Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for Claudia

Potting, Gardening, and Mowing

April 30, 2025 at 8:08 am by Claudia

This was taken a couple of days ago. I’m sure the blooms are fully open now. Even then, the scent was so intense. I’ll take some more pictures later today.

Day of rest today. Time to take a break.

Yes, we did mow on Monday and it was so satisfying! And miraculously, the lawnmower never clogged, even though the grass was very long. We were pretty tuckered out afterward, but it was such fun tag-teaming the job. We had just enough gasoline on hand. We need to get more.

Yesterday, I visited the nursery and all the plants I still needed to get were there. Whoo hoo! So I came back home and spent the morning potting everything. I also planted two more catmints, as my original catmint plants in the big garden bed were planted 19 years ago and are thinning out a bit. The heavy vintage planters for the secret garden were loaded one at a time on a dolly and wheeled to the entrance, then I walked them the rest of the way to that little cinderblock wall. It was windy, which means pollen was everywhere, so today I’m feeling the impact on my allergies.

Speaking of pollen, the trees have filled out so quickly! Suddenly, there’s green everywhere. The black walnuts and the catalpas will be the last to leaf out. Have you noticed the same thing where you live? Amazing and wonderful and a miracle. The hydrangeas have leafed out, the hostas have emerged from the ground, the daylilies, bee balm, baby zinnia leaves are all thriving.

Yesterday was in the 80s, but today will be cooler.

We watched Hoosiers  on TCM last night. I love that movie so much. It’s one of my favorites. And, as you know, Gene Hackman was my favorite film actor. Both of us were in slightly edgy, irritable moods, and that movie lifted us up. It took us to another place. The look of the film, the slightly retro tint, the period look to everything – it’s a beautiful film about redemption and triumph.

Okay. I desperately need more coffee.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Filed Under: flowers 12 Comments

Swooning

April 28, 2025 at 8:08 am by Claudia

Well, it’s a sunny Monday after a cold and windy Sunday. Thankfully, it will be warmer today because…..drum roll….we are mowing the front lawn! It’s way too long, so I imagine we will be unclogging the lawn mower frequently. We had so much rain on Saturday and the grass seems to be growing by the hour.

It will definitely be a two person job with breaks added in. Once we get this first mow under our belts, it will be easier. I need to go back to the nursery, but I’ll leave that until tomorrow.

You know we love mowing.

Don had a gig on Saturday afternoon and someone in the audience took this photo of him.

I’m swooning a bit here. First of all, I love it when Don wears dark colors. His hair looks great (I nudged him into getting it cut last Friday.) But most of all, it’s his concentration as he plays his guitar, the ease with which he holds it, than angle of his head.

It’s the Don I know so well. Bless the gentleman who captured this moment in time. I love it so much.

As I say to Don on a daily basis, “I’ve got a crush on you.”

I forgot to mention that Laural went home from the hospital about a week ago. She’s still quite weak, so she’s concentrating on regaining her strength. Very grateful that she came through this.

And Margaret had surgery on both of her fractured legs. She cannot put weight on them for at least 6 weeks, so she’ll be moving to a rehabilitation facility soon.

Okay.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: Don 28 Comments

Potting on the Porch

April 26, 2025 at 9:18 am by Claudia

Mother Nature has determined that I need a day of rest. It’s been raining since last night and we’ll have thunderstorms today. To be honest, I’ve known this was coming and boy, oh, boy is it welcome! We really need the rain and I really need to rest.

I’ve been working on clearing out the garden beds on a daily basis as well as driving back and forth to the nursery to see what is available. Yesterday, I cleared the garden beds on the far side of the house. Later in the day, I took a run to the nursery and another plant on my list was available. I’m still waiting for the final 3 and then I’ll be done.

Just the beginnings, as these pots will look very different once the plants take off.

This is lobelia. I have it in the pot in the first picture and in another pot on my little blue chair, which I’ll show another day.

Nothing has been officially arranged yet, but it’s the usual; big pots of impatiens on the benches, as well as my geranium which I overwinter every year. It’s on the bench near the porch entrance. I have two hanging pots of impatiens and two hanging pots of scaevola – those beautiful purple flowers that are super dependable. The impatiens will last until the first hard freeze, as will the scaevolas, lobelia, and calibrachoa. I can’t afford to change out the contents of my hanging pots from spring to summer. What is there is there, and it has to last for the next 6 months. Oh, and the pansies, in pots just outside the porch entrance – they last the longest of all of the flowers.

I’ll take more photos after a little time goes by. Hopefully, I can get everything potted by sometime next week. I also sowed the seeds for morning glories and zinnias.

It’s tiring, but necessary. Don is so adorable. He knows how much I look forward to spring and gardening and every time I come back from the nursery, he greets me with “Did you find anything??”

Today, some rest for my back, some household chores, and an episode of Gardener’s World. Don has a gig at a winery this afternoon.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Filed Under: flowers, porch, spring 12 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • …
  • 1770
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2025 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in