Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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A Nook

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I am a lover of books. I love the look, the feel, the weight of them. I love words on a page. I have been a voracious reader since I was a little girl. The thought of not having something to read makes me panic. I have also said many times that nothing will ever replace a book for me or reading an actual newspaper.

That being said, a recent conversation between my husband and me found us discussing eBooks and readers like Kindle or the Nook. We came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with the use of a reader for commuting or travel as long as we still read and bought actual books. Not half an hour later, my sister called me and told me she just bought a Nook from Barnes and Noble. (Meredith also loves books and reading.) My nephew and his wife had just been visiting them in Florida and they showed their Kindle to Mer. She became intrigued. Since she has some travel planned in the near future, she decided to buy a Nook. She extolled its virtues and I found myself thinking that it would be a great asset for someone like me who travels fairly frequently.

Yesterday, I went to check my mail at the theater and there was a box waiting for me. From Barnes and Noble. I hadn’t ordered anything from them. Hmmm. After the walk back to the apartment, I opened the box. Meredith had sent me my own Nook!


I was dumbfounded. It takes some getting used to but for me, on the road away from home, it is the perfect thing. You can download current hardcover books, magazines and newspapers but there are many, many free eBooks to download. Free. As I have mentioned before, we are counting every penny at the moment. Times are tough. So I downloaded Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables – for free. I started Anne last night. What fun!

You can also play sudoku or chess. I’m crossing my fingers that someday soon they will have a crossword puzzle available.

Don’t worry. I still have my books with me. And boxes and boxes of them back home – just waiting for the bookcase I hope to build this year. Nothing will replace them.

But this sure is neat. Thank you, wonderful sister.

Thoughts on Sleep, a Book, Square #9

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I found this little treasure the other day just sitting in a corner in one of our local antique shops. It’s in perfect condition for a book published in 1901. I love old books – such care was taken with the illustrations and design. “Lyrics of Love of Hearth & Home and Field and Garden” – sounds tailor-made for a nester like myself.


Sigh.

Square #9:


A picket fence covered with climbing roses. The outline is a bit wonky because I was racing to finish before Antiques Roadshow started. However, it never started because PBS had some other show on in its place. Bad PBS. We like our Monday night schedule of the Roadshow and 24. As it was, we sat on the sofa listening to a documentary about the Warner brothers (of movie studio fame) and fell asleep. At 9:05, I woke in a panic – “24!!! – Turn the channel!!” We made it in time.

This is when I fear we are getting old. Every evening lately we both doze off for a bit while watching the tube. Am I becoming my grandmother? How come I can sleep so easily in front of the television and then lie awake when it is time to actually sleep in my bed?

The weather has been so lovely the last few days – temperatures in the high 40’s and low 50’s and sun. Glorious sun. Everyone is infected with spring fever. I have to do some text work on Taming of the Shrewtoday. For those of you who asked, work on the dollhouse has been put on hold as I prepare for my work in San Diego which starts mid-April. I also have to ready the garden and do all sorts of things around the house as I will be leaving it in my husband’s care for 10 weeks. I love him, you understand, but he’s not me. I will have to leave detailed instructions for him. He will do his best. The rest is out of my control. Gulp.

Reading, Cleaning, Obsessing, er…Dreaming

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Hello, my friends! Yes, I am cleaning today and fighting the urge to take every Christmas decoration down. Does anyone else struggle with that sneaky urge? We keep our decorations up through January 1st; that’s the rule here at MHC. The only thing I have permitted myself to put away are Christmas cards. Some of the greens scattered around the house would be gone today if it wasn’t so darn windy. I’m staying inside – the wind is fierce and the wind chill is in the single digits!


Don gave me the new Dan Brown book for Christmas – I gave him the new George Carlin autobiography. I wanted to read something that is fast paced and engrossing – and it is. The other book, The Paris Apartment, was sent to me by the author, Claudia Strasser, who has a blog with the same name. She generously sent copies to some of her readers. I was lucky enough to be one of the recipients and I am enjoying it a great deal. Thank you, Claudia!


Okay, that takes care of reading and cleaning…the obsessing, ahem, dreaming is about the dollhouse. I am, fortunately or unfortunately, one of those people who, once a project is begun, obsess about it. And often, even before it is started! That has led me to think about the dollhouse all the time, read the blogs of all the incredibly talented miniaturists out there, think and think about what I need to finish, start, research, make….you name it. Goodness, that will take me through the dull days of Winter, won’t it? And beyond, of course. As you can see, the dollhouse has taken over the kitchen table. Luckily, I have a husband who likes seeing a project in progress – he thinks it looks exciting. Thank goodness, because space is at a premium here and I don’t know where else I could put it. Oh, it could go upstairs in the guest bedroom/office/studio, but then I would be in Don’s private lair. Besides, there is better light in the kitchen.

Excuse me while I dream a bit more, will you?

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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