Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Brrrrr! (And a Giveaway.)

January 22, 2020 at 9:39 am by Claudia

Heavens, it’s cold this morning! We had already been up 3 hours and the thermostat had only climbed 2 degrees. The good news is that it’s going to warm up after today and this bitter cold will be moving on.

I’m driving Don to get his car this morning. It’s been fixed and all is well. What a relief! I’m going to run some errands after that. I’m almost done with Michael Connelly’s newest and then I’m going to start The Night Circus  by Erin Morgenstern, a book I’ve been meaning to read for a long time.

We watched Judy  the other night, starring Renée Zellweger. She is simply superb. She captures the essence of Judy Garland toward the end of her life and her performance is powerful and moving. Don worked with her on a movie several years ago and he thinks very highly of her. She was warm and friendly and kind. They played their guitars together and sang. So, we’re pulling for her in the Oscar race.

I want to share something from reader Barbara, who lives in Canada. You might recall that she did this once before. Barbara recently received a parcel of books from a local independent bookseller that she knows. One of them, The Overstory, is a book that Barbara has already read. She would like to give this copy to one of you. Aren’t we lucky? If you remember, I loved The Overstory.  In fact, it was my favorite read of 2019. I’m an evangelist for this book and would love nothing more than to see one of you win a copy. So. This is officially a giveaway post. If you’re interested, please leave a comment on this post. The usual rules apply. Don’t leave a comment via the email version of this post. You have to come to the blog and leave a comment here. I’ll keep the giveaway open until Saturday morning, and then I’ll pick a winner via the Random Number Generator. Good luck!

And a big thank you to Barbara!

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: books, winter 43 Comments

Art and Knitting

January 21, 2020 at 8:38 am by Claudia

Some more artwork for you today. As always, there’s a story behind everything.

This grouping is hanging above the sofa in the den. I got “Please put book back after using” from Milne Antiques a couple of years ago. Since this area of the wall is between two sections of bookshelves and since I’m a passionate reader, it seemed appropriate. It came from a library in New Hampshire. Plus, we love graphics around this house.

The large print hanging below it is one of my favorites. The frame is wood, carved in scallops. You can’t see it, but the outside edges of each scallop are a beautiful soft green. It’s very, very heavy. The story: Many years ago, I was at an auction with my friend Heidi. I spotted this piece and knew I wanted it. This particular auctioneer was slow as molasses and I waited and waited until it was close to midnight. It never came up for auction. I couldn’t believe it when he said he was going to stop for the night. The audible and negative response from the crowd made him ask if there was anything in particular anyone wanted. I raised my hand and pointed to the framed print. He asked me for a bid. I said $15.00. He said “Sold!” And that’s how I got this. A steal. Every once in a while I think of adding shelves on this section of the wall, but frankly, I would miss this print and its whimsical frame too much!

Never easy to photograph, this piece lives above the picture window in the den. It’s about 4 feet wide and mounted on wood. I spotted it in a photo on Vignette’s website several years ago. (My favorite little shop in San Diego.) I fell for it because it was so charming. It was a method of keyboard training for piano students. There are little hooks on the white keys. Lori packaged it up for me, sent it across the country, and for a long while it lived above the piano until we purchased the lithograph that lives there now. I knew that this space between the window and the ceiling would be perfect and we’ve started to collect antique keys to hang from the hooks.

There’s more in the den but we’ll get to that another day.

Some of you may have seen this on Instagram. Yesterday when I was looking for something to wear – it’s SO cold out there – I went to a basket I keep in our tiny closet and dug through it. I found this sweater that I knitted about 13 years ago. I had completely forgotten about it. Since it’s cut to be oversized and slouchy, it still fit.

It was like getting a new sweater! It’s so comfortable! I’ve not knit in a while because my frantic crocheting for the Etsy shop a few years back screwed up my wrists. The last thing I knit was about 3 years ago and it was a little project.

These bunny egg cup cozies. I adore them. They’re based on a pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits (I think that’s the name) on Etsy.

Okay. I have to go. It’s grocery shopping morning.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Filed Under: knitting, vintage 22 Comments

A Bright and Snowy Monday

January 20, 2020 at 10:28 am by Claudia

A view of the snow outside. It’s actually quite pretty and today is sunny, so the light pouring into the house is bright as only light reflected by snow can be. No complaints here except it’s mind-numbingly cold out there. I mean, really  cold!

I assume you have been busy this weekend, whether with the winter storm or the long weekend, because yesterday’s post got only one comment. I think that’s the first time in almost 12 years of blogging that has happened! Well, let me clarify; when I started blogging, my first few posts didn’t get any comments because no one knew I was out there. It took a while to build up a readership. Anyway, you know I don’t pressure anyone to comment and I never will, but it did give me pause.

We’re laying low this weekend. We had a lovely day yesterday. Don made a fantastic brunch, he shoveled the snow (I didn’t have to!) and then we hung out together the rest of the day. We finished watching the new season of Grace and Frankie – I have thoughts about it but I won’t share them until everyone has seen it. We didn’t watch the SAG awards; we’re just not that into awards this year.

Don’s car is acting up, so we’re taking it in today. He has muffler problems, so I’ll follow him into town to make sure he’s okay and, of course, to bring him back home. The CR-V is 20 years old and hanging in there on a wing and a prayer.

I’m halfway through the newest Michael Connelly. Connelly writes so well that I instantly relax, knowing I’m in good hands.

For those of you who work and have today off, enjoy!

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: blog, books, snow 43 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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