Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Saturday

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Scenes from the porch.

We’re due for quite a bit of rain today and tomorrow and then, hopefully, it will be dry for several days.

Happy first day of fall! I am so ready for it. To state the obvious, summer was quite disappointing this year. Now the temperatures are more moderate, downright cool in the morning, and I feel like I’ve come out of a stupor (the word Don used when we were talking about it the other day.)

Two more books were picked up from the library yesterday; Mick Herron’s newest – The Secret Hours, and Lisa Jewell’s newest – None of This is True. The latter is in the large print edition, which I ordered by mistake. When I saw I would be number 157 in the queue for the regular print edition, I stuck with the large print. And I’m currently well into The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons  by Karin Smirnoff, who is taking over the series that was originally written by the late Stieg Larsson. It’s very well written – I’m still sorting out the characters.

Don made a sweet potato pie the other day and it was a definite hit! I really love it. Sugar-free, of course. As is the case with our apple pie, it gets even better after it’s been refrigerated.

The Boston fern is doing very well this year. I have had this fern since Don was out in La Jolla doing the first production of Margaritaville, so that would be six years. It goes outside in the summer and then overwinters upstairs in our office. There have been times during the winter months where I thought it might be a goner, but it has always come back. I’m sure it loved the rain and humidity that was this summer.

Anyway, it’s looking good,

Okay. I’ve run out of things to say and I need another cup of coffee.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

 

 

Little Books, Tiktok, and It’s Friday

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It’s already Friday. I can’t believe how quickly we’re at the end of another week. It’s frightening, really. Especially at this age.

A few things:

♦ A friend of mine on Instagram sent me a direct message the other day (I’ve cropped out her name for the sake of privacy.)

Which she quickly amended to:

Who would have thought that I’d be seen by not only all the people who have seen the movie, but lots of people on tiktok, as well?? She said the comments are wonderful, but I don’t have the app, so I can only see one or two.

I hope you’re suitably impressed by my fame.

♦ I was moving one of these books to my side table the other day and I suddenly wondered if you were familiar with them.

These little volumes are from the Macmillan Collector’s Library. They measure about 4 x 6 inches. And they’re beautiful, with gold-tipped edges, beautiful end papers, and a satin ribbon bookmark.  I’ve decided to keep one of them on that table, so that whenever I want to read something shortish, I can simply pick up the book and dive in.

The cover art is beautiful, as well.

I’m pretty sure they’re available here, but I bought mine on our trip to Europe. Lord Peter Wimsey Investigates  was purchased at Shakespeare and Company in Paris – they stamped the title page with their wonderful logo. And the Sherlock Holmes was purchased in London. I’m pretty sure I bought it at John Sandoe Books. And they’re absolute gems.

♦ We had to mow the front lawn yesterday. I have named this chapter in our lives, “The Grass That Wouldn’t Stop Growing.”  Still green, still lush, still a pain in the tush. Too bad that “lush” and “tush” don’t rhyme. Maybe “lush” was once pronounced with a short u as in look. It certainly would be if I was speaking in certain dialects.

And that’s it for this Friday.

♦ I want to take a minute to reach out to Brenda, who is unable to comment on the blog. I don’t know the whole story – she’ll tell it when she is able.  I miss you Brenda and I miss your wonderful comments and your positive outlook on life. Just know that we’re all praying for you, my friend.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Nephews, Books, and Dolls

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It’s so brisk and cool out there this morning! I have a sweater on….what????  Our transition to Autumn weather was rather abrupt, but I’m fully on board. And the light is gradually changing to that beautiful golden light that I love so much.

Yes, if you missed it, my nephew passed the bar exam in Florida, so he is officially a lawyer. In August, he started working for the Pinellas County District Attorney’s office. Everyone who took this year’s exam commented on how hard it was – harder than usual, according to those who had taken it more than once. I’m so proud of him and all he has accomplished after having gone through a harrowing time when he was a teenager. My sister was there at his side through all of it, of course.

Monday was also the day in which Z was having surgery. (He’s fine, all is well. I’ll leave any details for Mere to discuss.) So, as Mere was driving him to the hospital, the phone rang and it was son #2 saying he’d passed the bar. Talk about an emotional day!

One of the books I’d been waiting for is now at my local library branch, so I’m headed over there later today. It’s the newest in “The Girl with… ” series – The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons.  I finished Yellowface  yesterday morning (loved it) so I’m ready for a new read.

Time for a couple of dolly photos:

Nina in her back-to-school outfit. Her body is a bit taller than the bodies of the other girls and her legs seem so long! I love the veins that the customizer painted on her forehead and eyelids.

And a Gene Marshall doll I managed to snag on eBay for next-to-nothing:

This doll is called Iced Coffee. I’ve loved it since I first discovered these dolls. But what I love even more are the great hair rolls and the SNOOD! Oh my goodness, I’ve always loved snoods. My hair, unfortunately, is too fine/thin for any kind of snood, so I’ll live vicariously through this doll. (She comes with the snood, necklace and a matching bracelet, earrings, and that brooch pinned at her waist.

If only we all had Gene’s impossibly small waist.

I know there are Gene collectors who dress and redress their dolls, even making clothes for them (and some of them are exquisite.) But I like them as they are and keep them in the outfits designed for that specific doll. Of course, there are lots of Gene outfits that were sold separately, so I suspect the way to deal with that is to buy one nude Gene doll and use that doll for modeling other outfits. I’ve learned a lot about this from my friend, Doug, who was one of the three original clothing designers for Gene Marshall. He has such fascinating stories to tell!

My Blythes are the dolls I play with and redress, because they’re so gosh darned cute.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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