Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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First Zinnia

July 20, 2014 at 8:00 am by Claudia

It’s Sunday.

And I’m still not feeling well. Friday night I felt feverish and I rarely get a fever. During that night I woke up shivering, and Don said my skin felt very warm. Yesterday, when I got up, I got a dizzy, clammy feeling and felt like I was going to pass out. (That’s something that has happened periodically to me over the years – it always has to do with sinus congestion.) So I took it easy all day yesterday – didn’t have a choice, really. Last night, I woke up bathed in sweat. Obviously, my body is trying to get rid of something – a virus? Anyway, I feel yucky yet again this morning.

I don’t like being sick.

Don had to mow the front lawn yesterday. We usually split that job and I like mowing. I couldn’t go to the CD release party last night. (Don brought me a cupcake.) I watched several episodes of Fixer Upper. I went to bed early.

Waaaah.

I managed to get outside yesterday to take a photo of the first zinnia to bloom here. They’re all planted from seed and are scattered around the property: in the Chicken Wire Fence Garden, the white barrels, and the kitchen garden.

Here it is yesterday:

first zinnia

And today:

first zinnia 2

It’s getting there. Hello first zinnia!

We watched Lawrence of Arabia the other night. That has to be one of the best films ever made. Simply stunning. Well, I should amend my previous statement. I watched half of it, then retired to bed with a fever. Don watched it all.

I miss Peter O’Toole.

Well, my friends, that’s about all I can come up with today.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: flowers, garden, movies 76 Comments

What’s Blooming?

July 17, 2014 at 7:55 am by Claudia

Sleep deprivation continues. I’m sleeping, but not enough, and the cumulative effects are making me very tired and slightly snarly. When I am suffering from a lack of sleep, every worry and care seems heavier and more ominous. But I’m learning to not take my thoughts too seriously on days such as these because I seem to lose all sense of perspective. So, my friends, much to your relief I’m sure, I will not be listing all my worries for you today. No, I will post some pretty pictures instead!

blooms by the porch

Daylilies are fleeting, but I must say this year’s crop (the ones that haven’t been eaten by the deer) are more abundant than ever. This bed is right next to the entrance to the porch and is full of sedum, hostas, coneflowers and daylilies.

view of the porch entrance bed

The sedum Autumn Joy was here when we moved in, as was the giant hosta that is just outside of this view. Everything else, I added. This particular bed is one of my favorites because it looks so cottage garden-like. It’s densely planted – more so every year, as the coneflowers keep reseeding and multiplying.

A few years ago, I tucked a Hens and Chicks under one of the boxwoods in front of the house. At the end of our very tough winter, it looked pretty awful. I thought I just might lose it.

hens and chicks

But there it is, with little babies.

hens and chicks flowers

This one has bloomed for two years now. Aren’t the little flowers beautiful?

Some of you are suffering in a drought, some are dealing with high temperatures, and others, like me, are dealing with a lot of rain and humidity….so tell me, what’s blooming in your garden now? How does it look at mid-summer? Or, if you don’t have a garden, what’s blooming in the gardens around you?

Happy Thursday.

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Filed Under: flowers, garden 34 Comments

The Garden & A Walk in the Woods

July 14, 2014 at 7:15 am by Claudia

white coneflowers plus a purple one

Gosh, I love coneflowers. I deliberately planted white ones in the big garden bed, but as you can see a purple coneflower snuck in there this year. The more the merrier, I say. This is the part of the bed that was impacted by the falling of a huge limb from our maple tree, so I am very grateful that these beauties came back. I was sweating that one.

purple coneflower & hydrangea

There are lots more in the garden beds at the side of the house.

annabelle hydrangea

I took this photo of the Annabelle Hydrangea yesterday afternoon. We had a severe thunderstorm last night, so these beauties are drooping from the barrage of water. Same thing with some of the milkweed. I ran out and tried to straighten them, but I couldn’t get some of them upright again. Makes me sad.

Yesterday, Nancy said in a comment that the photo of Don next to the mullein had a timeless quality. That got me thinking. Here it is in black and white:

don and mullein b & W

What do you think?

Continuing in my current video vein, I managed (after three tries) to film a little video of our woods. I kept having to delete some photos and old videos in order for there to be enough storage to film the new video. Again, some jerkiness to the film quality. It isn’t easy to keep an iPhone still while you walk, especially in the woods.

As you watch, keep your eyes open toward the end for the bunny rabbit that I didn’t even see when I was filming! He’s to the right of the mullein. I was so busy trying to get everything in that I didn’t notice him until I played the darned thing back. Life in the country.

Enjoy.

A Walk in the Woods from Claudia Hill on Vimeo.

There’s a new post up on the book blog, Just Let Me Finish This Page. Stop on by!

Happy Monday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Don, flowers, garden, life, woods 52 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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