Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Flowers, Monarchs & A Puzzle

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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.

Zinnias

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They keep on coming, these amazing zinnias. There are more buds that should open in the next couple of days. We are going to have about three days with warmer temperatures and then it will turn colder and, as I scan the weather forecast, below freezing temps at night next week. You know what that means…I bring in the plants for the night until the time comes when I give up the fight. But that won’t be for a few weeks.

Another one:

I did bring the in Boston fern for the winter. My other overwintered plant – the geranium  – will head inside in a few days. I’ve had both of these babies for several years and they seem to be thriving.

I’m reading Richard Osman’s newest – The Last Devil to Die – and I’m enjoying it immensely. I’m working the jigsaw puzzle and it will be done in a couple of days. The next one up is from the same manufacturer, The World of Frankenstein.

Books and puzzles keep me sane in a world gone mad.

I’m going to mow the lilac side of the lawn today, if only to get some exercise. It’s not that big, so it won’t exhaust me. Don raked up a huge amount of catalpa leaves on Monday – catalpa leaves are quite large. All that wind over the weekend brought down a ton of leaves.

The event I’m attending is actually called Wonderland of Play – it’s in partnership with BlytheCon this year, but it’s not called  that. WOP is run by a woman named Jen who lives about an hour south of me. She’s been an entrepreneur in the world of handmade designs and toys and vintage things for a long time. Her partners are two women who have shops in Brugge, Belgium. All of them are Blythe lovers. WOP took place in Brugge last year, it’s in NY/NJ this year, and it will take place in Brugge again in 2024. BlytheCon will be a separate event next year in Las Vegas.

I’m looking forward to it, but also dreading it. I am a true introvert and this kind of event takes its toll on me. I’ll be ‘on’ that day and then I’ll have to retreat for a couple of days. Lots of people, lots of visual stimulation, lots of driving, etc. I’ll also be one of the oldest people there. I miss the days when I wasn’t the oldest person in the room. That’s been the case with nearly every play I’ve coached in last few years, as well. I am a gray-haired older woman to all these people even though that’s not how I feel inside. Inside, I feel younger and thinner and fascinating.

Ah well!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Flowers, Books & Puzzles

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This is one of the giant zinnias that just opened. I’ve purchased these seeds in the past, but I’ve never seen them get this tall. I haven’t measured, but they’re over 4 feet tall, maybe even 5 feet. I thank them for providing some color and interest in the garden at this late date – I looked them over the other day and there are more buds getting ready to open. As we’re not going down to freezing this week, I expect I’ll get to see more flowers. It was so windy when I took this that I had to hold the stem in place.

Rain yesterday, rain today. Sigh. 2023 will be called The Year of Rain. Over, over, over, OVER it. But so far, it’s a gentle rain, not a big storm, so that’s a plus.

I’m going to gather some books together this morning and take them to the library. On Saturday afternoons you can drop off books to donate to the Annual Book Sale, so I’m going to start taking advantage of that. I have to be ruthless, of course, and they should be in good to excellent condition. Then I’ll pick up my copy of the newest Thursday Night Murder Club series – The Last Devil to Die – which arrived at the library yesterday. I’m more than halfway through The Running Grave, so I’m determined to finish it in the next couple of days because I have to get going on the other two short term loans I have here, as well. But The Running Grave  is such a pleasure to read! I want to linger but I can’t.

Well, maybe just a little,

This is the puzzle I’m working on. It’s from a favorite manufacturer; Lawrence King. I’ve done several of these puzzles. They’re always beautifully designed and full of clues, as well as places, characters, and people associated with the author. Excellent quality. I love the matte finish on the pieces, rather than something too glossy.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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