Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Forty-Eight Hours: Mowing, Gardening & Cuddling

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lilacs

Sweet lilacs. Sigh.

weigela

The orange-red blossoms of the weigela are adding a splash to the green landscape.

catmintpoppy

Poppy and catmint. A study in texture and color.

grasses

Daffodils, grasses, yarrow (in the background.)

hosta

Hostas unfurling their leaves.

hyacinthsinfullbloom

And my mysterious miracle bulbs, long buried under too much soil, rescued and replanted – aren’t they gorgeous? Such beautiful hyacinths they are.

I haven’t mulched, nor do I have the time to do that. Which means I will be doing a lot of weeding when I get back. I haven’t planted any of my seeds because I usually wait until after May 1st. Since we had such a cold, long winter, I think I’ll wait a few weeks to be on the safe side. And frankly, mowing is taking up a lot of my time. Don and I both took turns with the mower yesterday – all of the front lawn (which is huge) is done, along with the dog corral. Today I’ll tackle the back forty. The grass isn’t as long back there but if I wait until I come back for another visit to mow, it will be.

All that mowing equals some sore muscles. The first few mowing sessions in the spring are always tough, but so worth it as we gaze at the newly green expanse of front lawn. There’s so much to do around here but I have to pick my battles with only 48 hours at home. Next time? Mulching, pot and window box planting, hanging plants, porch arranging. I can’t wait! This is my favorite time of year because I love to garden, I love being outside and losing all sense of time while tending to my garden beds. It makes me very, very happy.

Don made my favorite dinner last night – Crab Cakes without the crab. I can’t remember the exact name of the recipe but as a former crab cake lover who is a vegetarian, I have to say these taste so much like crab cakes that I would never know the difference. Actually, I think they taste even better! Ummm mmmm good! We watched A Few Good Men, which is such a great movie. Jack Nicholson is brilliant.

There’s much to do today before I head back to Hartford tomorrow morning. Priority one: cuddling Don and Scout. Time goes by so quickly!

Happy Tuesday.

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A Quick Visit and a Gift

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How can everything be overgrown here in the one week that I’ve been gone?

It’s as if the grass and the weeds shouted, “Hey, she’s gone, let’s go crazy!” Yesterday, Don mowed most of the lawn that is right in front of the house and it was so long that the lawnmower kept stalling. That leaves a whole heck of a lot of grass yet to mow and it’s looking like rain today. Don considers the front lawn the only area that needs to be mowed. That leaves out the grassy area behind the kitchen and the whole back forty. We have this argument every year. Like clockwork. I insist it needs to be kept under control because it’s prettier that way, plus, there are less ticks if the grass is mowed. If you remember, I’ve had too many experiences in the past where I had to clean up overgrown areas that Don ignored while I was away. Sigh. I have to get some mowing in before I leave for Hartford.

I let Scout out this morning, walked outside and immediately came in and started to charge the battery for the weed whacker. I’ll be decimating some weeds later today. The garden, though, is filling in nicely – that makes me happy. Still only blooms on the daffodils, but the tulips are about to open. I imagine that as soon as I leave, blooms will burst forth everywhere.

There was a box waiting for me. It arrived in the mail when I was gone. I knew it was from Judy, who just might be the sweetest, most thoughtful person in the world. It was from One Kings Lane. You can bet I opened it immediately. Well, not quite immediately, I showered sleepy Scout with hugs and kisses first.

judyeggcups1

Oh my goodness. Could these be any more adorable? Four egg cups that come with the eternal question: What came first, the chicken or the egg? They are designed by Keith Brymer Jones, who is a British ceramic designer.

judyeggcups2

I’m thrilled. What a marvelous addition these make to my collection!

Judy, you are the best! Thank you. I love getting surprises in the mail. These made my day. Week. Month.

Don has been taking Scout for rides in the car every day. And walks. She’s been on several adventures. What a good daddy he is! I can see where this is going: Don will be the fun, exciting parent, while I will be the medicine giver, food deliverer, bath giver, toenail clipper, sort of boring but necessary parent. Ah well.

Happy Monday.

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My New Housemate

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maggiestanding

I’m more than a little in love with this creature.

She seems to have sprung up as if by magic from a Hansel and Gretel-y type woods. I can imagine her playing with the bunny rabbits on our property. Surely they would get along?

maggiesitting

She’s not perfect, but I’m not either. When I make another one, and I will, I will do things a little differently. I learned a lot on this project. And let me say that there’s a reason I don’t make my own clothes. Enough said.

Nevertheless, I’m in love with her. Alicia called her creation Maggie Rabbit and I thought to myself, I must change her name. But then I thought about my great-aunt Maggie who died in 1920 during the terrible flu epidemic and remembered that my mother’s middle name is Margaret in honor of Maggie. So Maggie it is.

I hesitate to share this with you as she might be embarrassed.

maggiesansclothes

Here she is, sans clothes and pre-nose. Don’t tell her I’m posting this on my blog. Years from now when she’s older, she’ll be mortified.

She and Wayfrum immediately bonded.

holdinghands

See? They’re holding hands.

holdinghands&lamb

Then Little Lamb joined in.

myhousemates

Meet my housemates. On the left, Wayfrum Holmes, with Little Lamb in the center and Maggie Rabbit on the right.

This project was so much fun! I’m not the most patient or even remotely adequate hand sewer in the world and there was a lot of blanket stitch which took me a bit of time to master. Heck, I didn’t master it, but I did get better at it.  I want to make another one out of fabric. I’ve saved all the pattern pieces and the directions for future use. I know that Alicia plans to offer these kits again, so keep your eye on her blog for the details. If you’re at all interested, jump on one. I guarantee they will go quickly – she sold out of thousands of these kits in the blink of an eye.

I’m feeling better – that headache was the all day kind that increasingly got worse as I tried to coach and fulfill my other obligations. I used to get those headaches more frequently, but thankfully, I rarely get them anymore. Still stuffy, still sneezy and have watery eyes – but this, too, shall pass.

I have rehearsal this afternoon and then Don is picking me up for 2 days at home. Since Tuesday and Wednesday are going to be days where I can’t really do any one-on-one work, I figured this would be a good time to snag a few days back at the cottage. On Wednesday I’ll come back and move from the hotel to the apartment. (I’ll miss the hotel. I’m settled in here and am not thrilled with packing everything up and moving it all – again.)

The winner of a copy of Margaret Fuller: A New American Life is Janice Murphy! Congratulations.

Be sure to stop by and leave a comment on my Poise Feminine Wellness products review. You could win a $100 Visa Gift Card! Click here.

Happy Sunday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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