Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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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

I Thought This Was February

February 13, 2023 at 9:02 am by Claudia

The winter that wasn’t. We’ll reach the 50s today. No snow in sight.

Really happy we paid to have our snow blower repaired.

It’s somewhat sunny today, though, so I’m happy about that.

I finished the latest Louise Penny yesterday. I started reading intensely in the afternoon, and when Don mentioned playing his guitar, I asked him if he would refrain because I was close to finishing a book. When I added that it was a Louise Penny, he immediately responded, “Of course!”

Excellent.

Today, I’m starting Underland  by Robert Macfarlane. Nonfiction.

War and Peace  is ongoing.

Pretty little Maeve.

Holly taking a stroll on the porch.

And so goes the routine of our days. Don is composing music and practicing the guitar, I read, clean, and play with the dolls.

But frankly, we both need to work and not just for financial reasons. We LIKE to work. We need that very specific kind of stimulation in our lives.

I should be gearing up to work on a Broadway show at the beginning of March. But, that isn’t going to happen.

Okay. Don is excited because it’s going to be relatively warm today and he can wash his shirts and hang them out on the line. I’m excited because I can have another piece of apple pie this afternoon.

It’s the little things.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, pottery 16 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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