Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for garden

Yet Still I Post

May 25, 2014 at 8:04 am by Claudia

hiking

It seems like everyone is on a long weekend hiatus…yet still I post. What can I say? The daily ritual of writing a post has become as necessary as eating and drinking. I like the discipline of it. It forces me to focus and, in the midst of whatever challenges are going on in my life, appreciate what I have.

Yesterday, we managed to squeeze in a hike between rainstorms. We’ve had a lot of rain in the past 4 days and I’m over it. More weeds have sprung up everywhere. The grass needs mowing. Everything is soggy.

But the hike? We managed 4 miles yesterday and for some reason, it kicked my butt! My foot developed a cramp during the hike, my allergies were not being helpful, and when I got home, I just wanted to sleep. Today I woke up before 5:30 am. So I’m still tired!

stonesteps

Remember the stone steps that Don and I had to climb to get to the trail? Visualize irregular steps going up the side of a mountain, zig-zagging every which way, sometimes seemingly hanging over a sheer drop into nothingness. I had Don take this picture yesterday of the beginning of the path going back down the mountain. Honestly, sometimes you can’t figure out which stones are actual steps and which ones are just stones. When we were chatting with a park ranger about them later that day, he told us, “Those steps are used mostly by rock climbers.”

Oh, that explains it. A rock climber I am not.

yellow blooms

From the garden.

white flowers under hosta

I’m going to do some weeding and some mowing today. We’re watching The Normal Heart tonight on HBO. Based on the play by Larry Kramer, it focuses on the HIV/AIDS crisis in NYC during the early years of the eighties. I cannot begin to tell you how many friends I lost to AIDS during the eighties and nineties – brilliant, talented, wonderful people who died much too young.

One of my favorite actors, Mark Ruffalo, is in the cast, as well as my sweet Jim Parsons. It will be powerful, of that I am sure.

Reminder: Tomorrow is the May edition of the Christmas Critter Felt Along, so be sure to drop by and link up with your creations.

Happy Sunday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: Christmas Critter Felt Along, garden, hiking, nature 42 Comments

Welcoming My Prodigal Plants

May 23, 2014 at 8:47 am by Claudia

tulipfromabove

I have three graceful pale yellow tulips in the yard. They have the most wonderful scent. They’re particularly beautiful this year, but I can see they are starting their inevitable decline. This was shot yesterday, in between thunderstorms.

Nature is the best designer, don’t you think?

We had a doozy of a late-in-the-afternoon thunderstorm, by the way. Lights flickering, thunder, lightning, wind, torrential rain. We sat on the porch and watched it rage around us. That brings back memories of my childhood, where we often sought refuge from a storm on our porch. We’d sit there, with little drops of rain occasionally hitting us, watching the fireworks that are part of a thunderstorm, trying to see how long we could outlast the rain that would inevitably start to cover more and more of the porch until it was impossible to remain outside any longer.

I love a summer thunderstorm…though it’s not summer yet, officially. It felt like it yesterday.

The gorgeous bridal wreath spirea has blossomed.

bridalwreathspirea1

bridalwreathspirea2

bridalwreathspirea3

Perfection.

I feel like a mom who is welcoming the return of her prodigal plants. “Welcome back,” I say. They’ve been gone for a long time. One by one, they return. The winter was especially tough. A mammoth tree limb fell in the middle of the large garden bed last September. Yet after all of that, here they are, willing to come back and be a part of the family once more.

I should be standing on the porch, my hair in a bun, an apron tied around my waist, eyes peeled on the horizon, waiting for any sign; a leaf, a bud, a blossom. It could be a painting in the style of Andrew Wyeth or Norman Rockwell.

Awaiting the Return of the Prodigal Plants. That’s the title.

Thank you for your kind words and wise advice yesterday. Treasures you are, all of you.

Happy Friday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

Filed Under: flowers, garden, nature 40 Comments

Rambling

May 17, 2014 at 9:28 am by Claudia

waterdropsonhosta

I just realized the other day that this is the first time I have been home for an entire spring since 2008. Starting in 2009, I was away all or most of the spring on coaching jobs. The good news? I am really enjoying the opportunity to watch everything grow instead of witnessing it via the occasional photo Don would send my way. I love spring.

The bad news? I need work.

Ah well. I’m choosing to be grateful.

We had very heavy rain all day yesterday with high humidity. It was bit tropical-rainforest-y around here. Today the sun is out and it’s a bit cooler. We’re hoping to take another trail walk later in the day.

daffs

Oh pretty daffodils, I love you. Of the two kinds of daffs on this property, this one is my favorite. I love the white flower with that delicate yellow and orange center.

biggesthosta

Our biggest hosta is well on its way to filling this bed – which it will, believe me.

I need to weed. I haven’t put down any mulch since I’m on a strict budget. That means I’m going to have to weed a lot more. Some of the garden beds will eventually be full of perennials and weeds will disappear, but right now, as they are filling in and filling out, I have to be ruthless.

Or not.

lilacbush

The little lilac bush that could. I planted this a few years back and it’s growing, for sure, but very slowly.

clematis

The clematis has taken off this year and is winding its way around the porch railings.

Oh right. I need to clean the porch railings – a job I really don’t look forward to.

The catalpa, usually the last of our trees to leaf out, has tiny leaves now. The shag hickory has leaves. The maples are fully leafed out (now I’m wondering – is that a legitimate term?) as are the ashes and the black walnuts and the elms and the oaks. Don and I sometimes consider counting all the trees on this property. We have a lot of trees. And here’s a question: if one counts the trees, are saplings part of the count? Or just fully grown adult trees?

Where does one draw the line?

The other day, I was once again wrangling with the brambles (you can see the evidence of the battle on my hands) and was clearing some from an area near the woods. As I cleared out a bunch of the stuff that had been strangling some bushes, I noticed a young tree with blossoms on it.

dogwood

Hold on there…we have a little dogwood tree! I had no idea! It’s sort of blocked by another tree and unless I’m right down there in the thick of things, I can’t see it. It’s so pretty!

There are always surprises on this property.

Thursday was a bit hard for me as the mail arrived and I saw an envelope from my dad. I knew it was coming, but I realize now that I really wasn’t prepared to see Mom’s death certificate.

What can I say? It’s so final.

More tears.

I’m off to explore what’s happening out in the gardens.

By the way, a book I recently reviewed and loved, The Moon Sisters, is on sale right now (eBook/Kindle version) on Amazon for $1.99 through May 25th. That’s a great deal for a wonderful book! If you missed the review, you can find it here. So if you didn’t win the giveaway and have it on your list of books to read (and if you use eBooks) hop on over and buy it!

Happy Saturday.

ClaudiaSignature140X93

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden, spring, trees 15 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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