Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Monday Stuff: Flowers, Groundhogs, Mosquitoes

July 24, 2023 at 9:16 am by Claudia

Monday. It may rain, it may not. Yesterday was so lovely, we tried to really be in the moment and lap it up.

Don suggested we sit on the porch since, for once, the weather was good. We sat on the glider. We had to leave because there were so many bees buzzing around the roses and other flowers.

We decided to sit in the secret garden. I got attacked my mosquitoes. We retreated to the house,

So much for sitting outside!

These day lilies are so gorgeous and I often miss them because they’re on the far side of the house. They’re also huge.

I might weed-whack a little today. The area around the secret garden is overgrown because we’ve had so much rain.

We’re sending off our deductions today. I’m glad that chore is finished!

No recent sightings of Buddy, though I did see the older groundhog who lives under the shed sunning himself on the ramp. That reminded me of Henry, who often took advantage of the ramp to watch the world go by. The baby groundhogs have grown up. They’re so big now. I was telling Don that I miss that time right after Mom fiercely moved them all to the other burrow and Buddy would sneak back down here during the day. When it was around 5:30 pm, he’d look around, make sure he was safe, and trot back to the gate, look around again, and make his way into the secret garden and then run up the stepping stones on the little hill. Then he’d run toward the burrow. He was so gosh-darned adorable.

But kids grow up so quickly, don’t they?

Katie bonding with The Dude.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, garden, groundhogs 16 Comments

The Sun

July 22, 2023 at 9:33 am by Claudia

I briefly saw a monarch butterfly dining on one of the coneflowers the other day. I tried to quickly get my camera but alas, when I got back there, she was gone.

A brief appearance by Buddy (or one of his siblings) late yesterday afternoon. It’s hard to tell the difference between them now because they’re nearly full grown. Also, an equally brief appearance by a baby bunny.

It’s a lovely day today and I’ll take advantage of it by attempting to mow the lilac side of the lawn. I think it might stay sunny all day! How can that be???

Don got home at midnight last night. I was already asleep because I was darned tired and he told me not to wait up for him. He had a great time. Don loves performing and he hasn’t been getting enough of that during the past four years. Even though it was a long drive, he came back energized.

We like to work. We need to work. We need to perform. (As a former entertainer myself, I get it.)

So sad to hear of Tony Bennett’s passing. What an incredible human being he was. My mom LOVED him. And she got to see him live at least twice, maybe three times. She was so, so happy. I loved him too, but my favorite memory is of Mom singing along with his recordings.

The devastation from the flash floods of last week continues. We were lucky to escape the worst of that but there was definitely flooding around here, as well. All the rivers – and we have two of them within 100 feet of us – are incredibly high. My heart goes out to everyone dealing with the devastation, from just south of us, to Vermont, to Kentucky, and all places in-between.

I spent most of the day yesterday calculating and writing up our deductions – we always take an extension. I had to force myself to do it but I’m very happy it’s done! Now, Don has to finish his but I won’t bug him about it until tomorrow.

Nothing else new, I’m just happy Don is back safely and that the sun is shining today.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden 25 Comments

Mowing, Reading, and Soon-to-be-Raining

July 20, 2023 at 8:53 am by Claudia

Over in the garden on the other side of the house.

Today? Mowing. Without a working front-wheel drive, it is truly a pain in the tush. We can’t send the mower to the shop right now because we simply can’t be without it during this unbelievably rainy summer. The grass grows very quickly, it gets way too long, and we can’t mow when it’s raining every day. So we have to be ready to mow when we can and – you guessed it – we’re supposed to have another deluge tomorrow, so today is the day.

I guess the positive, if there is one, is that I’m getting some muscles in my arms.

We have a hilly, uneven lawn, so that makes it harder.

What else? Not a whole lot. I have about 4 books here from the library that I can’t get into. I’ve tried, but they’re just not clicking with me. So I pulled out The Deptford Trilogy  by Robertson Davies. I have a new copy from Penguin Books and I’ve had it on my TBR pile for a while. I read everything by Davies about 40 years ago and I think he’s one of the finest writers ever. This is a reread and it’s obviously been long enough since I read it the first time to make it seem entirely new. I’ve written before on this blog about my love for his writing. And I’ve been slowly gathering copies of his books as somehow mine went missing over a lifetime of moves from this apartment to apartment, city to city to country. Plus, he’s Canadian and my Canadian roots are very strong. Three out of four of my grandparents were born in Canada, as well as my mom.

Speaking of Canada, I found my photo cube (remember those??) with photos of Gordon Lightfoot in concert. My friend Scott gave it to me long, long ago. I’ll try to take pictures of it when the light is good.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Filed Under: books, flowers, garden, reading 16 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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