Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Corners of the Cottage

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Around the cottage on a Saturday morning.

I think I might do this kind of post on Saturdays. After having written a long post on Friday, I often don’t have much to say the next day. But photos taken from bits and pieces of the cottage might be fun. And it injects fresh energy into a Saturday morning.

Did you know I have a YouTube Channel? I share a bit about my collections and the cottage and the dollhouses. But lately, I’ve been doing weekly posts on the process of renovating the Beacon Hill. You can hear my voice and get a sense of my successes and struggles. There is more there than there would be in a standard post here.  “Claudia the Chronic Collector” and here is the link.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Flowers and Floors

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The beautiful Rose of Sharons in bloom. They only bloom for a short while, so I’m enjoying them while I can. I’m also determined to take in the gardens as much as possible, as we are now in mid-August and September is around the corner. Even though I’m kind of ready for Autumn, I don’t want to wish away this time – it has been a spectacular year for the gardens.

After cleaning up my workspace, I started in on this: the third floor landing. This took me 4 – 5 hours yesterday. It always takes much longer than I expect it to. I went with a lighter stain up on floor number 3. I suppose if I had wanted to be consistent, I would have gone with the darker stain. I don’t know, I just thought ‘lighter and brighter’ so I went with it.

I stain each popsicle stick individually, cut off the curved ends, and start laying them – one by one. I have to cut many of them to fit small areas like the very top of the stairs. Often, as in this case, I have to add oddly shaped additions. The wall on the right was – as are many things in this house – crooked. It slants to the right. I didn’t know that until I started in on this area and then it quickly became obvious.

Next: the much smaller expanse of floor in the artist’s alcove. I don’t know why, but I have a yen to paint the floorboards red. Maybe to signal that this is where the homeowner lets go and has fun? I think so.

I have to be careful. I scan my IG dollhouse and miniatures feed and it’s very easy to feel cowed by the talent and skill I see everywhere. That’s how I feel this morning. It can be overwhelming. And I also get overwhelmed by the amount of accessories and furniture I need to get in order to furnish this house. So I stop and take a deep breath and remind myself that it is a process. And generally, I really enjoy the process.

Back to tax stuff this morning. Now, that’s a process I do not enjoy.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

My Gardens

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Goldenrod growing in a big clump down by the road. I love this splash of yellow that comes late in the summer.

Thistles in bloom – they’re fascinating to me, quite sculptural in their design.

The Rose of Sharon bushes are in bloom. I’ll take another photo today, as the second bush just started to bloom this morning. There are more flowers than ever this year, though I had to knock Japanese beetles off some of the buds yesterday. As Don said, “the gift that keeps on giving.” And these were  a gift from my friend Noble’s garden. I was visiting his wonderful garden some years back. He had designed a sort of arch consisting of several Rose of Sharon bushes. He gave me two cuttings to take home with me, and now, several years later, they’re really thriving. They are in the memorial garden, just in front  of the trees at the back of the house, and this splash of pink is most welcome.

It is beautiful out there. I’m really proud of what I have created over the past 20 years. We’ll be here 21 years at the end of this month, but I didn’t plant anything until the next spring. (Except for the boxwoods, they were planted soon after we moved in.) I gradually added new garden beds on the other side of the house, and a couple of garden beds in front of the corral. I planted the lilac. I added hostas to the little beds in front of the shed. Created a secret garden. And this year has been the best yet in terms of display.

In my nomadic theater life, I mostly lived in apartments. We rented a house in San Diego, and I added a small garden just outside the kitchen. We rented when we first moved out east, and I added a small garden at the side of the cottage. In both instances, I got the permission of the owner, but I had to be cautious and contained with my planting. But my dream for years and years had been to live in a little cottage of my very own with lots of gardens. That didn’t happen until I was in my fifties, and when it happened, I could barely contain myself – having to wait 9 months to plant anything was a challenge, for sure.

They are not manicured gardens. That doesn’t work here. What works is using perennials that self-seed. The David phlox, all of the coneflowers, the yarrow, the bee balm, the crown vetch – all self-seeders. I’m sure I’m leaving something out, but my goodness, my initial plantings have paid off! That, and leaving wildflowers that pop up be. Because they’ll thank you and give you the gift of even more wildflowers. And they’re so beautiful!

After more than 50 years of waiting, gardening here has been one of the greatest joys of my life.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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