Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Vaccines, Finishing War & Peace, and the Girls

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First of all, we got both our RSV and flu vaccinations yesterday. I was checking the availability of appointments at our local pharmacy and there were slots available in the afternoon. We were just planning on getting the RSV, but the pharmacist encouraged us to get the flu shot at the same time.

So we did. He was a nice guy but not the gentlest in terms of inserting the needle. Ah well. I felt a little funky in the afternoon and wondered if it was a reaction, but thinking back on it, I just think it was my sinuses/allergies. If it was a reaction, it was incredibly short and no big deal. Today, I feel fine – except for the fact that Don woke me up with a big snore at 4:15 am and that was it for sleeping. By the way, the snoring issue is much better as Don found something to insert in the nose to keep the nostrils open. This morning’s snore was a rarity.

Anyway – Covid next month and then we’re good to go.

Done; with one caveat – I didn’t finish the Epilogue. It was about ten chapters long, very dry, and was basically Tolstoy’s musings on historians, the path of history, etc., etc. By the time I was halfway through, I finally realized that I had indeed read the entire novel, plus many pages of the epilogue which were making my eyes glaze over, so I was allowed to stop.

It was a gift, this readalong. I don’t think I would have attempted it otherwise. I’ve read several novels that were over a thousand pages, so it’s not the length, necessarily. It was Tolstoy’s WAR AND PEACE and everything it symbolized that would have held me back and maybe the thought that it would be boring, as well. Of course, it was anything but that. An incredible, beautifully written book by a master.

I spent the afternoon on Wednesday redressing all of the girls. I was dealing with a little anxiety. I’ve found that grabbing one of the girls when I’m stressed helps to ground me, if that makes sense. I fell in love with them all over again. I thought it was high time to remove their summer ensembles and get them ready for fall and the start of school.

Here is group one. I’ll share more pictures tomorrow.

Holly, Zoe, and Katie.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Sunrise & A Chapter a Day

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Sunrise, this morning. The sun comes up over the back forty, so we have this consistently lovely view of the intense colors without the interference of tall buildings or houses.

We’re due for some rain today. But it was sunny for much of the day yesterday so I guess I can give up some sunshine for some water.

I read two chapters of War and Peace  this morning because I didn’t read yesterday’s chapter. Now I’m caught up. If you’re interested in reading one of the classics and it’s large and weighty – for instance, Crime and Punishment, or Anna Karenina, or Les Miserables –  and you’re put off by the sheer size of the book, I cannot recommend this ‘chapter a day’ method enough. There are also readalongs for Les Miserables and Anna Karenina  going on in the Book/Instagram community. I’m also reading my main book at the same time, but I don’t consider this ‘reading two books at once.’ Really, a chapter a day is hardly trying to handle two books at the same time. It’s easy. It took me about 10 minutes to read those two chapters this morning. And I was done for the day. It’s fun to do this with a community of other readers, but you could easily do it on your own. I wish I’d thought of this possibility a long time ago. I’m a one-book-at-a-time reader, so, if I had picked this book to read in the past, I would have felt committed to it for the duration. This way, I can keep reading as I normally do, and just carve out a few minutes a day to read War and Peace. Not really genius, but close to it! I’m proud to say that Don is keeping up with his daily read of W & P as well, and, at times, he’s ahead of me! And Don doesn’t usually read novels.

I’m halfway through the newest Louise Penny and fully in its grip. I read a chunk of it yesterday afternoon.

I have lots of little things to do today and I also feel the need to dress a doll or two. I’ve been rather lazy about that lately.

I keep thinking it’s Friday, but it’s Thursday. Yesterday, I thought it was the weekend. The life of the semi-retired. Or: the life of the freelancer. Same thing.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

The week ahead

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Monday morning, and rather dreary, but there’s hope for sunshine this afternoon.

We watched the first episode of All Creatures Great and Small  on PBS last night. So glad it’s back! I almost forgot about it. Except for Jeopardy, we rarely watch network television, but thankfully, I saw someone post about it on IG. It’s excellent, of course.

I found out yesterday that one of my former students is seriously ill. I have written a note to her and she is now in my daily prayers. She is one of the best people I know.

I’m prepping for my work in NYC starting on Wednesday and also trying to take care of things around here since I’ll only be here to sleep from Wed – Saturday. Then I’ll have two days off. And then two more days on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Then I’m done. Lots of rain in the forecast, always a pain when trying to navigate around the city. And the rehearsal studio is very far west – almost on the Hudson River – so it’s a long walk, as east-west blocks in Manhattan are much more lengthy than north-south blocks. It will probably take a couple of days to figure out the best route. If need be, I’ll grab an Uber because I cannot abide being late.

Thought I’d share a little Polaroid of me that Don took a couple of months ago. He was working with black and white film, light and shadow. It’s tucked away on the bulletin board in the kitchen.

I’m reading a bit more than a chapter a day of War and Peace, since I’ll not be able to read it Wed – Sat. I must say, I’m really enjoying it. It’s highly readable and the character studies are rich with detail. I’ll read a few more extra chapters today.

Okay. Not very exciting, but it is indeed a snapshot of this moment in time.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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