It’s very cold here this morning. The weather has been all over the place, but the lack of rain has remained constant. We are in a serious drought here, with forest fires throughout our area of New York. We’re trying to conserve water. We have a well and we don’t want it to go dry.

I wrote a little post yesterday. Tuesday is not a day I post, as a rule, but I wanted to address some issues with commenters that have been popping up on the blog. If you’re interested, just scroll down one post.

Yesterday, I finished We Solve Murders  by Richard Osman. It’s fabulous! I wondered whether I would adjust to a new series with a whole new cast of characters, but I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. He’s such a wonderful writer. Not only does he plot a heck of a mystery, but his characters are all so richly drawn. His dry wit is also on display throughout the book. He’s become a favorite author. Read it, my friends. Especially now. We need a wonderful escape – one that makes us smile.

Now, I’m reading another Orphan X novel by Gregg Hurwitz. There’s one more after this one and then I’ll be all caught up. And I’m hoping to read Wintering  by Katherine May, a book I’ve had on hand for three years and have managed to avoid. I don’t know why because it has rave reviews. I’ll read anything and everything that can help me cope during the horrors that might be coming.

I want to start in on the dollhouse but the process can be expensive. I’m suddenly worried about money. Gee, I wonder why? So, I’ll do what I can do with the things I have on hand, but then I’ll have to stop for a while.

Imogen in black & white.

I’m feeling under the weather today, so I will make this brief.

Sending love to all of you.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Good morning. It’s Tuesday and I know this is not a day I usually post, but I need to leave a quick note for all of you.

If I did an analysis of keywords in all of my posts – 5,200 as of today – you would find that the amount of posts I have written mentioning that man and elections is truly miniscule. In fact, over the most recent election season, I’ve written very few – usually one paragraph in a post filled with photographs and funny stories and happy things.

Nonetheless, I have a moral compass and I stick to it. “Both sides” does not apply to fascism, rape, felonies, lying, inciting an insurrection, stealing government documents, and conspiring with Russia. Nor does it apply to making fun of a disabled man, grabbing “pu**y,” sexually assaulting women, deporting innocent Americans, or separating children from their parents at the border. I could go on, but you get my point.

Supporting a man who is guilty of all of that for President? No.

Yes, I’ve made my feelings clear about him and those who support him. But I don’t go on and on about him; in fact, I try to avoid writing about him. But, I’ve had a few comments about my stance in recent days.

I’ll say it again: this is my blog. You can read it for free. I don’t ask you to help me pay for the cost of supporting it, unlike may other bloggers. If my thoughts on the election trouble you, please move on. No problem. Some readers have done that in a very kind way. Thank you. Others have been mean spirited and have made offensive comments about me and my husband and called me names. That isn’t going to fly here.

I’m extending the life of this blog – even though I am very tired after almost 17 years of blogging – because I know my readers find it meaningful and mostly happy and I think that we need a communal safe space for the next year or so. I work hard to keep this space safe. That means sometimes having to delete a comment, as well as block a commenter. I grew up in a time where you could indeed agree to disagree, when differences between Democrats and Republicans were primarily about policy. That is not the case today. Supporting facism is inexcusable. It’s horrifying. We’ve only to look at Hitler and Germany.

I’ve said this before. My dad was a veteran who enlisted in 1941, at the age of 18, in order to fight fascism. Do you honestly think I am going to support anyone who supports fascism? Who wants to be a dictator? If my dad was still living, he would be heartbroken.

There are no half-measures here. Either we save our democracy or we’ll not see it again in our lifetime.

I make no apologies.

Besides, what kind of person would I be if I didn’t stand up for what I believe in? My mom and dad didn’t raise us that way and I want them to be proud of me, wherever they are. And how can I dishonor my dad’s sacrifice? He never got over his time in the war and he had PTSD the rest of his life.

Stay safe,

Happy Tuesday.

Good morning.

I’ve been averaging about 3 hours sleep a night since last Tuesday. On Sunday, the cumulative effect of that left me feeling as if I was going mad. Thankfully, last night I had a normal night’s sleep, but it will take me a couple more days to recover.

We also had some rain last night – a light rain that lasted several hours. We are in a drought, so it was very welcome. There are several wildfires in my county and neighboring counties because of extremely dry conditions.

Sunrise yesterday morning. Right after I took this picture, a fox ran through our back yard.

Bluebirds stopped off at our ‘inn’ the other day. And there were more this morning. I’ve never seen bluebirds stopping off here on their way south until this year. We’ve lived here nearly 20 years. There were also more mockingbirds – appropriate, don’t you think?

The nighttime temps went down to 27 the other night. I’d had it with transporting all the plants inside and, since I was sleep deprived, it seemed overwhelming. Time to let them go. We did cover them with a tarp on the porch, but as expected, the impatiens are slowly leaving, they’re always the first to succumb to the cold. I trimmed back some of the frost damaged sections and they’re hanging in there, but since we have 3 freezing nights coming up this week, I suspect they’ll be gone soon. The other plants – the calibrachoa, and the hanging plants (I can’t remember the name) – are still going. I brought the Boston fern and my geranium inside. I’ve been overwintering them for at least 7 or 8 years.

The pansies, however, are cold weather lovers and they’ve come back beautifully.

That’s a little gift and boy, do we need them right now.

We went to Target the other day and I found this:

A large version of the little Target reindeer that I have the girls’ shelves. This one is 13 inches high and was only $10.

Pru looks a little wary. I can’t wait to have more fun with this guy when it’s the holiday season – which can start anytime, by the way. We need it.

I’ve reached this point. I still believe there’s something off about the vote count. Actually, I believe he cheated. I have to trust that it’s being investigated behind the scenes. So I have to stop stressing about it. It’s taking a toll on my physical and mental health. As of today, we are hunkering down here at the cottage, giving ourselves the space for self-care (an overused term, but I can’t think of a better one.) I’ve spent days endlessly scrolling my Threads political feed and now, I HAVE TO STOP.

We will resist, of course. But for now, my almost-72 year old body, mind, and eternal spirit are at the Mockingbird Hill Cottage spa/retreat.

You should do the same sort of thing. Trust that things are being dealt with, though I know we have no proof of that. Take care of yourselves. Do what brings you peace and joy. Be around people you love. Or, if you’re an introvert like me, retreat into solitude. (I’m lucky that I can do that and still be around Don.)

This little spot on the internet will remain a safe haven for you.

Much love to you, my friends.

Happy Monday.