Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Rainy Friday

November 11, 2022 at 9:21 am by Claudia

Current puzzle. Don gave me this House Plants puzzle recently. It was a little surprise because I was feeling down. It’s a lot of fun and rather difficult, to boot!

We’re supposed to get a lot of rain later today and tomorrow – the storm/hurricane that hit Florida is moving up the coast. So far, it’s dry out there, but the rain should arrive around noon. Don has been doing a lot lately and I’ve ordered him to take it easy today. That should be far easier to do if it’s raining.

Mid afternoon yesterday found me searching for a new outfit for Sophie to wear.

This fox sweater was one of the very first things I purchased when I got Sophie. I often forget that it’s there – but that color is perfect for Sophie. I was chatting with Sophie’s creator – CandyFlossRose, who lives in England – on IG yesterday. Turns out Sophie was the very first Blythe that she customized. She apparently had a large collection of original Blythes – too many, she says – so she decided to try customizing one of them to sell. Hence, Sophie. I loved hearing that story. It just makes my first girl even more special.

I’m reading Jussi Adler-Olsen’s newest – The Shadow Murders – and I’m really enjoying it. I got it via our local library system. I am on the waiting list for the newest Anthony Horowitz, which is coming out later this month. And, after writing a note to our neighboring town’s library, I’ve learned I can get a library card there, in addition to the one I already have. I always wondered why we weren’t eligible since we pay hefty school taxes there. It didn’t seem fair. The head of the library wrote me back and said she had brought that very issue up to the board last year and now it’s a done deal. Hurrah! Our neighbor to the north is a university town and has a lovely library.

Okay. Rain on the way. Second cup of coffee. Puzzle fun. Reading.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, books, jigsaw puzzles, reading 27 Comments

Starlings, The Shed, and Porch Plants

November 10, 2022 at 8:47 am by Claudia

Three little pansies.

Every year, I try to game the onset of wintry weather and see how long I can keep my porch plants alive. At some point, I have to throw in the towel, of course. Two days ago the nighttime temp went down to 29 degrees. I didn’t want to bring all the plants inside, so I placed them in a group on the porch floor and attached an old sheet from the back of the glider to the two Adirondack chairs. It worked! I moved this planter onto the porch, as well.

But, a quick glance at the weather forecast tells me that next week we’re headed for below freezing temps every night, so I expect I’ll give up at some point.

Last year I couldn’t play this little game because I was away working in NYC.

I missed it.

We’ve needed to reorganize the shed since Don brought home several bins from the storage facility. We finally did it yesterday. (Side note: we’re sore and tired today.) But boy, did it feel good to figure out where to put everything so I can have access to my garden/potting space and we can have easy access to the bins with Christmas ornaments, garden tools, mower, and snowblower. It’s very spacious in there. We stacked the bins vertically. It also gave us the opportunity to sweep the floor and bat down some cobwebs. The guy who owned this house before us built the shed as a place to store his motorcycle. It’s quite large.

While we had the doors open and were working just outside the shed, another murmuration of starlings took place. This time, they were flying over our heads, swirling, soaring – and we were right in the middle of it. I cannot tell you how magical that was! We stood on the ramp to the shed, birds flying all around us, filled with awe.

And as I write this, another murmuration just occurred! This time, they were flying all around the front porch and our neighbor’s property across the street.

Word on the street is that Don is making an apple pie today.

The winner of the calendar is Chris K! Chris, send me an email with your address and I’ll get that out to you.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

 

Filed Under: life 16 Comments

A Post from Imogen

November 9, 2022 at 9:23 am by Claudia

Hi everybody, Imogen here!

Mom asked if I could write today’s post because she was up late and then it took her a long time to get to sleep, so she’s, as she would say, a big “ragged” this morning.

Mom and Dad decided to not follow the election results via the television. Too much hype and loud music and flow charts and white boards. They’re really tired of that. So, they watched old episodes of What’s My Line  and Mom kept checking Twitter.

She says we still don’t have all the results in. “Some bad things happened, but a lot of good things happened” is how she explained it to me. Mom and Dad have signs on the front lawn and everyone on the signs won.

Currently, she’s still  checking Twitter.

She and Dad are tired today so they are going to take it easy. Mom wishes dad had made an apple pie yesterday. She said she could sure use a piece.

She also finished this puzzle:

She told me that this is a place called Broadway and both she and Dad have worked there.

It’s news to me and I have no idea where that is, but okay.

It’s very cold here this morning and Mom is wondering if her porch plants survived. She’s going to go out there later this morning to check on them.

Thanks for letting me talk to you.

I’m going to go and hang out with my sisters.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls 28 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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