Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

You are here: Home / Archives for books

Dinner With Friends

at by

My wonderful husband saw this on a ‘free books’ rack and brought it home to me. It’s an edition I don’t have with wonderful cover art. And there’s a little sticker inside the cover with an address in Boca Raton, Fl.

He gets me, that Don.

As I was sitting at my desk slogging through records and figures when he came in the door, this little present was a welcome respite.

I just finished The Overstory  and I’m still reeling from the power and majesty within its pages. It’s surely one of the most meaningful books I have ever read – right up there in my Top Ten. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so. It’s long, dense, beautifully written, and ultimately, life-changing.

I’m not sure what I’m going to start next. I’ll figure that out later in the day.

We had the best time last night. Three of our former students were visiting. Rick, Doug, Don, Christine, Glen, Julie and I gathered round the table and shared stories and memories and caught up with each other. It was as if no time had passed. The three of them have wonderful lives. They’re doing well. They are, as they were when we first met them, formidable and beautiful human beings. To have a positive impact on someone’s life, no matter how minuscule in the larger picture, is its own reward. It was a very powerful and wonderful evening.

Today, more figures. And maybe some lawn mowing. We’ll see.

Happy Friday.

A Delightful Dilemma

at by

Tuesday is turning into a rainy day, which is fine with me – I won’t have to water the seedlings. So far, it’s a gentle rain, though I think we might have some thunderstorms, as well.

There were lots of acorns to be gathered on our walk yesterday. I love acorns. They remind me of my childhood. I lived in a neighborhood filled with old trees; elms, maples, and oaks. Gathering acorns was one of my favorite things to do. For many years I lived in San Diego, where oak trees were nonexistent. We have a couple of them up in the woods on our property and there are lots of them in our neighborhood.

An acorn is a perfect little treasure. I never tire of seeing that little ‘cap.’

I’ve walked by this neighbor’s house many, many times, but this is the first time I noticed this:

Succulents (Hen and Chicks) growing out of a massive rock. If that isn’t Art, I don’t know what is.

I’m about 2/3 of the way through The Overstory. I should finish it by tomorrow, although I don’t want it to end. My next read will come out of this pile:

I’m not sure which one I’ll be in the mood for. I could call this my official To Be Read stack, but I have several of those! This one is the most recent, however, and the one that excites me most. Nonfiction or Fiction? I’m leaning toward Bookworm, but The Bookshop of Yesterdays  is also tempting. By tomorrow, I may be leaning toward something else. There’s also The Paris Architect, which I neglected to include in this stack. And Twenty-Five, a vintage Penguin paperback that just arrived from England. It’s by…drumroll…Beverley Nichols. It’s an autobiography written in Nichol’s twenty-fifth year.

What to choose? A delightful dilemma.

Happy Tuesday.

Sunday

at by

I love the light from the skylight at the top of the stairs.

I often forget to look for it, but thankfully, I saw it this morning. So lovely!

I did a bit more work outside yesterday. Today, I plan to take it easy and rest my back. Don is gone for the day and I’m feeling the nesting instinct. I always know when fall is on the way because I suddenly have a strong instinct to clean, rearrange, and feather my nest. I think that’s what I’m going to do today. That, and read and listen to music.

It’s another beautiful day here! Goodness, I feel like we were starved for sunny, non-humid, non-rainy, non-triple digit weather. It’s like manna from heaven.

The limelights are fuller than ever. So gorgeous. Even Don commented on them!

On books:

In addition to all the mysteries I read – some of which are written beautifully, almost like poetry – I think the three books I have read in the past few years that have had the strongest impact on me are A Gentleman In Moscow, All The Light We Cannot See, and the book I’m currently reading, The Overstory.

I cannot stress strongly enough how brilliant The Overstory  is, and how timely. Richard Powers is a lyrical writer. Yet he’s dealing with one of the issues that impacts our planet and our future on this planet: trees. Somehow he manages to write a novel that is complex, with interwoven stories/fables and compelling characters who eventually connect, all the while quietly educating us on an issue that couldn’t be more crucial. I recommend it highly. Even Don, who is Mr. Nonfiction, wants to read it.

It’s stunning. There’s a reason it won The Pulitzer Prize for 2019.

Okay, my friends. Time to do some work around here.

Happy Sunday.

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