Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Painting a Table & Missing Followers Gadget

September 23, 2009 at 1:03 pm by Claudia

I see the Followers Gadget is missing again. It was there this morning but when I signed on about noon it was gone. My dashboard says I have followers, but when I click on the number the page is blank. I tried deleting the gadget and then adding it again – nothing. This seems to be an ongoing problem with Blogger and is getting very annoying. I’ve checked other blogs and their gadgets seem to be missing, too.


On to more pleasant things. I have this little table that I have had since I was teaching at Boston University. You can see a bit of it in this photo. There is a little back story on this table. When I started teaching at BU, I was very poor, having just left graduate school. My salary was not very much as I was just starting out. Boston has one of the highest costs of living in the country. Translate all this to: I didn’t have much and I could afford nothing. The Theater Department had 2 Prop Rooms – one in the main theater and a small one in the classroom building. The smaller room had all sorts of cast-offs donated by faculty and students that were used for acting projects. I needed a little table for my office and found this one in the shop. When I moved to a larger, rent-controlled apartment in Cambridge, the table somehow left my office and appeared in my apartment. And it has stayed with me ever since. (Disclaimer: I repaid that loan by donating some pieces to the prop room when I moved on to San Diego.)

Although it is a bit wobbly, I would never get rid of it because it is full of memories of that time in Boston. But I have been staring at it for a while thinking it needed something. You can see that it is tucked in right next to the piano and the piano is mahogany. Too much dark wood. As I am not about to paint the piano, I decided to paint the table.


Simple – but I think it lightens things up a bit. This part of the living room tends to be dark. Now I am going to paint two tables in the den. I keep wanting “lighter” here at MHC. By the way, this is paint I already had on hand – I used it for the kitchen island.


Speaking of the piano, it sounds so much better!

Filed Under: blogging, decorating, painting, piano 18 Comments

A Pretty Birdcage, A Pretty Sound & a Birthday

September 22, 2009 at 8:14 am by Claudia


Now, that’s a birdcage! I’ve had this photo (from Vignettes) for a while – I took it right before I left San Diego. This rusty, gorgeous piece was easily over 5 feet in height and 4 feet wide. I had to include it for my friend, Donna, who loves a good birdcage. I would have bought it for you, Donna, but as you can see it was already sold.

I have a few photos from California that I haven’t shared yet. Every so often, I’ll post one or two.


I love this bench. Oh yes…I would have happily taken this baby home. Alas, I was flying and this wouldn’t have fit in the overhead compartment. I miss Vignettes. I do.

After some investigation, we think the alarm went off because of a moth. When we took off the cover, a dead moth fluttered to the ground. I am happy to report that all was quiet last night.

Today the piano gets tuned!! I won’t say how long it has been, just know it has been too long. It is so out of tune that I can’t bear to play it. My husband says he misses the sound of the piano and the life and energy it brings to our house. As do I. So today my sweet piano will be tuned and I will play again.

Finally, Happy 90th Birthday to my wonderful father-in-law, Lee!! I love you and wish I was out in sunny California helping you celebrate!

Filed Under: birthday, piano, Vignettes 19 Comments

Autumn Surprise(s)

September 21, 2009 at 11:23 am by Claudia


Our sedum Autumn Joy has the most intense color this year – I suppose it is because of all the rain. I love seeing this splash of color among the earth tones of Autumn. The garden is overgrown with maple leaves everywhere. Imagine my surprise when I saw this perfect little bloom:


At first I thought it was something else, then I realized it was my Butterfly Bush. Up until this year it hasn’t done much blooming – I forgot I had it! Tucked in amongst everything else, it is blooming beautifully and is a wonderful Autumn Surprise.

I have decided I love my new font and I’m keeping it! It makes me happy. That alone is reason enough, isn’t it? Thanks for all your comments – and your thumbs up for the font!

At 4 in the morning we were jolted awake by a piercing alarm – but only for a few seconds. We stumbled around trying to figure out which of the many detectors in this house went off. We have no idea. It didn’t last and never went off again. I don’t think it is anything wired into the alarm company or they would have called. We have two carbon monoxide detectors – but the windows were open and the one in the bedroom registered 0. There are also a few smoke alarms that are not wired into the main alarm system. Of course, I couldn’t get back to sleep for a while. Today I am convinced it was a fluke – dust or something setting off some alarm for a split second. Nevertheless, a frightening way to wake up in the night!

Alright, I must get going…hope your Monday is beautiful!

Filed Under: autumn, flowers, garden 9 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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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

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