Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Ladybugs, Cupcakes & Baseball

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Yesterday was sunny and warm and beautiful. Today? Rainy and dark. Guess which one I prefer.

And before you ask, I have yet to shred.

I’ve read about this happening but this is my first experience with it. Swarming ladybugs. I took Scout for a walk around the yard yesterday and I kept getting dive-bombed by ladybugs! They are everywhere right now.

They seem to congregate by the kitchen door and along the front porch posts and railings.

I love ladybugs so I was delighted and fascinated. Enter Google. Apparently they do this in the fall as they are looking for a warm place to park themselves for the winter. Time to hibernate, my little ladybugs. Go ahead, use my porch, you can stay for free. They get in the house, of course, and while I love seeing them, they will die if they stay here, so I try to rescue them and put them back outside.

And just when I thought my plants had stopped blooming, look what I discovered:

A lovely little Clematis flower. That was a delightful surprise.

Don was in NYC yesterday and I knew he would be near Lincoln Center. That means he was near a favorite place of mine.

Sorry for the quality. It was dark outside. Yes, he brought me 3 Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes!

I may have twisted his arm a little.

I ate number one last night as we watched baseball. By the way, congratulations to my hometown team, the Detroit Tigers! Couldn’t be happier. Well, if the Red Sox were going to the World Series, I would be happier, but I’m pretty happy about the Tigers.

I’ll be back at 8:00 pm EST for A Favorite Thing.

I’ve listed a new scarf in the Etsy Shop. For those of you who have a problem with wool, this one is made from Silk and Bamboo yarn and, believe me, it is incredibly soft and silky on your skin.

Update: Sold. I’m starting a new scarf as I write this!

Happy Friday.

Post Frost

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Friday afternoon found me hurriedly snipping all the flowers still blooming in the garden before a frost hit later that night. It’s too early. And it was even more frustrating because the rest of the week promises fairly warm temperatures. Today it’s supposed to be 69 degrees. What the heck?

The hanging plants from the porch spent the night on the kitchen table. All of the potted porch plants were nestled together on and under one of the benches and covered with sheets.

I have vases throughout the house full of pretty flowers.

My newish hydrangea has been shorn of all its blooms.

I love these pink tinged flowers. I’ll let them dry here in this vase.

The catalpa didn’t drop all of its leaves at once, but it dropped many of them throughout the day. (I’ll take some photos later today.) The hyacinth bean vines I have running along the fence bit the dust. So did the sweet potato vines. Sob. I know it’s all part of the life cycle of a garden but, nevertheless, it makes me sad.

I spent the day mowing the lawn and raking leaves. Some of the leaves I could just mow over and mulch. But there are certain areas of the yard where the massive amount of fallen leaves is just too deep to mow. I have still have a bit more mowing to do but its raining today.

Ah well, I’ll be forced to drink hot chocolate and crochet another Obsession Scarf.

We’re watching a lot of baseball this week. If my Red Sox can’t be in the post season, they were rather dreadful this year, then I will cheer for the Tigers (my home town) and the SF Giants.

How are you on this Sunday morning? What are your plans for the day?

Linking to Elaine’s Sunny Simple Sundays.

A Stroll with Scout (and me)

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Would you like to take a walk with Scout and me? It won’t be taxing. Just a quick trip around the property. It’s a lovely day and the sun is shining. (At least on Thursday when I took these photos! Friday’s forecast is rain.)

The hydrangeas, zinnias, pokeweed and sedum are really hanging in there. That second photo is of my cosmos. I planted all sorts of cosmos seeds and only one came up and it’s just now blooming! Such a nice autumn surprise! (Note to zinnias, sunflowers, bean vines and cosmos: I promise to plant you earlier next year.)

As Scout is well over 13 now, we find these walks around the yard are the best thing for her – not too taxing but full of scents and sights and a sense of adventure. We try to do this with her every day. We’re lucky that we have almost 2 acres here for her to explore. We stay out of our woods, though. Too many ticks for both humans and dogs.

I had 4 inches chopped off of my too-long hair yesterday. Feels so much better.

It’s my dad’s 89th birthday today. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Don’t forget that I have two giveaways going on. One is for a copy of The Unfinished Garden from my book review earlier this week and the other for velvet pumpkins from LoveFeast Table. The book giveaway ends tonight. The other giveaway ends on Saturday evening. Just scroll down and you’ll see the posts.

I’ll be back later at 8:00 EST with A Favorite Thing. Please join me!

Happy Friday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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