Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 887 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Great Reads & The Cottage

August 19, 2017 at 9:37 am by Claudia

The weather was quite strange yesterday with threatening skies most of the day and, by the time I left rehearsal, very heavy, oppressive and humid air. It rained more than a few times back home but it didn’t rain here until after I went to bed. I know this because I was reading the latest Michael Connelly – The Late Show – in bed and was so engrossed that I read too late and couldn’t sleep for a while.

Anyway, sunny skies today.

I have an afternoon rehearsal to attend and then…I’m headed home for two days! I’m taking advantage of having both Sunday and Monday free, a rarity when I’m working out of town, and I’m headed home to the cottage.

We want to put down some pavers next to the shed, I have to work on that sticky floor, and I want to clean our current stove.

Mostly, I want to spend time with my husband.

By the way, The Late Show is great. Connelly introduces a new character in this series – Renée Ballard, a Los Angeles cop – and I really like her. As always, Connelly is a master of this genre and he writes seamlessly. He can build tension like nobody’s business.

Louise Penny’s newest Inspector Gamache novel, Glass Houses, is being published on August 29th. That’s a Tuesday, so yours truly is hoping she has the morning free to get to the bookstore and purchase her copy. Yes, I know I can order it online, but with her books, I like my little ritual of walking in the bookstore, looking for it on display, picking one with a dust jacket that is pristine and holding it in my hand as I walk to the check-out counter.

Okay, my friends. I’m off to hit publish, drink my second cup of coffee and finish The Late Show.

Happy Saturday.

The Shed And The Stove

August 18, 2017 at 9:12 am by Claudia

I’m so glad that Don is home and that he can coordinate everything to do with the stove. In addition, he’s been watering the gardens and the porch plants and cleaning out the area next to the shed, which looked like a dump. He made several trips to the recycling/transfer station. In the midst of all of this he found a tarp full of old shingles – it weighed a ton, old chicken wire, various buckets and one of our used air conditioners. Some of it we put there, much of it was tossed there by previous owners. Nothing exciting like the antique plate, but interesting, nonetheless.

Now, keep in mind that our shed needs a new paint job, but we’re not in any hurry to do it. It is what it is at this point. Here is what it looked like when Don finished the cleanup.

We really are on ‘the edge of wild’ here. There are woods behind the shed and woods to the left of this view of the shed. We’re thinking of putting pavers there. You might have noticed some items hanging on the side of the shed.

Don found this scrap of wood and made a sign. After all, Henry does live under the shed and we love him. In fact, Henry came out onto the ramp, not knowing Don was nearby. Once he saw Don, he scampered back underground.

The fish is made of paper and covered in plastic. Don found it buried under the dirt. We have no idea who dumped it there. But it sure looks adorable on the shed. I have a Michigan license plate that Don gave me – that’s going to hang there, as well.

Don has a strong streak of ‘whimsical’ and I love that about him.

I may be able to get home on Sunday and Monday – certainly Monday, but I’m thinking Sunday, as well. I want to clean our current stove and have a go at the sticky floor, because our vintage O’Keefe and Merritt is crated and ready to ship. We paid the balance (gulp) and the shipping and it should be picked up on Monday.

Antique Stove Heaven sent us lots of instructions, along with a couple of pictures of the stove right before it was crated. Do you want to see?

Our girl is almost on her way to her new home!

We’re thinking of a name for her. That will come, I’m sure, once she’s ensconced in our kitchen. Meanwhile…we wait. Don has lots of instructions from ASH as to what size dolly to rent, how to load her on the dolly, how to get her safely in the house. We have to do all of this ourselves because it’s not like we bought her from Sears or some retailer. If we were in Los Angeles, ASH would take care of all of that for us. It gives me butterflies, just thinking of it.

Deep breath, Claudia.

I have a lighter day today with just one coaching session. Robyn, our great stage manager, managed to get everyone in for an initial session yesterday and the day before. Tomorrow, a work through of the first half where I can see just what Darko has been up to. Any maybe – fingers crossed – home for a couple of days on Sunday.

Happy Friday.

Husband, Reading & Life

August 17, 2017 at 9:16 am by Claudia

Sometimes I grab my phone as I’m walking home and I quickly take a picture of a Hartford street because I need something to put on a post. Let’s face it, my friends, you’ve seen Hartford many times over the past six-going-on-seven years. I had a very long day coaching yesterday and I have another one today and I’m tired, so this is what you get.

Well, not just this, but basically? This.

I thank God every day for my husband, but last night I was especially grateful. I was very tired (sinus/allergies are getting me down, along with the news) and I was about to head to the bath. We were face-timing and he was sharing a detailed story and every time he looked at me, I was yawning. Big yawns, the kind that make your eyes water. Finally, he just stared at me, features not moving, and I started giggling. Every time I would recover and look at the phone, his face was closer. This happened about six times, his features never changing, until all I could see was his eye. You probably had to be there, but I couldn’t stop laughing.

No one can make me laugh like he does and boy did I need a laugh.

He has also urged me to stop reading Twitter or watching Rachel Maddow for a few days, to give myself a mental health break. I think that’s a good idea. So far, so good – no Twitter this morning.

I haven’t been able to lose myself in the plot of a novel the way I’d like to. I’m reading The Late Show, Michael Connelly’s newest, but my attention span has been less than optimal. So I’m taking it along with me today for those periods when I have a few minutes between coaching appointments. Instead of automatically checking Twitter, I’m going to make myself read.

My newest decorating tip:

When a lamp is sitting too low on a table and it starts to annoy you, risk running into the stinky, smoky cigar shop and buy three empty cigar boxes for $5.00. Bring them back to the apartment, spray perfume all over yourself to get rid of the smoky smell, and stick them under the lamp. I have a pretty white box under the other lamp. Don, who collects these boxes, ends up the winner because he’ll get these after I get home.

I’m keeping the white box. I’ll show that to you some other time.

Don has been busy. I asked him to take the crap that we have stashed next to the shed to our local dump, aka Transfer Station. He cleared out the whole area yesterday and made several trips there and I’m so proud of him because, believe me, that’s a whole heck of a lot of work. I started doing it when he was away, but could only carry so much in my car. The CR-V is better for this type of thing. Thank you, husband!

And guess what?

The stove is ready to go. It’s being crated this week and will start it’s journey to Mockingbird Hill Cottage next week! Oh my heavens! I can barely contain myself.

Of course, we had a moment of “Gulp” when we totaled up the entire cost: Stove, crating, shipping and whatever Gino is going to charge us for hooking up the propane and trimming a bit of the cover on our baseboard heat so that we can fit the stove in.

Gulp. Gulp. Gulp. And a bit more Gulp.

It’s a big expenditure for us, but it will only appreciate in value. And we’re besotted by it, plain and simple.

Okay. Have to go get ready for another busy day.

Happy Thursday and Stay Strong.

Great Reads & The Cottage

The Shed And The Stove

Husband, Reading & Life

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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