Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Heading On Out

August 10, 2017 at 8:00 am by Claudia

As I write this post late in the afternoon on Wednesday, Don is mowing the lawn. Now, I love mowing the lawn, but I have to say that I’m awfully tired at this point in the day because I’ve been on the go since early this morning, running errands, packing up bags of stuff, buying groceries and sundries, walking around the garden to imprint it in my memory, as I prepare to leave for Hartford.

I’ll be gone five weeks, but fear not, I plan to come back home to visit – hopefully, in a week and a half. I want to see my husband, the cottage, and the garden. Mostly, I want to spend as much time with Don as I can before he leaves for month of rehearsals in NYC.

Current hollyhock status. This is such a pretty version of this old-fashioned flower.

Morning glories.

Our very tall butterfly bush. Can you see the orb in the photo?

Zinnia.

The limelight hydrangea is so much bigger this year!

Big, fat hydrangea heads. My annabelle hydrangea blooms earlier in the year and by this point it’s beaten down by the heavy rains we’ve had, so it’s nice to have a second chance with the limelight.

Our local guy who tends our oil burner and does the plumbing came by today to check out where to set up the propane tank and to take a look at a section of the baseboard heating that I wanted trimmed. It extended into the area of the wall where the stove will be so I got down on the floor and checked it out a few weeks ago. Happily, the pipe that comes up from below the floor is actually under the window about 5 inches in from the end cap, so I thought it would be easy to trim off some of the housing and move the end cap over so that it doesn’t restrict the placement of the stove.

So, Gino came over (I wasn’t here) said the placement of the tank would be okay and to code (it has to be 5 feet away from any windows and we have a lot of windows!) and then looked at the baseboard heating, worried for a moment about the pipe and whether the pipe would have to be moved, and then confirmed what I already was pretty sure of, that it would be no problem. When Don told me that, I smiled knowingly.

As we get closer to the arrival of the stove (I don’t think they’ve finished working on it yet) Gino will come over and take care of everything, then he’ll  connect the line to the stove.

Gosh, I hope all this happens while Don is still here! He has to get several of his friends to come over to move the stove into the house. The shippers just leave it on the driveway. I’d feel better if he was handling it. Fingers crossed.

Okay. Have to go.

I’ll see you on the other side when I’ve arrived in Hartford.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: flowers, garden, Hartford 26 Comments

Hummingbird Moth and Tour Dates

August 9, 2017 at 7:45 am by Claudia

Late in the day, I followed this hummingbird moth with my camera:

I was thrilled to get a clear picture of his proboscis/tongue in a curled up position and then extended as he went for the nectar from the phlox.

Pure luck, I assure you.

Thank you for all your joyous, happy comments yesterday. You are so supportive and kind. And now, I turn to packing up everything today in preparation for my drive to Hartford tomorrow. The garden is so beautiful at the moment and I hate to leave it! Ah well.

By the way, we decided to buy that stove before we knew about all of this and we did it because we knew we could afford it. Nothing to do with this tour or Broadway. It certainly helps, of course, but we wouldn’t have placed that order if it was entirely dependent on the hope of future employment.

Here are the tour dates:

New Orleans: October 20 – 28 at the Saenger Theatre

Houston: October 31 – November 5 at The Hobby Center

Chicago: November 9 – December 2 at the Oriental Theatre

I have no idea when I will be in each city – much too early for that!

I have to run. There is a lot to do today and I have to get moving.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Filed Under: Don, Escape to Margaritaville, garden, nature 28 Comments

Our News

August 8, 2017 at 10:10 am by Claudia

Well, I had an entire post written, but then I deleted it when I saw the official announcement.

Don is headed to Broadway in Escape to Margaritaville!

We found out last week, hence our celebratory dinner, but I didn’t think I should say anything until it was official.

Whoo hoo!

This also means that he will tour with the show this fall – a week in New Orleans, a week in Houston, and a month in Chicago. Then in January, rehearsals start for Broadway with previews starting in mid-February.

His agent negotiated a great contract for him, with the biggest relief being that he will have a studio apartment during the month of rehearsals in September and then during the year-long contract he has for Broadway. This means we’ll spend a fair amount of time apart, but having been there, I cannot tell you how difficult it is to go back and forth every day after 8+ hours of rehearsal and especially after evening performances. When I did it several years ago when I was working at the Public Theater for Shakespeare in the Park, I didn’t get home until 2 am, then I had to turn around and do it again the next day. The apartment is everything.

And I’ll be able to stay with him when I want to spend some time in the city!

We are over the moon. Over the moon! So, Don starts rehearsals in NYC a week before I get home from Hartford. I’ve never been to New Orleans, so I’m definitely going to tag along on that leg of the tour. And Chicago is home to my best friend, Laural, and my niece, Liz, and nephew, Eric, and their families. My birthday will fall during that part of the run. (And it’s a biggie.)

My guy has work starting in September through all of next year and beyond. Tickets are already sold through November 2018.

Don loves the show and his fellow actors, so he’s thrilled.

Happy, Happy Tuesday!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Broadway, Don 162 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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