Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Crazy Weather & Books

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Strange how taking the picture from this angle – in the hall upstairs – makes everything look slightly distorted. Certainly in terms of size – the needlepoint looks very tiny and it isn’t – but also in alignment. Eventually, I want to add some things to this wall.

It’s sunny out there, but colder. We have two nights coming up where the temperatures will fall below freezing. Enough, already! For heaven’s sake it’s almost May 1st! I feel very behind on everything. I haven’t purchased any plants yet because I have nowhere to store them while I wait for the weather to settle down. I had planned to go outside today and do some work, but it’s turned windy. With so much pollen out there, that’s a no go. It seems as if it’s always  windy around here. Much more than it used to be.

I’ll just have to dip into my reserves of patience. But it isn’t easy for yours truly.

I reserved some books from the library – two of them came in late in the day yesterday.

I’ve already started The Dark Hours. It came out last fall when I was working in the city, and I never got around to buying it. I love Michael Connelly; I’ve read every book that he’s written. I’ve also read all of Anthony Horowitz’ mysteries, save for his newest, which you see here. I have two more books on order; Elizabeth George’s newest, as well as Susan Hill’s newest. I suspect they will arrive at my local library today.

I’m trying to save money and get what I can from the library, especially as I have lots of books sitting in my TBR pile already, not to mention, limited space! All four books are by favorite authors, so I’m really looking forward jumping in.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Reading and Not Reading

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We have a rainy day on tap for today. The Carolina wren was hanging out on the porch a lot yesterday, singing away. I saw him in front of the house at one point, but I don’t think he ever went in. So I have no idea if they’re just hanging out here or planning on nesting. I checked the blog posts that I wrote at this time last year and they didn’t start nesting until the end of April.

Fingers crossed

No sign of the bear today. Boy, was he magnificent!

Daydreaming Imogen. Doesn’t she have gorgeous lashes and eyelids?

For the second time in a week, I made the decision to stop reading a book. I do this very rarely, but in both cases, I had no choice. The first book just didn’t click with me and I knew it within about 20 pages. The second was a mystery about a book forger which had very good reviews. It was not well written – it was clunky, overwritten, with similes and metaphors that were labored. Frankly, it needed a strong editor.

This morning, I got up and was determined to read it first thing, when I’m most receptive to words on a page. I still found myself rolling my eyes repeatedly, putting it down, trying again, and then…even though I was 100 pages in, I couldn’t take it anymore.

Fini.

A lot of people have told me I should write a book. Let me tell you, writing well is much harder than most people realize. When you read something by Louise Penny, say, or Amor Towles or Pat Conroy (just pulling some names out of the hat) you are carried along by the words on the page, guided through the story by the author – effortlessly. But that does not come easily. Not at all. I so appreciate a good fiction writer, and I fully acknowledge that I do not have that skillset. I also appreciate the work of a good editor. Every author needs the eye of an editor and all of the good ones freely acknowledge that.

I’m not sure what I’ll start next. At the moment, I’m reading Otto Penzler’s short book about his rare book collection. Otto is the owner of The Mysterious Bookshop in NYC. He is lifelong collector of rare books, specializing in detective fiction and mysteries. His collection was so vast that he had to build a house to contain it. In 2018, he auctioned off much of the collection. A friend suggested that he highlight his favorite acquisitions and tell the stories behind those books. The book is Mysterious Obsession; Memoirs of a Compulsive Collector. I’d wanted it for quite a while and I finally purchased it when I was living in Brooklyn last autumn.

I’ve also reserved a few books from our local network of libraries and I’m sort of stalling today as I wait to see if one of them comes in.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

 

Gulp

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This morning: I woke up before Don, came downstairs, drank some water, started the coffee, and slowly opened up all the blinds in the den and the living room. Then I decided to open the cloth blind in the kitchen – something I don’t usually do that early in the morning.

There was a huge black bear walking in the corral. I gasped. Huge. I thought he/she might be headed for the trash can but, no, he was walking toward the parking area. I ran for my phone to take a picture. By the time I got back, he had passed Don’s car and was walking toward the lilac side of the lawn where he disappeared. I’m sure he headed into the woods.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Talk about being jolted awake!

And last night, after thinking the wrens weren’t nesting in the birdhouse, I heard them singing on the porch. I paused the program we were watching and looked out at the birdhouse and I saw two wrens – one in front of the house and one that flew behind it. This morning, I heard one of them again. He was on the porch and briefly flew up to the perch in front of the house. He didn’t go in.

So. Are they here nesting or are they just hanging out? I’m still not sure.

I dressed a few of the girls yesterday.

Pip. I like her in red.

Maeve, Pip, and Imogen.

All of the girls have been dressed in a fresh outfit. They’re ready for Spring.

Except for Wren. I’ll take care of that today.

You know, a lot of Blythe owners/collectors routinely sell one of their dolls in order to buy another one or to pay some bills. I get it; I’ve briefly considered selling one or two of these girls. But then, I pick up the doll in question and look at that beautiful face and I can’t do it. I’ve bonded with them. I’d be abandoning them.

Just now, Don brought me some coffee and as he left the room, he said “Hello, girls!”

Don has to go to the eye doctor this morning. I have to run to the store.

We’re still resting our muscles and will probably take it easy today. Well, Don has  to. He can’t do any heavy physical activity after getting the shot.

Has anyone seen the May issue of Country Living? I haven’t seen it on the stands yet. I’m curious to see how they styled my two egg cups.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

 

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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