Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Impressions, Pie, Bunnies of the Knitted Variety & Sleeplessness

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I can’t be the only person who is having trouble sleeping, right? Amidst the joys of spring, we have the threat of nuclear winter, with two unstable leaders rattling their sabres. I woke up at 4 am today and got up to use the bathroom. That did it. I couldn’t turn my thoughts off and I finally gave up and got up around 4:45.

Insanity. With billions of lives in the balance. The FBI is coming for you and your henchmen no matter what you do, so why don’t you spare us this ongoing fear and resign? That will give you time to prep for prison. Orange is the new black and all that sort of thing.

Okay. Enough of that and on to happier things.

Some shots of the house because Spring brings out my nester instincts and I look at the house with fresh eyes. All done with the iPhone because I was lazy at that moment. We’ll call the photos “Impressions.”

 

Those of you who follow along on Instagram already know this story, but for those of you who don’t, here it is. Yesterday morning, Fed Ex pulled up in our driveway. Since I wasn’t expecting anything, I was surprised. The Fed Ex guy was carrying a largish box and handed it to me. It was from the Julian Pie Company in Julian, CA. Oh my goodness. Julian apple pies are the best apple pies I have ever tasted and I knew immediately who was behind this surprise.

Sure enough, the message inside said “Sweets for the Sweet, love Don.” That stinker stopped by Julian on his way home from the desert last Monday and arranged to have a pie shipped to me. We used to treat ourselves to a Julian Pie quite often when we lived in San Diego.

Isn’t he the best?

I managed to wait until late afternoon until I cut a slice and then I happily indulged in the taste sensation of a Julian apple pie.

Best crust ever.

Sigh of happiness.

And, though I haven’t knitted in years, I started in on this little project:

We’ll see if it looks remotely presentable once I have finished. If you don’t see a picture, well, you’ll know.

Pie for breakfast.

Happy Friday.

Some Thoughts

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My friends. I know I haven’t been writing very much about what is happening to our country. The reality for me right now is despair and worry and anger – about the state of our country and the clearly treasonous actions behind #TrumpRussia. And as I see more and more actions taken by that man that destroy all of the protections for our environment, our plant life, animal life, and human life, I feel sick at heart in a way that I just can’t put into words, don’t want to even try  to put into words. More innocent civilian lives lost by indiscriminate bombings. It’s now perfectly okay to shoot a hibernating bear cub. The systematic dismantling of anything to do with Climate Change. And on and on and on and on until I sometimes can’t even move, I feel so angry and disillusioned.

As our civil rights and the rights of all beings are under attack, as the petty members of this administration try to undo everything that Obama has done, just for the sake of doing it, as the clumsy and inept administration tries to cover up its crimes, and as a certain segment of our population seems to have no trouble with any of this, I trust and know that a much larger segment of patriotic Americans DOES have trouble with it. And I know the truth will come out. It’s already coming out. Drip, drip, drip. More lies unmasked.

Or tick-tock, as I’ve seen on Twitter.

Treason. Treason, plain and simple.

I look forward to the day when indictments come down – and they will – and I’m still dreaming of that perp walk. They are grifters. Con Men/Women. Classless. Without compassion. Money and power are the only things that matter to them. Oh, I forgot – Putin clearly matters to them, as well.

They have staged a coup, but it’s temporary. I just pray that we don’t lose too much in the time being.

That’s all I’m going to say for now. I could write reams, but it’s too hard for me right now. Just know that I am not trying to be Pollyanna here on this blog or in life. Far from it. I am fighting. I am making calls. I am doing everything I can to stop this man and his cabinet. Keep fighting. #Resist.

In the midst of all of this, I am sometimes blessed with a lovely gift. This morning, it was this Pileated Woodpecker, swooping down on the dead shag hickory down by the road. I took these photos through the kitchen window with my new lens.

Pileated woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers in North America.

 

That new lens is coming in handy! I get shots that I would never get otherwise.

Happy Thursday.

 

Random on Tuesday

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• As I work on this quilt, ensconced in my chair, I often channel surf. Since Don isn’t here, I sometimes stop and see what’s happening on HGTV.

Sigh.

I find very little of interest there. I really used to like HGTV, especially in its early days. There were shows about quirky and interesting homes. There was content based on actual real life decorating. Now, ever since they hit on their formula for House Hunters, it seems as if every show is just another variation. Formula: Find 2 or 3 properties, pretend the ‘buyer’ is actually making their decision in real time, though we now know they’ve already made the decision before filming begins, then show a lot of construction shots, problems that crop up that are magnified to hold the viewer’s interest through the ensuing commercial, and staged scenes of the private life of the buyers and/or flippers, i.e., a scene of Chip and Joanna doing something with their kids or the Property Brothers  or the sweet blogging couple in Home Town  bowling with friends to coordinate with a visit to a bowling alley to get old floors for a countertop. It’s all so predictable. I find I can’t get past it. I tuned into Home Town  because it’s a new show and I know of the blogger and her husband who are behind it. I’m cheering them on, of course, but I was so disappointed – not in their work – but in HGTV’s choice to do more of the same. Same formula as every other show. I think they deserve better.

Yesterday there was show based on the House Hunters  formula – called House Hunters Renovation. When I saw a scene (obviously staged) where a couple walked into a beautiful Craftsman home, looked at the stunningly beautiful original tiles(!)  surrounding the fireplace and basically said they were ‘too vintage’ and needed to be ripped out, I screamed at the television and turned it off.

Okay. End of my rant about HGTV, which used to be really neat (to yours truly) but is now bland and boring (and sometimes enraging.)

• I received another Nancy Drew in yesterday’s mail. If this one looks different to you, you’re right. It is. Russell H. Tandy designed four covers (#23 – #26) that were done in the forties and were obviously part of one of the many changes in design over the years. The font at the top is different, no longer in script form.

The spine has also changed. Numbers 1 through 22 have a white spine. Starting with #23, the illustration wraps around the spine.

I must confess I like the white spine versions the best, but since I’m collecting all of Tandy’s cover illustrations, I am making an effort to find #23 – 26. The Mystery of the Tolling Bell  is #23. It’s in great condition.

• I’m watching Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, reading updates on Twitter. To me, there is nothing more important right now than what is happening with Trump/Russia and the changes he is making to all those programs that were Obama’s legacy – laws that protect our water, air, land, children, education, health, quality of life.

I trust that, in the end, the whole lot of them will be brought down. I’m already planning my celebration party.

• Don messaged me a photo last night. He was standing in front of the end of Route 66 sign in Santa Monica. Congratulations, husband – You did it!

Happy Tuesday.

 

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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