Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Snow: Shoveling, Snowblowing, Baking & UPS

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This says it all. We had a heck of a snowstorm yesterday, with wind and lots of snow. I guesstimate it at 8 inches. It fell all day long and we couldn’t get out to shovel until around 3:30. The snowblower was hauled out of the shed and while my newest batch of linzer cookies was cooling, I grabbed a shovel.

We were out there for a long time.

And today, our aches and pains attest to it. Thank goodness, the snow wasn’t the heavy, wet variety. That certainly helped. Now we have to contend with high winds and dangerous wind chills for the next two days, with the nighttime temps going down to well below zero.

Winter officially came on December 21st, but here at the cottage it feels like it’s been going on for months. I’m over it.

But, speaking of ‘over it’ I shared a little story on Instagram yesterday. For those of you who don’t do IG, let me share it again.

I was expecting a package from UPS, but since the snow was falling heavily and the visibility was bad, I expected it would arrive today instead. I was in a not-very-great mood, having had my fill of subzero temps and snow. I was sitting in the den when I heard the UPS truck stop on the street with a little tap of the horn. I couldn’t believe they were actually delivering! So I threw on my jacket (I was still in my flannel pjs) and went out on the porch to meet the driver. He jumped over the culvert, ran up the lawn to the porch and greeted me with a smile.

I said, “I can’t believe you’re out in this!”

And he said, with another big grin, “Oh, it’s okay! I’m having an adventure!”

He was so cheery and so positive that my mood changed instantly. What did I have to complain about, right? If he could be positive, so could I. The universe sends you teachers when you need them.

See that great smile! He’d also grabbed a ride with a snowplow at some point during his day so he could get back to his truck after having parked on a hill. He was  having an adventure.

I moved this lamp, which, for some reason, had been stashed on my bookcase in the bedroom, down to this little table/stool by the sofa. I think I thought there was trouble with the cord, but when I changed the light bulb, it worked. I love these lamps and Don needed a little bit more light by his preferred daytime seating. Plus…the shade!!

Part of my “Riley Plant.”

I have three new leaves coming on the rubber plant.

And this new growth on the larger of my two ZZ plants.

Happy Friday.

Blooming and Growing

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Oh, heavens, it’s cold. From the comments I’ve been receiving on Instagram, many of us are locked in this deep freeze. Seems a bit early for that sort of thing, doesn’t it? On Friday and Saturday, the temperature is not going to go above 7° – What the ????

I start my car every day – thank goodness I just had the battery replaced!

All of the paperwhite blossoms have opened and the scent is so heady!

I just finished reading the Person of the Year edition of Time. If you haven’t read it, I recommend it highly. The cover story is an in-depth look at The Silence Breakers – women who are standing up and speaking out about sexual harassment. It’s long past time for it to stop. We all have stories. I’ve certainly had to deal with my share of this crap, but none of it comes close to some of the horror stories I’ve read since the Weinstein scandal broke. Equal pay, equal rights, and no more sexual harassment and objectification – starting with ousting the predator in the Oval Office. There’s no justification for it. None.

Two new leaves on the monstera (split-leaf philodendron) have opened. I love that spring green color of the new growth. This one was a rescue, if you remember, from Terrain. I found it in the Sale area and it was extremely root bound. Scarily so. It seems to be thriving now, which makes me very happy.

Here are the flowers on the sansevieria. There are two more on the side of the plant facing the window. Don was putting trays away last night and he exclaimed, “The scent is amazing! Is it coming from the flowers?” Yep.

Thanks, Mom and Dad.

Also from Don this morning: “I’m not ready for the tree to be taken down yet.”

Good. Because I’m not either. I love coming downstairs in the morning and seeing the glow of the lights. (Don usually gets up before me.) So we’re going to let it stay until we feel it’s time to take it down. There aren’t any rules about this sort of thing and if there were, I’d break them.

Happy Tuesday.

 

A Little of Everything on a Thursday

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Yesterday’s sky as I was about to set off on some present buying. I love a moody sky.

And so far, fingers crossed, it looks to be another sunny day. My mood likes that. My plants like that.

I bought the last present for Don yesterday, and it turns out, the most expensive. But it will make him very happy and I confess I was happy at the prospect of seeing him open it on Christmas morning. Up until that point I was sort of ‘meh’ about my choices for him. But now? I’m excited.

Today, I’m going to try out a vegan recipe for Linzer cookies. It’s from the Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s chef. I gathered up the ingredients when I stopped at Whole Foods the other day. We’ll see how they turn out! Then, after the holidays, we’re cutting way back on our sugar intake. We’ve sort of begun already, but as it’s the holiday season, we know we’ll indulge a bit.

The new leaf has opened on the maranta. I’m so tickled when I see new growth on my plants.

Just want to say again how much we love our little table in the kitchen, which was going to be a temporary solution for removing the sideboard-turned-kitchen-island. It turns out it’s not temporary at all! It doesn’t block Stella (a must) and that aging and weathered blue paint makes me smile.

Finally, I took a picture of a picture. This gem is on Mere’s Christmas card this year and we think it’s one of the best pictures of Little Z we’ve ever seen. (Meredith is the photographer.)

Sweet but full of sass and vinegar, I tell you. Our phone conversations with him are such fun! Oh, I love this little boy. Love, love, love.

Happy Thursday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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