Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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What I’m Waiting For From The Library

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Well. We’ve had high heat and humidity for the past few days – a bit more of that today. Yesterday, it ‘felt’ like 99°. In the early evening, we had a huge thunderstorm. Very fierce, windy – the kind where I had to run out on the porch to retrieve some things that were blowing around. I got soaked.

We’re getting more of this stormy weather for at least 5 or 6 days. Oh goodie! More rain! (I’m being sarcastic here.)

I am ready for cool, crisp fall days. Because we’ve had excessive rain this year, the colors won’t be as vivid. But I don’t drive up  to this area for the fall colors. I live here. I just want the dreadful summer we had to disappear. This is a not my normal response because I usually want to hang on to summer as long as possible.

I mowed the back forty yesterday morning, trying to get it done before the heat became unbearable. We hadn’t mowed that section yet and I knew that rain was headed our way. I got in a little exercise, which is good, and it’s done. The whole cycle will begin again after the rains leave. One thing about a summer of constant rain: the grass has stayed very green. But the other side to that? We have to keep mowing. Usually, by this time of year, the growth of the grass has slowed up considerably.

Not this year!

I guess the positive in all of that is that I’m getting exercise.

I have about 150 pages left in War and Peace. I didn’t read it first thing this morning like I usually do because I woke up at 5 am for the second day in a row and I was feeling it. But I’ll read some more later. I’ll miss that daily ritual. Next year’s readalong is the Cromwell trilogy by Hilary Mantel. I’m really looking forward to that.

I have 8 books on hold at the library. Four of them haven’t been published yet, but they will be published in the next couple of months. I’m learning that readers in my area are on top of upcoming books and reserve them way ahead of time. I need to sharpen my game!

So, here’s a list of what I’ve reserved:

The Close  by Jane Casey (an Irish/British crime writer – I love her books.) I’m currently in #1 position in the queue. Fingers crossed it arrives at my library soon. Today would be nice.

None of this is True  by Lisa Jewell. I mistakenly reserved the large print edition, so I reserved the standard edition as well, but truth be told, the large print edition will get to me much sooner, so I’ll go with that. #3 in the large print queue, #159 in the standard print queue.

The Girl in the Eagle’s Talons  by Karen Smirnoff. This is the newest book in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Since Stieg Larsson, the original author, died several years ago, the series has been continued via a couple of authors. They’ve done a very good job of honoring Larsson’s characters and writing style. This one has had very good reviews. #4 in the queue and let me tell you, this queue has moved quickly!

The Secret Hours  by Mick Herron. A stand alone spy novel by the author of the Slow Horses series (which I’ve raved about on this blog.) It’s coming out on September 12th. #12 in the queue.

The Running Grave – a Cormoran Strike Novel  by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling.) Coming out on September 26th. #23 in the queue.

The Last Devil to Die  by Richard Osman – the next book in the Thursday Night Murder Club series. Coming out on September 20th. #34 in the queue.

Resurrection Walk  by Michael Connelly – the newest book in the Lincoln Lawyer series. Coming out November 7th. His books almost always come out in November. #157 in the queue.

Tom Lake  by Anne Patchett. Recently published and #181 in the queue.

There you have it.

In the meantime, I’m rereading the second book in The Deptford Trilogy – The Manticore.

I’m obsessed with this list and check it more than once during the day.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday,

Monday Thoughts

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From the other night. I like this angle, with the reflection of the sunset on my neighbor’s solar panels.

♦ Thanks for all your kind comments on the passing of Jimmy Buffett. Don is having a really hard time with it. He has experienced the loss of a few friends this year, and now this. Unexpected and shocking, though we know now he’d been fighting cancer for a while. James Taylor said that keeping it quiet was very much Jimmy. We’ve been in contact with various cast members of E2M and everyone is devastated.

Don had a gig on Saturday night, so he donned a Hawaiian shirt that he wore onstage in Margaritaville  and sang that song as part of his set. The obvious things apply: it just doesn’t seem possible for such a life force to be gone, he was so loved by so many, how kind and good he was – all of it.

♦ Moving in another direction – today I am fixing something on my painting that I don’t like. I left it alone for two days so the paint would dry a bit, but today is fix it day. I went a little too far with something and now I want it gone.

♦ Animals continue to be fascinated by the porch – I’m used to seeing chipmunks go back and forth, but the groundhogs and  bunnies are a whole new thing. This morning, I was sitting in my chair in the den and the window was open. I kept hearing sounds coming from the porch, fairly quiet, but definitely a kind of gentle scuffling. Finally I got up and opened the front door to investigate and there was a rabbit. The whole thing fascinates me because of course I go out there after the animal has exited to see if there’s been any damage to plants. Nothing. They’re just exploring.

So I’m calling it The Case of the Curious Animals and the Porch.

♦ We are in for a very hot and humid week, which I am not looking forward to. Temps in the low nineties, high humidity; the kind of weather I loathe. I guess Mother Nature is giving us one last taste of summer.

♦ I’m still reading several chapters of War and Peace  a day. If I was working full time, I’d keep to a chapter a day, but I have a lot of free time and Tolstoy is one of the greatest of writers, so why not? I am way ahead of the schedule. I’ll be done in a week or so.

♦ And I’m still watching Landscape Artist of the Year. I’ve moved from the first four seasons, which are on Amazon Prime, to the episodes on YouTube, which are a bit trickier to watch in order because many of them are not identified as “Season whatever, episode whatever.” That drives me a bit nuts, but I’m getting a semblance of chronological order, maybe missing an episode or two, which I’ll hopefully pick up later in the process. I’m fascinated by all of the different styles of painting and I try to really take in the brush strokes, the use of light, etc.

I’ll move on to Portrait Artist of the Year  after I’m done with Landscape. I’m a bit less interested, simply because I don’t ever see myself doing any kind of portrait, but I’m sure I’ll get hooked as soon as I watch the first episode.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Aging, Bees, Flowers, and Reading

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A pollen-covered bee inside a Rose of Sharon bloom. Taken this morning.

This Rose of Sharon is the gift that keeps on giving. I suppose it’s finally reached maturity because the blooms have been non-stop for a month and a half. I suppose all the rain we’ve had has helped as well. The smaller Rose of Sharon, just a couple of feet away from this one, has some buds that I think might open. Fingers crossed!

More rain yesterday morning – pounding rain – and then later in the day it got cooler outside, with quite a strong breeze. This morning it is sunny and much cooler, with a gentle breeze. It feels like a front has moved out and cooler air has moved in. We just might not have rain for the next five days, which seems impossible given the constant rain we’ve had this summer. But, I’ll take it. A lot of weeding and cleaning up needs to be done .

Speaking of rain, I’m thinking of everyone in Southern and maybe Northern California, as Hurricane Hilary heads your way. I know you need rain, but I imagine you don’t need rain, winds, and potential flooding. You’re in my thoughts.

Don took some photos of me while I was painting yesterday. I had no makeup on, I hadn’t really brushed my hair. He was so excited about the way they turned out and showed them to me.

I saw an old woman.

Really, it was shocking. He kept saying, ‘but you look beautiful!’ Trust me, I didn’t. But he looks at me through the eyes of love, a love of 29 years. I see him the same way.

But I was very depressed and wanted to cry. (Truth be told, I did cry a little.)

I was going back through about 5 years of IG posts the other day because I was trying to find some information that I thought I had posted. It’s always fun to be reminded about what happened on any given day, but what became increasingly clear to me was how much I’ve aged in the past 5 years. At this age, I suppose that’s to be expected.

Nevertheless, it made me sad. My hair is almost fully gray now – if you lift up the hair at the back, there is still a bunch of brown showing, but it’s hidden by the gray. I wrote several posts a few years back about embracing gray hair and I’ve never attempted to color it, or disguise what was happening naturally. That doesn’t mean it isn’t shocking on any given day, it is. I’ve gained weight. It’s harder to lose weight these days – for Don, as well. And he used to be able to cut back on food and lose 20 pounds just like that.

I’m trying, believe me, but I don’t like the way I look now. Of course, wearing a bit of makeup would help, even if I only do my eyebrows. I hate wearing makeup these days and I know Don doesn’t care about that sort of thing at all. But maybe I should…

Anyway, I am blessed to be with someone who loves me and tells me I’m beautiful every day.

I just need to see that, as well.

Mowing today.

I read a chunk of War and Peace  this morning. And The Bullet That Missed, the third book in the Thursday Night Murder Club series, arrived at my library yesterday and I immediately drove over there to get it.

I started a new painting and I’m not at all sure about it, but I was sleep deprived yesterday so I didn’t have things in perspective. Hopefully, I’ll get back to it later today.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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