Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Pardon me while I wipe my eyes. I have been crying with joy over yesterday’s election results. I feel hope for the first time in a long time.

We voted in our local election and the results were equally gratifying. After that, we went to a grocery store where I purchased non-perishables for our local food bank and dropped them off at the library collection point.

And then – later in the day – a wee little doll arrived. But I’ll share her with you on Friday.

In the meantime, I grabbed the camera the other day when I noticed bluebirds in the bird bath. They were stopping for a drink on their way south.

I love bluebirds. We don’t really see them around here except for early spring, when they are migrating north, and now, in the fall, when they are migrating south. They’re so beautiful.

Thanks for all your feedback on ads. My ad provider has changed things so I won’t get so many pharmaceutical ads. And the reason I often get 3 of the same kind of ad when I’m on the blog is the ad provider can tell I am the owner/writer of the blog because of the frequency of my visits, so they hold off on showing a variety of ads because I’m not a reader of the blog. That makes sense.

We have had a lot of wind lately and now we’re getting a heavy wind warning from late this afternoon until tomorrow morning. Enough already. I’m praying for the safety of everyone, for trees not to fall, for the power to stay on. Please send positive thoughts.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

This little corner makes me smile. I think it’s so important to have a little corner, whether it’s a comfy chair, a desk, or a spot in the basement, where you can create. During the years in which I crocheted and knitted, I used to have a basket filled with yarn next to my chair here in the den. That was my space. When I quilted, I had the sewing machine table tucked under the skylight in the upstairs hall. I still use the kitchen table for projects, as well as for jigsaw puzzles.

And, of course, we all need a place where we can read a good book.

For many years – many – I had absolutely no extra space for that kind of thing. I was living in rentals and micro-sized studio apartments. I always came up with some sort of solution. Back in San Diego in our rental house, my friend hinged a door to a wall. It was in a horizontal position. I could lift it and lock it in place and that’s where my sewing machine and quilting took place. When we moved here, I eventually made a studio out of the hallway upstairs. (It was even in a magazine.) When we finally realized that our second bedroom, with a queen-sized bed, was never used and we were wasting valuable space, everything changed. We sold the bed and I asked Don to help me carve out two spaces in that room – one for him, one for me.

It works for us. We’re seldom up there at the same time and Don most often plays and composes down here in the living room. But he waits until I finish writing the blog, ’cause he’s a good guy.

Do you have a space in which to create? I’d love to know about it.

Also, another question: I’m having some trouble with the content of my ads right now and I’m trying to sort it out. Can you tell me what ads you see on the blog? (Everyone who comes to the blog sees something different depending on their browsing history.) I’m currently seeing ads from pharmaceutical companies for breast cancer treatment. Personally, I have a real problem with the amount of ads I see online and on the television from pharmaceutical companies. I don’t like ads for drugs/medical treatments on the blog.

Thank you in advance.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Thursday and Friday were intense days weather-wise. It rained Wednesday night and all day Thursday. We’ve had very little rain, as you know. Friday brought a wind event with relentless high winds all day long and into the night. We had no internet for several hours on Friday.

All of that rain and wind unfortunately caused a terrible accident in our community. It occurred on the main road (a county road) that goes through our town. We drive it all the time, in fact, Don was driving on that road yesterday morning. A local couple was driving east and a tree fell on the cab of their truck. The man, aged 79, was severely injured. The woman, aged 77, was killed. It is so awful and sad. A few seconds more or less and they would have made it through that section of road.

Don had been driving there about 30 minutes earlier.

My heart breaks for that family.

This morning, after winds all night long, we woke up to see a truck on our next door neighbor’s property, apparently repairing their electric line. Lights were flashing in the dark. There was another truck on the road, repairing the lines on the pole. And we had no internet or cable this morning, but it has since come back on.

I think we’re going to take it easy today. We’re grateful we’re safe.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.