Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Childhood Reading

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The zinnias are blooming.

Always a sign that we’re entering late summer. Soon (hopefully) we’ll see the morning glories as well. Last year, one of the morning glories bloomed and the other didn’t. Fingers crossed. The moonflowers? Well, they’re growing very, very, very slowly. We’ll see.

Every year is a different story when you’re gardening. Very little is predictable.

It’s a gray day out there, with rain on the way this afternoon. In the meantime, we have to mow the front lawn, at the very least. It’s getting quite long.

I’m reading Bookworm  by Lucy Mangan, a memoir of childhood reading. It’s very entertaining. But I also have to choose a novel – maybe Transcription  by Kate Atkinson. When I’m traveling, I like to take a novel in which I can lose myself during the flight. Atkinson might be perfect. I briefly considered A Book of Ghosts  by John Connolly, but at 600 pages plus and a hardcover to boot, it’s not the most packable of books.

The next chapter in Bookworm  is about Dr. Seuss. Should be interesting. I have a confession to make about Dr. Seuss. I never liked those books. There, I’ve said it. I owned  The Cat in the Hat and If I Ran the Circus. They were read to me many times and when I could read, I would give them another try to see if my mind had been changed. Nope. I never liked them. I found the characters annoying. I didn’t particularly like the illustrations either.

Years later, when The Old Globe premiered the How the Grinch Stole Christmas (with the blessing of Audrey Geisel, Theodore Geisel’s widow – they lived in La Jolla) Don originated the role of Old Max. I briefly worked on the show. But I still didn’t care for the story and the thought of having to perform it throughout the Christmas season would have sent me over the edge. (That may be the reason that Don declined the offer to do it again the next year. Once was enough.)

I’m sure that I’m the rare exception and I’m fine with that. I also wasn’t a big fan of cartoons. I got bored by them pretty easily. Go figure.

Today, work on deductions. Mowing.

Exciting, right?

What books did you love as a child?

Happy Saturday.

Sunday

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I love the light from the skylight at the top of the stairs.

I often forget to look for it, but thankfully, I saw it this morning. So lovely!

I did a bit more work outside yesterday. Today, I plan to take it easy and rest my back. Don is gone for the day and I’m feeling the nesting instinct. I always know when fall is on the way because I suddenly have a strong instinct to clean, rearrange, and feather my nest. I think that’s what I’m going to do today. That, and read and listen to music.

It’s another beautiful day here! Goodness, I feel like we were starved for sunny, non-humid, non-rainy, non-triple digit weather. It’s like manna from heaven.

The limelights are fuller than ever. So gorgeous. Even Don commented on them!

On books:

In addition to all the mysteries I read – some of which are written beautifully, almost like poetry – I think the three books I have read in the past few years that have had the strongest impact on me are A Gentleman In Moscow, All The Light We Cannot See, and the book I’m currently reading, The Overstory.

I cannot stress strongly enough how brilliant The Overstory  is, and how timely. Richard Powers is a lyrical writer. Yet he’s dealing with one of the issues that impacts our planet and our future on this planet: trees. Somehow he manages to write a novel that is complex, with interwoven stories/fables and compelling characters who eventually connect, all the while quietly educating us on an issue that couldn’t be more crucial. I recommend it highly. Even Don, who is Mr. Nonfiction, wants to read it.

It’s stunning. There’s a reason it won The Pulitzer Prize for 2019.

Okay, my friends. Time to do some work around here.

Happy Sunday.

The Mundane

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“These are the days of our lives…”

For some reason the theme music for that soap went through my head this morning as I wondered what I would write about today. My days of late consist of babying my back. Or not babying it and paying the price.

What a giant bore!

As you know, I like to be active, even if ‘active’ consists of routine chores. I did do some chores yesterday, mostly because I was so sleep deprived. When I’m really, really tired I tend to do more chores as it keeps me from feeling sorry for myself and/or sighing constantly and bemoaning my lack of sleep. So I did do a few things and it helped me get through the day.

But I’m really sick of talking about it. So let’s move on.

Don is in the city today for an audition. I’m glad he has one, but the grass needs to be cut and I can’t do it. And we need groceries. These are first world problems, I realize. All in good time.

I will most likely finish Big Sky  by Kate Atkinson today. It’s wonderful, just as I expected. I’m not sure what I’ll start next. Maybe a bit of non-fiction? Another first world problem: trying to figure out what to read from the piles of unread books sitting in my den.

So far so good, the rest of the sunflowers haven’t been chomped on – I checked this morning. We did have a visit from our lovely bunny, but he eats the grass and weeds. I’m most appreciative.

That’s about it, my friends. I realize this is rather mundane, but it’s real!

I just read that Toni Morrison died. What a profound loss. Rest in Peace.

Happy Tuesday.

 

 

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