Mockingbird Hill Cottage

It has begun. But just barely. The campaign to preserve my sanity and peace of mind is still ongoing. This little puzzle is part of it. The World of Miss Marple has not revealed itself yet, as it’s early in the process, but today should bring some more answers. The colors are a far too muted for my taste, but it is what it is.  I like these puzzles.

Don is almost better. He’s just dealing with residual nose blowing, etc. He certainly has more energy now, and that’s a good sign. We had some snow Sunday evening. I’d say we have an inch and a half on the ground. Pretty, but not too much. The landscape had been looking bleak and the snow will take care of that. Though, it’s cloudy today. We’re not seeing the blue skies and sun that often occur after a snowfall.

It’s taking me forever to finish books lately, and that has nothing to do with the quality of the book. It’s just me. I read every day but I don’t seem to be able to sit down and read a good chunk during the day. I read before I go to sleep, but that’s for about 10 minutes. I may try to force myself to sit down and READ this afternoon. The book I’m reading currently is excellent – The Cold Cold Ground. It’s by Adrian McKinty, and it’s a police procedural that occurs outside of Belfast during “The Troubles.” It’s the first book in a trilogy and it’s so good that I’ve already put the second book on hold at my local library. Nevertheless, I am inching my way through it. I just have to accept it, I guess. I think I’m easily distracted these days.

We watched Mr. Holland’s Opus  last night, which I hadn’t seen since it first came out 30 years ago. What a wonderful, uplifting movie! I cried at the end, as I did the first time I saw it. Richard Dreyfuss is excellent, of course. And so is the rest of the cast. If you, for some reason, haven’t ever seen it, you should. It speaks to role of teachers and the profound impact they can have on a student’s life. I’m not bragging, but I still hear from students that I had over 30 years ago about something I said or did that had a positive impact on them. It’s often something I had no idea about at the time. But we can and do make a difference. Gosh, I’m going to start crying again.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

I finished this beauty yesterday.

The World of Oscar Wilde.

I really love puzzles with lots of buildings and people because they’re more detailed and complicated. And the more complicated, the better. These puzzles come with a key to all the figures, sites, and references. I’ll read that later this morning.

So I ordered another one – The World of Miss Marple – by the same manufacturer. It should arrive sometime today. My sanity? Worth the expense.

Oh, February. You’ve never been my favorite month, but I’m sure happy we’re done with January. That brings us that much closer to spring. I suspect we’ll be due for more chaotic weather.

I had a nice conversation with Jan yesterday. Her voice sounds much stronger now that she’s in a more hospitable environment. The hospice staff is encouraging her sit in a chair all day as well as gently prodding her to leave the room to take meals with other residents. She can’t do that on her own, she needs assistance, but she’s definitely sounding stronger. Joe was there for part of the call, so the three of us were chatting and sharing stories from our past. There was a great deal of laughter.

Kudos to dear Joe: he furnished and decorated that studio apartment, hung her favorite paintings, did everything he could to make it feel like home. He is a treasure.

That’s all I can say for now. It leaves me feeling very sad, and very aware of the fact that Don and I are in our 70s.

And that life is precious.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

I’m back at it this morning after dealing with the car on Wednesday. Let’s see…they had to replace the rear brake pads and rotor, plug a slow leak in the right rear tire, replace the battery, and do an oil change. $730. Yikes. The work on the rear brake and the rotor was by far the most expensive part of the job, but it all had to be done. We need to have at least one vehicle that is dependable and safe to drive.

But it was stressful, as are most things that I used to consider fairly routine. I don’t handle stress and worry like I used to. I wish I did, but both Don and I have noticed this about ourselves. Things that we used to be able to handle easily aren’t so easy anymore.

Anyway, I’m glad it’s fixed. I have to come up with $730 to replace that amount of money in our savings account and I’m not getting any work, so I’ll have to put on my thinking cap. Remember that my car was my Dad’s car and it is a 2012 Honda Accord. It only has 40,000 miles on it. Dad didn’t drive much and when he did it was in his neighborhood. I don’t drive all that much, either. So it’s like a much a newer car.

Anyway, I ended up taking it to a local facility just down the road rather than the dealership. The brake was making too much noise and it was worrisome so I didn’t want to drive too far, plus the dealership is usually more expensive.

We finished watching all 3 seasons of Ted Lasso  on Apple+. I had sort of a love/hate relationship with it for a while, but it really grew on me. I think the final season was the best. It was such a wonderfully uplifting series. We are still mourning the fact that it’s over.

It’s a gray day today with freezing rain and maybe some snow flurries. Most of the snow has melted so the landscape looks bleak rather than white and pretty. January has been a pain in the tush, so I’ll be glad to see it go.

The puzzle is coming along nicely. For me, it’s the best form of meditation: calm, calm, calm. I can shut the world out, and let’s face it, so many of us need to do that right now. It’s just too painful.

Don has been sick all week long, but he began to feel a bit better yesterday. I suspect he’s on the mend and shall soon be fine.

My friend Jan has moved into hospice care within the complex in which she was living. She has a studio apartment and Joe has furnished it with some of her favorite pieces from her former apartment. He said she was in better spirits now that she was out of rehab. I’m going to try and reach her today.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.