Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Heartsick

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I have to be honest with you. I’m so heartsick over the mass shooting in Orlando that I can’t think of much else. It’s consumed me since I first heard the news yesterday morning. And to be even more frank, I’m tired of hearing politicians who have done their best to thwart any kind of gun control say they are praying for those who suffered loss.

Here’s an idea: How about doing  something? An amendment to the Constitution that had to do with muskets and a militia has been enshrined in such an extreme manner that you’d think it was our most important right. That it trumped any other rights, including the right to live. I don’t think the framers of the Constitution were envisioning an AR-15 assault weapon or a gun culture that is out of control when they drafted that amendment.

Have you ever lost someone to gun violence? I have. When it becomes something other than a story in the newspaper, when it enters your immediate world, when it happens to someone you love – everything changes.

I could go on and on, but I’m too tired to do it.  Do me a favor. If you plan on leaving a comment defending the NRA or repeating one of the NRA’s talking points – don’t. I’ll just delete it. There is no defense. After mass murder after mass murder, we are still having to have this discussion. And that is indefensible.

Love. Or as Lin-Manuel Miranda said in his Tony acceptance speech last night, “Remembrances that hope and love last longer. And love [is love is love is love is love is love is love is love] cannot be killed or swept aside.”

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Some pretty pictures to take the edge off. This is a catalpa blossom. They are quite beautiful and have a heavenly scent. Thank goodness yesterday’s relentless wind didn’t take them all down to the ground.

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Pretty pink spirea.

Vicki tells me she hasn’t been receiving my comment replies lately. You know, I don’t know what to do about this. I get your comments emailed to me and for the last 2 or 3 weeks, I’ve only had about a quarter of them arrive in my mailbox. I don’t know why. I’ll get some. I won’t get others. I called Bluehost (this blog’s host) and had them check into it. They show the comments being emailed to me and ‘accepted’ on my end. But I’m not getting them. And they aren’t going in my spam folder. So go figure.

If you’re not getting my replies, please let me know. I can try another plugin (that’s what enables me to reply to you directly.) But in the meantime, please check back. You know that I always reply.

Sorry about all of this, but I’ve done about all I can do.

Happy Monday.

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Tiptoe Through the Tulips

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No wonder tulips are the subject of so many paintings. They’re rather perfect. I love the touch of white on the edges of the pink petals.

We’re in the middle of a wind ‘event.’ Do not like. I used to love the wind, but since we moved here, to this property with oh-so-many trees, I get nervous and edgy. It started around 5:00 pm yesterday and it’s still going on. I can never truly relax when this sort of thing is happening. Perhaps some coloring should be on the docket for today?

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I’m in the midst of some research for my next coaching job. Darko is bringing me in on his next production: Anastasia, a musical. It starts rehearsals next week. I’m going to be there off and on during the rehearsal period because there are lots of Russian and French names that have to be pronounced correctly. I read the script yesterday, wrote down all the names, and now I have to figure out the pronunciations and transcribe them phonetically.

I think they’re aiming to eventually produce this on Broadway – fingers crossed.

I’ve also got a day or two consulting on some projects being produced by an old friend of mine – sometime in early April.

It’s always good for a freelancer like me to have some work on the horizon.

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I’ve got a book review scheduled for tomorrow – it’s been a while, hasn’t it? It’s a very good book and I’ll tell you more about it then. I’ve been neglectful of my book blog and I want to start posting more regularly, but this period starting when my father died on October 29th has taken its toll in many ways, one of which is blogging about books. I’m reading. I love books. But writing about them has been difficult. I promise to do better very soon.

Happy Tuesday.

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Tuesday Stream of Consciousness

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3-8 sunset

• Another glorious sunset. Our house faces west, so as I sit in my chair or go about my business in the living room, this is what I see.

• Trip plans: We’re heading out tomorrow morning. Cannot wait. I’m currently plotting a route down to Florida that avoids the hell that is the Washington D.C. area and, instead, takes us through some beautiful country – courtesy of my Facebook friends. As I looked at the map today, I got those anticipatory butterflies that I get when I am about to explore and see something new.

When I was on the road more, especially when I worked for a theatrical touring company, I loved to explore whatever city I was in. I’m always up for getting out, walking around, exploring, and learning new things. Dallas; Cedar Falls, Iowa; Owensboro, KY; Gainesville, FL; Ft.Lauderdale, FL; Birmingham, AL; Charleston, SC – just a few of the places I was able to explore when I was on the road for a few days here and a few days there. Often, I had to pick up a car rental and drive many miles from the airport to the theater and I’d explore along the way.

Don loves car trips. It will be fun.

• Yesterday. This arrived….

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I know. I succumbed again.

It’s a double bud vase in the Clematis pattern. Need I say that it was a great score on eBay? It was.

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The other side. Isn’t it beautiful? Several Roseville patterns have their own version of this double bud vase. As crazy about Roseville as I am, I can see collecting all of them.

Stop me.

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There it is on the shelf; though I’ve since changed it out with the basket that Barbara sent to me. The double bud vase is now in the china cabinet in the den. I can see it from my blogging chair.

I may change that. We’ll see.

Can one have too much vintage pottery? My short answer: No.

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• My over-wintering geranium is blooming again! This little experiment was a complete success. I’ve been watering all the plants so they’ll be nice and moist while we’re gone. Even the succulents got a dash of water.

• Blogging Etiquette Question: Am I the only one who gets irritated when I see posts from bloggers where lots of photos are taken directly from a post on another site/blog? It seems wrong to me. Yes, they usually link back to the original source, but if they’re basically taking all the photos from the original post, who is going to click the link? (And often the name of the original blog is hidden – you have to click through to find out who it was.)

It seems a bit like cheating. The blogger gets a post out of it without doing any of the work. Not quite fair, I think. Though perhaps the photos get a wider audience? Still, it doesn’t sit right. Far better, in my humble opinion, to say something like, “You should see this wonderful home or apartment or miniature or whatever that I saw elsewhere – here’s the link.” And then the original poster gets the hits, which is the way it should be.

Just wondering. It’s been bugging me a lot lately.

Lots to do today.

Happy Tuesday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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