Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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What I’ve Been Up To

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booksi'mreading

• Reading the next to the last Deborah Crombie mystery. Only one more to go. Say it isn’t so! I did the same thing with Lee Child’s mysteries two summers ago – I read every one of his books over the course of the summer. As I near the end of the books, I get sad.

I also ordered some books through my local library. Susan Branch speaks so highly of all the books by Gladys Taber and I seem to share Susan’s sensibility. So I’ve started in on Stillmeadow Seasons. As to the other book, I read one of Miss Read’s wonderful books while in Hartford and I fell in love with her cozy and funny stories of English small town life. She was a prolific author, so I will have plenty of books to explore.

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• Dusting, swiffering and vacuuming. I’m not a big fan of dusting since I’m allergic to house dust, but when I’m in the mood to do it, I suddenly see dust where I previously hadn’t noticed it at all. Selective sight, I suppose. These books of poetry by Edgar Guest got some attention and now they look beautiful once more. By the way, did you know that Edgar Guest was my dad’s godfather? Yep. He and my grandfather were very close friends – Dad remembers them playing cards at his house. According to my dad, Edgar Guest was a great guy.

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• Adding to my collection of natural wonders. Remember the flicker feather I found in Hartford? There it is on the left. I just added half of a walnut shell from our black walnut tree. And that splash of yellow? Part of a bird’s egg that had fallen onto the funky patio. Does anyone know what bird lays yellow eggs? I’ve searched online but have been unable to come up with a definitive answer.

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• Preparing for two coaching jobs – a two day job in the middle of July and the next gig in Hartford starting at the end of July. By the way, I just realized I will be gone for nearly two months this time around. I was expecting six weeks. Yikes. I can’t think about that too much or I get really sad.

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• Getting a package in the mail. My blogging friend Cindy, of Cottage Instincts, sent me four bars of her amazing homemade soap. After my post the other day about The Struggle, she thought I could use some pampering. They smell heavenly.

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Cindy mentioned that Lemon Poppyseed was especially nice to use after some gardening, so I’ve put it in the soap dish by the kitchen sink. Thank you, dear Cindy, for your sweet and thoughtful gift!

• Mowing. No picture necessary. Just take my word for it.

• Getting the car fixed: new radiator and new something or other bolt that had deteriorated. causing my right front tire to wear more quickly than the other tires. It was, according to my mechanic, ‘becoming a safety issue.’ No picture necessary.

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• Spending time with this girl. She’s still full of spunk and is doing well. She misses her dad, of course, and he misses her. (Her allergies are troubling her, hence the red, weepy eye.)

Oh, let’s look at her again.

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She’s gorgeous. And smart. And funny. That’s a good combination.

Happy Sunday.

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A Quick Visit and a Gift

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How can everything be overgrown here in the one week that I’ve been gone?

It’s as if the grass and the weeds shouted, “Hey, she’s gone, let’s go crazy!” Yesterday, Don mowed most of the lawn that is right in front of the house and it was so long that the lawnmower kept stalling. That leaves a whole heck of a lot of grass yet to mow and it’s looking like rain today. Don considers the front lawn the only area that needs to be mowed. That leaves out the grassy area behind the kitchen and the whole back forty. We have this argument every year. Like clockwork. I insist it needs to be kept under control because it’s prettier that way, plus, there are less ticks if the grass is mowed. If you remember, I’ve had too many experiences in the past where I had to clean up overgrown areas that Don ignored while I was away. Sigh. I have to get some mowing in before I leave for Hartford.

I let Scout out this morning, walked outside and immediately came in and started to charge the battery for the weed whacker. I’ll be decimating some weeds later today. The garden, though, is filling in nicely – that makes me happy. Still only blooms on the daffodils, but the tulips are about to open. I imagine that as soon as I leave, blooms will burst forth everywhere.

There was a box waiting for me. It arrived in the mail when I was gone. I knew it was from Judy, who just might be the sweetest, most thoughtful person in the world. It was from One Kings Lane. You can bet I opened it immediately. Well, not quite immediately, I showered sleepy Scout with hugs and kisses first.

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Oh my goodness. Could these be any more adorable? Four egg cups that come with the eternal question: What came first, the chicken or the egg? They are designed by Keith Brymer Jones, who is a British ceramic designer.

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I’m thrilled. What a marvelous addition these make to my collection!

Judy, you are the best! Thank you. I love getting surprises in the mail. These made my day. Week. Month.

Don has been taking Scout for rides in the car every day. And walks. She’s been on several adventures. What a good daddy he is! I can see where this is going: Don will be the fun, exciting parent, while I will be the medicine giver, food deliverer, bath giver, toenail clipper, sort of boring but necessary parent. Ah well.

Happy Monday.

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Scout: Who The Heck Is In My Corral? (And Other Things)

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The other evening, around dusk, Scout started barking while looking out the window. There was, shall we say, an extra urgency to her barks which brought me to the window to see just what the heck was going on.

An intruder was in her dog corral:

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The nerve! At the end of a tough winter, that grass must have been enticing. Scout, of course, kept up her outraged barking. When I knocked on the window (these photos were all taken through the kitchen windows) the deer calmly looked at me and then resumed eating.

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My initial response was that I’d never seen a deer inside of the corral before. And Don remarked dryly that he would bet they were in there more than we knew. He’s probably right. Eventually, Don gently opened the door and the deer took off over the fence.

One early morning when Don was away in California – it must have been around 4 am or so – I got up to go to the bathroom and I could see the silhouettes of deer moving quietly through the back yard. I remember it distinctly because I was half asleep and the movements of the deer seemed other-worldly and almost magical – where you’re left wondering if you dreamed the whole thing. It was real and it was indeed magical. A vivid, wonderful memory.

I love deer. They are beautiful, gentle creatures. They share this land with us.

On this Monday? Snow showers. Oh Spring, where the heck are you? I’ve been feeling the blues lately and I know it’s because I need to get outside, feel the sun and start working in the garden. This winter has seemingly gone on forever. There is much I have to do before I leave for Hartford and the lingering winter is not helping things.

Ah, well.

1000gifts

I won this book in a giveaway from Mary at Ms. Redo. I’ve seen it mentioned on many blogs and I must admit I’m intrigued. I look forward to exploring it. Thank you, Mary!

The crochet you see in this photo? It’s my experiment in crocheting with thread, like my grandmother used to. The problem is that the hook I am using is too big. I’ll have to buy a smaller one. Nevertheless, it’s awfully delicate and pretty.

Today’s egg cups:

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Egg cups with feet. The one on the left is the real deal – made by Carlton Ware of England and called Walking Ware. Such silliness!

The one on the right is not marked as Carlton Ware, but it’s pretty cute, nonetheless.

And for those of you who read my guidelines for posting on A Favorite Thing, the part about leaving a comment was only about that particular meme. Not about my other posts! I love your comments and they make me happy, but this is pressure-free commenting zone, my friends.

Happy Monday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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