Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Three, Four, Shut the Door

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34.

That’s all I need to say.

I never watch television during the day, but lately, during the trial, I’ve occasionally tuned into Nicolle Wallace around 4 pm. So I happened to be watching as they got the news that the verdict was in. I called to Don to “get in here!”

Justice served.

Thank you to DA Alvin Bragg, the magnificent prosecutorial team, and the jury.

Wild phlox alongside the path into the woods.

Hey, I mowed the other day! Whoo hoo! My hand was a bit sore afterward, so I took the day off yesterday. I wrapped it in an ace bandage while mowing and was very careful. Since Don’s shoulder is acting up, it was time for me to get back in the mowing game. It was just what I needed, it pulled me out of my worried state of mind and that’s a good thing. More on tap for today.

We’re holding off on the car until we’re emotionally and financially ready to deal with it. We need a little break from worry. Don has two gigs this weekend but they’re relatively close to us, so he’ll use my car.

Outside the kitchen window. You can see the rear of the dollhouse. These wild beauties won’t last much longer, so I’m taking as many photos of them as I can.

But now, the wild roses are blooming, so there are white blossoms everywhere. And that means the catalpa is not far behind.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

Flowers, Ants, Bunnies, and Books

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Now, that’s a cheery sight…the calibrachoa is filling out nicely. It’s doing my favorite thing; spilling out over the top of the plant stand and between the wrought iron ‘wires.’ I have some in a planter, as well, but you can’t see it in this photo.

Yesterday, we woke up to an invasion – and I mean INVASION – of large black ants. It was insane. They were in the kitchen and the living room running around on the wood floors. After dealing with them most of the morning, the remaining ants eventually disappeared. In the meantime, we had placed a call to our pest control people and someone is supposed to come out on Friday. We may cancel that if there’s no reappearance. We’ve also had bees, wasps, and hornets appearing inside the house. I’m not sure where they’re coming from, but since it’s been so hot the last few days, I’ve been closing the windows and running the A/C and there were no buzzing intruders yesterday. In the case of the bees, etc., we’ve been able to capture them and release them outside. Sadly, in the case of the ants, there was no way to remove them humanely and that always makes me feel guilty and sad.

I’ve also had to gently remind a few bunnies that the big garden bed is off limits. They’re awfully cute, but there’s plenty to chomp on around here that doesn’t involved the plants in the bed,

And I’ve had a tiny little encounter with poison ivy on my left wrist. It’s clearing up now.

What’s next? Locusts?

It’s awfully beautiful out there this morning. Don mowed the front yard yesterday and will have to mow the corral today. Rain and thunderstorms are predicted for tomorrow. Wild phlox has appeared all over the property. The phlox is so beautiful in subtle shades of white and pink and lavender. I’ll have to take some photos today.

I’m reading Close to Death  by Anthony Horowitz. I’m also slowly reading The Cottage Garden by Claus Dalby, a Danish gardener I follow on Instagram. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I rarely buy books these days, but after waiting months for the one copy we had in our library system and being stuck inside because of my hand injury, I treated myself. I’m glad I did because it’s beautifully photographed with lots of helpful information. It’s the kind of book that makes me smile.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

 

View From The Glider

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We’ve been working outside on these rain-free days. Don mowed the lilac side of the lawn yesterday and I pulled lots of weeds. I need to weed whack but I have to do it sparingly as my hand continues to heal. Anyway, we took about a half hour to sit on the glider and gaze on our property and remind ourselves how lucky we are to live here . It is so beautiful this time of year – so much green!

The view from the glider.

I decided to use only one of the Adirondack chairs this summer. We rarely use both of them at the same time and getting around them on our way to the glider is difficult. So, the other one is in the shed until we need it. I’m surprised how much all the impatiens have grown since I potted them with one hand a couple of weeks ago. They’ve really taken off.

Those are roses poking through the porch railing on the left. That glider was something Don picked up on the street way back when we were living in San Diego. I think he paid $25 for it. We’ve used it on the porch there, on the lawn in our rental house in Westchester, and on the porch here. It’s rusty and the paint has flaked off and I love its weathered look.

The secret garden needs to be mowed but it’s been very wet around here. The wild phlox is blooming all over the property. That’s an old street sign from our days in San Diego. It doesn’t really belong in the secret garden, so I’ll move it soon.

Today, some more chores outside.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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