Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Stella in black and white.

Something I did on a whim yesterday. I was making our oatmeal and the sun was shining on the stove and it looked pretty.

It was sunny all day yesterday and my mood completely changed. A couple of projects that I had been contemplating were completed with ease. I had lots of energy. So did Don. The sun, especially when it’s bouncing off the white color of snow, makes me happy and fills the house with light.

Of course, today is another story as we have a major snow event headed our way. It won’t impact us until sometime after 7 pm, so there’s time to run a few last minute errands this morning. Don tested the snowblower yesterday and it’s running just fine. We have the heat turned down because we’re low on heating oil and have to make what’s there last until Monday. It can’t simply be a snow storm, it has to be a snow storm with us wearing several layers of clothing and fingerless gloves inside the house. Right?

This too shall pass.

I’ve been daydreaming about spring. Green appearing everywhere. Cleaning out the garden beds. Ah….

Don made an apple pie yesterday but we have yet to sample it. That will happen this afternoon, after lunch.

There’s not much else to report, my friends. We’re in a waiting mode. Waiting for the storm. Waiting for heating oil. (Have you noticed that this shortage of oil happens to us at least once every winter? Yikes.)

Stay safe, especially all of you who live in the path of this storm.

Happy Saturday.

I finished “The World of Miss Marple” late in the afternoon yesterday.

The artist did a bang-up job of creating Marple’s world. The muted colors give it a period feel. I had fun with this one. You can see Miss Marple in the center. She’s dressed in blue and she’s knitting.

Sigh. We have a major snow event coming Saturday night into Sunday. The forecast says anywhere from 5 to 10 inches. We also have more snow coming next week. I guess February is going to be the month of very wintry weather. Don will get to use the snowblower, though I suspect he’d just as soon not.

We had snow yesterday, just an inch or so, but it was combined with sleet, so it was very icy. We cleared it as best we could. It’s quite windy today and the wind chimes are constantly ringing. But the sun has just emerged, which helps.

This morning, we saw a lot of birds flying around the property. They were very active. The birds that I could see clearly were bluebirds. Normally, I see them – if I see them – right around midwinter, when they are in the process of migrating northward. But last autumn, I saw a LOT of them migrating southward. I’d never seen so many migrating birds of all types on the property. Perhaps we’ve been included in some AAA-type guide that offers information on safe places to stop while traveling? If so, I’m grateful. It was so neat to watch them fly all over the property, silhouetted against the colors of the sunrise.

In the midst of this somewhat bleak midwinter, the visiting birds are a much needed splash of joy.

By the way, I’ve never read any of the Miss Marple mysteries. Who knows why I never got to them? Well, I do – I’m not a big fan of the Cozy Mystery. But, I suspect they’d be a perfect antidote for these stressful days. Have you read them?

Stay safe.

Happy Friday,

 

I have to say that this has been a bleak winter so far. Not just because of the very frigid temps we’ve had. Winter is always hard for me, and, it turns out, for Don. Add to that the dire and illegal goings-on in DC, and it’s very hard to stay positive. Balance of any kind seems elusive and nearly impossible to obtain. We’re trying. We check in with each other throughout the day, and when one of us has lost it, the other steps in. I am deliberately not writing about that mess, but believe me, I’m pissed off.

We’re headed for a snow and ice event tomorrow. Yippee. Don has to go out and buy some more salt today.

I have to return some books to the library. Exciting, right? I did read a big chunk of my book yesterday and after I publish this post, I’ll be able to finish it fairly quickly. Excellent, by the way. The next book in this trilogy is waiting for me at the library.

I did a lot of work on the puzzle yesterday. It really does help me detach from all of this and reach some sort of zen state. But I don’t want to get through it too quickly! I’m on a budget and can’t keep buying puzzles. (Though I do have another one in the wings.)

I also haven’t been in the mood for the girls. So I made myself pull one off the shelf the other day. I took her picture and posted it on the Blythe feed. She really is beautiful. I’m speaking about Nina.

She has the same outfit on that she’s been wearing for months, but it’s so perfect for her that I can’t bring myself to change it out.

I wish Dragonfly Blythe was still customizing. Her creations are so beautiful. The faceups are exquisite. You can see her gorgeous eyebrows and the faint veins on her forehead.  I really have no desire to get another Blythe as I’m happy with my collection, but one of Dragonfly Blythe’s red haired girls? That I would do. But they’re finite and their owners are hanging on to them.

Bracing for tomorrow’s storm!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.