Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Day Lilies in the overcrowded garden. There is so much self-seeded David phlox everywhere that I really can’t get to anything! The positive in that is that there isn’t much room for weeds.

Also, to the right of the day lilies:

A self-seeded coneflower in a place it’s never been before.

We are, as are many of you, trying to do what we need to do before the ‘heat dome’ arrives on Wednesday. Wednesday’s high will be 97° , Thursday’s high will be 102°, and Friday’s will be 99°. It will be 95° on the 4th. And that doesn’t include the heat index which will feel like several degrees higher. Dreading this, of course. We’re going to stay indoors because it will be very dangerous out there, and I will water early in the morning and in the late afternoon. We have an “Extreme Heat Watch” which, I’m sure, will turn into a warning.

Crap!

In the meantime, I’ll do what I can on the dollhouse while awaiting that wallpaper. This will be the last time I order from this seller, but I had to use her again as she’s the only one who carries the wallpaper I’m using in the kitchen. Today, mini-Stella arrives. She’s out for delivery! I’ll share her with you on Wednesday. And I finally decided on the wallpaper for the hallways. That seller always ships quickly, so by the end of the week I should be able to start applying it. (After the heat wave, because: no air conditioning in the studio.)

Right now, it’s lovely outside. Should I mow? Because we haven’t had much rain, the grass is growing slowly. I’ll think about it.

Joe updates: He can talk, hum, and sing a little. He saw imaginary things for a few days there, very normal for what he’s ben through. He passed his swallow test and he can drink liquids now. (He missed his daily dose of coffee.) He is a bit confused at times, but doing so much better. And he was moved to another floor the other day which is a very good sign. But he’s very weak and they have him marked as a high fall risk because he’s still very weak. He is getting respiratory therapy and physical therapy. Very, very thankful.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

An older photo of the kitchen in progress just to remind you I am still waiting for the replacement wallpaper – this seller is so SLOW! Again, a tracking number has been issued but nothing has happened since. And that was 5 days ago. I always suspect she hasn’t dropped it off at the post office yet. I’m trying to stay calm, but it occasionally drives me nuts. I can’t do anything until that arrives. I also can’t do anything until I decide on the hallway wallpaper and I can’t figure out what I want. Since I will be papering 3 floors, I don’t want a wallpaper that’s too expensive.

I can’t seem to make a decision.

But, that 3-D printed “mini Stella”  that I commissioned has been shipped to me and should arrive on Monday! I can’t wait to see it in the kitchen.

So, I’m just in waiting mode. I’ve done a lot of work outside this week, but the grass hasn’t grown enough to mow yet – it’s very dry here. I painted Don’s birthday present, which took about 4 days from start to finish. And now, I’m out of things to do!

I’m attempting to read Maggie O’Farrell’s newest book, Land. As per usual lately, my attention is scattered. But I’m going to make myself sit down and read a chunk of it today.

And vacuum.

That’s it. That’s all I’ve got for you today.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.