Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

A Good Day

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Well, this was alarming.

Mother Nature: I’m happy that it’s cooler right now, but don’t assume that means I’m ready for Fall. I will be soon, but please don’t rush me. Okay?

Yesterday was a strange and good day. Don drove down to New Jersey to buy more film for his Crown Graphic camera. Fuji has stopped making it and, consequently, it’s getting more expensive. There are photographers who swear by it – and it’s really true, there’s nothing anywhere near the quality of this film for polaroid photography – and they hoard it knowing that the supply is finite. There’s someone out there trying to develop an alternative and we have our fingers crossed that he succeeds.

Anyway, on the way back he called me with the news that he had booked the job he auditioned for last week. It’s a small role, just a day’s work, but it’s significant because it’s the first job he’s booked since Margaritaville. He needed that. We were celebrating when an email came up on my laptop from the Anastasia National Tour asking if I was available to coach a couple of actors next week – in Las Vegas, no less.

So, while I was talking to Don about the job he just booked, I booked a job myself!

Good news for the Hill-Sparks household.

I’ll be jetting off to Las Vegas next Wednesday and I’ll return on Saturday. Crazy, right?

It’s always a good day when two freelancers book a job. In the 25 years we’ve been together, we’ve never booked jobs on the same day.

Just saw our pair of mourning doves. One is looking for food on the ground, the other is sitting on the edge of the birdbath. They were there yesterday evening, as well.

Okay. I got a late start this morning, then I had a phone call with Darko, and I’m just now getting to the blog!

Happy Wednesday.

 

A Delightful Dilemma

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Tuesday is turning into a rainy day, which is fine with me – I won’t have to water the seedlings. So far, it’s a gentle rain, though I think we might have some thunderstorms, as well.

There were lots of acorns to be gathered on our walk yesterday. I love acorns. They remind me of my childhood. I lived in a neighborhood filled with old trees; elms, maples, and oaks. Gathering acorns was one of my favorite things to do. For many years I lived in San Diego, where oak trees were nonexistent. We have a couple of them up in the woods on our property and there are lots of them in our neighborhood.

An acorn is a perfect little treasure. I never tire of seeing that little ‘cap.’

I’ve walked by this neighbor’s house many, many times, but this is the first time I noticed this:

Succulents (Hen and Chicks) growing out of a massive rock. If that isn’t Art, I don’t know what is.

I’m about 2/3 of the way through The Overstory. I should finish it by tomorrow, although I don’t want it to end. My next read will come out of this pile:

I’m not sure which one I’ll be in the mood for. I could call this my official To Be Read stack, but I have several of those! This one is the most recent, however, and the one that excites me most. Nonfiction or Fiction? I’m leaning toward Bookworm, but The Bookshop of Yesterdays  is also tempting. By tomorrow, I may be leaning toward something else. There’s also The Paris Architect, which I neglected to include in this stack. And Twenty-Five, a vintage Penguin paperback that just arrived from England. It’s by…drumroll…Beverley Nichols. It’s an autobiography written in Nichol’s twenty-fifth year.

What to choose? A delightful dilemma.

Happy Tuesday.

Morning Walk & Henry

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I woke up early today. It was still dark outside. I actually like it that way – there’s something lovely about the quiet and the dark. Add in some coffee and a good book and you’ve got the perfect way to start the day. Around 7 am, we went for a morning walk. It’s so much cooler in the mornings lately, the air feels fresh and brisk. A very nice way to start the day.

Then we came back and made our second cup of coffee. And we saw this:

Our boy Henry. We don’t see him very often, so it’s a big deal when we do. He has more gray hair and he’s a bit heavier. (Same.) Anyway, we were thrilled to see him. I ran for a camera and tried to take some photos with my telephoto lens from inside the kitchen.

We really love Henry and think of him as one of our babies. He’s been around here as long as we have, most likely even longer than that. We’ll have been here 14 years at the end of this month.

Anyway, he has a pretty good life: a great shelter under the shed – and the shed foundation is just fine, by the way – human beings who love him and let him be, lots of grass to eat. We’re just so delighted when we catch a glimpse of him.

Did anyone watch The African Queen  last night on TCM? Neither of us had seen it for years, so it was like watching it for the first time. What a great movie, with stellar performances from Bogart and Hepburn!

I’m still completely engrossed in The Overstory. I have a stack of books waiting for me, as well, not to mention Louise Penny’s newest, which is being published on August 27th.

Other than that, Don had a great day taking portraits yesterday. He worked at two venues, so it made for a long, but very satisfying, day.

Today? Grocery shopping. Well, it must be done, right? But the extra treat will be fresh sweet corn from our favorite farm stand (the same place where I buy plants for the garden.) I can hardly wait!

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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