Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Lilac Buds and What are you Reading?

April 22, 2023 at 9:25 am by Claudia

We’re getting close! There are lots of flowers on the lilac bush this year. That seems to vary from year to year, depending on what happened weather-wise during the winter. I look forward to them opening and inhaling that glorious scent.

I snuck in a little bit more work outside, but not much. Trimmed some old hydrangea blossoms, trimmed a bit of one of the ‘pricker bushes’ – darn, I always prick myself. “Pricker bush” is what we called them when I was a kid and it’s stuck after all these years. We have two of them. I also trimmed a few of the wild roses. And I cleaned the bathroom.

It was a bit too warm yesterday, but as of Monday, the temps will be back in the sixties. We may mow the lawn today. I also have to get Don to do a few things today that he won’t be able to do after his surgery. Wish me luck! He’s been noodling away on his ukulele, since he can play that by strumming with one of his fingers – that will serve him well during the post-surgery healing process.

Mabel insisted on trying on the new hat. I also chose to post this so you can see the GREEN in the background! Huzzah!

I’m reading Colson Whitehead’s mystery, Harlem Shuffle. That man writes beautifully (I guess we already knew that as he’s won two Pulitzer Prizes.) Don has read two of his books and loved them. He bought Harlem Shuffle  and then never got around to it, so I grabbed it. I’m really enjoying it.

And War and Peace – ongoing. I think we’re about a third of the way through it. Tolstoy was a genius. Don and I are continually astounded by the beauty of his writing; his knowledge of human frailties, the descriptions that are almost cinematic – brilliant. It is a true pleasure indulging in this slow read. I don’t think I would have done it otherwise.

So here’s a question I haven’t asked for quite a while: What are you reading?

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, books, flowers, reading 45 Comments

A Visitor

April 21, 2023 at 7:58 am by Claudia

I did end up buying some pansies and some calibrachoa at the nursery yesterday morning. There isn’t a whole lot of inventory there yet as it’s been quite cold lately, but I expect that will pick up next week. After I came home, I cleaned out a bit more in the garden beds near the porch – so more wheelbarrows full of leaves were carted to our pile. I potted the pansies (oh, they’re so bright and cheery!) and the calibrachoa, which I always place in the vintage plant stand.

So I did quite a bit of work and was very tired, once again. But I have to remember that the last vestiges of the virus are still with me as well as allergies and just plain tiredness from the show, etc. But I am going to take it easy today before we mow for the first time tomorrow.

But the BIG thing about yesterday?

I was standing on the porch and I heard an extremely loud bird sound unlike anything I had ever heard before. Up and down the scale, screeching and calling. I looked up and saw a bald eagle right next door in my neighbor’s tree! Don happened to be outside getting ready to take a walk, so I alerted him and then I ran in the house for my telephoto lens.

You know, you just aim at the bird and hope at least one photo is good. This one is very good. Look at that fierce face! He was very, very vocal, making all sorts of sounds. I’d love to know what he was thinking. Eventually he took off but spent quite a bit of time soaring above us.

Don has occasionally seen bald eagles near the river across the road but this is the first time we’ve seen one on this side of the road and so close!

That was the highlight of my week.

Today is supposed to be quite warm and it’s sunny. I’ll take it.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: birds, flowers, garden 36 Comments

Coaching, Former Students, Cleaning up the Garden

April 20, 2023 at 8:47 am by Claudia

Found this crabapple by The Dude on the edge of the Secret Garden. This is my favorite kind of crabapple because of those pink buds. It’s just like the one that was cut down by that idiot last spring. I miss that tree so much, but seeing this yesterday helped a bit.

Well, I’m done with the show. I drove to New Jersey, checked into the motel, checked out of the hotel, took notes at the show, and drove home late Tuesday night, getting home at 12:15 am. Too long a story as to why I decided to check out, but I’m glad I did. The show is in pretty good shape, needs a bit of tightening. The actors are doing well with the dialects, save for a few mistakes here and there.

One of the nicest things to happen on Tuesday was reconnecting with a former student from Boston University who works for the Paper Mill Playhouse as Production Manager. He came up to me and surprised me, and my goodness, it’s so wonderful to see former students again and find them happy and working in the theater. Mike lives with his wife and two kids fairly close to the theater. Confession: I’m always wondering if students from that time in my life are shocked at how much I’ve aged, my gray hair, etc. I’m always slightly embarrassed and then, because I’m insecure, I make jokes about it.

Speaking of former students, I posted this recently on Instagram:

Both Maura West and Cynthia Watros were students of mine at Boston University. And both have them have been working on soap operas for years. They are terrific actresses and human beings. Recently, Maura wrote me to tell me that she and Cynthia were on set one day and were reciting a monologue I assigned to them years ago. It’s from The Caretaker  by Harold Pinter and I used it as tool to learn the Cockney dialect. 30+ years later, they both remembered every word! Maura said “We remembered and laughed together with such love for our memories of you!!”

Oh my. That fills my heart, it really does.

She also added that she’ll probably be ‘blathering it (the monologue) in the nursing home!” I get it, Maura. I still remember every word as well!

I worked outside yesterday, but I got tired fairly quickly. I’m just now coming out of that upper respiratory thing, and I was tired from my trip to NJ. Plus, every year at the beginning of gardening season, I realize I’m out of shape. I did clear a chunk of the big garden bed, annoying the robin who is adding to the nest on the shed as I traveled back and forth with a wheelbarrow.

It was also very windy. I wore a mask and sunglasses, but the pollen got to me. And my back, of course. Today, I think I’m going to go to the nursery and hope they still have pansies left. I’m about a week behind on everything around here.

Glad to be coming out of that dreadful illness. Glad to be home. Glad to finally start working outside. Grateful to have had employment.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: coaching, flowers, friends, garden, teaching 18 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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