Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for flowers

Winding Down

September 9, 2026 at 9:10 am by Claudia

Down by the culvert. We get some purple loosestrife here – which is supposedly invasive – but not much and it’s never been invasive. It depends on how wet the summer has been. Personally, I love it.

Right next to it…Queen Anne’s Lace.

There are just a few blooms each day on the largest Rose of Sharon, and only one or two on the smaller bush. I’m rather sad to see them wind down, just as I feel a sort of melancholy at seeing the gardens start to fade. I love fall, but this summer has been spectacular for the gardens and I want to imprint it on my memory. The maple on the far side of the house already has some brown leaves, and as I looked out the upstairs window this morning, there were lots of leaves on the ground. Same with the black walnut, which loses leaves early. Thankfully, there are new zinnias every day so we have some late blooming beauty.

I’m going to weed whack today. It’s quite overgrown around the funky patio and the secret garden. I can barely see The Dude! I will apologize for neglecting him for so long.

I only see the rare bird in the birdbath. I think many of them have already flown south. I hear bird sounds, but very little bird song. Sob. I miss them already. Thankfully, I’ve been able to watch the goldfinches having a great tme with the thistles. (I can see them from my chair in the den.)

We’ll mow the front lawn tomorrow.

Beacon Hill: I’m waiting for the bathroom wallpaper to ship. I’m not in the mood to start painting the baseboards. I think I needed a little break. When I feel motivated, it will happen.

Time for some more coffee!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: flowers, garden 10 Comments

The Pinkening

September 2, 2026 at 9:36 am by Claudia

The world is too much with us. Don and I are desperately trying to stay away from the news. Each new atrocity breaks our hearts and the sadness is overwhelming. Every night, we have to re-commit to staying far away from “news poisoning” as I have named it.

So, let’s look at something pretty.

Oh, the beautiful “pinkening” had begun! Limelight hydrangeas are magical; already beautiful, they somehow manage to become even more beautiful as summer fades away. I am so glad I planted this bush. It’s absolutely huge now!

Two words/phrases coined by yours truly in this post: “news poisoning” and “pinkening.”

Very busy.

And not at all wary of the large human with a camera.

I finished  The Miniaturist this morning. What a wonderful novel. Now, I have to walk around the house and find something I haven’t read yet – a book I actually  want to read. I have 3 books on hold at the library but there are long queues for all of them, so I’m not expecting them soon.

What else? I’m working on the bed for the Beacon Hill. I’m going with the larger wooden bed. I asked about it on my IG feed and the vote was unanimous: the wooden bed. And I’m quickly warming up to the idea.

We have more rain coming later today – most likely, thunderstorms. It’s actually rather dark this morning.

Okay, my friends. More on Friday.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: flowers 18 Comments

Mini Monday

August 17, 2026 at 9:30 am by Claudia

This Eastern Swallowtail loved the thistle – as do the bees. I swear, that beautiful butterfly drank from every blossom. He was there a long time and didn’t seem to be afraid of me. Don had already observed how many bees were attracted to the thistle as well, and there’s one in this photo. This is a screenshot from a little video I posted in my stories in my main IG account.

I mowed the lilac side of the lawn yesterday and weed whacked. I also cleared out the entrance to the culvert drain pipe which had been blocked. Why? Because the county came by one day and re-dug the culverts – too much, according to me – and then left behind all the debris (consisting of tree roots and branches.) All the heavy rain we’ve had pushed everything toward the entrance to the pipe that runs under our driveway. The culvert is not our responsibility but this is about the 6th time I’ve had to clean up after the county has made an ‘improvement.’ You would have heard some cuss words coming from that general area.

Do you remember this cupboard?

I got it for about $5 when miniatures (dot) com went out of business. It originally came with fleur-de-lis designs on the sides of the cabinet and drawer. Not my cup of tea, but I knew it would be good to have in my meager stash. I’ve had it sitting on the first floor of the Beacon Hill for a while. You can see that I put a coat of paint on it to cover up the designs. But that’s all I did.

On Saturday, I decided to transform it. And I just dove in – which is my favorite way to do this type of thing.

I wanted it to look like my favorite kind of furniture – old and weathered with multiple layers of paint. I’ve always envisioned the owners of the house loving folk art and antiques.

Here it is in the hallway. I staged it a little just for fun. Right now, I have some books in there, but I’d love to have a collection of crocks on the shelves. I think that would be fun.

I’m really pleased with the results. In fact, I love it.

One more mini thing:

I have this tile on hand and I’m wondering if it might be a good choice for the studio. Easy clean up, no worry about the floors. I might paint the walls white so that the artist can display paintings-in-progress on the walls. (I didn’t glue it down yet.)

Okay. This has turned into Mini Monday, I guess.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: Beacon Hill Dollhouse, butterfly, flowers 18 Comments

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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.

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