Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Cold Mornings & The Booster

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Another very cold morning with the heat kicking on. It’s only October 2nd!

We got our booster shots yesterday. As I did with the very first shot I back in March, I came home and, a few hours later, fell asleep in my chair for an hour. It was one of those drugged-like deep sleeps where you can’t wake up and feel groggy the rest of the day. I went to bed early last night and slept for almost 8 hours. That, and a very sore arm, seem to be my consistent side effects from the Pfizer vaccine. Don’s arm is very sore, as well. Actually, I think my arm is even sorer now than it was back in March.

But it’s done and we’re grateful. Since one of our favorite grocery stores is across the road from Walgreen’s, we did some shopping afterwards. Came home, had lunch, did a couple of loads of laundry and then…major nap.

I head back in to the city tomorrow. Same hotel for just one night this time, and then a run-through to watch and take notes. Then back home on Monday night. Then…barring having to go out to fix something when they’re on the road (which could happen – it has in the past) I’m probably done with Anastasia. I started working on the very first production in Hartford in 2016, so I’ve been a part of the Anastasia  creative team for 5 years. It has been a joy from start to finish.

I’m taking it easy today as I still feel tired from the booster. I think some reading for pleasure is in order, maybe a quick vacuuming downstairs, a bit of straightening up in my section of the office…we’ll see.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Self-Care Saturday

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I love these misty fall mornings. Every day speaks of transition. As is fitting for this last weekend of summer, we’ll reach the low eighties today and that, my friends, looks like the last hurrah. The next ten days will bring temperatures in the seventies and sixties.

If you look in the upper left of the photo, you’ll see the bean pods hanging from the catalpa tree, otherwise known as the bean tree.

We are both very tired today. We’ve had lots going on and we’re ready for a day of rest. We’ve named today Self-care Saturday. Believe me, we need it.

I plan on finishing this post, paying a bill online, washing some towels, dressing Sophie in a new outfit, reading (I already did some reading early this morning), and, darn it, finishing that painting.

For the second or third summer in a row, my heavenly blue morning glories have yet to bloom. I was deleting a lot of photos the other day and I noticed that they used to start blooming in August. Now, I’m lucky if I get one bloom by the end of September. I can’t figure this one out. There are lots of leaves, lots of vines, but no buds. Last year, I saw one bloom before we had a frost that ended it all.

My plan is to enrich the soil next year and add in lots of compost. Any other advice? I don’t want to stop planting them, so I’m determined to figure this out.

Thanks for your lovely comments about Don’s venture. It means a great deal to us.

Edited to add: Just found out my nephew Jeff’s youngest daughter is in the hospital. She’s been there for several days with high fevers, a cyst in her abdomen and bowel problems. Jeff and his wife Raina are out of their minds with worry. Please pray for Greta. (Jeff is my brother’s child.)

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Tuesday Ramblings

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And, suddenly, we’re in autumn. Along about mid-August, I stop caring about the look of the gardens. I only pull a weed if it’s in the way somehow. Every plant stays, nothing is pulled, and I let them self-seed and provide food and shelter for the birds and critters during the winter months.

Of course, raking must be done eventually. But let’s not go there yet.

I’m never ready for winter, but I am ready for fall. Bring it on.

I finished up my part of the 2020 deductions. Heaven knows what they’ll allow now. I’m hoping that the Biden administrations puts back some of the performing arts/freelancer deductions that they took away. Don is finishing up his deductions and I’ll send the whole ball of wax off to our accountant later this morning.

I also have to do some prep for my 12 noon coaching session with Ben.

It rained overnight and it’s supposed to rain tomorrow and the next day. Sigh.

Things on my mind, a running list of things to do before I head to NYC: show Don how I water the indoor plants so that he doesn’t overwater them, give him a watering schedule for indoor and outdoor porch plants, tell him when to pay the bills, encourage him to vacuum, dust, and clean the bathroom while I’m away, show him how to position the blanket on our California King bed (because we couldn’t find an affordable blanket in that size, this one goes on sideways.) There will be more things on that list and I’m not leaving for five weeks, but you know how it is.

It will be strange, as we haven’t been apart from each other since I spent a night in Hartford right before lockdown and we certainly haven’t been away from each other for any length of time since Margaritaville. While I was going through our bank records to look for deductions, it struck me: I could tell exactly when we went into lockdown. We were going along swimmingly until mid-March and then, bam! We were home. I also had to check my planner pages and I saw notes like “big grocery run” and “Don: last minute run before lockdown.” Then on the next day: “eerily quiet around here.”

The before times.

I’ve always had a planner of some sort. The kind of planner has changed over the years, but the recording of each day –  list of things to do, schedules, important notes, impressions of the day, quotes to remember, what I’m reading – has never changed. When I consult them for some reason, I see a visual of my life. I’m not a journal writer – this blog serves as a sort of visual journal – but boy oh boy, do I love my planner. It sure comes in handy at tax time, too. I can look back and see what dates I worked on a show, when I was out of town, the exact date something happened. It’s a memory refresher and I find I need that more and more as I get older.

Alright, my friends. I’m off to do some prep work.

But I have to include this:

Just because she’s so darned cute.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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