Thought I’d post this photo I took this morning. The area over the porch roof, arching up toward the bedroom window and the chimney is empty now, but it was previously taken up with limbs and branches from the maple tree. Their absence is still jarring for me. Don’t get me wrong, they needed to go, but I miss the way they framed and enveloped the cottage. The other day, I happened upon a photo of the tree and the house from last year and I suddenly got very sad. Sigh.

I love all zinnias but I particularly love this variety. A layer cake of petals.

Today is mowing day. It has to be done, as areas of the front lawn are quite long. Yesterday, the utility company sent out their tree trimmers and they took down some trees belonging to a couple of our neighbors. In all cases, they were dead – most likely ash trees – and were near the power lines. So for the second time in less than a week, the sound of chain saws filled the air. They worked fairly quickly and had moved on by about 1:00. Unlike our guys, however, they left the heavy logs behind and now our neighbors have to figure out what to do with them.

Can I tell you how much I adore my husband? This morning he made up a funny poem for me using the words spouse, house, and souse and he danced as he recited it. I laughed out loud (boy, that feels good these days.) I make up little songs for him all the time. I’ll just start singing one, usually using my ‘childlike’ voice. I have many voices, of course, being an actress and voice/dialect teacher and coach. So does Don. My favorite is his Walter Brennan. Makes me laugh out loud.

When I was a teenager, I used to entertain my mom with a rather outrageous kid’s voice. She waited for the mail every day, it was a big deal for her (the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree,) and I would open the door and shout out “Where’s Mr. Mailman???” in a Shirley-Temple-gone-nuts kind of voice. I’d keep doing it until she laughed so hard that she started crying. Did the same thing in different ways with my sisters.

Ever the entertainer. To this day, nothing makes me happier than to make my husband laugh. Or my sister. Or my Little Z.

Okay. Time to finish answering yesterday’s comments, hit publish on this post, eat some oatmeal, and mow.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Beautiful day today. We need to mow, but we’re holding off one more day as my lower back is giving me a small amount of grief today. Should be fine by tomorrow. Sunny, in the low to mid-eighties for today and tomorrow and then we’re back in the seventies for the foreseeable future.

I can’t complain.

I did a fair amount of work around the house yesterday (see: back problems) and today I’ll start in on our tax deductions. One of my least favorite things to do, but it must be done. I’ve decided I’ll do a bit of work on that every day, so it’s not overwhelming and becomes – hopefully – relatively painless.

I needed to find a place to stash the pieces of china and this Roseville ‘basket’ works well. I have…ahem… strongly encouraged Don to take a day off from all outside work as his arthritis kicks up and he doesn’t know when to stop. I can be the same way, so I’m not judging him, just acknowledging a fellow overdoer. So he took a long walk this morning instead.

I’m in the middle of The Starless Sea. I’m enjoying it very much, though I’m not sure it’s as powerful as The Night Circus. However, there’s a lot more to read and Erin Morgenstern is so good at weaving a magical story and tying all the ends together that I’m withholding comparison until the very end.

We’re coming up on half a year in ‘lockdown.’ Since this is a leap year, I calculate 183 days equaling half a year. Though if you just count the months, it’s six months. Today is day 179, so four more days officially.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

More china uncovered yesterday. And some bottles, too.

A couple of the pieces had this ornate mark near the edge of the plate. I briefly wondered if it was a monogram, but I don’t think it is. But I am getting a bigger sense of the design. I see a fleur-de-lis as well. It looks like very formal china – maybe a wedding set? The stuff you would use on very special occasions?

Here’s the mark:

Is it V E & F?

V E G F?

V E & P?

V E G P?

I’m searching.

Does the P. mean plate?

It’s a mystery.

I was in the midst of soaking all the pieces and gently washing them when I found that one was not like all the others.

Of course, this is my favorite piece. I’d love to find more. Isn’t it lovely?

Don is really into all of this. He found two more bottles before I had finished my first cup of morning coffee.

Well, it’s Labor Day. Let’s hope that all of us who labor and need to earn a living will find work in the next several months. That’s my wish for today.

I’m feeling slightly better, but instead of mowing, which was my first instinct this morning, I’m going to hold off for a day or two and give this crap time to leave my system. I have other chores to complete today and deductions to calculate this coming week for our taxes. There’s plenty on the docket.

It’s a gorgeous day out there and we grabbed the opportunity to have our second cup of coffee out on the porch. These days on the porch will become increasingly precious, so we’re going to take advantage of them as much as possible.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.