Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

I Thought This Was February

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The winter that wasn’t. We’ll reach the 50s today. No snow in sight.

Really happy we paid to have our snow blower repaired.

It’s somewhat sunny today, though, so I’m happy about that.

I finished the latest Louise Penny yesterday. I started reading intensely in the afternoon, and when Don mentioned playing his guitar, I asked him if he would refrain because I was close to finishing a book. When I added that it was a Louise Penny, he immediately responded, “Of course!”

Excellent.

Today, I’m starting Underland  by Robert Macfarlane. Nonfiction.

War and Peace  is ongoing.

Pretty little Maeve.

Holly taking a stroll on the porch.

And so goes the routine of our days. Don is composing music and practicing the guitar, I read, clean, and play with the dolls.

But frankly, we both need to work and not just for financial reasons. We LIKE to work. We need that very specific kind of stimulation in our lives.

I should be gearing up to work on a Broadway show at the beginning of March. But, that isn’t going to happen.

Okay. Don is excited because it’s going to be relatively warm today and he can wash his shirts and hang them out on the line. I’m excited because I can have another piece of apple pie this afternoon.

It’s the little things.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Some Light for my Monstera and Reading

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As requested, a photo of the new set-up in the living room. It’s very simple, really. We moved the table over to the somewhat dark corner, and the monstera, which had previously been in that same dark corner, is now directly under the window. A couple of the leaves are ready to be removed, but I never like to remove them before it’s time. If I think they’re still living, they stay. I’ve also found a way to hike up the leaves that are nearly touching the coffee table. So, it looks better than this photo indicates. I know the light will make a huge difference. The monstera stopped producing split leaves because it wasn’t getting enough light. I also trimmed the aerial roots, which were longer than I knew. They had even found their way to the cracks between floor boards! Since the plant was back in the corner next to Don’s chair, I never saw the roots going crazy. The rubber plant is getting about the same amount of light that it did when the table was under the window, so it will do just fine.

I’m getting close to finishing the latest Louise Penny, which is excellent. I expect nothing less. The plot is fascinating and Penny writes with a combination of compassion and an unflinching awareness of the brutality in the world. It is precisely this blend that makes every one of her novels so powerful.

What next? I’m not sure. I have lots of TBR books upstairs (and downstairs, for that matter) that I’ve been thinking of. I also want to reread one of my favorite authors: Canadian author,Robertson Davies. I read all of his books, especially his trilogies, well over 30 years ago and I’ve been craving the chance to read them again at my ‘advanced’ age. If I keep thinking of some book, it’s definitely a sign that I need to read it. Also want to read Underland  by Robert Macfarlane. It’s a work of non-fiction about our planet and I’ve had it on my pile upstairs since last year. Time to read it. I’m in the queue at the library for the new Deborah Crombie, but I expect I won’t be seeing a copy of the book for a few weeks.

Don just made pancakes, which I love, but usually immediately regret eating because I get sleepy afterwards.

Still – I ate them.

He also made an apple pie yesterday which we will partake of this afternoon.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Saturday

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First, the really good news. Our friend Adrian, who is suffering from heart failure, was officially approved for a heart transplant. He’s in a hospital in Los Angeles, and all candidates for a heart transplant have to go through days and days of testing, after which the data is gathered and analyzed. The final step is to present it to a committee/group of experts (I think there around 40 of them) who then decide whether to approve the transplant. Adrian was approved. I don’t know where he is in the queue, but I do know there are people ahead of him.

Lots of prayers going on around here.

And now to my fun world:

Lucy is modeling new suspender pants from one of my favorite customizers and designers – Dakawaii Dolls. Naoka lives in Japan. I love, love, love her dolls but, unless someone puts a stack of money in my hands, I can’t afford them. They’re exquisitely done and in a style that no one else has. She put this pair of pants up for sale on Etsy and I decided to buy them. And I don’t know how she does it, but she doesn’t charge for shipping and the package arrives very quickly. Naoka’s clothing style is sort of slouchy and casual. My only other piece of her clothing is that gray, hooded coat that I love so much.

Lucy is the perfect girl for this kind of look. Isn’t she cute in this?

Do you know that when Lucy arrived in the mail, her head was not connected to her body? I’m not kidding you. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I wrote to her customizer immediately and she was shocked. She even showed me photos of her in the box that she had taken right before she sent her out in the mail. Suddenly, I had to figure out how to get the head back on and her neck joint was one I wasn’t familiar with. In fact, I hadn’t changed any neck joints yet, nor had I opened a head. I worked and worked on it, screamed more than a few times, and finally got it attached, though it was always a bit wobbly. Eventually, when I started replacing neck joints on some other girls, I changed Lucy’s out, as well. It works so much better now.

Back to the unattached head. I have to believe that it was opened up in customs. Did they think she was filled with contraband of some kind? There’s no way it just came apart, as the head was screwed shut. I think they took her apart and then didn’t know how to put her back together again. Definitely the strangest thing that’s happened in this hobby. Lucy hails from Ukraine.

I changed Imogen into overalls and thought it just might be the time for a small group photo.

They look like they’re about to get into some mischief. Imogen, especially, looks guilty. And that Bertie, with his little beret! What is he thinking?

Backstage:

I use a few different methods to prop up the girls, but a good old-fashioned wooden skewer works best on the wood floors and picnic table on the porch – also on our little stretch of sidewalk. I insert the pointed end into the crack between the planks. Best of all, I’ve had a bag of these skewers in my kitchen drawer for years, so it’s free. For more complicated poses, I use some implements made for Blythes. Next time I use one, I’ll show it to you.

I’ll slowly be redressing all of the dolls over the next several days, so you’ll get more photos.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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