Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Happy New Year from all of us here at the cottage!

We actually made it to midnight – not on purpose – because we watched a movie which was on the longish side. It was pouring rain so we were spared the sound of fireworks. Today, a wind warning from 3 pm to 10 pm tomorrow. Not a good way to start the new year, in my humble opinion. Who wants to start the new year feeling edgy?

And then it will get quite cold again.

I took advantage of the warmer weather to finish up with my potted plants on the porch, dumping them on the ‘pile’ next to the shed, and then stowing the pots in said shed. We had bluebirds visiting the other day (we’ve sure had a lot of them this year.) I was surprised; they must be migrating at the last minute. Anyway, they flew around the property looking for food, diving into the brush, and I assume, drinking from the birdbath. It was lovely.

We are going to hang out today. We’ve been rather busy the past few days, and of course, Don had a crazy weekend. I’m going to try to finish Orbital  because I have two books to pick up at the library tomorrow.

I spoke with Jan yesterday. She’s in fairly good spirits considering what she’s facing. She is still awaiting test results, so no decisions will be made until she has a sense of the whole picture. In addition to the mass on her pancreas, her kidneys aren’t functioning properly. Joe is keeping me informed. If you’re so inclined, send some prayers her way.

One more bokeh photo:

Oh heck, since the tree is still very healthy, you may get more. We intend to keep it up as long as possible because we need that sparkle.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

We had fog for most of the weekend and Don had to drive in it late at night. He’s pretty exhausted today after performing in three separate gigs and having to do lots of driving. I’m glad he made it home safely.

I received a call from a longtime friend on Saturday, my friend Joe. I just knew it had to do with our friend Jan, who is almost a decade older than me. She was rushed to the hospital on Christmas Eve and tests have shown a mass on her pancreas, as well as other possible complications. Joe and Jan, both adopted kids who have no living relatives, have become each other’s chosen family. The prognosis is pretty dire. Joe was speaking frankly about arrangements being made for Joe to be by her side when the time comes. Needless to say, I was shocked and I’m still trying to wrap my head around this news. I couldn’t quite take in all of the information. Obviously, this sad news took over my thoughts this weekend. Hopefully, I can speak with Joe again in the next few days to learn more –  and to Jan, as well.

Heartbreaking and so very sad.

I forgot to take any bokeh pictures of the Christmas tree until it was getting dark yesterday. But here they are:

The aim is to focus on something in the foreground, in this case, Ling. I set my iPhone on “Portrait” mode. Every one of the photos was slightly different. I can also do this with my big girl camera, but let’s face it, the phone is handier.

I saw Monty’s sad eyes across the room and had to include him.

Trust me, I can experiment with this endlessly. I’ll take a few more in daylight.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

This morning, while Don was sleeping in, I spent some time trying to create a little bokeh with the lights of our tiny little tree in the den. I finally got it. If you don’t already know, you have to have a focal point at a distance from the lights. Focusing on this little tree allowed the tree lights to do their thing.

I will be playing with bokeh and the big tree later today.

Don’s gig was quite far away, so he didn’t get home until after midnight, hence, his sleeping in this morning. He has another gig tonight and, at the last minute, he’s subbing for someone who has Covid tomorrow afternoon. Needless to say, he enjoys it, but all the driving, along with singing for 3 hours is very tiring.

We’re getting freezing rain this morning. It was to start after midnight and I was a bit worried for Don on the drive home, but it didn’t impact his travel at all. Thank goodness!

What else? Not a whole lot. I finished the newest Michael Connelly and returned it to the library. Now, I’m reading Orbital by Samantha Harvey, which won the coveted Booker Prize this year. It’s about 6 astronauts working on the Space Station. So far, it’s quite wonderful. The newest Louise Penny is still on my TBR pile but I don’t feel moved to start it yet. I’ll know when it’s time.

Because of the rain, it’s quite foggy this morning. Actually, there’s more fog than when I first got up. As you know, I quite like it.

For the first time ever, I’m actually putting together a jigsaw puzzle that I already assembled. I’ve been needing something meditative to fill my time. I have donated the vast majority of my finished puzzles to a local senior living facility, but I did hang on to the first Laurence King puzzle I did – The World of Shakespeare. It’s been long enough that it’s almost like doing it for the first time – enough to feel the challenge and that was what I was looking for. Hurrah!

He has two new puzzles that I want to order, budget permitting: The World of Miss Marple and The World of Oscar Wilde. They’ll be perfect for the winter days ahead.

Alright, that’s it for today, my friends.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.