Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Cleanup for Spring

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Jumping Jacks with (I now see) chalk dust on their heads/hats from the chalkboard which is just above them. Time for a little cleaning!

I worked outside yesterday for a few hours, starting in on the cleanup of the big garden bed. Clearing all the old growth, cutting back, getting down to the bare soil is always a huge task since I’m the only one doing it. I stood there, looking at everything, thinking, “Oh crap. How can I do all of this?” But I can. I just need to take it day by day.

Don and I were chatting this morning and both of us agreed that we need to see green things growing, flowers blooming and also: scent – we need to smell lilacs, etc. Perhaps because this winter has been so long, longer than usual, that feeling, that need, is more intense for us than ever. I hope that by the next time he comes home for a visit, things around here will be very different.

News flash: I saw Henry yesterday! He was lounging on the ramp to the shed. That’s how I know it was him – he loves to do that. Of course, in the space of time it took me to go get my camera (30 seconds?) he was spooked by something or other and disappeared. So maybe that was  Henry I saw the other day. I’m always so happy to see he’s still with us.

And I saw a tiny little bird take a drink from the birdbath. A sure sign of spring.

Today I’m having lunch with Rick and then we’re going to look for some houseplants for his sunroom. That will be fun!

Happy Thursday.

April Showers

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It’s that kind of day where the lamps remain lit all day long. So was yesterday, a day in which it rained all day and into the night. I have no idea what the forecast is for today; however, looking out the window indicates gray skies and general yuck.

April showers, right?

I’m just about to finish Avid Reader, which has been a complete pleasure to read. Do I try for fiction next, or more non-fiction? I have a copy of Russian Roulette  by Michael Isikoff and David Corn and I haven’t started it yet. But the contents of that book will make me angry, as they should, so I’ll have to read it in fits and starts, if only to maintain some sort of equilibrium.

This succulent has been a part of Riley’s dish garden ever since I planted it, not long after he died. Other succulents have come and gone, but this one has remained and much to my surprise, it really took off this winter. Constant new growth. I think it likes its new position at the center of the kitchen table, as well as its buddies, the monstera and the rubber plant. I do know that houseplants often thrive when placed in a group with other plants and I think that’s the case here.

Or maybe Riley is speaking to me. I hope so.

The tulips are winding down and, like all flowers, there is a beauty in every stage of life.

I’ve been nursing a sore back, brought about, I’m pretty sure, by having to sleep propped up for several days when I had the cold/flu/whatever-it-was. It’s getting better.

Gosh, I’m ready for some work outside. And I still want to paint the remaining unpainted wall in the kitchen. It’s never been the right time, but I have to do it soon before spring starts to bring in more bugs. Maybe next week.

I have a whole list of things to do outside, including cleaning up the garden beds, raking the gravel that was snowplowed onto the grass back onto the driveway, picking up falling branches, and cleaning the side of the house and the porch railings. None of those tasks excite me, but they have to be done before I can attend to the gardens.

I saw a big rabbit sitting very still yesterday afternoon. He was up in the back forty. First rabbit sighting – a good sign!

Happy Wednesday.

 

A Bit of Green and a Splash of Aqua

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A sign of hope and green things emerging from the ground. My early-bird day lilies, always the first to bloom, are edging their way out of the ground. Oh how I long to get out there and clean up the gardens! But I know, after over 16 years of living in the Hudson Valley, that it’s just too darned early. So I must be patient.

And frankly, I’m still too under the weather to actually do  anything out there.

I looked for signs of the daffodils that are on the edge of the woods, but there aren’t any at the moment. For now, leaf mulch must be kept in place to protect the ground and the plants from any sudden freezes.

I have some tax work to do today (filing an extension) and I need to get some groceries, but it’s slow going, as I had a cough-filled night. Thankfully, I slept in, so I’m not feeling too ragged.

It’s sunny out there. Birds are singing. Hopeful signs of spring.

Sadly, I’m not in any shape to march tomorrow and I’m disappointed about that. But I’ll cheer the marchers on and watch MSNBC’s coverage.

I played around with some of my McCoy yesterday. Most of these pieces were scattered throughout the den and I suddenly thought they might make a bigger impact if I placed them on the music cabinet. Since my chair faces this cabinet, I’m enjoying this big splash of aqua. Smile-worthy.

Gosh, I love collecting.

Okay. Have to get a move on, and by ‘move’ I really mean ‘crawl.’

Happy Friday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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