Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Anticipating a Big One

November 30, 2019 at 10:43 am by Claudia

Still life from yesterday. There is often a guitar on this sofa. That circular thing in the sound hole is actually a humidifier. At this time of year, with the heat on, guitars can dry out and that’s not a good thing.

Nothing all that exciting to report. We hauled porch furniture to the storage facility yesterday. I took the opportunity to look in my old trunk (retrieved last year from my friend’s basement back in Detroit) and I pulled out a lot of old pictures, etc., which I’m going to go through this weekend. Lots  and lots of pics of young Claudia’s theatrical exploits. Should be interesting.

The big news here is the soon-to-be-with-us major snowstorm that is arriving on Sunday and will be active through Monday. Predictions vary wildly, but I believe I can say with relative certainty that this will be a biggie. At the very least, 8 inches, more likely a whole lot more.

We’re dreading it, of course.

Why can’t our first snowfall be picturesque and gentle? Perhaps a few inches and nothing more?

Nope. We’re getting walloped.

Weather (dot) com has the most alarming prediction. Weather (dot) gov is a bit more cautious. But our favorite is a local site, hudsonvalleyweather (dot) com, which goes into great detail and is also quite cautious about jumping to conclusions until all the data is in. These guys are great. So far, they’re holding off on Monday predictions. Monday, I gather, is the wildcard.

In the meantime, we need to do some grocery shopping and charge the snow blower.

This doesn’t bode well for the rest of the winter although my fantasy is that December is very snowy and then the rest of the winter is mild.

I can have my fantasy, right?

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: snow, storm, winter 26 Comments

Friends and Storm Prep

November 29, 2019 at 10:23 am by Claudia

I hope everyone had a lovely day yesterday, whether you were with family, or friends, or having a quiet day at home. I’ve spent Thanksgiving by myself at some points in my life and that was just fine.

Yesterday’s celebration was at Rick and Doug’s and we had a wonderful time. Two of Rick’s longtime friends (since college) were there, as well as Doug’s daughter and her husband, who are flying back to London today. And Sam, of course.

We all pitched in with various contributions to the meal – mine was mashed potatoes. As always, Don and I dined on the sides – no turkey. But that was enough to fill us up. I cheated a bit and had a thin sliver of berry pie. But more important than the food was the conversation and the camaraderie that is the result of preparing food together and sitting around the table for hours with interesting, smart, and funny people. Nothing better.

We had the best time.

Today we’re hauling the Adirondack chairs and cushions to the storage facility. The latest forecast for Sunday and Monday (which could change) is daunting: 3-5 inches during the day Sunday, 3-5 inches that night, and 3-5 inches on Monday. I’m hoping, obviously, that the forecast changes a bit as we’re still a few days out. Don has an audition on Monday, which he may or may not be able to make. We’ll see. Anyway, I want to get those items off the porch and move the table and chairs that are in the Secret Garden onto the porch, in preparation for the storm.

Just finished The Essex Serpent  and really loved it. Now I have to decide what I’m going to read next.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: friends, snow, Thanksgiving 16 Comments

Wednesday

November 27, 2019 at 10:29 am by Claudia

The cottage in yesterday’s late afternoon sun. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. I was able to open the windows during the afternoon for some fresh air.

Today? Rain. And you’ll notice some handled tools near our door. Snow shovels. We’re going to get a fair amount of snow and sleet on Sunday and Monday.

May I just say YUCK? Not at all excited about it. Of course, I know our choice to live here comes with snow. But after…67 years minus the 8 years I lived in California…59 years of this stuff, I’m over it. I will do my best to have a positive attitude, however.

It will take some work.

Note how green our grass is! We’ve had so much rain this autumn that it’s quite long and very green.

I’m really enjoying The Essex Serpent  by Sarah Perry. I’m about 2/3 of the way through.

The winner of a copy of Body Leaping Backward:Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood  is Noelle Sweeney. Congratulations! Noelle, I’ll email you, but if you see this first, please email me at the address on my sidebar and give me your mailing address. Thank you!

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: autumn, books 17 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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Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

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