Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Puzzle and a Space for the Girls

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I’m running a bit late this morning! No specific reason – I’m just rather lazy this morning.

I’ve been working on this:

Another New Yorker puzzle, this time with a cat.

My anxiety has come roaring back, after relatively few problems when I was working in the city. I had a few minor bouts, but I was so busy and focused that it stayed away. But it’s back now, so these puzzles have become even more important to me. Working on one is meditative and that helps to drive the demons away. Thank goodness for jigsaw puzzles. My sister finds that elusive peace through knitting. I did too, when I was crocheting and knitting.

I don’t know if you remember this, but years ago, when I was working for several weeks in Hartford, I bought an inexpensive Loft dollhouse (basically made of heavy paper board) from Target. I never ended up doing anything with it and I almost donated it to the Salvation Army last year, but ended up keeping it. It’s been in our bedroom in a corner hidden by the door. I usually stash my handbag in top of it.

I got to thinking about it the other day. Since the big room is so tall compared to my other dollhouses – I think it’s 1:6 scale rather than the 1:12 scale of my miniatures – would it work as a sort of photo staging area for my Blythes? I grabbed Imogen, went upstairs and pulled it out of the corner.

While Imogen watched from her perch in the English Cottage – clearly not the right size for her – I dusted the interior and exterior of the Loft. Then, Miss Imogen consented to go inside so I could see if she fit.

She does!

I might remove the stairs because they take up valuable space. I can always put them back if I need to. I’m rather jazzed about this idea. I might add wallpaper. We’ll see.

And I’ll need a couple of pieces of 1:6 furniture, like a sofa and a bed.

It’s all in the service of pretty photos, my friends!

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Snow, Puzzle, and a Movie Recommendation

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First real snow of the year. I think we might have an inch and a half so far. It’s still snowing, but it will be tapering off soon. Don is out there shoveling as I write this. We have an oil delivery coming today and we want the drive to be clear for the truck. (There’s a story about this delivery and our soon-to-be-former oil company that I’ll share another time. Or not. Let’s just say it was a stressful afternoon yesterday.)

We did get out to the grocery store and then took a long walk, so I got some exercise in before the snow came.

And this morning, I put the last few pieces in place.

The World of Jane Austen. Very satisfying!

If you can, please watch Mass, a new movie that is streaming at the moment. It’s brilliant, unbelievably gut-wrenching, and superbly done. It stars Ann Dowd, Reed Birney, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton. It’s about a meeting between two sets of parents who have lost children to gun violence. I won’t say more because what I love about this movie is the slow, thoughtful pace. No rush to reveal plot points. All of that is rolled out slowly and realistically. (I want you to have that experience, too.) The performances are superb, the best I’ve seen in years. Don and I sat together on the sofa, neither of us moving an inch throughout the movie, completely riveted. It’s brave work on the part of every person involved. Bravo.

It’s the best thing I’ve seen in years.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

It’s Finally Monday

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Don is fetching our ornament bins from storage as I write this. Time to take down the tree.

It’s very cold here today and as I scanned the weather forecast, I noted the possibility of 3 – 5 inches of snow for Friday. That would be the first snow that wasn’t just a coating of snow/ice. We’re sort of excited.

Time to get salt.

Speaking of salt, our little hardware store closed. It has been there for years and years. The original owners were a well-known family in this community and they sold it a couple of years ago. I guess the new owner couldn’t make a go of it. We’re so sad. Now we have to drive 10 miles or more instead of the 2 miles we’re used to.

Our little town has become boring. It started with my friend Heidi closing her wonderful shop (remember, I used to work there part-time?) Now, there’s a pizzeria, an insurance agency or two, an accountant, a couple of small restaurants, and a yoga studio. No hardware, no pharmacy/drug store, no bookstore, no antique shop. It’s depressing.

Pippa helped me yesterday. She’s very bright and seems to like jigsaw puzzles, like her mom.

And the final product, finished this morning:

I always do 1000 piece puzzles and I didn’t realize until I started in on this one that I’d given Don a link for a 500 piece puzzle. Cockily, I thought I’d breeze through it. I was wrong. It was quite difficult!

Next up, the Jane Austen puzzle.

But first, taking down the decorations and then endless vacuuming because this tree is really dry.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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