Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Thursday

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This morning while it was raining. Next week, the forecast has it raining every day.

We’re doing last minute things today that require Don’s physical help. He just came back from recycling (though that’s something I can do, of course.) We’re going to move the egg cup cubby so that I can get the cushions for the porch and Don can switch out a couple of guitars that are stashed there. He’s going to move the two 50 pound bags of salt that are still on the porch to the shed.

He made a pie for us yesterday because he’s going to want some after his surgery. He prefers calling it a “procedure” and maybe that’s the right word for it. It will be done in his doctor’s office. We don’t know yet what time it will be but they’re going to call us today.

I may buy some plants for my pots today. I’d like to take a run to the nursery before the weekend. Lots of people who live in the NYC area have weekend places up here and it gets annoyingly crowded there on the weekends.

Ella in red. I had a strong urge to tie a ribbon around those gorgeous curls, so I did. I have to say, once again, that FerroDolls is brilliant. Her work on faces is beautiful and complex and detailed. They’re called “Face Ups” by the way.

I wish you could feel those curls. The mohair is so, so soft.

I’ll try to write a post before we go tomorrow. It will all depend on the timing of the appointment.

Note: I’m worried about reader Brenda. I haven’t heard from her for quite a while. She hadn’t been feeling well and I also know a family trip to Indiana was planned, so I’ve held off writing about this. But, Brenda, if you’re reading this, can you check in if at all possible? I’m concerned. I’m sure other readers are as well.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

Lilacs

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They’re slowly starting to open. I managed to inhale a bit of the scent, but once they’re all open – it will be heaven.

Saw a little bunny this morning, which made me happy. But then I saw him/her going toward my garden beds on the side of the house, so I had to make an appearance. Note to self, put up some temporary fencing on that side of the house.

But we’re really happy to see bunnies again – there was a time when Don was a bit overenthusiastic clearing some of the woods because he was into making paths (the joys of lockdown,) and he eliminated some of their habitat. Thankfully, once he saw the light, he let it all grow back and the bunnies reappeared.

Today, I’m going to mow a bit. Don helped me with the front lawn, but I know that doing it makes his hand hurt, so I’m going to tackle the lilac side of the lawn and the corral. I spent some time yesterday watching a robin who was dining near Don’s car. I wanted to see if the robin would fly up to that nest. After a long, long time, the robin did fly to the nest so I know they’re going to use it. That means I’ll have to deal with their angry calls when I mow or go in and out of the shed – all of which I have to do quite a bit during for the next couple of weeks. I work at being very efficient with my time in the shed, doing my best not to stress them too much.

It’s been quite cold the last few nights. Spring is having a hard time deciding what to be. A week or so ago, it was 90 degrees. Last night, it hit 32 degrees. Crazy!

I need to move the egg cup cubby, so I can get the porch cushions out of storage. They’re in a cupboard behind the cubby. And I need to buy more porch plants but I am holding off until the nighttime temps settle down.

And, of course, we’re preparing for Don’s surgery on Friday.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Tuesday Thoughts

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A shot of the Paper Mill Playhouse – I only have these because Don asked me to take some pictures, so I ran out of the theater and snapped a few. Track 3 and Track 4 are references to Murder on the Orient Express, of course. This is a very old theater and there are other buildings in the complex – a restaurant/catering facility, etc. It’s quite lovely and has a long, long history as a major regional theater which happens to be quite close to NYC. In fact, it’s the State Theater of New Jersey.

Part of the courtyard. It was dusk when I took these, so they’re not the best.

The show officially opened on Sunday night. Everyone associated with it has done a great job. In all honesty, I’m not crazy about the script, which mines the mystery for laughs. It was adapted by Ken Ludwig, who wrote the well-known Lend Me a Tenor, which is a farce. So, there are elements of farce in this adaptation. I’d prefer the mystery itself with maybe a few quirky elements along the way. We all know that Poirot has his own quirks. But I think farce cheapens the brilliant Christie story. It’s not all farce, of course, but I did find it jarring and unnecessary. However, the director and cast have done an excellent job with this adaptation.

We worked outside yesterday, clearing a few more garden beds. I think they’re all fairly free of leaves now. Working outside is tiring for me because of my allergies, which flare up and sort of take over for the rest of the day.

I wanted to tell you that we had a long phone conversation with Adrian on Sunday afternoon. He’s home – we were quite surprised at that bit of news – and, after two months there, he’s very, very happy to be home. But he has to go through rigorous testing every week – a heart biopsy (which is done to see if the body is accepting or rejecting the heart) and a slew of other tests. He’s still in a great deal of pain. Adrian has had a lot of injuries – some major and life threatening – in his life and he said it’s like every bit of physical trauma that he has experienced has come back to haunt him. He’s obviously not sleeping as well as he would like, given the pain. We love him so much and pray that the pain eases soon.

I woke up very, very early today so I’m going to take it easy. We do have to buy some top soil and netting of some sort, but that will most likely be tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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