Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

Sunsets, Trees, & Flowers

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Last night.

This morning. The David phlox are blooming. They have a pretty heavenly scent.

We’re definitely at peak garden level. After this, everything will start to fade away. Slowly, but it will happen. That makes me feel sad. It goes so quickly, doesn’t it? And once I hit August, I’m less apt to weed or clean out the beds.

I start work on one show in August and another in September, so my gardening time will be limited. The second production is a musical version of A Man of No Importance. It was originally a movie, starring the great Albert Finney and it’s one of my favorites. It’s being done at Classic Stage in NYC and will star Jim Parsons – which is why I’m a part of it. He recommended me and after some negotiations, I think all is set to go. I’ve zoomed with the Director, chatted with the new Artistic Director and done some research. Their budget is limited, so my days of work will also be limited.  In the ‘small world’ category, the music and lyrics are by Lynn Ahrens and Steven Flaherty who wrote the glorious music for Anastasia. So, Jane Eyre  in August and into the beginning of September, and A Man of No Importance  in September and October.

Finished tree puzzle. This one was difficult, but it’s so beautiful that it was worth it.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Butterflies

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From the other day:

An eastern swallowtail.

And a blurry red admiral, taken from a distance. I’ve never seen a red admiral on the property. I had to google to figure out what kind of butterfly it was. Very striking! Thank you for visiting!

The news that the monarch butterfly is on the endangered species list is heartbreaking. We do our part here by letting all of our milkweed plants stay in place, wherever they pop up. Currently, they’re hiding a lot of the flowers in the big garden bed, but that’s the way it is. I’d rather provide a habitat for monarchs.

The fact that the honey bees are back in the catalpa is good news. I realize that the eco system on our property doesn’t reflect the rest of the country and the planet, but I take heart when, right here on our patch of acreage, a caterpillar transforms into a monarch butterfly and honey bees fly in and out of their nest in the catalpa.

Speaking of the catalpa, we had a storm last night with unbelievably high winds. While Don was outside, a limb from the catalpa fell to the ground. It’s a smaller limb. Nevertheless, my heart breaks a little when any tree limb falls.

We’re supposed to get more rain today. I welcome it. The ground and trees and plants and animals sorely need it.

The phone call from my sister yesterday was to let me know that Little Z tested positive for Covid. He was exposed earlier in the week at camp and started to feel poorly on Saturday after a morning at the beach. But he tested negative. By Sunday morning, he was feeling miserable and Mere tested him again. Positive. So she’ll have to stay home this week to be with Z. He’s been vaccinated, of course.

Poor little guy! At the age of eleven, he’s not quite so little anymore.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

I Love Lucy

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I realize I’ve posted a lot of doll pictures this week, but it’s been a big week for dolls. Two new dolls arrived in the mail and another is in customs in NYC.

So, my little one from Ukraine arrived yesterday after a delay in which she traveled to Denver, CO and back. I had to sign for her, so I was listening for the USPS truck for a couple of hours. I was very happy to finally get that package.

Lucy is here. She’s my scrappy, feisty girl. She’s named after her creator, who is called Lusy.

This is what she was wearing when she arrived.

I love the ruddy tones in her complexion; very different than my other girls. She was customized by (at) Lusisiz on Instagram, a woman who lives with her family in Kiev, Ukraine. They have never left the city during the war, and I pray they can remain there safely.

Lucy embodies the fighting spirit of Ukraine. In fact, one of the packages I received this week was from another customizer in Ukraine, who designed these t-shirts to raise money for the war effort. Needless to say, my second photo of Lucy was always going to be in the t-shirt.

She’s so darned cute!

But here’s what went wrong: I received the package, came inside and opened it, and the doll was in two pieces!

Photo proof:

I was in shock. Lucy has what is called a neck modification – a lot of customized Blythes do, as the unmodified Blythe always looks down. (Sophie and Maeve haven’t been modified and it’s a pain in the tush to photograph them.) I quickly messaged the seller and showed her the photo. She was in shock, she couldn’t figure out why that happened and showed me the photo of Lucy in one piece in the box, ready to be mailed. I tried to put her back together by watching various videos, but the ball joint wasn’t fully enclosed inside the head and I couldn’t get it right. I was so frustrated!

She offered to send a video of showing how to put the doll back together – it’s a bit complicated. Since it was 10 pm in Ukraine and they are subject to a curfew with lights out and curtains closed, it was too dark to send me a video so we decided to wait until today. But about an hour later, I decided to try once more, and I did it! It was not easy, but in the course of all of this, I realize that I now know how to open up a Blythe doll and install a neck joint. There’s a bit more to it than what I had to do yesterday but I think I can do it. Heads up, Sophie and Maeve, your time is coming.

I immediately texted the seller and told her not to bother with the video. She peppered me with questions: show me photos so I can be sure the head moves back and forth, up and down, and to the side. So I did.

Now, I know what to do!

That being said, there’s no way, if the head has been screwed shut, which it was, that the ball joint can come out of the head. No way. So I’m wondering if customs somewhere opened up the doll to check for contraband of some kind. Then, not being able to put it back together correctly, they just closed the head and left the body separate. It’s a bit chilling, frankly.

Okay. I was waylaid by a call from my sister, so I have to get this published.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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