Mockingbird Hill Cottage

The rain on Saturday was the result of a Nor’easter and it truly was a deluge. I had to go down to the culvert to clear trash that had rushed ‘downstream.’ There was bubble wrap, styrofoam, a beer can, a plastic bottle. There I was with my yellow slicker on, pulling things out of the water. I eventually put all the crap into a trash bag. I also cleared some reeds that were clogging my neighbors’ pipe. Yesterday, I returned and pulled a lot of weeds that were growing there because they were impeding the movement of the water.

As a reward for my efforts, Phileas made an appearance later in the day.

As you know, my peony bushes are old and tired and one of them is now in the shade because of the shag hickory that grew up and out of the middle of the bush. I know I need to move them but truth be told, by the time autumn comes around, I forget about it. Last year, we had no buds. This year? One. And it’s a beauty! I suspect it will open in a few days because it’s going to be very warm on Tuesday through Thursday.

That means we have to install the A/C units tomorrow.

The brambles are in bloom with tiny little white flowers. I can see that the catalpa is getting ready to flower. Like clockwork, this always happens during the first week of June: peonies, catalpa flowers, and brambles turning into wild roses. It doesn’t matter if it’s been abnormally cold, or abnormally warm. It never happens early or late.

We watched Network  last night. I hadn’t watched it in years. The great Paddy Chayefsky wrote it way back in the 70s as a satire on television and television news and coroporate takeovers of the networks. It has all come true. Everything he wrote about has come true. He saw it all and he was right on the money. Stunningly prescient. I can’t stop thinking about it today.

Happy Monday.

Stay safe.

 

 

Another photo of the rose. I’m absolutely sure it’s been pummeled by the deluge we’re receiving. Very heavy rain, wind, flooded culvert and street, sump pump continuously cycling on and off – it’s a crazy morning. In fact, the rain woke me up a bit before 5 am, which was too early for my taste!

This is a Nor’easter. The worst of it should be out of here by around 3 pm. In the meantime, it’s dark outside and the bird that was singing this morning has stopped. Perhaps she’s as tired of all the rain as I am.

We watched Field of Dreams  last night on TCM. It’s one of my favorite movies. Both of us were crying. It’s especially poignant now that James Earl Jones is gone. Everything about it is impeccably done. Pitch perfect. Tonight? Bringing Up Baby.

Green, green everywhere. Much of the green in this picture will transform into coneflowers, but there are hostas and day lilies, as well. The hosta at the top of the photo was here when we moved in. Everything else was planted by me.

Speaking of which, we will celebrate 20 years in this cottage at the end of August. That seems impossible! We moved in on August 31st, 2005. We had no cable and we couldn’t watch television so we had no idea that Hurricane Katrina was ravaging Louisiana. It was such a shock when we finally saw footage. We felt badly that we had no idea what was going on, but on the other hand, there’s something to be said for being off-grid and incommunicado. I could use a whole heck of a lot of that right now.

We mowed the corral and back forty yesterday. Today will be about chores that I put off when I can be outside. And maybe some basic repair work on the dollhouse.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

From a distance, my lovely little rose bloomed. It’s near the chicken wire fence and I didn’t want to step on the ground cover to get closer. This will have to do, until I can use my long distance lens. (I was in my pajamas at the time – no time for the big girl camera.) It’s a lovely rose.

I haven’t been adding anything new to my Etsy shop so there are only a few things available. In fact, I hadn’t had any orders since last summer. But then, in the space of a week, I had two orders which really surprised me. I had to scramble for packing supplies. The reason I bring this up is to discuss Etsy raising their fees, which is impacting all sellers on that platform. I have heard a lot about this from other sellers – Blythe customizers, those that sell miniatures – and all of them have had to either increase their prices to cover the fees or have moved to other platforms. The sale earlier this week caused me to lose money. I made less than the cost of the item, which was $20. I cleared around $16. This is ridiculous. They even charge a fee for ‘shipping’ even though they don’t ship the item. I do all the packing, as well as taking it to the post office. I provide the tracking number. What shipping? This is a stark change from my prior sales. I’m really not replenishing my stock and I don’t have a business that really relies on Etsy, so the impact is minor – but still annoying. Imagine how this impacts sellers that have a large inventory of items. I know that some Blythe customizers will list a doll and say that it will be less expensive if paid directly to them via PayPal, but if the customer prefers Etsy, the price will have to be higher to cover the fees. I raised the prices of my remaining stock, but I just might close the shop temporarily and say I’m on vacation.

Why do corporations have to get greedy? Don’t even bother answering, my friends. It’s a fact of life.

I have ordered a few times from miniatures(dot)com before they close. Prices were slashed and it seemed a good time to invest in a few supplies.

I got a great deal on these doors. I had planned on using them in the Beacon Hill, but the door openings are narrower and not as tall, which makes me want to smack Greenleaf, the company that makes the Beacon Hill. I suppose I could try to enlarge the door openings, but that is a difficult proposition when the house is already assembled.

So, I’ll hang on to them for another project. Sigh. Into the stash they go!

I’m debating whether to mow a bit today. It’s going to rain tomorrow and the corral is looking overgrown.

First, more coffee.

Happy Friday.

Stay safe.