I saw this rose bud this morning – one last rose for the season. It’s a delightful surprise and a welcome one.
Well, the remnants of Hurricane Laura have passed through our neck of the woods and today is a bit cooler and a lot less humid. The rain held off until last night, allowing my neighbors to have their graduation party for their son. Yet again, someone had fireworks last night. I think it was the camping facility that is nearby – maybe celebrating the end of the season? Mercifully, they didn’t last too long. But they were loud!
I really love this particular variety of sunflower. There are three more of them, one of which should bloom this week.
Hey, it’s a significant day here at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. Today, we celebrate 15 years here. We moved in on August 30, 2005, the day after Hurricane Katrina hit. Since we had turned off cable at our old place and hadn’t been watching the news and wouldn’t have working cable for another week, we missed most of the news reports and didn’t know about the horrendous impact and damage for quite a while. The next day, which was one of the hottest and most humid days I can ever remember, we drove back to our old place to finish cleaning it out. No a/c, no fans, still embedded in my sense memory.
Happy 15th Anniversary, Mockingbird Hill Cottage! (Though you were simply a cottage in those days, your name came about 2 years later.)
Don finished Hamnet yesterday. We talked about it for a long time. He loved it. I loved it. It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read. I finished A Private Cathedral by James Lee Burke this morning. Excellent. Now we’re starting new books – Don has another one by Maggie O’Farrell, I have The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.
I’m going to do a bit of weed whacking this morning. I tend to neglect these chores as we come to the end of the summer because I’m not really motivated, but it needs to be done. Don will probably putter around up in the woods.
We had a nice little FaceTime chat with my sister and Little Z yesterday. He’s getting so big! He reported to us on his first week back in school. He told us he was scared for the first day but then he was fine. Both of Mere’s older sons have moved into their own apartments within the past week. Son number 2 has started law school, as well. Lots of changes for my sister and lots of emotions. I have no desire to live in Florida, but I do wish we lived closer to each other. It gets harder and harder to be so far apart.
Stay safe.
Happy Sunday.
Those pretty flowers of yours are a happy relief from the many reports of not-so-happy news.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started to leave a comment and then couldn’t go through with it. It’s been a tough week for me—mentally and physically. Glory and I are both feeling very old right now. It seems that one way or another, 2020 will be a turning point for a lot of people. Us, too. I hope that will be a good thing.
Sounds like you bought your cottage around the same time as we bought the lake house. Seems like a million years ago to me. We were young and strong and ready for another adventure. It was perfect for that time. But now, I think it needs younger caretakers and we need (another adventure?) a different future. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s time to start moving in another direction. But where do old gypsies settle? We shall see.
I know you’re worried about Glory, Shanna. I understand.
I’ve had a tough one, as well, so you have company. Constantly trying to be positive but in reality, sinking into depression. 2020 has been nothing less than awful. Thinking of you, my friend.
We aren’t ready to leave here yet, but I find myself thinking about living in a different country – especially if Trump is reelected. I don’t think I can go through four more years without it impacting my health and state of mind. Either we move off the grid somewhere or I see if my mother’s Canadian birth could get us in there. Who knows?
Stay safe.
Congratulations on 15 years of love and creativity at Mockingbird Bird Hill cottage. That sweet rose was a real gift. We already have brown falling leaves and while I’m glad to see the bugs and humidity going, the days sure seem shorter. The kids grow fast–my niece is in her 40s!!! Seems like yesterday that I photos of her and her two all-boy cousins, all of them under 5, on my desk at work. We didn’t communicate so much in those olden days. It’s wonderful that you get to see and speak to Z often.
On the mini subject, I managed with I’m ashamed to say much difficulty to put together a 1/24 table, chair, and bed. Watching videos helped but I think I need something stronger than Elmer’s. Or faster drying. And after all those hours of taping first, then reassembling, putting the headboard on backwards and other fun surprises, I was so proud of having my teeny taped together house with a few pieces of furniture. Not so happy this morning to discover my cat finds the little wooden chair and table the perfect playthings. If she bats them around too far, I’ll never find them. LOL LOL LOL. But it’s certainly a brain challenge and a true distraction.
Hoping for lovely soft end of summer days at your beloved home.
My eldest niece is now on the other side of her mid-forties. Can’t believe it.
There are other, better glues out there. Aileen’s Tacky glue, regular wood glues and my favorite, Quick Grip. You can get all of those on miniatures.com.
Stay safe.
Thank you for the glue tips! I’ve assembled a few (wobbly) pieces and am quite proud of my patience. I’ve watched some videos, too, which shortens the learning curve. I got a kick out of the fridge on the porch! I think our dear friend may be “free cycling”. LOL
Yay! You’re doing well, Nora!
I think you’re right. Caroline is free cycling. xo
Happy 15th Anniversary at Mockingbird Cottage. Isn’t amazing how fast the years fly by? On Aug. 22nd, we noted our 18th anniversary where we are – the longest we’ve ever lived in one place since he first moved in with me while he finished grad school 37 years ago.
I know what you mean about it getting harder to be apart from siblings as the years go by. I am grateful my brother and I live closer (only 1 1/2 hrs away) than we ever have our entire adult lives. After years of living thousands of miles apart, even after they moved where they are now we still didn’t communicate all that much. It took the death of our youngest brother shortly after losing first dad and then mom for us to realize we’re the only family we’ve got.
Isn’t it wonderful when the humidity lifts! Though I hate to see summer leave, have to admit waking up to 60 degrees and watching the garden start to fade is making me excited for crisp, fall days.
Take care.
Kay
When I think how quickly time passes and how little Mere and I get to see each other in person, it overwhelms me. I can’t go there.
Since our brother is dead, out other sister is estranged from the entire family and both our parents are gone – same thing as you – my sister and I are the only family we have left. I understand!
Stay safe, Kay.
We have been in our house for 26 years now. Quite an accomplishment for me as I am an old military brat and military wife. I understand how your lovely cottage is the joy of your life. And that lovely guy Don. Enjoy . I hope to feel better in the new year with a president who is less orange.
How about not orange at all???
Thanks, Jan.
Stay safe!
Congratulations on fifteen years! That’s a day worth celebrating, big time!
So glad you could enjoy good online time with your sister and Little Z. It’s hard, isn’t it, being far away and general and worse during Covid. I’m so glad we have tools that can better keep us in touch.
Enjoy the rest of the day. It is coldish and gloomy here.
It’s beautiful here – one day without any humidity!
Stay safe, Jeanie.
happy 15th anniversary at mockingbird hill cottage and many, many more to you and don! a perfect day for that rose to bloom.
i’ve been here three years, three months and one week. :) though it is much smaller than my last place and lacking architectural charm (well, the kind i prefer), this place is much better in the most important ways and i am much happier.
glad you got more rain and not so much wind from the remnants of hurricane laura. we need a lot of rain, but it’s cooler here so i’ll take that and appreciate it.
hope the weed work is done and you’re enjoying the start of another book.
i was able to spend time with some of my family today … the best part of my day, for sure. now am home, showered and have to iron clothes (just couldn’t get myself to do that last night), then i will do some reading. :)
hope you have a good night and stay safe.
kathy in iowa
Glad you got to spend some time with your family. You’re lucky they live close by – my dearest sister is close to a thousand miles away.
Enjoy the chance to relax and do some reading, Kathy.
Stay safe.
thanks, claudia.
cousins live from alaska to florida, very northern minnesota to southern texas and some are almost-next-door in nebraska. yes, i am blessed and so very grateful that my most immediate family and i live within 30 minutes of each other now … but for twelve long, hard years, jobs and schooling had us geographically far apart (colorado to ohio, minnesota to michigan and south carolina). never again.
maybe someday you all can move to the middle. there are lots of beautiful places in the carolinas, for starters!
tasks are done. well, as many as i’m going to do today. :) time for dinner and hopefully some reading.
hope you and don have a nice night.
stay safe!
xo and prayers
I moved away to graduate school 37 years ago and after that, my sisters scattered to different parts of the country, as well as my parents. So it’s been 37 years living apart from my family.
I won’t ever live in a red state – that has been made clear to me by what has happened over the past four years. I also don’t think I could ever live in the South – and the Carolinas, though beautiful, are in the South. Don has to be where he can work, because someday, when we can work again, he will. That means either the NYC area or Los Angeles. Plus, Little Z needs to be in his school system in Florida, which provides great assistance for him as a disabled student. We are where we are.
xo
wish those things were different, better for you, don and your families.
while iowa has many wonderful qualities, i am here because of my family.
hope today is a safe, easy day for you all.
kathy in iowa
Yep. I understand.
But because we work in the theater and film and television, we have to live where we can find work and be immediately available to do that work. We can’t move to be near family. Fortunately, NY and CA are blue states! xo
It is lovely in the middle of your days to stop and remember and celebrate milestones in your life. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in January this year which felt like a real achievement. Been in this house for 50 years now, so you can understand why right at this moment I have started to get rid of things. It is slow, but you just keep at it. One day we will need to move and I can’t leave it all till then. So enjoy your memories and make new ones. Houses are keepers of so many memories – both the good and the bad. They make us who we are.
50 years! Congratulations, Robyn! Such a wonderful milestone for you and your husband.
I’m starting to get rid of things, as well. We don’t have children who will help us do that and I don’t want to leave all that for my sister to deal with.
Stay safe!