Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 285 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Slice of Life

March 19, 2022 at 9:47 am by Claudia

Slice of life:

Let’s take a little trip around the photo.

In front of me, two books. I just finished Orfeo yesterday and started The Lincoln Highway last night while reading in bed. The books are sitting on a throw I knitted many moons ago.

My foot.

To the left – a basket full of throws, sweaters, quilts, plus a quilt in the seemingly endless process of hand quilting. I crocheted the afghan on top.

Continuing on – the sheet music cabinet with the girls perched on top. The framed watercolor above the girls is of a windmill. We bought it many years ago in San Diego.

Then the steps and beyond them, the living room and kitchen where Don is currently making our second cup of coffee.

On the right, a favorite houseplant plopped in a piece of McCoy. A box of tissues. Art books in a big stack topped by another piece of McCoy. And a partial view of my beloved planner- underneath the planner is a book by Mary Oliver.

On my left, but unseen – my coffee cup, my phone, my book of passwords, a McCoy piece full of pens and brushes and crochet hooks, a lamp, a photo of Don and me on the beach in San Diego, Carmex, vaseline, various ear buds, the beautiful French bowl that I bought in Paris. Below the table – a basket full of books.

Also unseen: the heating pad currently warming my back, which is slowly getting better every day.

There you have it. The view from my blogging chair.

I used to do this kind of post fairly often and I think it’s time to bring it back into the rotation.

I’m thinking of reopening my Etsy shop. I have some things that I’ve accumulated over the years and it’s time to pass them on to someone else. Don’t worry, I’m not doing a big clear out because I love my collections too much, but there are items that I could bear to part with. However, my back has to be in shape so I can crouch down and take pictures of everything. So far, I’m just making lists of possibilities.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Peepers, Birds, Books, and Stickers

March 18, 2022 at 9:10 am by Claudia

Out the window: brown grass and no leaves on the trees – but the birds are singing and we heard the peepers for the first time last night! That means – no matter what the date is on the calendar – that SPRING is here! I was sitting in the den last night and thought I heard a peep, so Don and I went up the stairs to the window, opened it wide, and we heard one peep followed by a chorus of peeps. I cannot tell you how happy this makes us. We responded with a hearty “Welcome!” I have yet to hear the bullfrog. I hope he’s still there.

I read a lot yesterday: Orfeo by Richard Powers. His writing is beautiful, his intellect unmatched. It’s been a bit of a slow go, only because there’s so much to take in, and Powers’ build to the climax is always slow and steady. I refuse to be a speed reader because, to me, the beauty is in digging in and savoring every word. I should finish it today.

I don’t know if you’re into stickers. As a rule, I’m not. But, I saw this book of stickers on Amazon and was attracted to the subject matter; vintage and bibliophilia. I think it was about $20. I love the illustrations and the book is truly jam-packed with vintage beauty. I use a planner religiously, as you know, so I sometimes add a sticker to that day’s page.

Don’t get too excited by the Country Living feature coming up. They only used two of my egg cups and frankly, they’re fairly mundane. No enchanting figurals at all – just a jadite egg cup and a small Delft egg cup from Holland. I’m happy, though, that they’re using the Delft, as it was a present from my mother and it’s precious to me. But that’s the world of art direction and stylists. Clearly, they had a certain look in mind.

Still, it’s flattering to have even two of my cups featured!

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Group Photo

March 17, 2022 at 8:37 am by Claudia

Yesterday, I roused myself enough to stage this photo:

The girls arranged in order – Sophie, my first girl, on the left and Madeleine, my most recent girl, on the right.

And Bertie, of course.

I’m sort of crazy about this photo. It came out better than I had hoped.

I think Pippa’s legs were bent at the knees because she’s the same height as Mei. I love the fact that no one has the same color hair. I’m patting myself on the back for that one!

In the bizarre category, do you remember when Don was trying to get rid of that reference to him that said “Don Sparks was….?” It came up on the right of the screen every time he did a google search. Well he finally convince someone to delete him from the site, thank goodness. But every once in a while, he googles himself to make sure it’s gone. This morning, this came up:

What the ?????

There weren’t many votes, were there?

We couldn’t stop laughing.

My vote? With the beard. (Not that they asked me.)

The shot on the left is his headshot. The one on the right is from Rescue Me.

We’re hanging in there, though we’re both sore today. We’re due for some rain, so we’ll hang out here and drive each other crazy.

As always on this date, I mention that, though I’m part Irish – and we’re talking Northern Ireland – St. Patrick’s Day has never been something I celebrate. It just doesn’t resonate with me. But if you do, I wish you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Slice of Life

Peepers, Birds, Books, and Stickers

Group Photo

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Archives