Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Serious Stuff Today

October 28, 2022 at 8:29 am by Claudia

The sky over the back forty this morning.

Today, I’m going to update you on my sister, Meredith. Meredith had Pelvic Floor Surgery last Friday. I’m sure many of you who have had children are familiar with this. I believe my mom had some form of this surgery decades ago. Anyway, Mere has had discomfort for a long time and scheduled the surgery for last week. Originally, I was going to go down there and take care of her, but I got work and she found out it would be done on an outpatient basis and that the older boys would be there for the few first days taking care of her, along with two of her good friends so we decided my presence wasn’t necessary. She expected to be feeling better a few days after surgery.

Her good friend Cathy was with her on the day of her surgery and kept me up-to-date via text message. The surgery went well and after she got out of recovery, she expected to go home. She was bleeding a lot after the surgery. But she couldn’t urinate. A catheter was put in. Long story short, she had to spend the night until she was able to urinate the next day. Meanwhile, the nurses at the hospital tried to get hold of her surgeon, but the surgeon’s partner was on call that weekend and the partner never got back to the hospital.

And there’s been nothing but trouble ever since. She has been bleeding quite a bit, which is considered somewhat normal. She came down with a urinary tract infection from the catheter and she was in a lot of pain. She called her surgeon’s office for an antibiotic and they did not call it in for 22 hours. Almost a day. When they did call it in, it was for a drug she is allergic to. If she’d taken it, she would have been in ICU. Finally, her regular doctor called in the correct prescription.

She is very weak and she’s crying a lot. It has been much worse than she anticipated. Thankfully, she has friends who are checking on her and her oldest son was there all day on Monday and he’ll be there all day today. My brother-in-law has been watching Little Z.

She’ll come through all of this, but my god, she has had a shitty year. There’s been one thing after another, along with a soon-to-be-ex-husband who makes things more difficult on a daily basis. And that’s all I’ll say about that.

Anyway, I asked her if she would be okay with me sharing this information. I wouldn’t do it without her permission. As you can imagine, this is a moment when being separated by several states is very hard, indeed.

Please keep her in your prayers, my friends.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Meredith 58 Comments

Morning Sun and Tiny Shoes

October 27, 2022 at 8:43 am by Claudia

Sun coming up view this morning.

Well, the septic tank was pumped yesterday, to the tune of a lot more money than last time. But since last time was six years ago and we won’t need to do it for another five years, I guess we can live with that. It’s one of the things that has to be taken care of, but isn’t at all fun to pay for.

We had unseasonably warm and humid weather yesterday and it was uncomfortable. Funny how quickly one’s body adjusts to a new and cooler season. Today, however, it’s cooler and it was quite windy when I woke up. I noticed that a lot of the catalpa leaves are down, as well. Sigh – I hate to see those big heart-shaped beauties go.

I’ve started reading The Furies  by John Connolly, another favorite author of mine who successfully blends a detective style mystery with the supernatural. He’s a wonderful storyteller. Next month, which isn’t at all far off, the new Louise Penny drops, as well as the newest Michael Connelly. As you know, I usually hold off on reading the newest Penny because I want to delay the pleasure. I’m sure I’ll do that again this year. Last year, I had to hold off because I was working on the movie. And then when I started it, I had to read in little bits because I was so busy. I don’t want to do that again.

Cute shoe alert:

From Cora Huang. I have shoes from other makers that I love, but the vast majority of the shoes I have are from Cora. I love what she creates and she lives in Connecticut. Two days after she shipped the shoes, I received them. In a Blythe world where most of what I buy is from another country, it’s really nice to receive something quickly. Of course, she has to make them first, but once they’re shipped, they’re here before you know it.

I’m thinking it’s time for Don to make another apple pie.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: autumn, Blythe dolls, books, reading 26 Comments

Burning Bush

October 26, 2022 at 8:34 am by Claudia

Our burning bush has turned a beautiful red. I said to Don yesterday: it’s as if Mother Nature gives us one last vivid splash of color to remember as everything else is becoming muted.

More rain today. Sigh. Though, the rain is also a little muted, usually in the form of gentle showers rather than downpours. Today we get our septic tank pumped out. Exciting, right? I’ve left all that to Don.

I finished Victim 2117  this morning. What a great read! Truly one of those “I can’t put it down” reads. Excellent writing as always from Jussi Adler-Olsen. I’m going to start John Connolly’s newest, The Furies, later today after I have a good go at the current jigsaw puzzle.

I did quite a bit of cleaning yesterday which was very satisfying. There’s much more to go. I’m not a deep cleaner. I keep things dusted, vacuumed, and try to eliminate clutter, but deep cleaning? That’s where I slack off. I can always think of other things I’d rather do. My sister, on the other hand, is an excellent deep cleaner. She puts me to shame. But now, I am on a bit of a deep cleaning tear and I realize that I need to do it section by section. So each day, I’m going to try to figure out a small area I want to tackle and have at it.

My friend Natalia, who customizes as VegaDolls, posted these sweatshirts about two weeks ago. They are made by a friend of hers and Natalia mentioned she was going to start including them with newly purchased dolls. I wrote her and said I wanted one and would happily pay for it, but she insisted on sending it to me gratis. Olivia won the chance to model it, as she was the first VegaDoll I purchased.

This is Natalia’s logo. Her beautiful young daughter, Vega, is in a wheelchair.

I adore Natalia. She has a big heart and is so kind.

I’ve met some pretty wonderful people through this hobby.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, garden 23 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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The Dogs

The Dogs

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.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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