Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Thursday

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The ever-present and very slow going puzzle. I think I inserted about 5 pieces yesterday. Sigh. But I will finish this thing, darn it! I will!

Yes, we will brace the bookshelves and attach them to the wall. We’re going to get a piece of ¼ inch plywood, suggested by one of the readers of this blog, and place it under the unit. That will allow the cutout to fit over the baseboard. It won’t be completely flush against the wall as there is a cable system cord there that we can’t do anything about, but pretty darned close. And then we’ll use the L bracket IKEA included and screw it to the studs in the wall.

Don is going to go get a piece of plywood this morning, along with a new battery for my stud-finder.

He was going to do all of this yesterday afternoon but he was really tired. He’s been doing a lot lately, most of it to help me out, so it was time for him to rest. Bless him, he’ll run any errand, but he needs to rest.

And in more “Dr. Frankenstein” (as Don calls me) news: the neck joints for the Obitsu 22 body that I ordered for Mabel arrived. Depending on today’s schedule, it might be time for some surgery. If you remember, Mabel came with a Licca body. I don’t like them because they are not posable. They’re great if you are a collector who simply wants to display the dolls, but you know I love to come up with little scenarios and stories. I only ordered one Obitsu body because they’re a bit pricey and Mabel needed it most, as her neck joint is making her head wobble. But little Olivia also has a Licca body and that will be replaced when I have a bit more money. Licca bodies are smaller, so Olivia always looks shorter than the rest of the girls. That’s sort of adorable, but again – all she can do is stand. Is that fair to Olivia? She needs to be as flexible as her sisters, don’t you think?

I’ll try to take a photo of Licca and Obitsu bodies so you can see the difference.

What else? I guess we’re going to get a small amount of snow tomorrow night. But it will melt quickly.

I am READY for spring. The daffodils are coming up on the edge of the woods, and the day lily by the side of the house is emerging from the ground as well. I’m sure there are more signs of life than that, but it’s too early to clear all the leaves/mulch in the garden beds because it’s definitely too cold at night.

Porch sitting, gardening, flowers, GREEN: Bring it on!

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Signs of Spring

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Teeny, tiny grape hyacinths growing in the space between the rocks. There’s another one coming out from the gravel by the porch. One of the earliest signs around here that spring has sprung. It was sunny and lovely yesterday and I did some initial work outside. Not a whole lot, as I am mindful of my back. It felt so good to be out there. I picked up branches that had fallen due to snow and wind, cleaned the porch railings, and basically started making a list in my head of what must be done around here.

And it’s a long one.

The lilac has buds in varying stages of growth. These are the furthest along. You can see the tiny purple bits inside.

Normally, I’d be further along than I am in yard and garden and porch clean-up, but between my back, lingering winter weather, and tons of rain, I’m behind. I just have to be patient with myself and do what I can when I can.

It’s raining this morning.

Well. The cassette tape. I got it to play and I was having a lovely time listening to the broadcast and then the sound got weird and I hit stop. The tape was caught in the rollers. We extricated it, but the tape broke, so we had to splice it. Okay. I fast forwarded past the problem area, was able to listen to another nice chunk of Jurgen Gothe and his eclectic music programming and then – it broke again.

That’s it for the tape. I’m very sad. But it’s also 23 years old and it was kept inside my old CR-V for several of those years. Sigh. I won’t deny that it left me feeling down. Maybe it can be salvaged in some way, but I suspect it isn’t worth the expense.

Crap.

I might take a little drive today to see if Barnes & Noble has the new Country Living. I’m curious to see how they styled my egg cups. I think it should be on the stands now, as it’s the May issue and it’s almost mid-April.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

It’s Spring

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Early morning kitchen.

We had a thunderstorm yesterday. I like a good thunderstorm. This one was perfect. Lots of rumbles, some wind – but not too much – heavy rain, and then it was over. This morning is foggy.

We sure do lose track of the days around here. One morphs into another. There’s not a day that goes by where one of us doesn’t ask, “Is it Saturday or Sunday?” Or “I just realized it’s Saturday but it feels like a Friday.”

I can hear birdsong right now and it’s lovely. The peepers were amazing last night. I always stop at the window at the top of the stairs, open it wide, and say hello to them.

I’m reading The Lincoln Highway  and I love it. I’m not at all surprised because I was eagerly awaiting this new novel by Amor Towles, whose A Gentleman in Moscow  remains one of my favorite books of all time. I got the new book when it was first published last fall and took it to Brooklyn with me, but as you know, I barely had the time to read anything while I was there.

I’m on a mission to read the books in my TBR pile and this was next up. What a pleasure! You know that feeling when you sink into a new book by a favorite author and your shoulders drop because you know you’re in good hands? That’s how I feel about The Lincoln Highway.

I’m itching to start oil painting again but my back is still an issue, though it’s getting better. Today, I’m wondering if I can use the smaller easel and put it on my lap here in the den. That way I wouldn’t have to lean forward at the kitchen table. (I’m doing everything very carefully nowadays.) I want to paint some small studies of some of my egg cups and I could easily set them up in here.

We’ll see.

Happy first day of Spring!

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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