Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Day Three Hundred Ninety-Six

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Several of these beauties are now lying on the ground from all the rain we had over the past two days. I’ll go check on them later and see if I can somehow prop them up.

I’m about 1 hour from finishing my puzzle – just have to fill in some background pieces. When I was sitting on the sofa with my sweetie this morning, I decided to count how many 1000 piece puzzles I have assembled this year. The answer is: Fourteen. I’ve done fourteen puzzles since I started my first (which came from John Derian) on January 12th. I have two more on the way, so I guess we’ll eventually get to sixteen. I’ve been gathering all my puzzles together to drop off at my friend Heidi’s house. She works with a community-based organization that has a resale shop. I asked her if the community organization she works for would like them for their resale shop and she answered with a resounding yes. I feel good about donating them.

I didn’t see our wren at all over the past two days, but that makes sense because it was raining. I started to worry that he may have given up. But no! He’s back this morning, adding more nest building material. The other day I watched him face the opening and look at it, then go around to the side of the trailer to check that out, then the other side, then around back, and finally, he hopped up on top of the trailer and looked out. It was adorable.

I had a great coaching session with my friend yesterday. I wrote to him afterward and thanked him for his loyalty and for giving me the chance to work for the first time in over a year.

The sun has come out and I’m feeling grateful.

Tomorrow? We reach the two-week-since-our-second-shot mark. That means….drumroll…we’re headed to our favorite bookstore! We’re so excited. We’ll also walk around the charming town of Rhinebeck – we’ll walk on actual sidewalks and look in actual shop windows. There’s also a large antique shop there, and we may stop there as well. On the other hand, we may be too overstimulated by a simple bookstore visit. Who knows?

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Day Three Hundred Ninety-Five

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Lilac buds.

Periwinkle in the woods.

Just beyond the lilac side of our front lawn are the remnants of two old stone foundations.

This one is near the road.

And this one is behind it.

They’re separate buildings. I can’t be sure what they were used for, but I suspect they were outbuildings of some kind. We wondered for a while whether they were actually on our property, but they are. We found the property markers last spring. The foundation that borders the road is just inside the property line. It’s rather wild in this area, lots of fallen trees and the rusty remains of barbed wire (on the edge of the property) and there’s also a very rusted enclosure where some sort of animal was kept – most likely, chickens. That’s a mess, and it would have to be removed by professionals. We’ve just left it as is. But it’s evidence of life lived long ago on this just-under-two-acres where we live. Our house was built in 1891, but these buildings seem older.

On to other things: For the past two Sundays, the email version of my post hasn’t gone out. Last Monday, it went out, attached to Monday’s post. Who knows why? When I realize that it hasn’t gone out, I usually do what they call a ‘ping’ to update the feed. Anyway, that’s all I can do. I really have no control over it and I’m not going to pay for another service. So, as always, if you don’t get the email, come directly to the blog.

It’s another rainy day today and I have to coach my friend again, so I’ll be zooming with Bombay. Rather exotic! When I coached him the other day, I realized it was the first time I had worked professionally in over a year. It was awfully nice to rediscover that I can be of service and I’m good at what I do. Awfully nice.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Day Three Hundred Ninety-Four

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So far this morning: Four deer were munching on the grass right outside the kitchen window, the wren has been singing and working diligently on the nest since at least 6 am, two robins were fighting, four cardinals – two male, two female – were in the big garden bed, Canada geese flew overhead, I saw (and heard) two mourning doves, and we had our first groundhog sighting.

I knew we had one living under the shed, as all the entrances and exits were free of leaves. He’d been doing some spring cleaning. Don’t know whether this is the same one that was living here last year or a new guy/girl, so we have no name yet. Last year’s was named Shifty, if you remember. We’ll watch and observe.

A little darker this morning as we’re going to have rain the rest of the day and tomorrow. It hasn’t started yet. He’s still nest-building – I just saw him through the den window.

The little tree next to the catalpa is in bud. I just noticed that this morning.

Better than any television show or movie, this is. My heart is full. I told Don that I realize that I was unconsciously ‘holding’ myself during the winter months and that I feel more open now. He said, sure, you were contracted and now you’re expansive. Exactly. No more unconscious contracting, now I’m consciously expanding. I love living here. It’s like we’re living on our own little nature preserve. The maples are starting to get small buds, as are the other trees. The last to leaf out will be the catalpa.

Grateful on this Sunday morning.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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