Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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She Has a Fan Club

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Off to NYC again this morning for an hour or so of coaching. Of course, an hour of coaching involves about 4 hours of travel roundtrip, so it makes for a full day. I will only have time to meet Don for a minute or two to get the recycling tickets that he still had in his car and surprise him with some homemade chocolate chip cookies and cloud biscuits. Yes, I was busy baking yesterday.

Yesterday, a guy came to put a new timer in our washer/dryer and, as he was getting ready to leave, he asked me about the stove. He wanted to know if it was really old or just new, made to look old. Next thing I knew, I was showing him all of Stella’s features and he took a picture of her, saying she was the coolest thing he’d seen all day. He was a young man, but a young man who appreciates old things. We had a great conversation.

Stella may have been blushing, I’m not sure. She has a fan club.

He also gave me a tip about our washer/dryer combination. The company is still making them, he said, but the new models aren’t nearly as solid as our 12 year old one. Why, I wonder? Cheaper parts? Labor? I don’t know. Anyway, he told me it would be worth it to pay for repairs on this one, rather than to buy the newer version. Good to know!

It continues to be hot and humid here – I think it will be 86 today. What the ????

So far, the air conditioning has been running every day this week.

More of the wildflowers that are blooming all over the property. They really are beautiful.

Yesterday’s morning glory.

I have to run. I overslept this morning – a rare, rare occasion – and I’ve got to get moving.

Happy Thursday.

 

On Wednesday

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First. I don’t know what to say – there are so many tragedies playing out right now. The earthquake in Mexico which is gut-wrenching in its devastation, another hurricane barreling down on the Caribbean with Puerto Rico in its sights, and name-calling and taunting on the floor of the United Nations that is taking us to the brink of nuclear war. And once again, they’re trying to take health care away from millions and millions of Americans, including the Medicaid that my nephew depends on.

My heart breaks for those who have lost loved ones and homes in Mexico – a country that has generously offered us aid again and again in the face of our tragedies. My heart breaks for everyone, everywhere. We are living with such uncertainty, such constant stress, and it is taking a toll.

I have no wisdom to share. I just wanted to take a moment, a quiet moment, in the midst of pretty pictures.

Prayers.

Moving on.

I mowed yesterday. I raked piles of leaves. And it’s really hot and humid around here for September. It’s going to be 86 degrees tomorrow! Anyway, I was drenched. But I did do something I haven’t had time to do lately. I walked around the property and took some pictures.

Yesterday’s morning glory.

This mushroom/fungi is about the size of two baseballs. It’s on the edge of the lawn near the woods. This shows you how wet it’s been here. I’m letting it stay because I want to see how big it gets!

In the butterfly bush, this beauty.

Around here, autumn brings the most beautiful wildflowers, like this New England Aster.

And these: queen anne’s lace, goldenrod, and more asters. These are surrounding our mailbox at the moment. Nature’s color palette is more beautiful than anything I could come up with.

Today, the repairman is coming to put a new timer in our washer/dryer. Tomorrow, I head into Manhattan for a quick bit of coaching. Saturday? I think I’m going to go to a Miniature Show.

Happy Wednesday.

Heading Back

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There are splashes of yellow all over the property. Goldenrod, a staple of late summer, is blooming. How can I not smile when I see this cheery yellow?

However, today is a dark and rainy day here. We had storms last night. Not necessarily the best weather in which to travel back to Hartford, but there you go. We’re going to go out for breakfast before I head back to CT.

It’s been so lovely being home that I feel like I have to force myself to get in the car and turn it toward points east. I don’t want to leave. Don and I are feeling the sadness that impending separation brings. I figured it out yesterday: by the end of the year we will have spent 9 months apart. Nine months. That, my friends, is a hazard of our profession. But it’s easier to handle when you’re young and eager and ready to go anywhere to work. It’s much tougher at this point in our lives.

Anyway.

Stella is a dream. She cooks evenly. I know it will sound silly, but the baked potatoes we had (twice) were the most evenly baked we’d ever had. The texture was smooth as silk and they were delicious. As were the biscuits. As were all the entrees Don cooked on the stovetop. Oh my goodness. What a difference gas makes! And what a difference Stella makes.

This morning I walked over to her and hugged her. I love her. I love her in our home. I never get tired of looking at her. I never will. I have absolutely no regrets. Investing in Stella was the best thing we’ve done in a long time.

Another sign of impending autumn – Sedum Autumn Joy.

Hurricane Irma is a juggernaut and we are worried about her impact on so many island dwellers and the state of Florida, where so many are in her path, including my sister and her family. Please stay safe. I know many of my readers live in Florida and I urge you to evacuate if you are told to.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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