Mockingbird Hill Cottage

My back is still acting up, so I’m having to limit my activities. It’s so annoying! No mowing, or vacuuming, and only the most careful bending over. It’s slowly getting better, so I’m doing a lot of reading. I’ve also been keeping an eye on Mama Catbird. So far, all seems to be well.

The level of water in the culvert is very low after a long period of it being rather high. How does this impact our Phileas? Don says he briefly saw him yesterday, and I saw him the day before. But we haven’t had a whole lot of rain recently. I hope we’re not heading into the drought segment of the summer.

I took this yesterday:

This is taken from the entrance to the porch, so we’re looking at the side of the house, the entrance to the side door, and part of the funky patio. So far, it’s pretty lush out there! And the coneflowers are everywhere. As you know, they are my favorite part of the summer garden. The splash of purple in the background is the patch of balloon flowers (more this year than ever) and those are zinnias in the metal tub on the patio.

But it is so darned hot and humid out there! We’re feeling trapped in the house. I don’t know when the humidity will lift, but it can’t come soon enough.

A wee little package arrived yesterday.

New shoes for the girls. I usually buy a pair or two of shoes from my favorite shoe maker, Cora, about once a year. The pair on the left is a new design, with a pointier toe. The pair on the right is a favorite design. She threw in the socks, which was a delightful surprise.

Since I was sitting here nursing my back for long periods, I noticed that Zoe, who was wearing a cute denim dress, looked hot. It was way too heavy for a hot and humid summer day. So we switched to a summer dress.

You might notice that she’s wearing the new shoes.

Much cooler!

Gosh, she’s a beauty.

Today, more resting is on the docket. (I’ve also had to delay washing the bedsheets.)

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

I quickly took this picture of mama catbird sitting on the nest. I check in on her several times a day. She’s been there through thunderstorms and very humid and hot weather. The nest is deep within the hydrangea bush. The photo has been cropped within an inch of its life so you can see her.

I water all the porch plants very quietly. I don’t want to scare her.

It has been so hot and humid this week. Really unbearable. It will be hot again today, but there is no heat advisory, so maybe the humidity has dropped. I tweaked my lower back a bit yesterday – it’s getting better – and I’m going to take it easy today.

Our friend Margaret is home from the hospital and the rehab facility. She was hit by a car a few months ago. But even though she’s home, the recovery will take months and months. She can’t sit down yet, she has to be put into a kind of body and neck brace in order to take some steps with her walker. There is still considerable physical and emotional trauma to deal with. All of this because an employee of a company that delivers food quickly was in such a hurry that he didn’t see her crossing in a marked intersection.

We have become a society where speed is of the essence. Amazon deliveries. Binging on a series. Speedy food delivery no matter what the price. Downloading a book to a Kindle. MUST HAVE IT RIGHT AWAY! I see it in myself, when I’m online. I often have no patience while waiting for something to load. It isn’t good and it surely isn’t healthy. The company that the driver was working for is well known and legal action is being taken. Meanwhile, Margaret is 78 and her body was broken because someone was working on a ridiculous time limit set by the company. Adrian still feels a great deal of rage and I don’t blame him. Any prayers you can send their way are appreciated.

Don and I have talked about this a lot. Slow living is our goal. Less screen time. More patience.

Pip of the very, very sweet face.

I spilled a glass of water this morning. Not a very good start to the day!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

The coneflowers are beginning to open, which brings a smile to my face. This morning, I looked outside and a goldfinch was sitting on top of the zinnias, eating the seeds. Don loves goldfinches, he’s fascinated by them. I also briefly saw Phileas – or part of Phileas – as he jumped into the water when he heard me call his name. He quickly disappeared. At least we know he’s alive and well.

I’d been seeing catbirds on the porch railing a lot. Catbirds are never on the porch, so I was intrigued. I also saw a catbird carrying a twig the other day. Hmmm…nest building was going on somewhere. Was it the burning bush or the hydrangea/spirea area on the far side of the porch? As I was sitting on the glider over the weekent, I watched the movements of the catbirds and my focus narrowed to the limelight hydrangea.

Right there.

I peered into the bush and saw a nest. It’s hidden of course, as it should be, but mom and dad are flying back and forth a lot. I went out on the porch to water yesterday and one of the catbirds was perched on this table. He was startled and started making that catbird sound repeatedly. He flew off to the maple and continued his call. I guess we’ll soon be dealing with protective parents.

Right before all of this happened, I had been chatting with Don about the fact that we hadn’t seen any nest activity this year.

I spoke too soon. I’m glad there’s a little nest tucked into that bush. I’m fascinated by birds and nest-making.

I tried my best to avoid as much ‘news’ as possible over the weekend. I know what’s going on, some of it unbelievably tragic, but I didn’t want to stay there, if you know what I mean. I have to keep as calm as possible and it’s a huge challenge. I finished the Jane Casey book I was reading and Don picked up two books from the library that were being held for me. I’ve started one of them, John Connolly’s newest – The Children of Eve. I’m happy to report that my reading mojo has come back, if only because I’m forcing myself to make time for it during the day.

I’ve also closed my Etsy shop until they stop profiting from the “Allig*ator Alca*raz” merchandise that is currently being sold on that site. Etsy has changed and it’s not for the better. A site founded to sell handmade and vintage items is now profiting from merchandise that touts a concentration camp. And they refuse to do anything. In fact, they’re digging in, threatening those who write to the sellers asking that they take down those listings. Between the higher fees now being charged to sellers and this atrocity, I’m over Etsy. Just recently, I received an email from them congratulating me on having a shop for 13 years. That shop is going to close very soon. Until then, this is the message when you visit my shop:

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.