not too far from MHC.)  In 1909, he patented a phenolic resin that was used in industrial applications. It eventually entered the consumer market and was used in radios, pool balls, jewelry, flatware, kitchenware –  all sorts of decorative applications.

I love the way the colors get richer with time. If I see something with even a touch of bakelite, I’m all over it.

The vintage flour canister was a retro red that I liked, but what sealed the deal was the bakelite handle. The shape and color are fabulous. The vintage napkin ring is the same color except for that wonderful green beak. Bakelite was really popular in the 1920’s and 30’s and you can see that in the deco design of both pieces.

I have a lot of flatware that I keep in an old Harlequin jug. These colors make me happy.

These pieces are in the same color family as the napkin ring and the canister handle.
Most of these handles are a dark green.
The two spoons at the bottom of the photo are red, although it’s hard to see that in this photo.
These are my favorites. I love that two-tone look.
I also have this large kitchen knife and even use it occasionally.
You’ve seen these before. The mah-jongg tiles are also made of bakelite.
I have a bangle bracelet somewhere in a wonderful blue color. And I have a sneaking suspicion that there is more bakelite around here that I am forgetting about…but that can be another post. I’d love to know if any of you have bakelite pieces?

Filed Under: collecting 34 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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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.

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