Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Day Three Hundred Fifty-Four

at by

First things first:

Whoo hoo! We booked both appointments this morning at a Walgreen’s that is in the same area just south of us as is our grocery store (the one where we go to pick up groceries.) We have back-to-back appointments TOMORROW for our first dose. Our second will be on March 31st. And if we have a reaction to the second shot, we’ll take care of each other – we’ve done it before. So, by the end of the month, we’ll have been fully vaccinated. Huzzah!

It’s all in the timing. We were waiting to be contacted by the group Heidi put us in touch with. We also received something from the county yesterday saying they were getting more vaccination stock in this week – they would send us a link today. So I’m thinking that a bunch of vaccine was delivered to New York pharmacies as well. The first openings were in the town just north of us, but we couldn’t book both doses. Then Don went to the openings in the town just south of us and started yelling “I’ve booked both doses!” as I frantically tried to catch up to him. I was already muttering that I probably wouldn’t get an appointment when I did. And then it said “Book your second dose.” And I did. If we hadn’t signed on when we did, we would most likely have missed out.

We’ve been euphorically happy for over an hour. Not only did we get an appointment for tomorrow, but it’s a quick drive from our house. It couldn’t have worked out better. Very, very thankful vibrations today at the cottage.

Don cooked a celebratory breakfast.

We’ve had high winds here for almost 24 hours and let me tell you, they were intense. When Don is bothered by them – he normally isn’t – it’s a big deal. It’s still windy, but much less so than a couple of hours ago.

It’s slow going, but slow and steady wins the race, right?

I’m just about to finish The Moving Toyshop.  Then I’ll have figure out what I want to read next.

If you don’t mind, I won’t post tomorrow, as we’ll be on our way to Walgreens. But I’ll be back on Thursday. Don has to cancel his eye appointment for tomorrow but he’ll reschedule for next week.

So remember that I’m not posting tomorrow and don’t worry about me!

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Day Three Hundred Fifty-Three (Book Review)

at by

Today I am reviewing It’s Never Too Late by Kathie Lee Gifford for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Book (from the publisher): When Kathie Lee Gifford stepped down as cohost of the fourth hour of the Today  show with Hoda Kotb, you might have thought her best days were behind her. It turns out, she was just getting started. As Kathie Lee says, “I’m not retiring; I’m refiring!”

In It’s Never Too Late, Kathie Lee draws on stories from her remarkable life to weave together a beautiful reminder that whatever circumstances we face, God is still dreaming big for our years ahead.

Taking us from her Chesapeake Bay childhood when she first heard God’s calling, to her skyrocketing fame with Regis, to her decision to leave television for Nashville, Kathie Lee inspires us to pursue what really matters.

Because it’s never too late to forgive, to dance the cha-cha, to make a difference in the world. God placed His dreams in your heart for a reason. And like Kathie Lee, you might just discover that the best is yet to come.

My review: I decided to read this book and review it because I’ve always liked Kathie Lee Gifford. She is refreshingly honest and funny and down to earth. She’s 67, I’m 68. And I like the concept of dreaming big, no matter what your age. That being said, I am often uncomfortable with anything I perceive as ‘preachy.’ I’ve mentioned this before on the blog. I was raised in organized religion, but that particular domination did not preach, except on Sundays in the pulpit. One’s faith was private, just as one’s politics were (obviously, I’ve changed regarding politics!) So when reading a book like this one, I have to let those old “judges” go and read it with an open mind. And I did.

Kathie Lee’s faith is a constant in her life and she really lives it. I admire her for that. She prays, she reaches out to others, she does a lot of work for charities and for the betterment of her fellow man. The book itself is composed of short chapters in which she speaks of moments and experiences in her life that illustrate the theme of this book. It’s written very much in the way she speaks, so there’s an intimate and upbeat sharing of things she’s learned along the way – always honest, always uplifting.

I enjoyed it very much. There’s a lot of scripture quoting, so if you’re uncomfortable with that, this may not be the book for you. Also woven throughout the book are lyrics to the songs she has written. She is a prolific songwriter and her recent move to Nashville is yet another example of her openness to change and growth.

There’s valuable advice here. It’s far too easy at this age to think it’s all over, that nothing new and exciting can happen. But it can. And I have personally had several pivotal moments in my life where I felt led by God (Divine Power, Supreme Being, Deity, whatever word you are comfortable with) to make a major change which I could never have engineered on my own, when things and people and opportunity came together in a way I never could have imagined.

I was particularly touched by the idea that it’s never too late to forgive. I have wrestled with this in my own life and have found the act of freely forgiving to be incredibly healing. Not only for the person I forgive, but for myself. It isn’t always easy; in fact, it can be incredibly difficult to get to that point, but it’s worth it in the end.

If these are ideas that appeal to you, I think you’ll like this book. It’s an easy and entertaining read and you’ll feel better for having read it.

About the author: Kathie Lee Gifford, four-time Emmy Award winner, is best known for her eleven years cohosting the popular fourth hour of the Today  show alongside Hoda Kotb. Gifford continues to pursue her dreams as an actress, singer, songwriter, playwright, producer, and most recently, director. She has authored numerous books, including her most recent children’s book, Hello, Little Dreamer, and four New York Times  bestselling books, including The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi.

I am giving away one copy of this book. If you’re interested, leave a comment on this post (not via email) and I’ll draw the name of the winner on Saturday.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Day Three Hundred Fifty-Two

at by

Sorry for my absence yesterday! We were getting our grocery list together to order online and then we were trying to get earlier and closer-to-the-house appointments for the vaccine. The vaccine stuff is very frustrating. Even though Walgreen’s shows plenty of appointments available, they only offer the option of First and Second Dose or Second Dose. So, if you click First and Second, if the computer thinks they don’t have an appointment available for a second dose three weeks later, they won’t let you book it. So, you get all excited about appointments and you aren’t eligible for any of them! I don’t know if that’s peculiar to New York state or the policy everywhere.

To make things more complicated, Don somehow got one for Tuesday afternoon about 45 minutes from us, but I didn’t. And then to make things even more complicated, my friend Heidi, who works for a great organization (food pantry, thrift store and community café) in a town north of us, called me yesterday. Her organization was contacted by another group who wanted a list of people 65 and up who might not have been vaccinated yet in order to (perhaps) vaccinate us this week. So we put our names on the list.

Everything is in flux. And in the middle of this, we have to get Don to his retina doctor on Wednesday and the car is getting an oil change and an inspection tomorrow. For two people who sit around most of the time, that’s a lot of activity.

Anyway, it all took up a lot of time yesterday and I just said “I’m going to take the day off from the blog,” as I couldn’t do all of that and post on time. As always, I usually post something quickly on IG letting you know that I’m not posting and that I’m okay. So check there.

Newest puzzle (worked on very gingerly because of my back.):

The cover of the box.

And this is what I have so far:

I tried working it on the kitchen island, instead of at the table. It worked fairly well, but I still did too much and was sore at the end of the day. Today, I will be more disciplined. It’s a challenge, as it’s rainy and damp and I get restless.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

 

 

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives