Mockingbird Hill Cottage

• I had a horrifying dream on Saturday night. I had another horrifying dream on Sunday night. Last night, as we settled into bed, Don said, “You’ll only have sweet dreams tonight.” And I did…until the alarm went off at 3 am. This time, it wasn’t a smoke alarm, but the alarm for the front door, which I saw on the alarm pad when I ran downstairs to shut it off. The alarm company called and while I was on the phone with them, Don checked everything out. The front door was locked. The motion detector light hadn’t gone on. Clearly, there hadn’t been an intruder or the light would have been on.

Nevertheless, it was very unsettling. I couldn’t calm down and both of us went downstairs a couple of times to check everything out. I finally went back to sleep, thank goodness. We’ll talk to the alarm company today and try to figure out what happened.

•  I spent several hours sorting through books – on the downstairs shelves and on the shelves in my bedroom, which was the bigger job. As usual, a good dusting was required and a pass with the vacuum. These books have been removed from the bedroom shelves. There’s yet another stack from the den shelves. First choice: my local library. Second choice: local used bookstore.

Now I have to find some boxes for them.

A very satisfying experience, which left me with extra shelf space upstairs.

It’s almost impossible to get a photo because the bed takes up so much space. But you can see open space(!) on the shelf behind my bedside table. The bedside table is an old typing table that I rescued many years ago.

Lamb Chop and her baby have moved over to the other bookshelf. The green lamp is only temporarily on top of the bookshelf. It needs to get rewired and I have no other place to stash it.

I’ll do my best to get a better photo this afternoon, when the light is much brighter in the bedroom.

•  I sorted through my many decorating books, rediscovering some favorites, including these by Mary Engelbreit:

I have some of her other books as well, but these are my favorites. Living the Artful Life is based on interiors that were showcased in Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. Simply gorgeous. The smaller books were written to showcase specific things: Fabric, Collections, and there was another one on Plates (which I thought I had, but maybe I only wanted to own it and somehow never did.)

I have three favorite magazines, all of which are now out of print: Country Home, Cottage Living, and Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion. I’ve saved copies of all three. Periodically, I pull them out for the sheer pleasure of reading them again. (With some hot chocolate, of course.) MEHC is stacked on top of the bookcase. The others are in magazine holders in one of the sections of the bookcase.

I have this dream that Mary will start the magazine up again, and a few years ago, she seemed to indicate that she was considering it. But it didn’t happen. I understand. It’s very difficult to keep a magazine going in this online economy. But, oh, how I miss it. I always felt that Mary was a kindred spirit. She got me. She understood the way I love to decorate, the things I love to collect.

•  One other thing – a wonderful surprise – happened yesterday. Do you remember when Don went on Medicare in June and I was going to have to go on an individual policy? I signed up for that policy, which was going to cost more than our previous joint policy. Eight days after it started, June 8th, we found out we were going to be covered through Don’s union. It came as a total surprise and I cried with happiness because the cost was so much more reasonable and we will be covered for the rest of our lives.

So I immediately called NY State of Health to cancel the policy I had just started, explaining the whole thing to them. When I called the health care provider to ask if I could get a refund, they directed me back to NYSofH to get the policy back-dated. That involved a couple of phone conversations. They set it in motion, and on June 15th it went to the State/Health dept. for review.

I called every week to check on it. Still in review. After about 6 weeks of this, I asked if I should just stop calling and wait. Yes, they said. Once it’s approved, we’ll call you and we’ll send it on to the health care provider. But it might not be approved.

So I stopped calling. After about 3 months, I had pretty much given up, thinking I would never see that money again.

Yesterday, I went down to the mailbox to get the mail and there was an envelope from a company whose name I didn’t recognize. But I could see through the window that it looked like a check and in the corner was the name of my former health care provider. I didn’t dare hope. And even when I began to hope, I was sure it would be for less than the full amount I paid.

It was a refund for the entire amount. I was dumbfounded.

No call from New York State of Health, of course. I’m not surprised, because I’ve learned not to expect them to follow through. In the end, I don’t care. I got my refund!

Okay, end of chatty post for Tuesday.

Happy Tuesday.