Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 807 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

A Quick Visit

April 10, 2018 at 8:49 am by Claudia

A quick post today, as I have to take Don to the bus station. We’ve had a lovely time – less than 24 hours – but much, much needed for both of us. I feel much more grounded when we reconnect. So does he. You know, he’s working awfully hard; eight shows a week, up and down several flights of stairs at the theater each day (and I’ve gone up and down them myself – I don’t know if I could do it every day.) Same with the apartment, which is a fourth floor walk-up. Last week, there was an additional rehearsal, so he actually did nine shows. He’s tired. I’m so proud of him. I know that it’s hard work.

I think I’ll go visit him this next time – it’s my turn.

Believe it or not, we’re supposed to get some snow this morning. It will be minor, very minor, but come on! It’s April 10th. This winter weather cannot exit quickly enough. I am ready to start working outside!

We watched Part 1 of the new documentary, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, on HBO last night. It’s directed by Judd Apatow and it’s truly excellent. Don knew and worked with Garry, who was a great guy, but fascinatingly complex. We’ll watch Part 2 next time he’s home. I recommend it highly.

Okay my friends. More tomorrow.

Happy Tuesday.

Henry?

April 9, 2018 at 9:44 am by Claudia

I moseyed across the street the other day to take a picture of the creek that is just behind my neighbor’s property. We have two rivers within a few hundred feet of the cottage – one is a large river that flows north (it really does!) and this creek is an offshoot of it.

If you traveled down the creek for a few hundred more feet, you would find the property owned by the guy who is trying to put in a glamping resort. You see how close it is to us. That whole thing is still being reviewed, and while I remain hopeful, I fear business – as it always seems to do here – will win out.

Seen under my car, then darting here and there before he/she ran off. As I said on Instagram, he seemed a bit spry for Henry, but I was watching through the living room window and I couldn’t get a good enough look to see if it was indeed our friend. When he took off, he ran to the shed, scooted along the outside wall – all things that Henry does – but then proceeded to walk past the opening to his den.

So the jury is still out. Nevertheless, I was so happy to see a critter here. This isn’t the easiest time for him as this dang cold has kept grass and weeds from growing, and that’s what he dines on. Groundhogs are vegetarians.

He does look a little gray around his muzzle. So maybe it is Henry. Every year he’s still with us is a blessing.

Don is headed home today and I’ll pick him up early this afternoon. Yay! It’s been two weeks since we’ve seen each other in the flesh.

Happy Monday.

The Dilemma

April 8, 2018 at 10:05 am by Claudia

Dear readers, it is sometimes hard to come up with yet another photograph for a blog post. I mean, how many photos of the interior of my house can I inundate you with until you begin to scream?

And the outside? Well, it isn’t all that attractive at the moment. We’re in that pocket between winter and spring. The daffodils are coming up. I see some growth here and there, but taking a photo of it would require a kneeling position on the cold grass and/or gravel and that ain’t gonna happen today.

It’s too early to clean out the garden beds as there as been mild frost the past two nights, so the leaf mulch must stay in place for a while longer. So no pretty pictures from the garden.

And really, do you want to see pictures of all the debris from the wind and falling limbs and that sort of thing that I raked up yesterday afternoon? I thought not. Actually, raking wore me out. I realize that I have to get back into gardening shape after a fairly sedentary winter. But it was so lovely to be outside on a cold, but sunny, day.

And certainly you don’t want to see pictures of me vacuuming every corner of the house, which is what I did after raking? No, of course you don’t.

This is the dilemma of the every-day-of-the-year blogger. Sometimes, life isn’t all that interesting. Or photogenic.

But I do have one little photo for you, snapped this morning in a moment of desperation.

This is where my tiny Wallace Nutting ended up. I couldn’t find the perfect place to hang it, at least not until I get a few more smallish Nuttings for the wall in the office. Then I’ll be able to insert it into a larger display. But I quite like it here on the shelf in the den, in front of the Nancy Drews. It works.

That copy of Anne of Green Gables was my mother’s. I was lamenting the loss of some of my mother’s childhood books that were also a part of our childhood one day on the blog. They had lived on a shelf in our bedroom. Our estranged sister somehow ended up with a lot of them. When Meredith read the post, she remembered that she had some of Mom’s books, so she secretly sent them off in the mail and completely surprised me. I opened the package to find Anne, along with Mom’s copy of Daddy Long Legs, and one of my dad’s books. I’ll freely say that I cried. It was like a reunion with dearly loved friends.

I have the best sister.

Happy Sunday.

A Quick Visit

Henry?

The Dilemma

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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