Mockingbird Hill Cottage

An almost-Fall foggy morning,

Let’s see, what’s up for the week ahead?

Mowing. I mowed the corral area yesterday and tomorrow Don and I are going to mow the front lawn. When we finish that, all of the grassy areas of the property will have been mowed. It’s been quite dry here lately and the rivers are really low. Wednesday and Thursday should bring some rain, which is why our mowing deadline is tomorrow.

I have to package up an Etsy sale and send it out today or tomorrow.

A library walk today, I think.

I have to research a dialect and prep for a private coaching job I have coming up at the end of the week. Other coaching opportunities seem to be drying up. I had a realization about a month ago that my career – in terms of coaching productions – has come to a close. It was a feeling in my gut. I sat here in my chair and cried. I’m not ready for it to be over and we certainly need the money, and I’ll be happy to be proven wrong – but all I can say is that I had a ‘knowing.’

I can’t believe that the first day of Fall is on Sunday. How can that be? All that time spent dreaming of spring and the emergence of green things and flowers, then the beauty of summer – it went by in a flash! Leaves are falling all over the property, especially the Black Walnut leaves that are always the first to turn yellow and fall to the ground. The maples are turning gold, the virginia creeper is turning red.

Don and I constantly remind each other to stay ‘present.’ Especially with each other. Time seems to speed up when you’re older. I think I read of a study that said it actually does speed up, but that was long ago and I can’t remember the details. Anyway, the seasons and years seem to fly by these days.

I’m really enjoying the newest Kate Atkinson mystery. I read everything she writes from short stories to novels to the Jackson Brodie series. She has a wonderful dry wit. This newest Jackson Brodie does not disappoint.

Okay, my friends. Have a good week ahead.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Maeve and I are wishing we were in Paris, my favorite city in the world. Paris is also the venue for a spectacular Blythe event and show – Play and Party Paris. I’ve been looking at everyone’s photos and videos from the event – which will go on until 5 pm, Paris time. The venue itself is stunningly beautiful and there are so many vendors there! There are lots and lots of Blythe creatives in Europe, so a fairly central location like Paris gives them the opportunity to have a booth, whereas they might not be able to travel to the United States.

Wish I was there and had scads of cash on hand! Anyway, I will live vicariously through my fellow Blythe lovers and try not to sob.

Speaking of beautiful, we have another gorgeous day here in the Hudson Valley. It’s sunny and I’m starting to see that golden light that comes in the Fall, even though we have a week until it’s officially Fall. We’re both fairly groggy this morning and are having a hard time waking up.

This morning, I made a list of the books I’ve read this year – so far. Just seemed like the thing to do. My friend Pat, from back home in Dearborn, was a voracious reader. He kept a small notebook and recorded every book he wrote along with some notes about each book. I often wonder what the final count was. Pat died last year; his devotion to literature was inspiring and I loved chatting about books with him.

Anyway, the number so far is about 34 or 35. In my days as a book reviewer, I had to read a lot of books and read them quickly, which eventually led to burnout. Going forward, I vowed to read at a more leisurely pace. And I do exactly that these days. Just started Kate Atkinson’s newest Jackson Brody mystery (it’s been a while since she wrote one) Death at the Sign of the Rook. It was just published and, as luck would have it, there was a very short queue at the library.

We might mow today. We’ll surely take a walk at the library.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Heavens, the limelights are gorgeous this year! More pink than we’ve seen in recent years. I love this timing – as the gardens fade and leaves begin to fall, the limelights turn a stunning pink. They take center stage; deservedly so.

Yesterday was the first day since we got our vaccinations on Monday that we felt normal again. It took four days for the swelling to go down and the achey feeling to disappear. To celebrate, we walked at the library (we finally figured out that the distance is a little over a mile.) Then, when we came back home, I decided I needed to mow and I mowed the back forty.

In retrospect, maybe a bit too much. I was tuckered out.

A Don story for you:

He went to our local supermarket on Wednesday. When he arrived back home, I had just finished getting showered and dressed. I came downstairs and he said “I hope you’ll have a sense of humor about this.”

Uh oh.

He proceeded to tell me about his adventure. The supermarket has recently finished extensive renovations, except for the bathrooms. There is a porta potty outside the entrance for shoppers who might have to go. Don almost always has to use the facilities wherever we are. It’s been an eye roll for me since we met. Sure enough, he used the porta potty, He placed his phone in the pocket of his shirt, so as not to have it fall out of the back pocket of his jeans. He did his thing and then decided to pick up some unused toilet paper that had fallen to the floor to leave things relatively neat for the next person to use the facilities.

He heard a plop.

His phone had fallen into the potty, at least four feet down.

Obviously, it was unretrievable.

My sense of humor wasn’t working very well, as all I could see was a bigger phone bill, when the cost of electricity and car insurance and food has already gone up.

I managed to find a cheaper phone on the Verizon site that would work just fine for him and he was able to pick it up at our local Verizon store.

But did I want to gently wring his neck? Yes.

Never a dull moment around here.

I couldn’t stay mad long, though, because a few years back I was in Barnes & Noble and my phone plopped in the toilet. It fell out of the back pocket of my jeans. I retrieved it immediately and there was no damage. (I sprayed hand sanitizer on the phone and on me and wiped all surfaces down – even though the water was clear and I hadn’t yet used the toilet.) I called Don from the parking lot to tell him of my close call. So, in all honesty, I know how easily that can happen.

All is well now.

A thought: one of the most maddening things about Etsy is when you’re trying to sell something and you see that several people have that item in their ‘cart’ but never buy it. I have that right now with two vases. Sigh.

Okay. The tale of the porta potty has reached its conclusion.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.