Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Don and I are tired out. Don, of course, is even more tired than me because of Lyme. I spent a couple of hours cleaning up the yard (except for the downed tree, of course.) There were torn branches, downed branches, bushes that were hanging by a thread – everywhere. I had my loppers and a small saw with me and did what I could to clean up low hanging branches and all the debris that was scattered everywhere. The coleus that was planted in my vintage pots was broken in some places. Most everything looks a little tattered.

Such destruction with one huge gust of wind.

Then the arborist stopped by without even telling us he was coming. He didn’t have on a mask, but he kept well away from us as we stayed on the porch.  Not only did he examine the tree, he looked at all the trees surrounding the house. I know that the big maple by the porch needs pruning. And I’m sure others do, too. I’m dreading the estimate, but nothing is going to happen right away, anyway, as he has to take care of people who have trees blocking their driveways or, even worse, that have landed on their houses.

There was a huge amount of damage from the hurricane and there are many who still don’t have power.

Today, we’re laying low. It’s been a surreal couple of days and I can see it taking a toll on Don. He’s been through a lot lately.

This morning, – for a split second – I thought it was August 15th. Why? This – everything, the pandemic, the insanity in DC, Don’s illness, the hurricane, self-isolating – has left my brain in a muddle and no amount of coffee seems to be cutting through the fog.

It will get better, I know.

I’m quite enjoying Melmoth. I should finish it today. Then, I think, I’ll move on to Hamnet, unless the Michael Connelly arrives in today’s mail. If that happens, I just may move onto Connelly first because he is always a guaranteed pleasure to read and a wonderful escape.

That’s all I have energy for today, my friends.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

 

If you follow me on Instagram, you already know this. We are mourning the loss of fully half of the huge maple tree that is right between the house and the corral. It happened in the late afternoon, when what we thought was the worst of the storm had left and winds kicked up.

They were some of the scariest winds I’ve ever experienced and even though they were only around for an hour or two, they did a lot of damage, the worst being the tree.

This was a huge tree and the limbs extend far beyond what you see in this picture. We are feeling numb this morning, trying to come to terms with this loss. There was a wind gust that was unlike anything we’ve ever seen, except for the microburst of a few years back, and I heard things falling on the porch (because I was in the den) and Don heard a crack from the back of the house. It wasn’t until we felt safe enough to go outside and look that we saw what had happened. The other half of the tree is still standing but we want to have an expert look at it to see if it’s secure. It also fell into another tree, so we have to examine that.

This will have to be removed professionally and that will cost money. We’ve already put in a call to a local company. There was apparently a lot of damage around here and our friends who live closer to the town center lost power. The positives – We never lost power. It didn’t hit the house (and it’s right next to the secret garden and could have slammed into the kitchen). We’re okay. Although I would have willingly traded losing power for the tree.

We went out and hugged the tree and told it how sorry we are that this happened. Some may shake their heads at that, but I know – and scientists know – that trees communicate with each other, that they feel things. It’s heartbreaking.

There’s also a lot of damage in the woods.

The last time I said this someone criticized me in a comment, but I will say it again: 2020 has been horrible. I believe I used the word ‘sucks’ last time, and I still maintain that. Yes, there are good things here and there and I always acknowledge them. I also express gratitude daily. But that doesn’t mean I’m Pollyanna. I’m not. This year has been terrible. We just found out a friend of ours is suffering from COVID. Don has Lyme. Over 155,000 people have died from the coronavirus. Our country is in a freefall. Corruption is rampant. We have no one leading us through this pandemic. On a personal level, we are both out of work and will be for many more months. We have no income coming in other than the basics and the basics don’t cover everything. I worry about money constantly and I also constantly work on trusting that all will be provided. But it’s a battle. Both Don and I practice gratitude; privately through meditation and prayer, publicly on this blog, and in our daily talks with each other.

And it’s all relative. There are people suffering far more than Don and me. Far more.

Nevertheless, this is our reality and that’s where we live.

Anyway, I have to get out there and do some cleanup.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.