Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Full Moon and a Little Video

January 15, 2025 at 9:14 am by Claudia

Monday’s full moon. It actually looked much bigger than this. It was cloudy and mysterious and wonderful. I only happened to see it because I went outside to start my car. I’m so glad I made that spur-of-the-moment choice!

There’s not a whole lot to talk about. We’re staying inside and avoiding the cold. We finished watching the two seasons of Shrinking. It’s so darned excellent – truly one of the best things we’ve seen in ages. Now, since we’ve already paid for a month of Apple+, we’re watching Ted Lasso. So far, so good!

Breaking News: Don finally cleaned off the top of his desk! With such a small shared space, things have to stay organized and clean. I’ve had to do the same thing: be in a ruthless mood and dive in. I usually end up with a big bag full of trash. It’s always going to look slightly cluttered because we have separate work spaces and Don stores a lot of instruments up there, but we do our best to make it work.

If you missed Monday’s post, I have a link there for Don’s new album. You can listen to it for free. I listened to it yesterday and I was blown away by the clarity of his voice and his acoustic guitar. It’s Don Unplugged. I’m so proud of him.

Another little video is on my site.

Visit YouTube – my account: claudiathechroniccollector

Fashion Dolls

I like adding some music to these mini videos.  I may do more for other collections. And the dollhouses, I think.

Would you be interested in a little tour of the office/studio with some narration? If so, let me know. I’d have to wait for a sunny day when Don is out of the house for a while.

The tree is still up and Don has made it clear that he still needs the sparkle, so we might keep it up until the end of the week. I’m fine with that.

Why not, right?

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Filed Under: life 34 Comments

A Bit of Ennui and Some Music

January 13, 2025 at 9:19 am by Claudia

I haven’t been taking any pictures lately, though I did take this one the other day for my Blythe IG account. I’m always taken by Pru’s expression. Boredom? Ennui?

Yes, the tree is still up and we’re hoping to keep it up until at least Wednesday.

A member of the Blythe community who lives in Altadena, CA lost her beautiful old Craftsman home in the fires. Corinne, a student from my days at Boston University, also lost her home in the same community. It’s absolutely heartbreaking. I can only read about the fires in bits and pieces because it’s just too much to take in. I pray the Santa Anas depart as soon as possible.

We’re due for more frigid weather, apparently, with high winds (again!) on Tuesday through Thursday. But I will not complain. We have heating oil and we’ll be fine.

Don has been doing some recording lately. He deleted his YouTube channel content, but he is posting new recordings on his Bandcamp account. He recently recorded some songs with acoustic guitar accompaniment resulting in a new album titled That’s All I Know.

You can download the songs for free. He’d love it if you gave it a listen.

Here’s the link.

He’s real proud ot it.

Thank goodness, All Creatures Great and Small  has a new season airing on PBS. We watched the first episode last night. Boy, do we need it!

Alright my friends. I’m going to sip my coffee.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday,

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, Don 28 Comments

A Saturday Dusting of Snow

January 11, 2025 at 9:05 am by Claudia

We had a little bit of snow overnight. This is the kind of snowfall that I love, just enough to brush the ground, but not enough to have to shovel. And that’s the kind of snow we’ve been getting lately. I hope that trend continues.

As I write this, I can hear the honking of Canada geese as they fly overhead. (One of my favorite sounds.)

We slept in today and oh, how delicious that is! It rarely happens nowadays, but it did this morning. The image of sleeping in while the snow was falling is irresistable. Now, I’m sipping on coffee while writing this post. The tree lights are on. Yes, we haven’t taken it down. It is getting a bit dry, but I’d say it has two or three days left and we’re going to hang on to it for dear life. I have gradually stowed away all the other Christmas bits that were on various surfaces. Yesterday, I took down the little white Christmas tree that was in the den. It was time. But the big tree that gets even more fragrant as it begins to dry? I can’t even bear to think of its absence from our living room.

The latest books from the library:

A Clue to the Exit  by Edward St. Aubyn
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao  by Junot Diaz
The Cold Cold Ground  by Adrian McKinty

And as I look across the room, I see a stack of books by the dollhouse – all of them waiting to be read. And more, right here next to my chair. And even more upstairs in the bedroom. I’d better get on it.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: books, snow 20 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.

Thanks for stopping by.

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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

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

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