Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 939 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Potpourri on Saturday

February 4, 2017 at 9:59 am by Claudia

Just because:

You haven’t seen Monty in a long time. He patiently sits on the blue bench, watching, observing, and dare I say, protecting us. We’ve had Monty since shortly after we moved east. We found him in a little shop near the Hudson River.

I love that face.

Can you spot the bluebird in this picture? He’s there.

The mail came yesterday and with it, not one, but two pink hats! One for me and one for Don.

Not especially enamored of large pictures of myself on the blog. But I wanted to share this with you, indeed, I promised to share it with you. Meredith is the best! I have to say, this is the most comfortable winter hat I’ve ever worn! And that’s saying something.

In fact, I put it on yesterday afternoon (to take this picture) and didn’t take it off until almost bedtime. I love it. I have it on again as I write this because it’s very, very cold out there and the house is freezing! It’s taking forever to warm up. We’re in the middle of a cold snap.

I would have worn pink lipstick, but I don’t have any. Mom would be happy. Happy that I’m wearing the hat with all that it represents, and happy that I’m in pink, as she called me her Pink Bunny when I was a little girl. Pink for you, Mom. Miss you.

The view out our window yesterday evening.

I’m absolutely reveling in the joy of reading A Gentleman in Moscow. Such beautiful, evocative prose! Between this and All the Light We Cannot See, the reading gods have blessed me of late.

We watched The Birds last night on TCM. I simply love Alfred Hitchcock movies. We both agreed that this was a movie that could have been a tacky mess if the special effects/birds hadn’t looked real. But it isn’t. It’s amazingly powerful, even after seeing it many times.

I’m going to try to get through this weekend in a peaceful manner. That means I’m avoiding, as well as I can, unsettling news. Two day without undue stress isn’t too much to ask is it?

See if you can give yourself that gift as well.

Happy Saturday.

Camera Therapy

February 3, 2017 at 9:41 am by Claudia

As I sat in my chair, shawl around my shoulders (it’s very, very cold outside) reading A Gentleman in Moscow, blinds shut, lamps lighting the room, I thought how lovely it would be to shut out the world, stay in my chair and read all day long. No news, no emails, no fights – just escape.

That isn’t me, as you know. But for a few hours this morning, it was a lovely fantasy.

I am really enjoying A Gentleman in Moscow. The author, Amor Towles, is a beautiful writer. He has created a world within the walls of the Metropol Hotel in Moscow in the year 1922 and I have completely embraced it. I can’t wait to get back to it.

Perhaps I can do the same thing here, never leaving, never having to admit that there are threats upon the horizon. Sigh.

We ran off for a half hour or so yesterday – only that as it was so windy and cold that we had to retreat to the car – to take some photos of the spectacular landscape that is part of our town. I took my new lens, which meant I had to use the iPhone to get a distance shot, but it was fun to play. Freezing, but fun.

Apple orchard against a changing sky.

Our mountains off in the distance. Don says that he loves the clouds in the Hudson Valley. They are always changing, almost always spectacular in their way. Yesterday’s clouds were no exception. Changing by the second, big swaths of mist moving in and out of the horizon, it was a wonder to behold.

Via my iPhone. On the top of one of the mountains, you can just make out the lookout tower that is part of the property belonging to the famous Mohonk Mountain House.

And I saw a woodpecker from the kitchen window – way off in the dead ash tree that is now surrounded by a maple tree. He’s shadowy in these photos, almost as if he wanted to hide from me.

I’m doing my best to find pockets of creativity in my day. Sanity savers: books, the daily NY Times Crossword, my camera, and Don Don Don Don Don. Oh, and vegan Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Imagine how my heart soared when I saw that in the supermarket!

Thank you so much for yesterday’s discussion and for sharing your challenges and the ways in which you strive to achieve balance in the face of worry and despair. Your thoughts helped so many. There is a coming together here that surely provides solace for the soul. I certainly feel that way as I read your thoughts.

Much love to all of you. Peace.

Happy Friday.

Bluebirds & Finding Balance

February 2, 2017 at 9:57 am by Claudia

Next week, it will be one year since our girl left us. When winter started to set in, I grabbed this memorial stone (a gift from dear Linda) and brought it inside. I didn’t want her out there in the elements.

I know you understand.

I am in the middle – in fact, both of us are – of trying to figure out how to balance my anger and outrage about what has happened since January 20th with the fact that I have to take care of myself. Someone said I was very angry and my internal response was, ‘You’re damned right, I’m angry. The election was stolen. We have a man of dubious mental fitness at the helm of our country. People are being hurt, families are being uprooted.” I won’t deny it and I won’t apologize for it.

Watch the signs, my friends, we are being maneuvered into a position where war seems like an inevitability.

And, though I consider myself a tolerant person (but human, like all of us) there is no room for tolerance when we’re talking about racism, bigotry, misogyny, Islamophobia or xenophobia. That is non-negotiable.

Complacency is not an option. Acceptance is not an option. My favorite sign from Don’s post about the March in Washington was “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”

Nevertheless, I need to take care of myself. And you need to take care of yourselves. And how do we do that? It took me ages to fall asleep last night because this was swirling about in my brain. I don’t want to lose my edge, to lose my desire to fight. I could never forgive myself if I sat back, gave up, and did nothing. But I also have a life to live, work on the horizon, things to do and, at the age of 64, I want and crave peaceful pockets in my days.

This is a question – a discussion – I would love to have with all of you. How do we maintain balance? I can’t let everything he says drive me insane. I have to accept the fact that he is insane and that’s not going to change. I need to see the bigger picture and as Don reminded me this morning, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

How do we find balance? How do you find balance? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. I think we can help each other.

Today’s schedule? My camera. A Gentleman in Moscow. Maybe a walk. Some hot chocolate. A hug from my husband – make that several. Stay away from Twitter.

I did find a pocket of camera time yesterday. Last week, I saw a bluebird at the birdbath and I couldn’t get to my camera and lens quickly enough to take a picture. Yesterday, while on the phone with Don, I saw another bluebird and I told Don, “I have to hang up. Now.”

But gosh darn it, they move so quickly, and I have to station myself nearby the windows because if I go outside, I’ll scare them away, so my options are more limited.

The presence of bluebirds around here in the winter makes me smile and it also makes me wonder: Where are they in the spring and summer? Do they come here from more northern climes? Is this their winter home? There are a lot of them around here this winter and they’ve been hanging around for quite a while.

Not all that successful, but I did manage a few shots with the telephoto lens.

Late afternoon, gray sky, but there he is.

This one is hidden in the wild roses, aka the dreaded brambles. They provide good cover.

This little sweetie was way off on the other side of the corral at the edge of the woods.

I’ll keep trying.

It’s amazing, really, how many birds are active at any given moment in the dead of winter. When I stop and concentrate entirely on watching for movement of some kind, I realize that there are dozens and dozens of birds flying around. All the time. It’s truly a wonder.

It’s sunny today. More bird watching/photo taking is on the docket.

Because it makes me happy and it’s a form of self-care.

I have a new book review on Just Let Me Finish This Page today. Click here to read it.

Happy Thursday.

Potpourri on Saturday

Camera Therapy

Bluebirds & Finding Balance

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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