Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Well.

That was a knockout punch! Several of them, in fact. A masterclass on how to bring down a liar and a bully.

We briefly considered not watching last night, but in the end, we did, and I’m so glad.

Brilliant!

And thanks, Taylor, for the perfect timing of your endorsement.

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We got our shots on Monday and both of us have had a reaction to them. I’m not sure to which one, but we felt achey and slightly fluey (I know that’s not a word.) My arm is still sore and today is the first day that I feel somewhat normal again. I don’t usually get reactions, so I was surprised.

Luckily, we didn’t have to be anywhere, so we simply hung out and took it easy.

My husband is currently outside because I saw the body of an animal in the street in front of our house (either a groundhog or a raccoon) and he doesn’t want to see it get hit repeatedly by cars. He’s going to bury it on our property. He said ‘it deserves a proper burial.” In the years that I’ve known him, he has evolved into a lover of all animals and birds and bees and spiders and bugs. His heart is a mile wide.

I bought an Amazon Firestick because it’s obvious that Sony isn’t going to do anything about their not-so-smart TVs. The Firestick was on sale, so I got a good deal. I’ve already installed it and we’re back up and running.

And…most of the ink came out of the chair!

I might mow a bit today. We’ll see how my arm feels.

And last but certainly not least, we remember 9/11. We had moved east only a few months earlier and we lived very close to the Hudson River, the path the hijackers followed as they flew south to the World Trade Center. Later that morning, when all flights had been halted, I was outside with the dogs and heard fighter jets high overhead, headed to Manhattan. I will never forget that day.

We watched a segment on 60 Minutes this past Sunday about the firefighters who were on duty that day. It was heartbreaking.

We must and will never forget.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

 

 

Monday: Both of us woke up too early. And we’re headed to Walgreen’s this morning to get our Covid vaccine and a flu shot. If I get my usual very mild reaction, I’ll fall asleep this afternoon – which, to be honest, I do nearly every day. But the reaction nap is always a bit deeper.

Let’s see, what’s new? Our washer is leaking again, our smart tv suddenly stopped supporting our apps (Amazon Prime Video and Netflix) and fountain pen ink leaked onto my chair. That’s how the day went yesterday.

The leaking from the washer isn’t too bad, so we’re holding off a bit on calling the repair company. But, of course, it’s troublesome. The smart tv thing is maddening. I’ve been following a thread on Reddit about it and it increasingly sounds like our older Sony Bravias are no longer supporting the apps. Ours is at least nine years old. Really? It was fine on Friday. Saturday? The apps were gone. Sony wants us to spend money on a new smart television.

Hey, Sony? I’m not buying a new television, this one works perfectly fine, but you can be sure that the next tv we buy will NOT be from Sony.

Just ordered an Amazon Firestick.

And I accidentally dripped fountain pen ink on my chair and spent about two hours with Q-tips and rubbing alcohol, doing my best to get the stains out. Luckily, the chair fabric is in a busy print so it’s less obvious. And I did manage to get much of it – but not all – out of the fabric.

When it rains, it pours.

My friend Tania does this thing on the Blythe feed called FlatLaySunday. A flat lay is some sort of arrangement based on a theme where the subject matter is laying flat on some sort of surface. You take the photo from above. I don’t usually take part, though I have a couple of times. Frankly, I’m too lazy to put much time into it. Unless an easy and quick idea comes to me that I can accomplish in less than five minutes, I don’t do it. Yesterday, I had one of those easy and quick ideas.

The theme was Hello, Autumn.

Miranda on our bed spread, which has been tucked away for the summer, with three oak leaves from one of our trees that I saved and put into a McCoy bowl. It’s been surprisingly popular, probably because of the beauty of Miranda. I’m not one to cram the flat lay with all sorts of stuff. I like it simple.

Okay. Have to make more coffee before we trudge off to get jabbed.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

We’re due for some rain this afternoon, maybe a little thunder. That’s okay with me, as we plan to take it easy this weekend and a rainy day sounds rather lovely. Oh, it just started to rain!

Last night, we attended the last concert in the series that Don coordinates. It was a lovely night and I got to see several of Don’s musician friends again. Sometimes it takes place in a park, but last night it was in a barn – Don’s favorite venue. I can see why. It’s very old, the inside is covered in a warm, natural wood. There’s a little area for a stage and two chandeliers hanging down from one of the beams. It’s an intimate space and the two barn doors – one on either side of the room were open, letting in the night air. Simply magical.

The first act was a group that Don discovered on one of his many searches for local musicians. They’re called Hammerhead Horns, and they play New Orleans style blues. They’re terrific. They have a lot of personality and a lead singer. Utterly charming.

The second was our friend Michele, who brought along some fellow musicians. One of them, John, played in the band for Escape to Margaritaville  and performed earlier this season with his own band in this same summer series.  Michele said it was the first time they had performed together in public and boy oh boy, were they great! It’s good to know that Michele is writing music again after the untimely death of her husband, Rick. Rick was an extraordinary person – he had a long career in big business, was a musician, and an incredible painter. He specialized in the glorious scenery of the Hudson Valley and his attention to detail was exquisite. He also had a recording studio and it is there that Don and his friend Dan recorded their CD. We miss him. So, it was a emotional and beautiful night. Michele is so talented.

Since I haven’t posted a photo of one of the girls in a while:

Here’s Pru.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.