Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

You are here: Home / books / Flowers in Bloom

Flowers in Bloom

at by

Currently in the garden:

Bee balm has started to bloom.

Milkweed.

Coneflowers, most of which are still green.

Roses.

It sure is pretty out there.

We’re due for another hot and humid day, with a heat advisory in effect and rain and thunderstorms today and tomorrow. It will be 20 degrees cooler tomorrow.

I’m going on two days in a row with not enough sleep. Looks like a nap is on the docket for this afternoon. I painted yesterday and added more detail, but I still haven’t been able to mix the right color for the vase, darn it! I’ll give it one more try today. Mixing is tricky. You think you have it just right and then the light changes and it looks completely different.

I have so much to learn!

I’m reading the first book in the Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. I know several of you have read her books. It took me a while to get into it, mostly due to my being easily distracted lately, but now I’m really enjoying this mystery. I read a big chunk this morning – always a satisfying way to start the day.

What are you reading? Please share!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Comments

  1. I’m currently rereading a series by Alexander McCall Smith.
    Not the African one (The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, which never really grabbed me) but the philosophical one, situated in Edinburgh, about Isabel Dalhousie.

  2. lovely flowers. thanks for naming the first three; i wouldn’t have known what they are without your help.

    hope you sleep better tonight … hard to get stuff done when tired.

    mixing colors can be tough (i experience that with layering watercolors), but i think it’s one of the best parts to painting … seeing what happens with various combinations either mixed together or placed side by side … and i enjoy the process. hope you do, too.

    book reading … the Bible.

    and working on book-writing. i have lots of ideas for children’s picture books, but i’m trying to focus on three of them. going kind of slow … i’m not good at juggling projects like that, but that’s what happens when inspiration and available time come and go.

    glad you’re getting a break with cooler temperatures. nice cool morning here today, but it’s to get hot again. bleh. i am ready for cool weather. not ice or snow, just cooler temperatures.

    hope you are having a good day. stay safe.

    kathy in iowa

    • Very hot here and extremely humid! Basically miserable out there!

      Stay safe, Kathy.

      • hej, linda …

        thanks for asking. i read “the living Bible”, paraphrased edition, published by tyndale … a wonderful gift from my beloved parents and God, written in an easy-to-read style.

        how about you?

        hope you are keeping cool and have a nice night.

        kathy in iowa

  3. I am reading”Joy” by Abigail Santamaria
    It is a biography of C.S. Lewis’s wife.
    Very very interesting , to me a page turner that I can’t put down.

    • She was an amazing person and I love Surprised by Joy by Lewis.

      Enjoy

      Stay safe!

  4. I’m presently reading all the Fiona Davis books which are set in NYC. Liking them all!

    • Brenda, I love all of the Fiona Davis books about NYC. Besides being good stories, I’ve learned a ton about the architecture there. Have you read The Masterpiece yet? I think that’s my favorite of the bunch.

    • I read her first book, and I liked it. Funnily, I haven’t had a yen to read any of her other books.

      Enjoy, Brenda!

      Stay safe!

  5. Claudia,
    Have you read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig? It is a very good book to make you think about your life and what it might have been had you made different choices in life. The main character is in between life and death and ends up in the midnight library with all of the books containing different versions of her life. She gets to choose which ones to read and is zapped there immediately upon reading the first sentence of the book. I had many good conversations with my husband while I was reading the book, considering what choices would have changed our lives and what our lives would have been like without each other. It’s a book to consider anyway. :) Happy Monday!

    • Brooke, I just went to the website of my local library to reserve this book, based on your tip. Thanks! Your description made me think of that 1980s movie “Peggy Sue Got Married” with Nicholas Cage and Kathleen Turner, where she is transported back to her life of 25 years ago.

      • Oh good, Emily! I hope you like it as much as I did. I haven’t seen Peggy Sue Got Married, but will try to find it on Netflix soon, sounds fun.

    • This sounds intriguing. It reminds me of 11/22/63 by Stephen King. A time traveler thinks he can prevent the assassination of JFK and change history. Which he does, but it sets off a trajectory he didn’t anticipate. So often we think “if only,” but we don’t really know.

      • hej, lynda …

        sorry if this is/feels like eavesdropping, but your last sentence to brooke in okc just brought me comfort about some regrets and wishful “if only” thoughts in my head and heart … thank you for that!

        hope you are having an easy day and can spend some of it reading or whatever else you like.

        thanks again.

        kathy in iowa

        • i clicked “comment” too soon. wanted to add that as a believer in Christ, it pains me to have worries and regrets. i sure know that i am not perfect. i am a flawed human being and know that i mess up every day (hence, worries and regrets), but i am also trying to put all my trust in Him because he’s on my side. He’s for all of us.

          thanks for letting me add that, claudia.

          kathy in iowa

    • I know of it and I follow Matt Haig on IG, but I haven’t read it yet. I’ll definitely put it on my list.

      Stay safe, Brooke.

    • I have been on the wait list at the library for about 6 weeks. I think I am up to #48 out of 320-some. I have heard it is soooo good!!

  7. Trying to get into Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman, but too distracted by trying to get packed up to move north, to give it a chance. I haven’t read any of hers yet, but have run out of most of my favorites, like Louise Penny, Deborah Crombie, Susan Hill, Elly Griffiths, Kate Atkinson—not to mention Michael Connelly, John Connolly, Donna Leon, James L. Burke…

  8. I just finished the eighth or ninth “Ruth Galloway” book (read in order) and I am still loving the series. I also finished a mystery set in Paris by Mark Pryor called “The French Widow” (really quite interesting) and starting today I’m torn between the next Susan Hill Serrailler mystery (“The Soul of Discretion”), “Everything was Possible: The Story of Follies” by Ted Chapin, “A Gentleman in Moscow” or “Waking Up in Paris.” We’ll see — today is super blustery, windy and sort of rainy/misty and an “inside” day. SO definitely one of those well get cracked today!

    • I’ve read all of the Serailler series and I also have read the Chapin, as Follies is one of my favorites. I met Chapin once…at some rehearsal or another. Maybe the National tour of Oklahoma???

      You know how I feel about A Gentleman in Moscow. One of my favorite books of all time.

      Enjoy!

      Stay safe, Jeanie.

      • Follies is one of my very favorites, too. I love everything about it. I’m eager to dig into this one. You probably know that Jerry was in the national tour of Oklahoma with Laurence Guittard and Christine Ebersole. I forget who was Laurie. Another lifetime ago!

        • Yes – the Oklahoma tour that I worked on was based on the production that was done in London with Hugh Jackman, directed by Nunn.

          Stay safe, Jeanie.

  10. Claudia, I’m glad you’ve picked up the Elly Griffith series. Ruth Galloway is one of my favorite characters, she has some flaws that I relate to. Right now I’m reading The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson. It’s technically a YA series, but I’ve loved it. This is the fourth book, solving a cold case murder in the middle of the woods at a Massachusetts summer camp. Meanwhile I’m looking forward to the next Elly Griffith book with Ruth Galloway, the next Louise Penny Inspector Gamache book, the next Ruth Ware, and so on. I’ve also discovered the prolific Vicki Delany. Her books, while mysteries, are mostly lighter and shorter than what I usually read, so it’s a fun change now and then. I LOVE to read and have appreciated your recommendations. The Overstory is one of the best books I’ve ever read.

    • For me, too. I loved that book.

      I’m about ready to order the next Galloway!

      Enjoy.

      Stay safe, Jayne.

  11. Reading Victim 2117 by Jussi Adler-Olsen, most recent book (#8) in his Department Q series.
    Jussi Adler-Olsen is a Danish crime writer/author… highly recommend.
    The development of the characters, their back stories and their interactions, and the overall writing is superb.
    The series definitely should be read in order for the most enjoyment.
    Patiently waiting for a few books to arrive.
    Also recommend the author Jane Harper whose books are set in Australia.

    Hot & humid here today after a nice bit of rain Sunday.
    Summer in the Carolinas.

    Stay safe & well.

    • I’ve read the entire series except for the latest. I reviewed a couple of his books, including the first, before it was officially published. Perks of being a book reviewer, I guess. I love Department Q!

      I’ve also read Jane Harper.

      Good choices and thanks for reminding me about the new Adler-Olsen, Amy!

      Stay safe.

  12. I am reading John Denver’s autobiography. It is interesting. He writes well. I wanted to read it because he was an Air Force brat, like myself.

  13. I am reading Meet Isobel Puddles by MV Byrne. It is our community book club pick and a fun read. The author has spent many summers in the local West Mich area. There are many references to the area that are very loosely disguised. It is about a small town with some quirky characters and a murder mystery.
    Granddaughter update: she was seen by Dr again this morning. Had some more bloodwork done. Her strep culture was negative, mono test negative. Covid antibody test is pending. Her blood test did show elevated white cells so Dr just ordered an antibiotic. We are hoping this is the answer.
    Stay safe

    • Always fun when a book covers an area you know well!

      I’m glad your granddaughter will be on antibiotics, Marilyn. I hope they start to make a difference very soon.

      Stay safe!

    • hej, marilyn …

      glad your granddaughter was seen by a doctor again, that some of those tests are negative. praying the antibiotic will bring her a return to good health and relief for her, you and the rest of your family.

      take care of yourself, too!

      kathy in iowa

  14. Lovely flowers! We can’t grow milkweed here, and as a result have no monarch butterflies. As for now, I am reading The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes; it’s quite different from her earlier books. It good so far and of interest to me because of my involvment in adult literacy.

  16. My daughter loved the Midnight Library…she has a website
    NO Bookend in sight (Katheryne)…she reviews some powerful books…we love the one about the librarian on horses and the blue people in KY…I have read over 300 books for Netgalley review the last year…my daughter amazes me though…authors keep contacting her and me…
    Funeral was streamed today for brother in law…I don’t know how many more…in one year…prayers to all of you and best wishes please…love your painting…

    • I was a book reviewer for several years and had authors requesting a review from me through their publisher. I enjoyed it and I got to meet and interview several of my favorite authors. But eventually, reading quickly in order to write reviews – lots of them – on both my book blog and this blog became a chore, not a joy. So one day, I deleted the book blog and that was it. I was done. As you know, I occasionally review a book here but these days I read for pleasure and that includes taking my time!

      Prayers to you and your family at this time of loss, Brenda. Much love.

      Stay safe!

  17. Oh, my favorite post!!!!! I am just finishing The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Quite good and I have learned a lot about the Dust Storms and Great Depression. Recently finished and I would recommend are The Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly~ Historical fiction re: The Civil War; The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis~Historical fiction of the NYC Public Library when it was first built; The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan ~ historical fiction re: WWII (actual BBC show) on tips for how to run one’s household under strict rationing, and a contest for a new host for the show; and The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin~ again, Historical Fiction re: WWII. I guess I have been on quite the Historical fiction tear here………. but I have learned a lot from the books, and then digging deeper into the topic when I finished them. Lost in Paris is sitting here in wait, and am anxious for my name to come up for The Midnight Library!!

    • Chris- I’ve read many of the books you mentioned. Historical fiction is where I end up a lot of the time. I kind of go back and forth between that and mysteries. I just finished The Last Bookshop in London – so good! I also enjoyed The Kitchen Front. I haven’t read The Sunflower Sisters, so I’ll be looking for that one. Have you read any Beatrix Williams or Hazel Gaynor?
      Have a great day! – Jayne

  18. Jayne, I do love HF, & have read (& love) both Beatrix Williams & Hazel Gaynor. I enjoy mysteries as well. So many books!! I am a big supporter of local libraries!!! I read several hours every day. I can’t comprehend it when someone tells me that they don’t read.
    Take care!!

Please check back to follow the conversation!

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives