Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Friday: Rain, Groundhogs, Vaxx, and a Blythe

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Lately, every morning is foggy. Today, we’re due for rain. Tomorrow, we’re due for rain. The hot spell is over and the temps will gradually get cooler over the weekend. It’s 8 am and it’s still very dark and gloomy.

♦ Two groundhog encounters. I was standing in the den yesterday and I happened to look out the picture window. There was a groundhog running across the street with great speed toward our property. He disappeared into the culvert and then reappeared on the lawn, then peeking out from under the maple tree, then running under my car, finally landing on the shed ramp, where he promptly lay down, exhausted. First of all, I got very nervous watching him cross the street and wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t go over there – ever. Traffic is very busy on our road! Second, it’s the groundhog that lives under our shed, which makes it even more personal.

Then, as I waited for him to disappear under the shed – which took a while – I prepared to mow the corral and the back forty. As soon as he disappeared I went to get the lawnmower. As I was pushing it uphill toward the top of the back forty where I was planning to start the mowing, a groundhog trotted out of the area where the other den is (the one the mom took her babies to when we were making too much noise.) I stopped and froze because he wasn’t stopping and I wasn’t sure whether he was aware of my presence. He got pretty close (I was secretly hoping he’d go right by me.) At at distance of about 4 feet, he suddenly saw me, froze for a split second, and threw it into reverse. Kind of adorable! I have no idea if it was one of the now-grown-up babies.

♦ We got our Covid vaccinations on Wednesday. It went very smoothly. We traveled to a Walgreen’s that’s a little further away from us – the one we’ve used for the past 3 years. Let me tell you, it was a much better experience. When we used the Walgreen’s that is closer to us for the flu and RSV, the pharmacist was so busy talking and doing his schtick that the jabs were quite painful! So I think we’re going to stay with our original location.

Anyway, I had my usual reaction which is to suddenly fall into a deep sleep. I think it happened around 12:45, much earlier than my usual nap time. Don is suffering from flu-like aches and a general “I don’t feel good,” which is his usual reaction. That should clear up by the end of today.

♦ I have a new Blythe to share with you. Here is the back story. It involves my dear friend, Susannah. Susannah and I have been blogging about the same amount of time; 15+ years. I used to read her blog quite frequently. She lives in London. In June or July of 2021, I discovered she was on Instagram and started following her. Not long after that, she discovered customized Blythes and wrote a post showing her new girl, a VegaDoll named Suzie. I was so entranced by that doll, so charmed, that I started exploring and researching Blythes. I knew about the original Blythes, but I wasn’t a fan of the shiny faces and sunken eyes. But these customizations! They were a different story. As I was exploring and wondering whether I should consider investing in an inexpensive Blythe, Susannah and I had many a conversation about ‘falling down the Blythe rabbit hole.’ She has remained a very good friend and I adore her. She is planning on moving from London to Devon in the next year – a long wished-for dream that will soon be realized. So she decided to sell some of her dolls to raise some money for the eventual move.

The minute she put out a feeler about this doll, I contacted her, just to say that while I would love her, money was tight, Don was on strike, etc., and I would have to decline. She wrote back immediately, saying she didn’t need the money for almost a year and if I wanted her, she would hold her for me, giving me time to save up. It was hard for her to part with her and she would much rather the doll go to someone she knew and loved. It was such an incredibly generous and kind gesture! So she marked her as ‘reserved.’ After considering all the ways – they’re were only a few – that I might get funds to buy her, I came to the conclusion that I would have to sell one of my dolls. I didn’t want to use our money. Most of my girls were very modestly priced. The FerroDolls and the VegaDolls were the most expensive. And Mei – a VegaDoll – was the  most expensive, purchased when I was working on the movie and had more funds available.

I put out a feeler on her for the price I originally paid. Eventually I had to lower the price. Still no takers. One of my Blythe friends suggested I give her bangs. So I did. It transformed her, making me seriously consider taking her off the market. I loved that change in her look. But then, a woman named Catherine wrote me to say she was interested in her. After some back and forth, she bought her. She’s from Ireland, but she she lives in Singapore, which meant I needed to get her packed up immediately so I could give her an estimate of the shipping costs. It was for the best, because I was crying at the thought of sending her to a new mom.

I had written Natalia of VegaDolls to let her know I was thinking of selling Mei and she was great about it – she collects as well and said that sometimes a doll needs to move on and that’s okay. Susannah provided a lot of support and interestingly, Catherine had just started buying Blythes and she purchased one of Susannah’s dolls right before she bought Mei. Small world.

So, the funds from Mei’s sale paid for this new girl.

She arrived yesterday – only 4 days from leaving London to her arrival at my doorstep! I’ve never had a doll arrive that quickly. She is a FerroDoll and I’ve loved her ever since Susannah first purchased her.

She arrived in the late afternoon, so I only have this one.

She’s so beautiful! She has the intense look of all Ferro girls, as if they might be a bit pissed off, a smattering of freckles across her nose, a beautiful face-up, and that hair! She was named Orla, but I’m calling her Miranda. Her middle name will be Orla. There’s something about these Ferro girls, you stare into their eyes and they seem absolutely human. (Same with VegaDolls.)

I still miss Mei, but her new mom has sent me photos of her and she looks happy in her new home. Susannah and I have talked Catherine into starting a Blythe IG account, so I will get to see Mei fairly regularly.

More photos of her soon, though it’s awfully dark today.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Birds, Groundhogs & Hydrangeas

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Early morning in the back forty.

We have another foggy morning today. It’s been that way for the past couple of days. I love it. It’s also been quite warm lately – perhaps a bit too warm! But I’m appreciating it while it’s here, this last little stretch of Indian summer.

We mowed the front lawn on Monday – rather exhausting, as usual. We caught it before it became impossibly long, so that’s a good thing. Still have to mow the corral and the back forty and I have to remember to do another round of weed whacking, but today, later this morning, we head out to get our Covid vaccinations. We’ll be happy to have that done! I expect to conk out later in the afternoon – that has been the only reaction I’ve had with the shots.

I’ve been seeing the groundhog who lives under the shed a lot. He’s eating lots of grass and green things because it will soon be time for him to hibernate and he needs lots of body fat to get him through the winter. I often wonder where all the now grown up babies are. Initially, there were six, but one died. So five babies hung out here for a few months, routinely getting into mischief and driving me more than a little bit crazy, but mostly being adorable and fascinating to watch. Buddy stayed around the longest, but even he eventually took off for parts unknown. I miss them a bit. Where are they? I know they went off to build their own underground homes, but did they go far? Are they in the woods? Or in the field beyond the back forty? Sigh. There always remains the ‘wondering.’

I miss the birdsong, though there are still some birds chirping and calling. I haven’t seen a robin in ages, so I assume they already headed south. I still see goldfinches and sparrows and carolina wrens. The crows seem to be around a lot. And the blue jays.

Lots of squirrel activity as well; gathering and storing nuts for the winter.

The limelight hydrangea, which is now that lovely shade of pink. That bush has grown by leaps and bounds and it’s now huge, Do you see that little white blossom at the bottom? It’s the only one that hasn’t turned pink yet.

I read all your comments about autumn memories. I was just so busy that I didn’t have time to reply. But I loved all the memories you shared. Thank you!

Okay. I have to make the second cup of coffee before we head to the pharmacy for our vaccinations.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Autumn and School

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Autumn leaf color is slowly revealing itself – mostly browns and golds at this point but many trees haven’t yet begun to change. We’re in for a warmer stretch the next few days. It was warm yesterday. It’s time to mow the front lawn and the back forty/corral. I wonder when nature will show us that no more mowing is needed? Seems impossible at the moment.

It’s been nice to see the sun again. Sunday was sunny all day long and that has been a rarity lately. Today, tomorrow, Wednesday – I think all three days are expected to be sunny.

This time of year always reminds me of school starting, of shuffling through crisp leaves as I walked to school. Our house was in a suburb of Detroit – right next to Detroit, actually. The elementary school was across the street. Our junior high at the end of our street – a 3½ block walk. The high school was a longer walk: down the street to the corner, turn left and walk by a large field and then several more blocks, then turn left and walk through a much busier section of our neighborhood to arrive at the school. A half-mile? A mile? I’m not sure. But I never once used a school bus. Schools in our area were easily reached and walking was good for you. I don’t think any school buses operated in our neighborhood. Before the big field in front of our house (owned by Ford Motor Co.) was sold and subdivided for houses, I used to cut across the field on my journey to high school, unless it was muddy. It saved time.

My mom never learned to drive. We had one car and my father used it for work. So my parents were smart in choosing where to buy a house. All of us trekked to whatever school we were attending. I used to take an extra class in high school which started at 7:30 am, so I often walked to school in the dark. I never felt unsafe.

It was a different time.

I used to get terrible menstrual cramps. They were so horrible, I’d often feel like I was going to pass out. We tried everything for them, but the only thing that helped at all was a heating pad and aspirin/ibuprofen. Every time the cramps started, I’d do my best to get through the day until I faced the fact that it was impossible. I’d ask to be excused from class to go to the nurse’s office. The nurse would call my mom and since mom didn’t drive, I’d have to walk all the way home from the high school. Mom would stand at the front window, keeping watch for a glimpse of me starting to trudge across the field. Then she’d track me all the way, open the door, and hustle me off to bed.

Heating pads are a theme in my life. In those younger, much more limber days, I used them once a month for cramps. Now? I use one almost daily for my back.

So many hours spent praying that a heavy menstrual flow wouldn’t leak, hoping I could get to a bathroom in time to check on everything. It’s really god-awful, isn’t it? That memory is a bit softened nowadays, but if I allow myself to think about it, as I’m doing now, all of it comes back. Praying that no telltale stains appeared. Oh heavens! I feel like it took up so much of my life.

Autumn is so evocative. I bet all of us have a host of sense memories from this time of year. What are some of yours?

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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