Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 142 — Life in our little cottage in the country

Mourning a Treasure

May 2, 2023 at 8:45 am by Claudia

Impressionist paintings turned into jigsaw puzzles are always a bit more difficult. And I’ve been really slow with this one because of coaching, being sick, the whole thing. I got back to it this week, so we’ll see how it progresses.

My heart broke a little last night. While Don and I were watching an old movie, my sister texted me that Gordon Lightfoot passed away. Meredith remembers spending time in my bedroom listening to his albums when she was little.

I was a steadfast fan for over 50 years. I saw him in concert several times in the Detroit area and I saw him again about 14 years ago with Don. I had the honor of meeting him backstage at Masonic Auditorium in Detroit. (Those were the days you could just wander onstage or backstage and no one tried to stop you.) My dear friend Becky, who reads this blog, and I attended many a concert.

He was from Orillia, Ontario, the town where my mother was born. And her mother. So I always felt an extra-special kinship with him.

I remember the very first time I heard “If You Could Read My Mind” – I was spellbound. I had never heard anything like it. The beauty of the songwriting, that voice, that vibrato – it captured the love and longing of that song perfectly. I remember everything about that moment in time. From that point forward, I gobbled up everything he had done. I bought every album. I have photos of him that my friend Scott, who accompanied Becky and I, took backstage.

He was a troubadour. And beloved everywhere, but especially in his native Canada.

Oh, how I’ll miss him. Thank you, Gordon, for years and years and years of your beautiful songs and your voice, a gift from the angels. Rest in Peace.

That’s all for today.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Rain, Endless Rain

May 1, 2023 at 8:55 am by Claudia

Forgive me while I whine. We had torrential rain all weekend long. And we are to have rain today (the only day that was supposed to be dry) and every day through Friday. I can’t do any work outside. By the time this ends, the lawn will be impossible to mow. Insert scream here.

I did pot some impatiens yesterday, but I ran out of potting soil. I’ll get more today. It’s also damp and cold, so I have to hold off planting the coleus that I pot for the Secret Garden. As the little sign at my local nursery says, “Warning! Coleus does NOT like cold!”

Don is doing better. He’s still dealing with post-surgery pain. I washed his hair again yesterday, but I think today is the day he can actually shower. I bet that will feel good! We’ll rig up a plastic bag to cover his bandage – though plastic bags are hard to come by now that NY has outlawed them.

With the terrible gun violence in our country, including the recent slaughter of a family in Texas, and the complete misinterpretation of the Second Amendment, handily leaving out the words “a well-regulated militia,” with the weapon being a musket, I’ve been remembering a conversation that Don had when we were last in Paris. That would have been October 2019. We used to buy vegan hot dogs from a little shop just down the street from the Luxembourg Gardens. One day, while we were watching a game of pétanque, Don went to the shop to get some take-out hot dogs. He was chatting with the young owner about America and the young man said: “Oh, I would never go to the United States! It’s too violent!” That was four years ago. It’s only gotten worse since then. Between gun violence and the rise of fascism and ultra-right “Christians,” I wouldn’t visit here, either.

I try to stay positive these days, but I must have been willfully naive: I never thought our country would come to this. Anyway, that’s what I’m thinking this morning.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

The Patient

April 30, 2023 at 8:55 am by Claudia

Full-time caregiver, here. I’m making light of it but I do know many of you have been serious full-time care givers and it’s much more than I’m dealing with.

It’s also cold and rainy and we’re trying not to turn on the heat at this late date because we have very little oil left and ordering some right now is an expense we don’t need. So, it’s dreary and damp and we have a lot more rain coming later today and throughout the week.

Don’s in a bit more pain today than he was yesterday. We’re still icing the hand every half hour and no showers until tomorrow. I washed his hair in the kitchen sink yesterday. It brings back memories of my childhood, when I routinely washed my hair in the kitchen until I began to take showers. Clean hair and a sponge bath and the day seems better.

I’m cooking at night, with Don’s guidance. It isn’t that I don’t know how to cook, I just don’t like it one bit and, I admit, I’ve been spoiled by Don taking over the cooking. Hang in there, Don, it’s only for about 5 more days. Actually, last night’s dinner turned out pretty good!

What else? I have to do some grocery shopping today (another thing that Don usually does because he likes it) and I really want to get the impatiens I bought 3 days ago in some pots, especially before it begins to rain heavily this afternoon.

Anyway, my sweetie is hanging in there. He gave himself a research task to do online – he’s exploring a certain genre of music – and it’s keeping him occupied.

No time for photos, so here’s a recent one of Holly – from last week:

You’d better tie those shoelaces, Holly.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Mourning a Treasure

Rain, Endless Rain

The Patient

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Archives