Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Books, Wind Chill, and Off to Hartford

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Okay. I read The Family Upstairs  by Lisa Jewell in one day – not because it was particularly good, however, just because it was somewhat engaging and a fast read. It’s what I call “Mystery-Lite” – somewhat like popcorn or sugar – after eating it, you don’t feel particularly nourished. Empty calories. Apologies if some of you are Lisa Jewell fans. The premise is an interesting one and Jewell is good at writing from the point-of-view of multiple characters, but, in the end, it was fluff.

So, I’m moving on to the Lee Child – Blue Moon. I’ll take that with me to Hartford today.

Speaking of Hartford, the wind chill is in the teens right now. Oh joy.

So, I’m packing up my stuff (even for one night, it’s crazy what I need to pack!) and making lists. The one good thing about this, besides actually being employed, is that today’s driving weather is not snow, ice, fog, or rain, all of which I’ve dealt with during my two previous trips to Hartford. So I’m very grateful for that!

It’s Valentine’s Day and I was able to wish my husband a Happy Valentine’s Day this morning, even though we won’t be together tonight. Don spoke the truth this morning, “Actually, every day is Valentine’s Day here.” He’s right. I have mixed feelings about this day because there’s so much pressure involved. I was single for many years and even though I was happily single and uninvolved by choice, I still felt that pressure to have a Valentine of some sort. And that’s ridiculous. As you know, I tend to avoid what I call Hallmark holidays. Tell your mom you love her every day not just on Mother’s Day. Same for your dad on Father’s Day. Same for your loved ones, your partner, your mate – tell them you love them every day. I can only speak for us, but we say it several times a day, every day.

I’m not going to post tomorrow, as I don’t want to take my laptop for this short visit. And I have to spend the morning tomorrow writing up notes for the actors. I’ll be back home later in the day on Saturday and I’ll post again on Sunday.

Happy Friday.

Four Books in Two Weeks

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We had a mostly sunny day yesterday and one of the perks was seeing this silhouette of the sansevieria leaves on the wall above Stella.

Alas, today is not sunny, it’s gray. We had a small amount of snow overnight which has turned to rain, leaving us with a bit of a slushy mess. But we don’t have to clean it up as the temps will rise and it will all disappear. We’re in the low forties later today and then the temps plummet about 20 degrees on Friday – right in time for my trip to Hartford.

No complaints. I’ll bundle up and walk quickly through the streets of Hartford. Hat, gloves, scarf and winter coat; I’ll be fine.

I dropped by our little library yesterday to pick up two books that I had placed on hold. On the way in, I looked at the ‘new fiction’ shelf and there was the latest Lee Child. I haven’t read his last two books, so I grabbed it. When I arrived at the desk to check them out, I found there was a third book waiting for me, so I left the library with four books that are due in two weeks!

I finished The Snowman  last night (excellent!) and I started The Family Next Door  by Lisa Jewell this morning. It’s not quite at the level of Jo Nesbø, but it’s engaging, and I’m nearly 100 pages in. These books are considered ‘new’ so I can only have them for 14 days. I’m looking forward to all of them, but I’m especially fond of Joe Ide’s books (the IQ series) and was so happy to see another one had just been published. I’ve got a lot of reading to do!

When I’m in a book store and see a book I’m interested in, I take a picture of the cover with my phone and then I go home and search our library system for the title and, if it’s in the computer, put a hold on a copy. I took pictures of the covers of Hi Five  and Lock Every Door  last week and here they are in my hot little hands this week. It saves me money, as I don’t want to buy every new book I see, nor can I afford to. And, unless its Louise Penny or Michael Connelly, I have no guarantee whether I’ll like it. I’m trying to do this more and more and so far it seems to be working rather well.

We’re laying low today here at the Hill-Sparks cottage: reading, eating, Don may pay a visit to the library, I’m doing some laundry before I take off for Hartford tomorrow. Not very exciting, but we like it.

Happy Thursday.

 

Stair Art Again

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The other side of the wall. Looking at this, I realize some straightening needs to be done!

On the bottom, a needlepoint sampler I made for my mom many years ago – I’d say I was in my early 20s – and had framed. When she died, my dad gave it to me. It is priceless, of course, not because of my needlework, but because my mom had it hanging in their home for years and years.

Above it, the Use Other Stair sign which always gets a reaction. I found it in an antique shop several years ago. I loved the graphics and immediately thought it would be humorous on our stair wall, as we have no other stairs to use. It was about $25 and it’s quite heavy. It was the first thing we hung on this wall. I deliberately hung the Pointing Finger next to it.

Above that, a silhouette of me. My mom had them made of all three of her daughters. This hung on the wall of my childhood home and eventually it came to me.

Above it, a charming little print that we bought in San Diego – little boys dressed up as soldiers, playing with a water hose. It’s quite lovely.

And there you go!

We watched Parasite  last night. It was stunning. Brilliant on every level. I can’t begin to describe it to you, though it has generated almost non-stop dialogue between Don and me. (We did stop to sleep.) It’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen. It operates on so many levels, and it does so impeccably. I see why it won so many awards this year. Believe me when I say it deserves every one of them. Bravo.

I’m about 3/4 of the way through The Snowman  by Jo Nesbø. It’s a terrific read. Two books that I reserved have come to my local library, so I’ll go pick them up this afternoon. I want to finish the Nesbø so I can start in on the other books – there’s that library due date to consider, after all.

It’s been sunny off and on this morning, but we have a snow/ice/rain thing coming tonight. Then tomorrow morning, all rain.

There are two days this week where the temps are going to drop into the twenties during the day and single digits at night – Friday and Saturday. The same two days I have to walk around Hartford, going back and forth from the apartments to the theater. Oh, joy. I’m earning my salary!

Happy Wednesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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