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 butterfly

Flowers, Monarchs & A Puzzle

October 27, 2023 at 8:46 am by Claudia

I’m not sure they could look any prettier and it’s going to be 78 degrees today (too hot) but next week it will be much, much colder and I thought I’d take a moment to salute this year’s limelight hydrangeas while they’re still here.

Gorgeous.

This bush is much younger than my Annabelle hydrangeas, but you’d never know it. It is huge!

And one of the many reasons, but perhaps the most important, for growing zinnias from seed – they bloom late in the summer into the fall and a newly emerged monarch butterfly flying southward can stop and dine for a couple of hours. They provide much needed sustenance for the trip and are one of the few flowers available at this time of year.

This beauty was hanging around the zinnias for a few hours and didn’t seem to mind my presence. When you’re really hungry, things like that don’t matter. Hydrangeas don’t do it for monarchs. The coneflowers are gone. There are a few stray roses, but giant zinnias provide lots of surface on which to dine and I will make sure to sow those seeds again next year.

Things like this make my week. Having some food on hand for a hungry monarch makes me very happy.

I finished the puzzle.

The World of Virginia Woolf.

It’s quite lovely. Next up, something a bit more intense: The World of Frankenstein. Perfect for this time of year, don’t you think?

I’m currently retreating from the world and news of the world.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: butterfly, flowers, garden, jigsaw puzzles, monarch butterfly 29 Comments

Friday Catch-UP

August 11, 2023 at 8:52 am by Claudia

Lots of eastern swallowtails flitting around the flowers lately. A few groundhog sightings, mostly the adult groundhog who lives under the shed. We had rain yesterday but today is sunny and lovely.

There are so many flowers in bloom now! This is the time of year that makes so proud (if I might say so myself) of what I’ve created here on the property. There were a couple of plants here when we moved in and, of course, lots of trees. Everything in the six garden beds was planted, on a budget, slowly over the years. And now, almost 18 years since we moved here, we have such a lovely property. I was driving back from the library the other day and I was coming up to the house, preparing to turn in the driveway. I couldn’t believe how lovely it looked! And I had the thought that people driving by might just smile when they see it.

Anyway. It’s just beautiful out there today and I’m going to try to take it all in and appreciate it.

I went down to the mailbox on Wednesday to get the mail. Often, there are envelopes from SAG/AFTRA for Don. He gets residuals from his many appearances on television over the years. At this point, the checks are for very small amounts of money – sometimes, as little as two cents! I’ve been wondering if I would ever see an envelope addressed to me, since I qualify for residuals from Spoiler Alert. Well, I saw three SAG envelopes and as I quickly flicked through them, there was one with my name!! I couldn’t believe it! I walked back to the house and told Don. Honestly, he was more excited than me. Now, let me say the residual from Spoiler Alert  was modest – quite modest. But I didn’t care. It was just such a kick to get a residual for my little scene in the movie.

So Don isn’t the only one getting residuals.

I bought one of these dresses last year and I just purchased another one – one a year. They’re by The Pumpkin Belle, who lives in England, and they are simply exquisite. Magical! It arrived the other day and here are two of the girls modeling it;

Mabel, a pinky vision of loveliness. There’s a blue tulle petticoat which you can just barely see. Helen hand dyes her fabrics and the detail is simply stunning. There are three little bottoms at the bottom of the sleeves, as well.

And Harper. Isn’t the dress gorgeous? Helen does something to the fabric because the dress has the most beautiful scent. These dresses are a treat, of course, only for special occasions. And the girls are NOT to play in them.

I’m working on little painting of a flower. I’m not sure if I like it all, but this is the time to experiment, so I’ll keep tweaking it. I’ve also been watching a British series from a few years back: Landscape Painter of the Year. It’s fascinating. I know there’s also one for Portrait Painter of the Year. I like watching what the painters create in the four hours that are allotted to them. And how they use the paint.

And then I get overwhelmed and think, “What are you doing??? These  people have talent.”

But that’s normal. And, in the end, this is for me.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, butterfly, flowers, garden, oil painting 22 Comments

Critters

August 1, 2023 at 9:29 am by Claudia

A gorgeous eastern swallowtail dining on the zinnias. The sun was shining directly in my eyes, so I couldn’t see much. I just followed the butterfly from flower to flower, hoping something would turn out.

Oh boy. I really worked my butt off yesterday. I pulled weeds, weed whacked, carted buckets of weeds to our debris pile, I pruned and trimmed. And then I mowed the top of the front lawn, which is up the hill and leads to the secret garden. The secret garden was still too wet to mow.

Needless to say, my back is complaining a bit today, but it was so satisfying to finally  get a chance to clean things up out there! Still more weed whacking to do, but the battery died, so I had to charge it. Just as well, as the weed whacker is a bit heavy and I was feeling it. Don mowed the corral and the trails in the woods.

My mom’s birthday was yesterday and the day was filled with memories of her. I miss her.

Today, we’ll take it easy and then tomorrow…back at it.

Groundhog appearance on the porch yesterday. What is the attraction, I wonder? Also, a couple of times lately, I have gone out on the porch around 8:30 pm to put something in the recycling bin and I’ve startled a bird that is resting/sleeping on top of the porch light. I’m going to try to go out there an hour or so earlier. Same thing with the hanging plant. I normally water it earlier in the day but one day I didn’t get to it until late and I startled another bird settling down there for the night. I wonder if there are other pots that provide a bed for the night? There’s probably a whole world of activity I know nothing about.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: birds, butterfly, groundhogs 20 Comments

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 17
  • 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

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT