Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Mrs. Maisel and Klimt

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I finished this a couple of days ago. It’s truly the most beautiful puzzle I’ve ever worked on. It was hard, yet at the same time, it was pure pleasure. I’m a huge fan of Klimt. This is Lady with a Fan.

This was one of the puzzles I got when Galaxy Puzzles went out of business – made in Austria. Now, I want to find more Klimt puzzles, as well as a book about Klimt.

We watched the finale of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel  last night. Brilliant on every level. This may be my favorite series ever. The concept, the incredibly talented cast, the brilliant design which is so much a part of the show, the locations in NYC, the writing, the writing, the writing. Without writers, we have nothing. Support that strike. It looks like the actors will soon follow.

This last season has been put together like a jigsaw puzzle, a mosaic. Each piece is carefully placed, leading to something else, which leads us back in time or forward in time – in the end, everything answered. We have been stunned by its brilliance throughout the series, but never more strongly than this season.

There are not enough superlatives. I can never use enough. We stayed up much too late talking about the final episode, just as we did last week with the penultimate episode.

We are going to watch the whole series again. Once a week, a night will be reserved for Maisel. It will be the gift that keeps on giving.

Thank you to Amy Sherman Palladino and Daniel Palladino, who are the creators of this jewel.

Side note: the best music/soundtrack ever. Time after time, some obscure song I already loved appeared during an episode. Apparently, Daniel Palladino has a vast collection of what would be now called vintage vinyl – a huge amount of musical theater, lots of artists in the Great American Songbook. I don’t want to give anything away but last night there was an homage to well known and beloved artist who appeared on Broadway in a certain show (one that both Don and I have performed in) and the final scene is another homage that not everyone will get, but we did – immediately,

Anyway, I can’t get it out of my head this morning. What a gift it’s been.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Books and Breakfast

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I finished The Dictionary of Lost Words  yesterday. About a quarter of the way through, I had this feeling of ‘meh’ – thinking that it just wasn’t doing it for me. But I stuck with it and I absolutely loved it. It’s beautifully written. I’m still thinking about it today. Recommend it highly.

War and Peace  is ongoing. I’m currently in Part II, and today I’m due to read Chapter 8. Don and I were chatting about Chapter 7 last night. Don said that Tolstoy writes in a very cinematic manner and he’s right – especially about the war, which is what we’re reading about in this section.

Started – but just – A World of Curiosities. I know it will be wonderful but I’m in the very first chapters where plot points are just getting established.

Don made breakfast burritos this morning and oh my goodness, they were good. Imagine my life without Don’s culinary skills: an endless series of bland meals, because yours truly does not like to cook. Anyway, I made the coffee, Don made the burritos, and now we try to weather well below freezing temperatures for the next few days.

I need a proper sketchbook, one without lines. But when I first had this itch, I was in the city and the only place there might have been one on my way to rehearsal  was Target. They didn’t have one, but they did have a lined Moleskine notebook, so that’s what I went with. I know there are unlined Moleskines, and I like the portability of that particular size. I’ll get one, eventually.

Kathy, you got me hooked on the Hershey’s No Sugar chocolates. I found some at a local grocery store a month ago, but they haven’t had any for a while, so I ordered through Amazon. They should be arriving today. I love good chocolate and I certainly love decadent chocolate. But my first love will always be Hershey’s chocolate.

Okay. Time to wash the sheets.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Sketching

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I don’t mind saying that the Sparks/Hill household is a little down at the moment. A round of well below freezing temperatures is in store starting tomorrow and that doesn’t help. We’ll be listening to the sound of drips from the kitchen faucet again. I really can’t complain about that as we’ve had warmer than average temperatures this winter.

Let’s see, a positive…it’s sunny today. There’s still a little snow on the roof of the shed and on my windshield – that will be gone later today when I drive to the post office to turn in our PO BOX key. I completely forgot about it yesterday.

A quick little sketch from the other day.

These are nothing to write home about, but they’re fun and they provide a very much needed creative outlet. Of course, my biggest supporter, Don Sparks, raved about it and insisted on taking a picture of the page. God bless him. He’s the best guy in the world.  He said it reminded him of a New Yorker cartoon/sketch and I suppose he’s right.

The idea is to do a quick sketch, maybe 10 minutes max. I use the same pen I use in my planner – it’s an excellent Pentel Arts Hybrid Technica .05. I first ran across one of these at a local art supply shop. It has a very fine point and I love a fine point, especially when writing in my planner. But I suspect it’s used as sketching tool more than a planner tool. During the middle of lockdown, I purchased a big box of pens so I wouldn’t run out, but there are only a few left. So, the other day, when we were in a neighboring town, I bought another one and advised a woman who was checking them out to buy one. She was looking for a sketching pen for her friend who is in a nursing home. At the age of 93, he wants to sketch. Bravo! I also bought some Tombow markers, another tool that I use frequently. I’m not ready to haul out the easel, but I am ready to do some sketching. There’s a whole category of sketching called Urban Sketching and I run into those accounts on Instagram. The detail is extraordinary! The skyline, a street, a building, detail on a building – all of that is included in this category. I am really just a doodler, if that.

Not quite finished yet with The Dictionary of Lost Words, but I’ll finish it this morning.

We have a free trial of HBO Max going at the moment. I have to tell you, a series called The Last of Us, is – to my mind – a must-see. It’s based on a video game, which would normally make me yawn and say “No.” But we didn’t know that when we started watching it. We just knew that a lot of people were raving about it. It’s about the world after a fungal disease takes over and kills most of the population. It’s beautifully done, but last night’s episode, with Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, may be one of the finest things I’ve ever seen. Episode 3. Extraordinary. I can’t stop thinking about it.

They’re releasing new episodes on a weekly basis and we watched the first three episodes on Monday and Tuesday.

When I’m down, one of these cuties usually lifts my spirits. Yesterday, it was Madeleine.

Keeping me company on the sofa.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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