Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Day Three Hundred Forty-Four

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I’ve named this “Sun on Endless Snow.”

We’re getting a bit more on Monday and then the warm-up should begin. I hear a bird singing right now. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but hearing a bird sing in the dead of winter is always a comfort to me – a sign of hope. I always stop and listen and thank Mother Nature.

Don has decided that we should frame the puzzle I finished yesterday – The Piano Lesson. I think he’s right. So I carefully moved it off the table and onto a piece of foam board. At some point in the future, we’ll use puzzle glue and frame it.

I started the new puzzle, but I sort of ran out of steam, so I didn’t do much. I’ve been working so intensely on them that I needed a break. This morning, I read a big chunk of Mrs. Tim Carries On, and it felt good. It’s such a lovely book and it describes wartime England beautifully. Anyway, more reading is on the docket for today, plus a little laundry and cleaning. It’s not supposed to stay sunny all day long, but the sun is shining brightly at the moment and that sure helps.

Don and Dan have released a new song, “Lust in the Dust.” It hearkens back to Marty Robbins and Old Westerns and I love it. (I contributed some background vocals.) Here’s the link.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Day Three Hundred Forty-Three

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It snowed most of the day and night and it was snowing when we got up this morning. But surprisingly, I think we got about 3 inches at most. Don is out there shoveling right now, so I’ll have a better idea when he comes back in. We’re supposed to have more snow on Monday, but after that, temperatures will be in the forties with some rain and a lot of snow melt.

It ended up being a lovely cozy-day-inside with Don recording a song and lots of puzzle work from yours truly. I know how lucky we are. We have power and heat and shelter and food. My heart breaks for the citizens of Texas who are suffering during this crisis. It didn’t have to be so devastating.

And Ted Cruz continues to be an ass. Not only is he an inciter of insurrection, but he’s also a guy who takes off with his family for Cancun in the middle of this crisis, leaving his dog behind in his ‘freezing’ house. And then he lies about it and blames it on his kids. I vowed not to write about politics for a while, but this isn’t politics. This is dereliction of duty, plain and simple.

On to something else:

Almost done. This puzzle, The Piano Lesson, is one of my all-time favorites. I took piano lessons for eight years and I well remember sitting in my teacher’s living room waiting for my turn. I also remember several of us crammed into that same room for our recitals.

It’s perfect. She obviously lives in NYC, perhaps in a brownstone. She has a loft upstairs where she sleeps. Lots of bookcases, a birdcage, cactus plants on top of a radiator cover, framed photos of musicians, tchotchkes, including miniature pianos, a statue of a composer (perhaps Beethoven?), a miniature Eiffel Tower. A poster of a Glenn Gould concert. One child is playing the piano. Three are waiting; two with arms crossed, one studying her music. There are mugs and hot chocolate(?) and some sort of cake waiting on the table. A comfy sofa, flowers everywhere, an umbrella stand near the entrance.

I loved working on this one because there was so much detail –  little objects and hidden gems that were unveiled over time. Speaking of flowers everywhere, that unworked area is filled by a hanging ivy plant.

I’ll miss this one.

Next up:

From 1964, Art Shop.

And I’m going to order more.

Don is still shoveling, but it’s obviously easy to clear because he’s not using the snowblower. Good!

Stay safe.

Happy Friday (which I keep thinking is Saturday.)

Day Three Hundred Forty-Two

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Thank you for all of the wonderful comments on my anniversary post! They mean so much to me. Let’s face it, everyone wants to feel appreciated, and reading your words made my day.

Thank you. Thank you for being here, for interacting with me and fellow blog readers, for making me laugh and cry, for keeping me honest.

On to another year!

Yesterday’s progress.

I really love The New Yorker  cover puzzles. I received another one in yesterday’s mail. The artwork is always compelling and I learn a lot about the artist’s style while working the puzzle. I worked on it a lot in the afternoon, right after we filled nylon stockings with salt, tied them off and put them on top of the ice-filled gutters, which was a challenge. Finding nylons was also a challenge, since I rarely wear them and did a thorough reorganization and purging of my dresser not too long ago. I found some old tights, which I cut up and used, but we needed more of these ‘snakes’ so I went back to the bedroom and found some way back in a drawer. Excellent. I did this before, several years ago, and it worked. I had completely forgot about this solution until a reader’s helpful comment reminded me of it.

Today? Snow. In fact, it’s snowing outside right now. Don just ran up to the store for a few things because after this morning, it will be snowing heavily through tomorrow. My guess is another 6 inches. Next week, we have a warm-up coming. And rain.

I’ve had my fill of winter, thank you very much.

Still reading Mrs. Tim Carries On – I’ve been concentrating so much on the puzzles that I haven’t read as much as I normally do. Nor have I done any more work on the dollhouse. (I will, I’m just not real inspired at the moment.) Let’s face it, jigsaw puzzles are my thing at the moment. Once Spring arrives, all of that will change as I head outdoors again. But for now, with the endless lockdown, they really save my sanity.

Still staying away from the news. That is also saving my sanity.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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