Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

You are here: Home / Archives for birds

Overstimulated

at by

When I go to Trader Joe’s – and that is a rare occurrence these days – I have to buy flowers because they’re so inexpensive. This bouquet is currently brightening up the kitchen. But, in actuality, there’s not much that interests us there. We did buy a few frozen things to have on hand for when we can’t squeeze in a trip to the grocery store. The fact is, Don’s cooking is so good for us and our needs that we are no longer drawn to Trader Joe’s.

Except for flowers. And our favorite black bean and cheese taquitos, which we love to have on hand. We did stock up on them, as well as a few other items and some almond milk for me. And their lavender soap, which I love. This particular TJs is always SO busy. The parking lot is a madhouse with every driver out for him/herself, desperate to find a parking space. Yikes!

IKEA was fun, but exhausting. It wasn’t crowded, so it’s not as if we had to deal with too many people. But it’s so overwhelming – so much stuff! To be fair to IKEA, it’s because of me. I have very little patience for shopping in a huge store – or any store, to be honest – anymore. After a while, the lights irritate my eyes, the displays everywhere, the sheer amount of items to ‘take in;’ it’s all too much. Plus, I was a bit dehydrated after having had two large mugs of coffee. There’s only so much water I can drink when I know I’m going to be in the car for an hour and a half, so I hadn’t had my usual quota.

All that being said, what IKEA does is really marvelous. And their displays are so well done. The arrows that direct you around the store, the fun little things you find along the way, the information on each item and where to find it, all of it is impeccably done. What did we grab along the way? Only things that we needed and had needed for a long time: new potholders, a steamer insert, a cooking pot, some pads for the bottom of furniture legs, 6 extra spoons (hurrah!) And the mystery item, which will be revealed in due time. We were going to eat there, but we wanted to get going, so we grabbed a veggie hot dog or two at the Bistro right by the checkout and ate them in the car before we headed back north for Trader Joe’s and the thruway. We love where we live, but most any sort of adventure involves a lot of driving time, so when you add 3 hours on the road, two hours in IKEA, and about 30 minutes in TJs, it all adds up. Just as when we have to go into the city for an audition or work – the bus commute alone takes about 3 1/2 hours, the drive to the bus station from our house is about 40 minutes round trip, and then you add in the additional time needed to do business in the city. It’s a long day. There’s usually not any time available for anything else. I’m not complaining, it just comes with our choice to live where we live.

Today, I plan to tackle the project, which will require some help from Don. I didn’t start it yesterday because I promised him I wouldn’t. Turns out I was too tired to do that anyway. We have to move a piece of furniture before I can start.

Oh, the pair of Carolina wrens appeared again this morning, but this time, one of them flew up to the top of our porch light and then walked around the top of the front door. Both of them were on the porch for a while, but no visit to the bird house – at least, that I saw.

Okay. Have to get going!

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Puzzle and a Bird Nest Question

at by

It’s coming along. I’m in the tedious part of this puzzle; trying to figure out where the leaf pieces go. Once I get those in, along with the blue background, I’ll work on the edges. This is the kind of puzzle where, if I figure out where 5 pieces go during a session, I’m thrilled.

I just heard a Carolina wren calling from our maple tree. Soon enough his/her partner appeared. And they perched right outside the birdhouse. I think one went in. Now, I’m wondering: we haven’t got around to neatening up the nest that was turned on end when the squirrel knocked the little trailer out of position last year. That’s an awkward sentence, but I hope you get the idea. We were going to attempt to do that this week. When the squirrel incident occurred last spring, they never came back. Do we mess with it? Should we clean it out? Or should we just leave it? Last year they started adding materials to what was already there from the previous spring. Then, once the nest tipped a bit – even though we righted it – they didn’t come back. They’re perfectly capable of pushing everything back down and adding material.

I’ve googled this and some birds come back to the same place and add to their previous nests and some don’t. The jury is out on Carolina wrens. Some sites say yes, they’ll come back, and some say no. I do know that the male will show his mate 3 or 4 options. She picks the nesting site in the end. They left very quickly after they had briefly checked out the birdhouse. But it is perfect for them, and safe.

Any thoughts? I’d sure like to have them back this year.

Thank goodness, it appears to be sunny out there. Yesterday was gray and messy and downright depressing. Hopefully, more of the snow will melt and we can say goodbye to the slush on our driveway.

Petra: this is the wig that Katie arrived in. I like the braids, but the back of the wig is sort of messy. I still have it and I suspect I’ll use it again at some point. I did undo the braids and it looked cute, but it was too thin and wispy. Wigs slip, even with a silicone wig cap in place. So, every time I pose her, I have to tweak the wig a bit. What she really needs is a scalp which is attached to the face plates. But I haven’t found one I like yet.

Okay. Don has to tape an audition and I suspect he’s waiting for me to finish this post, as I read all the lines that aren’t his.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Sun, Kitchen, and Books

at by

We just had the nicest day yesterday. Did we go anywhere? No. Did we give each other a gift? No. We just spent time together on a perfectly sunny day. We talked a lot, we cuddled, we repeatedly said how much we love each other.

Frankly, that’s all I need.

The kitchen yesterday. This photo, however, doesn’t really show how gloriously sunny it was. But it will have to do. I quickly took the photo while Don and I were sitting on the living room sofa. (Excuse the little bag of trash on the counter! Real life.)

This book is extraordinary. It’s nonfiction, which is always slower going for me, but, oh my, is it worth it. I never quote blurbs, but I will with this one, simply because I couldn’t write anything better:

In Underland, Robert Macfarlane delivers an epic exploration of the Earth’s underworlds as they exist in myth, literature, memory, and the land itself. Traveling through the dizzying expanse of geological time – from prehistoric art in Norwegian sea caves, to the blue depths of the Greenland ice cap, to a deep-sunk “hiding place” where nuclear waste will be stored for 100,000 years to come – Underland  takes on an extraordinary journey into our relationship with darkness, burial, and what lies beneath the surface of both heart and mind.

I hear a Carolina wren as I’m writing this. I’m wondering if the birds think Spring is coming soon? Ive certainly got spring fever, but the reality is we might get some snow next week and the unseasonably warm temperatures are going to plunge for a couple of days. (Thanks, Mother Nature. With all this warmth, I’m ready for Spring!)

We have to get out there and clean out the trailer bird house to get it prepped in case they want to nest there. Right now, I can see a wren on the branches of the big maple tree that is right next to the porch. And now he/she is on the porch. And back to the tree.

Okay, my friends.

Stay safe.

 

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives