Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Your Opinion, Please?

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I’ve had a project in mind for a while. Something that won’t cost much…but might provide a big bang for the buck, as they say on HGTV. Remember my kitchen table? I bought it from Heidi. I love that it is round, that it has leaves and that it has beautifully shaped legs.


Whoops! Just ignore the hammer on the chair. The chairs will eventually go because they are too rickety. I’ve tried gluing them to no avail. Here is a closer shot of the legs:


The finish on the table is not in great condition though you don’t necessarily see it in these photos. I’m thinking of painting the table. There, I said it. Something like the color of my kitchen island.


Painting the island really made the shape of the legs and all the detail on the other side of the island pop. I think it would do the same for the table. The present stain seems so dark in my light-filled kitchen.

What do you think?

Glimpses of the Garden

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We had a nice gentle rain the other day. Yesterday, the sky got all dark and thundery and we sat on the porch eagerly awaiting a big old rainstorm. We got a few drops. The weather report assures us that there are thunderstorms on the way over the next several days. Please?

Today: 90 degrees. Don’t like.

How about some garden photos? I’ve been walking around the garden the last few days, snapping away.


While I was away, my husband kept telling me about this plant that was taking over the garden. I suspected it was my Jacobs Ladder and I was right. Yikes! When I got home and investigated, I found it everywhere. My first go at the garden was mainly yanking out some of the over-eager Jacobs Ladder. It is a fabulous plant for under my maple tree because it works so well in the shade. It just needs some firm discipline from Mama Gardener – me.


This hosta was already established when we bought the cottage. I’ve added several more since we moved in. The area right by the porch entrance is shaded by the maple and hostas work very well there.

Coneflowers
Bee Balm and Catmint
Evening Primrose
Lady Elsie May rose

Day Lilies
The first bloom on my David Phlox


My ever-faithful companions on porch patrol. They’re on top of things, so don’t try any high jinks on their watch!

Did you have a good weekend? Mine is always good if there is some time with my garden and my loved ones.

Rain

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What happens when your ‘studio’ is in an upstairs hallway with a skylight and no air conditioning and it is over 100 degrees? You only see it as you move as quickly as you can to the air conditioned bedroom. Things get piled up and you can’t even contemplate dealing with them. Any creative ideas remain stuck somewhere in the recesses of your brain.

Your brain turns to mush.

Today, thank goodness, we have rain. Rain, blessed rain. I’ve been worried about the state of the garden, our lawn, and most importantly, our weeping willow. The willow has been dropping leaves at an alarming rate. Willows need a lot of water. I resorted to watering it by hand, although I don’t know if it made any difference. Then I quickly stopped the watering when I remembered that we have a well and that the well could run dry. A quick shift into water conservation mode. We’ve been very careful about our water use the last several days. Though it is just a start, I feel a bit more positive about everything today. I’ve never been happier to see rain.

And you will notice in the photo above that the sky is cloudy. Yes, gorgeously cloudy. We are supposed to have a chance of thunderstorms off and on for the next few days. Bring ’em on!

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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