Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Day Three Hundred Forty-One

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And…another puzzle started. Interestingly, the black border was troublesome for a while because it became clear that the pieces were in the wrong order. But darned if I could figure out where the error was. So I looked for the connecting pieces that began the actual cover illustration and as I found them, I figured out what I had done wrong. After that, I went for the title.

We’re due for a boatload of snow tomorrow. (Will this ever end???) Don is currently trying to find some salt for the driveway and every place we usually buy it is out. Oh boy. A big snowstorm headed our way and a shortage of salt. Luckily he just found a couple of bags and is on his way to pick them up.

But the happy news of the day is this:

Today marks the 13th anniversary of this blog. Yep. 13 years!

I almost forgot, but fortunately, I had marked it in my planner.

I’ll be honest, there are times I consider shutting it down. Especially now, when I have very little interesting subject matter – at least, in my mind. But Don always reminds me that I wouldn’t be happy with that decision. I’d regret it. He’s right.

Writing a post every day has been a part of this blog for at least 9 or 10 of the 13 years. That daily writing commitment has been a good thing for me. I’ve always found writing to be cathartic and the discipline of sitting down, gathering my thoughts together, and crafting a post has provided structure for my mornings.

The blog also functions as a journal and I can’t tell you how many times I find myself wondering when something happened, search the blog, and quickly find the date.

Blogging has expanded my world and I’m very grateful for all the people I have met over the years. Followers come and go, just as friends come and go. But the relationships I have found through this medium are very real. I never consider them virtual. You are my friends.

I’ve never been a niche blog and it took me a while to realize that only writing about one thing – decorating, for example – would drive me nuts. Most bloggers that do that are interested in making money from their blogs. That’s absolutely fine. I briefly entertained revamping the blog to turn it into a money making venture several years ago. (We freelance and let’s face it, trying to do that made sense.) But it isn’t me. It felt false. I finally accepted what this blog was and is. A daily sharing of my thoughts and my life and my interests. That’s how I started out and that’s where I will remain.

Thanks for being here. I love hearing from all of you, knowing you’re out there, reading your thoughts. Without you, this would just be a virtual journal for me, myself, and I. This is much more rewarding!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifteen

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Good morning!

It’s currently sunny outside! Huzzah! We’re expecting snow squalls later in the day, so I don’t expect it to last, but I’m grateful that it is sunny now.

Okay. The gorgeous John Derian puzzle is finished:

This was taken late in the day yesterday. It’s my favorite, so far, of all the puzzles I’ve put together.

Enclosed in the box was a small print version of this puzzle. If I frame anything, I’ll frame that. I’ve never framed the puzzles I vowed to frame last year and now, months later, I realize I have no desire to. I now realize that idea is unrealistic – at least, for me. We already have a lot of art on our walls and there’s not room for large framed puzzles. So, it’s about enjoying the process, letting it sit on the kitchen table for a few days in all its glory, and then taking it apart.

On Inauguration day, two packages arrived in the mail. The long-lost package from Spain arrived! In it is the work of Sofia of Twelve Times More Teeny on Etsy.

Aren’t they beautiful? I have some of Sofia’s work in Hummingbird Cottage and I knew I wanted to order from her again. These will go in the hutch in the English Cottage aka Dove Cottage.

And speaking of Hummingbird Cottage, the grand dame of all my dollhouses, Caroline was thrilled to get a new table and chairs for the kitchen. You’ve seen the table, but here are the chairs.

In consultation with Caroline, a decision was made to order chairs with higher backs, a French Country look. I like these much better than the smaller chairs that were here previously. I have yet to style this table but I will. These are from an Etsy shop called Tiny Dwelling. Lovely work – and the owner of the shop has a lot of interesting items in stock.

And yesterday, the dollhouse wallpaper finally arrived! So I will be upstairs in the studio working on the dollhouse this afternoon.

Housekeeping note: I’ll be brief, because I’ve said this many times before. I had a comment from a Trumper yesterday. You can see it on yesterday’s post. Before I saw it (I had been working on the puzzle) other readers saw it and challenged that commenter. And a few of you replied to that comment later in the day. Anyway, I responded. You responded.

You know the rules. Anyone supporting that man and his administration is not welcome here. Period. I would not welcome that person in my home. And MHC is also my home. I’ve left the comment up, but I’ve blocked her. And I’ll continue to do that when necessary. Thankfully, it happens rarely.

I can do that because it’s my blog. A personal blog owned by me.

Also: someone left a comment a couple of weeks ago suggesting what I should and should not write about (this concerned politics.) She mentioned that I might be concerned about ‘offending my readers,’ which, in reality, meant her.

The obvious answer: No, it doesn’t concern me. I am a careful writer and work hard to be articulate and honest. but I’m not in this for numbers or lots of followers. This is my  blog. I pay for it. I maintain it. You get to read it for free. I’ve been writing it for almost 13 years. It has always been about my life and that includes my opinions. You can disagree with me, which this person did, and for the most part I will leave the comment up and respond to it, unless the commenter attacks me or says something so offensive that it has to be deleted.

I don’t tell other bloggers what to post. During the course of my many years of blogging, I learned very early on that imposing my opinions on other bloggers about their subject matter was not a good idea. (And I have strong opinions!) If I don’t like someone’s content, I can (and do) move on. But I don’t tell them what they should and shouldn’t post, whether on a blog or on Instagram. Neither should anyone presume to tell me what I should and shouldn’t write about here.

I don’t take kindly to it.

I see that all the time on IG. People peg accounts as purely about decorating or books or whatever and when that the account holder speaks out about an issue, they are offended and say “I don’t come to this account for (fill in the blank).”

Oh, you’re telling that person what they can and can’t post? That they have to be what you  want them to be? I think not.

Okay. I have to reiterate these things at times. But I promise not to do it too often. (I’m not sure I succeeded at being brief.)

Moving on.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Sepia

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More from my little jaunt the other day. Some hydrangeas are still relatively intact – but only a few. There’s such a sepia look to the gardens right now. Beautiful. I need to be more aware of that when I feel that everything is gray and gloomy.

It isn’t.

Thank you so much for your kind comments yesterday. They make all the effort over the years worthwhile. Bless you.

Yesterday was marvelously sunny but we’re back to darker skies today. We were supposed to get a smattering of wet snow overnight, but that didn’t happen. I haven’t checked the weather but I wouldn’t be surprised if we got some form of moisture today.

I’m almost done with Blue Moon  by Lee Child. Complete escapism: that’s what Lee Child books are. I’ve read nearly all of them. They’re really a modern take on the gunslinger that saves a town or a family from the bad guys. Jack Reacher is the equivalent of Shane. If you go into them knowing that, you’ll have a great read that truly takes you away for a while. It’s comforting knowing that the bad guys will be dealt with, the good guys will win, and then Jack Reacher – ever the wanderer – will move on.

Next up? Either Hi Five  by Joe Ide or Lock Every Door  by Riley Sager. Since Lock Every Door  is supposed to be very scary, the choice will definitely depend on my mood later today.

I’m looking forward to spring, but I’m trying to stay here, in this season. I’m doing surprisingly well with it and so is Don. That was one of our goals this winter – not to wish the time away. Of course, we may be helped by the lack of snow this year, but we had plenty of it in December and we’ve had lots of ice and freezing rain since the first of the year. In other words, lots of weather to contend with, but hopefully, with some grace.

Happy Tuesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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