Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Crochet, Dystopian, and a Question

February 16, 2023 at 9:07 am by Claudia

Lucy wondering: “What the heck is Valentines Day??” I didn’t pose these two, Lucy’s head was already tilted this way. By the way, I just remembered that Zoe’s dress was originally Lucy’s. That’s what Lucy was dressed in when she arrived here at the cottage.

Hmmm. Maybe Lucy is wondering why Lucy is wearing her dress.

Today: Blythes, if only because that’s what I was working on most of the day yesterday. Actually, I was working on this ↓

That darned hat.

It was the most frustrating day. This yarn is very fine, full of varying thicknesses, and – for me – incredibly hard to crochet with. I’ve been wanting to store the yarn I have in the den, but I had yet to make a hat from this. So that was my project yesterday. It took me at least two hours longer than it would normally. I was cussing up a storm. It stretches too much and, often, attempts to hook the yarn are fruitless. On and on it went. And then, as I was getting close to the end of the pattern, I grabbed Katie to check on the fit and my suspicions that it was much too big were confirmed. It’s the same weight as the other yarns I’ve been using, but as all knitters and crocheters know, that ‘weight’ and gauge can vary. What to do? I did another two rows of decrease and prayed it would work. It did, but just barely.

It’s very pretty yarn and it is part silk/part mohair, so it’s very soft. But it’s a pain in the tush to work with. This little endeavor, which was supposed to go quickly, took up the entire afternoon.

She looks cute, though.

We’ve been watching The Last of Us –  episodes are being released weekly – a dystopian series about what happens after a fungal infection kills the vast majority of the population (it’s excellent) and Station Eleven, a series based on the book written by Emily St. John Mandel, which I raved about on this blog when it was first published. It’s also dystopian; this time it’s the flu that is the culprit. Normally, I don’t watch series based on favorite books, as you know, but several years have passed since I read Station Eleven, and I couldn’t remember the details any longer, so we went for it. Both series are very, very good. Tonight, we’ll watch the final episode of Station Eleven. By the way, both series are on HBO Max, which we get on a monthly basis (can cancel at any time) through Amazon Prime.

The temperature hit 65 degrees yesterday! But it was very windy, as it often is when the weather is unseasonably warm. Today: 60 degrees with a low of 48. Tomorrow, the low plunges down to 22 degrees. Crazy weather! It will get colder next week, with a chance of snow. Earlier, the prediction was for substantial snow fall. Now, it’s been changed to snow showers mostly; maybe some accumulation on one day. But I bet that changes.

Okay. I’ve been thinking about some other way to display my girls, but there are constraints. They have to be in the same place they are now – that little niche in the den. If I buy a narrow cabinet from IKEA, where do I put the music cabinet? I can’t see any other place in the house where that piece will fit. If I find something with deep and tall enough shelves that can fit on top of the cabinet, it has to be just perfect, like the egg cup cubby was perfect. If I install shelves on the wall, then they have to be be deep enough so the girls don’t slide off. Every time we come down the stairs to the den, there’s a bit of vibration and I don’t want it to cause any of these girls to slip and fall.

Any ideas?

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, crochet 26 Comments

Sun, Kitchen, and Books

February 15, 2023 at 9:24 am by Claudia

We just had the nicest day yesterday. Did we go anywhere? No. Did we give each other a gift? No. We just spent time together on a perfectly sunny day. We talked a lot, we cuddled, we repeatedly said how much we love each other.

Frankly, that’s all I need.

The kitchen yesterday. This photo, however, doesn’t really show how gloriously sunny it was. But it will have to do. I quickly took the photo while Don and I were sitting on the living room sofa. (Excuse the little bag of trash on the counter! Real life.)

This book is extraordinary. It’s nonfiction, which is always slower going for me, but, oh my, is it worth it. I never quote blurbs, but I will with this one, simply because I couldn’t write anything better:

In Underland, Robert Macfarlane delivers an epic exploration of the Earth’s underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself. Traveling through the dizzying expanse of geological time – from prehistoric art in Norwegian sea caves, to the blue depths of the Greenland ice cap, to a deep-sunk “hiding place” where nuclear waste will be stored for 100,000 years to come – Underland  takes on an extraordinary journey into our relationship with darkness, burial, and what lies beneath the surface of both heart and mind.

I hear a Carolina wren as I’m writing this. I’m wondering if the birds think Spring is coming soon? Ive certainly got spring fever, but the reality is we might get some snow next week and the unseasonably warm temperatures are going to plunge for a couple of days. (Thanks, Mother Nature. With all this warmth, I’m ready for Spring!)

We have to get out there and clean out the trailer bird house to get it prepped in case they want to nest there. Right now, I can see a wren on the branches of the big maple tree that is right next to the porch. And now he/she is on the porch. And back to the tree.

Okay, my friends.

Stay safe.

 

 

Filed Under: birds, books, kitchen 31 Comments

A Valentine

February 14, 2023 at 8:37 am by Claudia

Zoe: Will you be my Valentine?

Zoe is very shy, as was I when I was little girl. Sending and giving Valentines was a bit stressful. I have assured Zoe that she is everyone’s  Valentine. We adore her.

It took me a long time to meet my true Valentine. I’m sure glad he’s here today. We’re not exchanging any cards this year, per my request. I think Don always feels that he has to do that, because, and I quote, “I’m the guy.” But he doesn’t. Not to sound too sappy, but truly, every day is Valentines Day here at the cottage.

Yesterday, I took a trip to a local antique market. I’m looking for a different way to display the girls. They’re so jammed together right now. I could buy a cabinet from IKEA, but where would I put the sheet music cabinet? Should I add some shelves on the wall, instead? This is what goes round and round in my brain. I secretly hope I’ll find just the right vintage piece but I didn’t see it yesterday, nor last week, when I made another trip to an antique shop.

But, I did come across a total surprise – only $20, by the way:

This little cabinet! It’s not all that old (and those drawer pulls are pushpins!) Maybe it was meant for jewelry? Or maybe it was meant for a doll or two. I have no idea, but I LOVE it! I plan to install some sort of rod to hang some of their clothing. I can stash some accessories in the drawers.

Isn’t this perfect? I almost didn’t go to this shop, which is an extension of the main shop. It has changed it’s concentration to vintage clothing, which makes sense in a college town, so I didn’t expect to find anything. But, there it was, tucked away in a corner, and everything in the shop was 20% off.

Huzzah!

____________________________

On a much more serious note. The shootings at Michigan State University shocked me to the core, though I suppose nothing is truly a surprise these days. My home state is Michigan, my brother went to MSU, reader Jeanie attended MSU along with my dear friend Jerry. Jeanie still lives in that area. Jeanie, I have thought of you so many times since the news last night.

I mourn the loss of lives, and the loss of innocence. Children aren’t safe in schools, students aren’t safe on college campuses, people aren’t safe in nightclubs, at the grocery store, in a movie theater. As in every case, the shooter was male.

Gun control. Gun control. Gun control. Gun control.

I have been fighting for this since my student was murdered nearly 29 years ago.

My heart breaks.

Happy Tuesday.

Happy Valentines Day.

Stay safe.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, gun control, valentine's day 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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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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