Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Wednesday

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The light is changing. Autumn, though not officially here, is here.

And boy, do we need to mow. Maybe in a few days. Fingers crossed.

We’ve been fairly immersed in the coverage from the UK. Utterly fascinating. My favorite thing is to hear stories about the Queen. This morning, Sir David Attenborough shared one and it made me chuckle. What a tremendous loss to the country and to the world. What an admirable life!

I’ll be watching again today until I have to coach at 2 pm.

My back is still troublesome, but I was especially good yesterday at following my own advice to REST YOUR BACK! And I did. I get bored and I want to be outside working or walking or even cleaning inside, but I can’t. It’s frustrating, but I want my back to heal and the only way it’s going to do that is if I stop all unnecessary bending over, etc.

So I crochet hats for the girls. Yesterday I completed another one. Olivia is today’s model.

I named this “Flower Child.”

She looks like those girls in the sixties who wore crocheted cloche-like hats. I remember it well. She’s awfully adorable.

I sometimes feel guilty because I’ve suddenly indulged in this new collection at this point in my life. It’s interesting; I have no desire to add anything to my other collections, knowing that I’m of a certain age, and I really don’t need any more china or pottery or vintage furniture. That desire has basically faded. But it’s different with these Blythes. There’s something about them that I hope you get a glimpse of when I post my photos. I never  would have expected to have anything to do with dolls at this point in my life, or any other point in my life, save childhood. Who knew?

But they make me happy. Don sees that they make me happy. (Actually, they make him smile, too.) I have limited space, thank goodness, and I believe – never say never, of course – that I’ve hit my Blythe limit. There are a couple of customizers whose dolls I’d love to have. But I’m very happy with the ones I have.

I’ve ordered neck joints for Sophie and Maeve and when they arrive, I’m going to install them (I’m nervous about that) so that they have more mobility. It will make an enormous difference – much easier to photograph, for one, but also letting them show some personality.

And I’m comforted by resale value. If I need to, I can sell some of them – though, honestly – it will pain me to do so.

I’m sentimental, you see.

Okay. I have to go.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Flowers and Autumn

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A small bouquet of zinnias that Don gave me when I returned home last Sunday. He got them at the Farmer’s Market. Since we will have no zinnia blooms this year (thanks, bunnies) these are a lovely addition to the den.

It’s actually chilly this morning. I had to don a sweater. We’ve had such high temperatures for so long that we almost don’t know what cooler temperatures feel like. And for all of you in California, I’m so sorry that you’re dealing with another heat wave.

Both Don and I are glad to turn the page on the calendar and anticipate autumn. I don’t think the fall colors will be great this year – we’re in a drought – and some of our leaves started to turn brown a few weeks ago. In fact, when I drove up the driveway after my trip to Rochester, I noticed that 2 or 3 of the trees in the woods have already turned golden brown.

I’m going to say it: what a sucky summer it’s been.

I felt out of it most of the day yesterday and briefly worried about Covid, but then I realized that we’d had a major weather change, so my sinuses were in outrage mode. I started a new puzzle, which kept me occupied, but didn’t do any of the other things I had on my list. Thankfully, I’m feeling better today, so I’ll run a few errands and do some cleaning.

And then, on Sunday, I’ll head back to Rochester.

The sunlight is lovely today. I certainly see the change in the quality of the light as we head into September.

For once, I’m more than ready to leave summer behind and embrace fall.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Autumn, Secret Garden & Baseball

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Autumnal and Foggy Secret Garden.

It’s 9 am and it’s still very foggy out there! When I walked outside, I could hear the drip, drip, drip of water falling from the trees. It’s mysterious and wonderful.

Oh, Red Sox. Somehow, I think you’re not going to outplay the Rays. We’ll still cheer you on and of course, you never know, but I have this feeling. And no offense to Floridians, but I hate the indoor ballpark aka Tropicana Field. It looks fake. And I’ve been there in person. I watched a Yankees vs Rays game there with my sister and nephew several years ago. I understand of course, why it needs to be an indoor park, but on television – and in person – the colors look garish, there are ridiculous rules about the metal rings at the top of the dome and what happens if the ball hits the rings (which happened last night,) there are no outdoor sounds, and there’s no weather – it’s like an alternate world out of some movie.

Nevertheless, I applaud the Rays, especially since they aren’t a big budget team, like the Yankees or the Red Sox. Frankly, I think athletes earn way too much and it’s always refreshing to see a winning team emerge in spite of a limited payroll. “Limited” of course, only as compared to the astronomical salaries paid to professional athletes. Yes, their playing years are short, but so are the performing years of a professional ballet dancer and believe me, they don’t get paid anything remotely near that amount of money. Of course, I could go on with this and compare the salaries of professional athletes with teachers, and nurses, and grocers, and machinists, and bakers, and cooks, and on and on. It’s so skewed.

Well! I didn’t mean to go off on that tangent but that’s what happens when you write a daily blog. Posts aren’t planned ahead of time. They just spring forth out of the moment.

Something exciting is coming in today’s mail. I’ll share it with you tomorrow.

And we have an anniversary coming up next week…

There’s a problem with the email for this blog right now, so I’m not getting comments sent to me nor are my replies, etc., getting to you. My host is working on it. So check back if you want to read my reply! Thanks so much.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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