Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Day Three Hundred Forty-Eight

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A little corner in the cottage – this is in the den. On the shelves: books, of course, a vintage lint brush, Scout’s paw print, and a little gem from Vintage by Crystal. Some egg cups are on their own set of shelves – most of these won’t fit in the cubbies, they’re either too tall or too wide. And a little duck family I found in a shop long ago.

It’s supposed to reach 47 degrees today. The melt will begin. I have no idea how long it will take to melt the 30 inches of snow we have on the ground, of course, but I’m ready for it to go.

We watched Supernova  last night. It’s a new movie starring Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci, about a couple dealing with Alzheimer’s. We rented it on Amazon Prime. Simply beautiful. Firth and Tucci are, as always, excellent. I don’t want to give away the plot, but Don and I spent a good deal of time talking about it afterward. It is very, very powerful.

We’ve seen Nomadland, The Dig, and Supernova in the past week – all of them excellent.

A book delivery yesterday – I’ve been wanting to read Underland  for over a year. I just heard about London Fog  (nonfiction) and it’s time to start reading some vintage British mysteries in the form of Edmund Crispin. Come to think of it, I think I read one of his books long, long ago, but I don’t remember it. My TBR pile is getting taller.

Other than that, we’re tired of isolating, tired of not being able to eat at a diner, tired of not being able to go to a bookstore in person, or to wander through an antique shop. Zoom and FaceTime are invaluable, but it’s not the same as seeing someone in person, is it? I’d like to be able to smile at people I see in a store or on a street without the smile being hidden by a mask. We’re in a temporary funk and we’ll come out of it. But this winter has been long and the pandemic has been even longer.

Ah well. I’m resting my back today, so I’ll be reading. But it’s sure hard for me to stay out of trouble. I like to do things and a surprising number of those things involve my back. So I have promised Don I will be a good girl today.

I just heard that my dear colleague, the stage manager of Anastasia, lost her husband to COVID yesterday. I can’t imagine her pain. I’ve worked with her on two Broadway shows and she is the most wonderful person. My heart breaks for her. And for her daughter.

Update: We have appointments on April 9th! It’s about an hour and a half away from us, but they’re back to back appointments and it’s worth it. We’ll call it Vaccine Day!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Day Three Hundred Forty-Seven

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A different view. This was taken just inside the kitchen. The pantry is on my left and next to that, the kitchen door. As is, of course – Don’s laptop and headphones on the coffee table. I don’t usually highlight the clock that I bought 10 or 11 years ago, but I do love it. It’s mounted on the side of the pantry and the antique marionette plates that we bought in Paris are right below it.

Of course, I bought it because of the style and that Jadeite green color. It’s two-sided, so you can see the time from the living room and the kitchen.

Did some work on the puzzle yesterday but my lower back has been bothersome of late and leaning over the table aggravates it, so today I’m going to take it easy. I finished Mrs. Tim Carries On  this morning. I’m definitely going to read more by D. E. Stevenson. For those of you who love British books and books in general, I thought I’d mention an account I follow on Instagram that I’m sure you’d like. Her name is Miranda Mills and she frequently writes about books and reading. She also records a lot of videos, which I love. Her mother joins in on some of them, talking about books and baking. Until last year they lived in London, but they moved to Yorkshire, so you get to see a lot of the Yorkshire countryside, as well. She has two accounts: Miranda’s Bookcase, and Miranda’s Notebook. I was just watching her most recent vlog this morning, this one centering on humorous books. She is the person who turned me on to the Mrs. Tim books and many others.

And we watched The Dig  last night. We’re a little late coming to it. I have heard nothing but raves about this movie, as has Don, so we carved out some time to watch it. Simply stunning. Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan are superb, as is the rest of the cast. We’re going to watch it again in a few days. As far as I’m concerned Ralph Fiennes can do no wrong. He is a superb actor – one of my favorites. If you haven’t seen it, it’s on Netflix.

Don is out shoveling. We got about 2 inches of heavy, wet snow, so for now, it looks like a winter wonderland with snow on all the branches. That will change as the day goes on and the temps reach 39.

I can appreciate it, and I do, but I’m pretty much over winter. I have to force myself to acknowledge its charms.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Day Three Hundred Forty-Six

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Yesterday morning we had a nice long chat with this boy:

Oh, talking to Little Z is good for our souls! He is maturing and changing and so smart. He always teaches us something. He’s into Teslas and electric cars and we got to introduce the word ‘hybrid’ to him. Meredith added an office chair to her workspace that spins and Z has advised us that we should invest in a spinning chair – we’d really enjoy it. (I have one, but somehow it doesn’t seem as fun as the one he’s using. )

He’s so beautiful, my nephew.

Then I got to chat with my beloved sister. I haven’t seen her in person in three years or almost three years (time seems somewhat foggy to me these days.) She came to see Escape to Margaritaville  in NYC right before it closed. We miss hugging each other.

Anyway, that conversation, along with a wonderful conversation about spirituality that I had with my husband earlier in the morning, made for a great day. Today? Wet snow. Yuck. “But only 1-3 inches!” she said, looking out the window at the over 30 inches already on the ground.

I also worked on the puzzle.

I’m working from the bottom up, for some reason. Usually, I fill in the letters for The New Yorker  first.

We’re still trying to get an appointment for the vaccine. Get this: if we want to get it through our county, we’ll have to wait until JULY. Are you kidding me? I know there’s a shortage of vaccines but really, New York, you haven’t done a good job on this roll out. We’re very frustrated.

It’s another week in lockdown with snow. Then rain. I long for Spring. But puzzles and chores and books await and thank goodness for them!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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