Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Day Four Hundred Five

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Another flowering tree in the Secret Garden. This was taken early in the day yesterday before the insane weather arrived. Windy, very cold, thunderstorms. Don says the wind chill was 18 degrees when he got up this morning. We’re having snow showers at the moment and tonight might bring frost.

Enough already.

Right before we went to bed, we ran outside to bring five containers of pansies in the house. The wind was so intense and it was so cold that I figured I’d rest easier knowing they were safe.

Our little Carolina wrens hadn’t been around for several days. We figured they might have opted for a different nest. But yesterday morning, I heard them calling and I saw BOTH of them! They were flying around the little trailer and at one point, they both went inside.

Were they moving in? Or were they still in the process of choosing their new home? We’re not sure, but at least one of them was back this morning, singing while standing in front of the house. He/she went inside, as well.

Heavens, I’ll be glad when I can finally get outside to finish clearing garden beds and can go to the nursery to buy plants for my pots. Next week will be much warmer, so I must be patient. I’m working on the puzzle in the meantime.

Wish us luck tonight with the freezing temps!

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Day Three Hundred Ninety-Nine

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Right next to the catalpa.

What did I say to Don this morning?

“It’s Spring. And I’m fully vaccinated.”

Those six words say it all. Very, very grateful.

We had heavy rain yesterday, so the ground is saturated. I’ll probably wait until tomorrow to do anything outside. I’m anxious to visit our nursery/farm stand as it’s been two weeks since I purchased the pansies and I know they’ll have more stock. It’s time to clear the rest of the garden beds, buy another hollyhock, and plants for the Secret Garden pots and the pots on the porch and Funky Patio. Time to move the Adirondack chairs back onto the porch and dig those cushions out of the closet under the stairs. And, in about two weeks, time to sow seeds.

Wednesday’s book haul:

Uprooted  is by Paige Dickey, well known gardening columnist, and it’s all about having to move and start a new garden.

The Paris Library takes place during WWII and the Occupation of France and centers on The American Library.

The Rural Diaries  is by Hilarie Burton Morgan. She and her husband, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, are actors who relocated to Rhinebeck from the West Coast, bought some land and started a farm. They are very active in the Rhinebeck community. This book came out during lockdown and, at least for a while, a percentage of the proceeds was going to support Oblong Books. I’ve been wanting to read it for a long time and just started it this morning.

The Glass Hotel  is Emily St. John Mandel’s second book. I absolutely loved her first, Station Eleven.

Maigret and the Informer – another Georges Simenon because I love Maigret. I’d love to have a full set someday.

And here’s the puzzle:

Delicious colors, don’t you think?

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Day Three Hundred Ninety-Six

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Several of these beauties are now lying on the ground from all the rain we had over the past two days. I’ll go check on them later and see if I can somehow prop them up.

I’m about 1 hour from finishing my puzzle – just have to fill in some background pieces. When I was sitting on the sofa with my sweetie this morning, I decided to count how many 1000 piece puzzles I have assembled this year. The answer is: Fourteen. I’ve done fourteen puzzles since I started my first (which came from John Derian) on January 12th. I have two more on the way, so I guess we’ll eventually get to sixteen. I’ve been gathering all my puzzles together to drop off at my friend Heidi’s house. She works with a community-based organization that has a resale shop. I asked her if the community organization she works for would like them for their resale shop and she answered with a resounding yes. I feel good about donating them.

I didn’t see our wren at all over the past two days, but that makes sense because it was raining. I started to worry that he may have given up. But no! He’s back this morning, adding more nest building material. The other day I watched him face the opening and look at it, then go around to the side of the trailer to check that out, then the other side, then around back, and finally, he hopped up on top of the trailer and looked out. It was adorable.

I had a great coaching session with my friend yesterday. I wrote to him afterward and thanked him for his loyalty and for giving me the chance to work for the first time in over a year.

The sun has come out and I’m feeling grateful.

Tomorrow? We reach the two-week-since-our-second-shot mark. That means….drumroll…we’re headed to our favorite bookstore! We’re so excited. We’ll also walk around the charming town of Rhinebeck – we’ll walk on actual sidewalks and look in actual shop windows. There’s also a large antique shop there, and we may stop there as well. On the other hand, we may be too overstimulated by a simple bookstore visit. Who knows?

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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