Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 1688 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Rain

July 10, 2010 at 11:11 am by Claudia

What happens when your ‘studio’ is in an upstairs hallway with a skylight and no air conditioning and it is over 100 degrees? You only see it as you move as quickly as you can to the air conditioned bedroom. Things get piled up and you can’t even contemplate dealing with them. Any creative ideas remain stuck somewhere in the recesses of your brain.

Your brain turns to mush.

Today, thank goodness, we have rain. Rain, blessed rain. I’ve been worried about the state of the garden, our lawn, and most importantly, our weeping willow. The willow has been dropping leaves at an alarming rate. Willows need a lot of water. I resorted to watering it by hand, although I don’t know if it made any difference. Then I quickly stopped the watering when I remembered that we have a well and that the well could run dry. A quick shift into water conservation mode. We’ve been very careful about our water use the last several days. Though it is just a start, I feel a bit more positive about everything today. I’ve never been happier to see rain.

And you will notice in the photo above that the sky is cloudy. Yes, gorgeously cloudy. We are supposed to have a chance of thunderstorms off and on for the next few days. Bring ’em on!

A Doll Story

July 8, 2010 at 4:26 pm by Claudia

One day, about 5 months ago, I saw her. While exploring an Antique Center across the Hudson River from my home, I turned a corner and there she was. She was beautiful. I examined her more closely. Ah, some crazing, some damage to the legs….but her face was perfect. She was wearing her original pink dress, bonnet, shoes and socks.

I looked at the price. Reasonable…but I was on a budget and I couldn’t justify the expense. I looked at her again. Now you see, some people would look at the crazing and the missing composition on the legs and say, “Not for me.”

Those things just made her sweeter. They added to her beauty.

But no, I couldn’t buy her. I walked away.

I came back to the shop at least 2 more times over the course of the next 3 months. She was still there. No one wanted her. It broke my heart. Eventually, the price was lowered a bit. But this was just before I was headed to California. I was on a budget and I didn’t see any way I could come home with another doll.

I’ve mentioned before that I am not a doll collector. I have my Shirley Temple doll (formerly my Mom’s) and Tressa. This little girl reminded me of my Tiny Tears doll. – the one that became my last baby doll, with a wardrobe made by my Grandmother – and that somehow along the way was lost forever. I mourn her to this day. I can still see the pink corduroy coat and bonnet that Gram made for her.

I left for California.

She entered my thoughts from time to time and I wondered if she was still there – sitting in a child sized chair. Lonely. Does anyone else ever feel this way? Am I crazy?

Finally, one day I looked up the web site for the store and sent an email to the manager. “I saw this doll – if you turn to the right when you walk in the front door, she is in the first booth. She’s wearing a pink dress and a bonnet and she looks sort of like Tiny Tears. Is she still there?”

I got an answer the next day. Yes, she was. He knew exactly what doll I was talking about. The price had been lowered again. “Hold onto her for me.” I called the next day, purchased her over the phone and said I’d be by in a little over 6 weeks to pick her up.

Today, we went to get her.

She’s tiny – petite. Her eyes close and are in perfect condition.

Such sweet details on her dress and bonnet.

Say hello to Emma. What can I say? Another rescue. Scout and Riley are rescues. Heidi and I rescued Tressa. And now little Emma has been rescued and brought to her new home. It only took 5 months.

Home to a Heat Wave

July 7, 2010 at 2:37 pm by Claudia

I’ve come home to a heat wave. Yesterday it was 99 degrees, but it felt like 103. Today: more of the same. Needless to say, I got to work about an hour in the garden before it became unbearable. The garden looked like a mini-jungle. So I pulled weeds and pruned. There are piles of stuff like this all over the yard:

There is much, much more to do but it’s a start. The grass is browner than I’ve ever seen it – a combination of the high temps so far this summer and the lack of rain. I’ll have photos of the garden when it looks a tad more presentable.

The last opening night went very well and I spent a little time at the party afterward. The next morning, I began my travel day and for once, both flights I was on left early. The flight from San Diego was packed but we still managed to get going and arrive an hour early. Then the connecting flight left ahead of schedule which resulted in my arrival 40 minutes ahead of time. No husband there, as he was in transit; however, we greeted each other on our anniversary. The last few days have been about reconnecting with my husband and my dogs, cleaning and trying to adapt to the time change.

My pal Sue of Vintage Sue read my post about sea glass and said she wanted to send me some. She lives right near the shore. A big, heavy box was waiting for me. If you know Sue, you know she loves to go junkin’ and that sweetie added a lot of fun extras to the box. Forgive the lighting – the room is darkened to save us from the merciless heat.

A close-up of the sea glass.

What the heck is my lens cap doing in this photo? (I’m incredibly spacey the last few days.)

Isn’t Sue wonderful? She’s funny, generous and an inveterate junker – if you haven’t visited her, you must!

My friend Adrian tells me that Ralphie keeps going to the door of my former apartment and looks for me. When he sees the new tenant, he comes back to Adrian with his ears down and his tail stops wagging. I miss my buddy. (Don’t tell Riley and Scout.) I also miss the actors in the company – what a wonderful group they are. But, I am so glad to be home. I’ll have more in the next day or two.

Rain

A Doll Story

Home to a Heat Wave

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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