Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Roses

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Surprise roses from Don. They’re really beautiful! It’s so dark here this morning that I had to resort to lots of editing in order for you to see them. We’re going to have some rain today.

We had a low-key day. Don made an apple pie for our little celebration. We toasted each other with sparkling cider. It was just perfect.

And now, on to 25!

Don’t forget, by the way, that the January 6th Committee hearing is today at 1 pm! We will be watching.

I’m officially done with my coaching now. That’s it until January, when I’m supposed to work with Darko, though that has yet to be worked out. A Man of No Importance  is so inventive, so wonderful and funny and beautifully staged by John Doyle, the director. The cast is excellent. It’s filled with love. It’s one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long, long time.

The dialects aren’t exactly where I’d like them to be, but the director is quite pleased, so that’s good. There’s only so much I can do in the amount of time I’m allotted and that’s something I always struggle with – I want them perfect and perfection is a foolish goal.

Mae found an acorn. She’s wearing a hat made by Hilary of Moshi Moshi Studio in Cornwall, England.

Mae was customized by my friend Natalia of VegaDolls. She is so beautiful – she sort of takes my breath away.

What am I going to do for a background when winter comes along? This setting , on the porch picnic table, has been ideal. Do I want the bleak background of winter? Do I want to stand on the porch, shivering, while I take a picture? I’ll have to experiment and see.

Okay, my friends. Thank you so much for your lovely messages yesterday. I appreciate every one of them. As we were getting ready to go to sleep last night, Don said that he thought our parents would be proud of us, of our 24 years of marriage. He’s right. They would be. I hope they’re smiling down on us as we move into our 25th year of marriage.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Fading Gardens

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Bits and pieces of the David phlox are still hanging in there, bless them. It’s clear, though, that they’re preparing to leave for the winter. We had a sunny day yesterday – so welcome after several dreary and rainy days – and I took some time to look at the gardens. They’re overgrown, of course. I haven’t been weeding because of my back. Come to think of it, I probably wouldn’t have weeded them anyway. I usually lose interest in weeding by August.

Once again, I have a morning glory climbing the chicken wire fence that is lovely but has no flowers. Do you remember the days when I routinely had tons of flowers on the vines? Now, they seem to bloom much later, if at all, and it’s always just before a frost hits. Climate change? Soil problems? I don’t know. I’m reluctant to give up on them because I’m ever hopeful, I guess. I loved the look of those beautiful morning glories. Sigh.

Truth be told, I sort of gave up on everything after the drought. I spent hours watering the garden beds, especially the chicken wire fence garden. And some of the beds revived and did well. But others suffered.

I finished The Ink Black Heart  yesterday. Excellent! I’ve never had 1000+ pages move along so smoothly and effortlessly. It was completely engrossing. Sometimes after a particularly wonderful read, I need a brief palate cleanser before I make a decision as to what to read next. I’ve found that Georges Simenon’s shortish Maigret mysteries are perfect. I chose Maigret and the Man on the Bench  which was on my TBR pile. I suspect that I’ll start Maggie O’Farrell’s newest, The Marriage Portrait, after I finish the Maigret.

Today, I’m going to mow. I’ll be careful and I’ve made a vow not to take on too much. I’ll start with the back forty where the grass is very long, then, the corral area. But right now, it’s too wet with morning dew so I’ll have to wait until it dries.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Monday – the Funeral

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I’m writing this post on Sunday because we’re getting up early on Monday to watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, so I won’t have time to write at my usual time in the morning. Better to write it now and guarantee it’s published near the usual time instead of hoping I get to it.

Sunday was warm – 83 degrees – and sunny. I was actually rather shocked by the warm temps when I went out to water some of the plants.  There is still a lot of mowing to do, but we plan to spread it out over the week ahead. Hopefully, I’ll be able to join in. My back is getting better; I vacuumed and dusted and did a little more work on the puzzle. After all of that, I sat back down in my chair with the heating pad on.

Remember the bunnies eating all my zinnia buds? Well, I guess they didn’t get them all because these tiny zinnias have bloomed. I’m hopeful there will be a few more. The gardens along the chicken wire fence have suffered this year. The Rose of Sharon didn’t bloom as much as it would have had we had rain. The morning glories and zinnias basically came to almost nothing in the chicken wire fence garden, and the aforementioned zinnias right outside the side door grew, were eaten, and apparently fought back. The morning glories behind these zinnias are growing up the fence, but no buds are in sight. Still hoping.

What a strange and depressing summer. Frankly, though I dread winter, I’m very eager for fall. These cooler mornings and evenings are lovely. I’m afraid fall color here in my part of the northeast will be a bit of a bust because of the drought.

Okay, my friends.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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