Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 1090 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Inside

October 24, 2015 at 9:43 am by Claudia

Scenes from the house, photos taken yesterday afternoon.

10-24 pods

Found on my walk.

10-24 leafonbox

Found on another walk.

10-24 livingroom

Sunlight in the living room.

10-24 bookshelves

Bookshelves.

10-24 succulents

Succulents.

The temperatures dropped down to 29 degrees last night, so I hauled all the porch plants inside for the night. We’re currently covered in the impatiens department, thank you very much. I don’t know if I have the space – once it’s officially time – to overwinter all of these plants. There are a lot of them and there’s not a lot of spare surface here in the cottage. How will I choose?

We watched most of the Blue Jays vs. Royals game last night. We were cheering for the Blue Jays, as they are part of our American League East. But the Royals won. Reader Deb will be very happy as she is a big Royals fan. Next week: the World Series, where we will jump leagues and root for the Mets.

In the meantime, I’m having a sleepy start to the day. It’s been hard to wake up!

For those of you who would like to hear Don’s Interview on Woodstock Radio, here is the link. It’s the October 22 show, right at the top of the page. Lisa Wexler, the host, is a friend of Don’s, so you’ll hear them banter back and forth throughout the show. I hope you enjoy it.

Happy Saturday.

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Flocks, Murmurations, and the Radio

October 23, 2015 at 9:17 am by Claudia

10-23 canadageese

It’s that time of year when I can hear the honking of the Canada Geese overhead. If I happen to have a camera nearby, all the better. They gather by the river that’s just down the road; hundreds and hundreds of them.

The other day, we experienced another fall event: a murmuration of starlings. As I was sitting in my chair, I caught a glimpse of several starlings flying and landing, taking off and soaring. Then I heard them. I quickly got up and went to the kitchen window and there they were: hundreds and hundreds of them, landing on the grass, then rising into the trees, then flying in a circular, soaring swirl.

It’s amazing. And it doesn’t last long, so you have to drop everything and watch.

10-23 horsesinthedistance

I listened to my husband being interviewed on the radio last night. He was on Radio Woodstock. The show was hosted by Lisa Wexler, a musician and the daughter of the incredible Jerry Wexler, one of the most famous producers in the history of the recording industry. Google him and you’ll see what I mean.

Don was on between 10 pm and midnight. I grabbed a portable radio, ran a bubble bath and listened to a chunk of the show while immersed in bubbles. And then I listened to the rest while reading in bed. It reminded me of those days in my youth when an ever-present transistor radio was at my side, always tuned in to our local radio station. There’s something really wonderful about listening to the radio without earbuds or a computer. Just low-tech. The way it used to be.

Don was great, as was Lisa. He talked about his life, Lisa played tracks from the new CD, and he sang live. He also shared five songs/recordings that had had an impact on his life. In Don’s case, most of them were recordings that he heard when he was 12 or so. It was fascinating. As he said, it wasn’t so much that the records were incredibly good or huge sellers, but that they came into his awareness at a point in his life where they resonated with him on a very powerful level.

I love hearing his new CD being played on the radio. It’s as it should be, especially since the title is Ready for the Radio. I love hearing his voice coming out of my portable radio, knowing that everyone listening is getting the chance to get to hear him speak and share his warmth, compassion, wisdom, and great sense of humor.

Good job, Don!

Happy Friday.

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Mother Nature is Playing With Me

October 22, 2015 at 8:58 am by Claudia

10-22 leaves

In the middle of my hours spent with the leaves, a rake, and a tarp, I thought I saw something.

10-22 tiny yellow flower

A yellow flower. On closer examination, a yellow day lily. What??

10-22 tiny yellow flower 2

The particular plant hasn’t bloomed in about 2 – 3 months.

Mother Nature is playing with me. An early frost, dead plants, and then this.

10-22 tiny yellow flower 3

It looks like there might be at least another blossom waiting to open.

What a treat! Especially in the middle of raking an endless amount of maple, black walnut, and giant catalpa leaves. I must have filled the tarp up 9 or 10 times. Then Don came home later in the day and filled a few more tarps. The leaves were deposited on the edge of the woods, where they will decompose and nourish the soil.

Tired, of course. But we got a lot done.

10-22 clematis

This is what the clematis looks like late in the season. Beautiful, don’t you think? Like little feathers swirling in a circle.

Later in the day, the UPS truck pulled up with a box for me. I have a separate twitter feed for Just Let Me Finish This Page and I follow a lot of writers and publishers. One day a few weeks ago, I really can’t remember when, Random House tweeted that they were having a contest in conjunction with the publishing of Ruth Reichl’s newest book, My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life.

Reichl was the Restaurant Critic for the New York Times for a number of years before moving on to the Editorship of Gourmet magazine. When Gourmet suddenly folded, she found herself trying to deal with an enormous sense of loss. She coped by going into her kitchen and doing what she loves – cooking. The book chronicles that year and offers up all sorts of recipes, as well.

Well, I quickly entered the contest, then promptly forgot about it until I received an email the other day telling me I was one of the winners.

10-22 ruthreichl win

Goodness! I received a copy of the book – can’t wait to read it – and six tins of a special edition Ruth Reichl Apple Crisp tea by The Republic of Tea, and three mini cocottes (damn that autocorrect – it spelled it as coquette – it’s cocotte as in casserole) from Le Creuset.

Wow! I rarely win contests, so this was a wonderful surprise. I’ll be having some Apple Crisp tea this afternoon. A big thank you to Random House!

Happy Thursday.

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Inside

Flocks, Murmurations, and the Radio

Mother Nature is Playing With Me

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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