Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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A Cold Monday Morning

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Yesterday in the early morning, there were four bluejays flying around the property – much like the robins did. It took me a couple of beats before I realized they were trying to get to the water in the birdbath but it was frozen.

I ran outside and chopped up the ice, but I think it was too late. If they returned, I didn’t see them. Sorry, guys! I know there are heaters for birdbaths, but, no. I can easily go out there and chop up the ice as part of my morning routine.

It’s 23 degrees outside as I write this. The porch plants came inside on Saturday and they’ll be here for a couple more days, but frankly, there will only be a couple of days in the week ahead where the nighttime temps are above freezing. Sigh. This is the part I dislike; deciding when to let go. Because then, it’s official: winter weather is here.

We are in the middle of a project. The entrance/step up to the front porch has deteriorated a bit. The porch is bluestone and the skim coat and quite a bit of the cement has deteriorated. Yesterday, we cleaned up the ‘riser’ to the porch and mixed some Quikrete. Trowels in hand, we started to fill in the areas that had deteriorated – adding stones and support along the way. Don just left to buy some more QK, as we will now call it, and today we’ll add another layer, hopefully completing it with a smooth skim coat.

Just call us Mr. and Mrs. Amateur Mason.

The World of King Arthur in progress. Have I told you that I love jigsaw puzzles?

So that’s the day ahead: washing the sheets, a little work on the puzzle, reading, vacuuming, and finishing up our masonry project.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

 

A Cold Friday

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I finished “The World of Frankenstein” yesterday. This one was quite a challenge and you know that I love that. I do not want my jigsaw puzzles to be too easy, just like crossword puzzles. The illustration and the color palette are fabulous. I’ve never read Frankenstein  and I think I’m going to read it next year.

Next up: “The World of King Arthur.”

But in the meantime, I have an oil change scheduled at noon. And I’m gathering things together for my trip to Wonderland of Play on Sunday. Then I’ll start the newest puzzle.

It’s very, very cold this morning, as it was yesterday morning, so the plants are still inside. It’s going to warm up today, so I’ll put them back out on the porch. I haven’t gone out there yet, but I’m sure the impatiens are gone. They were already on their last legs so I didn’t try to bring them inside. I think we’ll have a week of above freezing temperatures, then another two days when I have to bring them in, then warmer temperatures again. So I should be able to keep them going through at least half of November.

My two Dragonfly Blythe girls. I thought I should give them a chance to talk about their life with Ola in Israel. I asked Nina to get Pru up to speed on life in the cottage.

Don’s almost finished with War and Peace. Hurrah! Both of us will have finished way ahead of the end of the year deadline.

Okay. More coffee to be made.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday,

Flowers, Monarchs & A Puzzle

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I’m not sure they could look any prettier and it’s going to be 78 degrees today (too hot) but next week it will be much, much colder and I thought I’d take a moment to salute this year’s limelight hydrangeas while they’re still here.

Gorgeous.

This bush is much younger than my Annabelle hydrangeas, but you’d never know it. It is huge!

And one of the many reasons, but perhaps the most important, for growing zinnias from seed – they bloom late in the summer into the fall and a newly emerged monarch butterfly flying southward can stop and dine for a couple of hours. They provide much needed sustenance for the trip and are one of the few flowers available at this time of year.

This beauty was hanging around the zinnias for a few hours and didn’t seem to mind my presence. When you’re really hungry, things like that don’t matter. Hydrangeas don’t do it for monarchs. The coneflowers are gone. There are a few stray roses, but giant zinnias provide lots of surface on which to dine and I will make sure to sow those seeds again next year.

Things like this make my week. Having some food on hand for a hungry monarch makes me very happy.

I finished the puzzle.

The World of Virginia Woolf.

It’s quite lovely. Next up, something a bit more intense: The World of Frankenstein. Perfect for this time of year, don’t you think?

I’m currently retreating from the world and news of the world.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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