Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

You are here: Home / Archives for books

Day Three Hundred Fifty

at by

Finished.

You’d think this puzzle would have been easier than the Piano Lesson, but in some ways it was harder. Of course, the entire process was hampered by my back problems. The back is getting better, by the way. It will stay that way if I remember to be careful and manage my puzzle time – and refrain from sitting there for hours.

I neglected to take a picture of the box for the next puzzle project, but I’ll share it with you on tomorrow’s post.

Another lovely sunny day today. Don is going to retrieve the stockings full of salt (or maybe the salt has melted and they’re just empty stockings?)  from the gutter because it’s going to rain Saturday and Sunday. We don’t want them clogging up the works.

Exciting, right?

We’re watching a series on Amazon Prime –  A French Village. It’s all about a village that is occupied by the Nazis in WWII. It was recommended to us by a friend. It premiered in 2009, so it’s several years old, but we’re hooked. It’s really compelling and Don, especially, is fascinated by that time in history.

I’m enjoying The Moving Toyshop  by Edmund Crispin. Crispin is considered one of the stars of the golden age of British mysteries. He writes whodunits with wonderfully eccentric characters and has a wicked sense of humor, as well.

Other than that, I’m deleting tons of photos from my laptop, which is an ongoing process. And I’m trying to figure out why my iPhone won’t turn on sometimes, even when it’s charged. So far, and it’s only happened twice, if I plug it into my laptop after unsuccessfully trying to boot it up, it turns on immediately.

I don’t need a problem with my phone during this lockdown. There is no way I’m heading to an Apple store, the nearest of which is over an hour away from our house. And in a mall. Wish me luck.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Day Three Hundred Forty-Eight

at by

A little corner in the cottage – this is in the den. On the shelves: books, of course, a vintage lint brush, Scout’s paw print, and a little gem from Vintage by Crystal. Some egg cups are on their own set of shelves – most of these won’t fit in the cubbies, they’re either too tall or too wide. And a little duck family I found in a shop long ago.

It’s supposed to reach 47 degrees today. The melt will begin. I have no idea how long it will take to melt the 30 inches of snow we have on the ground, of course, but I’m ready for it to go.

We watched Supernova  last night. It’s a new movie starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, about a couple dealing with Alzheimer’s. We rented it on Amazon Prime. Simply beautiful. Firth and Tucci are, as always, excellent. I don’t want to give away the plot, but Don and I spent a good deal of time talking about it afterward. It is very, very powerful.

We’ve seen Nomadland, The Dig, and Supernova in the past week – all of them excellent.

A book delivery yesterday – I’ve been wanting to read Underland  for over a year. I just heard about London Fog  (nonfiction) and it’s time to start reading some vintage British mysteries in the form of Edmund Crispin. Come to think of it, I think I read one of his books long, long ago, but I don’t remember it. My TBR pile is getting taller.

Other than that, we’re tired of isolating, tired of not being able to eat at a diner, tired of not being able to go to a bookstore in person, or to wander through an antique shop. Zoom and FaceTime are invaluable, but it’s not the same as seeing someone in person, is it? I’d like to be able to smile at people I see in a store or on a street without the smile being hidden by a mask. We’re in a temporary funk and we’ll come out of it. But this winter has been long and the pandemic has been even longer.

Ah well. I’m resting my back today, so I’ll be reading. But it’s sure hard for me to stay out of trouble. I like to do things and a surprising number of those things involve my back. So I have promised Don I will be a good girl today.

I just heard that my dear colleague, the stage manager of Anastasia, lost her husband to COVID yesterday. I can’t imagine her pain. I’ve worked with her on two Broadway shows and she is the most wonderful person. My heart breaks for her. And for her daughter.

Update: We have appointments on April 9th! It’s about an hour and a half away from us, but they’re back to back appointments and it’s worth it. We’ll call it Vaccine Day!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Day Three Hundred Forty-Seven

at by

A different view. This was taken just inside the kitchen. The pantry is on my left and next to that, the kitchen door. As is, of course – Don’s laptop and headphones on the coffee table. I don’t usually highlight the clock that I bought 10 or 11 years ago, but I do love it. It’s mounted on the side of the pantry and the antique marionette plates that we bought in Paris are right below it.

Of course, I bought it because of the style and that Jadeite green color. It’s two-sided, so you can see the time from the living room and the kitchen.

Did some work on the puzzle yesterday but my lower back has been bothersome of late and leaning over the table aggravates it, so today I’m going to take it easy. I finished Mrs. Tim Carries On  this morning. I’m definitely going to read more by D. E. Stevenson. For those of you who love British books and books in general, I thought I’d mention an account I follow on Instagram that I’m sure you’d like. Her name is Miranda Mills and she frequently writes about books and reading. She also records a lot of videos, which I love. Her mother joins in on some of them, talking about books and baking. Until last year they lived in London, but they moved to Yorkshire, so you get to see a lot of the Yorkshire countryside, as well. She has two accounts: Miranda’s Bookcase, and Miranda’s Notebook. I was just watching her most recent vlog this morning, this one centering on humorous books. She is the person who turned me on to the Mrs. Tim books and many others.

And we watched The Dig  last night. We’re a little late coming to it. I have heard nothing but raves about this movie, as has Don, so we carved out some time to watch it. Simply stunning. Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan are superb, as is the rest of the cast. We’re going to watch it again in a few days. As far as I’m concerned Ralph Fiennes can do no wrong. He is a superb actor – one of my favorites. If you haven’t seen it, it’s on Netflix.

Don is out shoveling. We got about 2 inches of heavy, wet snow, so for now, it looks like a winter wonderland with snow on all the branches. That will change as the day goes on and the temps reach 39.

I can appreciate it, and I do, but I’m pretty much over winter. I have to force myself to acknowledge its charms.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

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