Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Tuesday Stream of Consciousness

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3-8 sunset

• Another glorious sunset. Our house faces west, so as I sit in my chair or go about my business in the living room, this is what I see.

• Trip plans: We’re heading out tomorrow morning. Cannot wait. I’m currently plotting a route down to Florida that avoids the hell that is the Washington D.C. area and, instead, takes us through some beautiful country – courtesy of my Facebook friends. As I looked at the map today, I got those anticipatory butterflies that I get when I am about to explore and see something new.

When I was on the road more, especially when I worked for a theatrical touring company, I loved to explore whatever city I was in. I’m always up for getting out, walking around, exploring, and learning new things. Dallas; Cedar Falls, Iowa; Owensboro, KY; Gainesville, FL; Ft.Lauderdale, FL; Birmingham, AL; Charleston, SC – just a few of the places I was able to explore when I was on the road for a few days here and a few days there. Often, I had to pick up a car rental and drive many miles from the airport to the theater and I’d explore along the way.

Don loves car trips. It will be fun.

• Yesterday. This arrived….

3-8 doublebudvase1

I know. I succumbed again.

It’s a double bud vase in the Clematis pattern. Need I say that it was a great score on eBay? It was.

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The other side. Isn’t it beautiful? Several Roseville patterns have their own version of this double bud vase. As crazy about Roseville as I am, I can see collecting all of them.

Stop me.

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There it is on the shelf; though I’ve since changed it out with the basket that Barbara sent to me. The double bud vase is now in the china cabinet in the den. I can see it from my blogging chair.

I may change that. We’ll see.

Can one have too much vintage pottery? My short answer: No.

3-8 geranium

• My over-wintering geranium is blooming again! This little experiment was a complete success. I’ve been watering all the plants so they’ll be nice and moist while we’re gone. Even the succulents got a dash of water.

• Blogging Etiquette Question: Am I the only one who gets irritated when I see posts from bloggers where lots of photos are taken directly from a post on another site/blog? It seems wrong to me. Yes, they usually link back to the original source, but if they’re basically taking all the photos from the original post, who is going to click the link? (And often the name of the original blog is hidden – you have to click through to find out who it was.)

It seems a bit like cheating. The blogger gets a post out of it without doing any of the work. Not quite fair, I think. Though perhaps the photos get a wider audience? Still, it doesn’t sit right. Far better, in my humble opinion, to say something like, “You should see this wonderful home or apartment or miniature or whatever that I saw elsewhere – here’s the link.” And then the original poster gets the hits, which is the way it should be.

Just wondering. It’s been bugging me a lot lately.

Lots to do today.

Happy Tuesday.

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Potpourri on Wednesday

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2-24 snow

We had some pretty snow late yesterday afternoon. Maybe about 2 inches? I quite enjoyed watching it fall. I talked Don into having some hot chocolate with me and our cozy cottage wrapped its arms around us.

Today, however, it’s raining, so it’s quite messy out there. This has to be one of the strangest winters I’ve ever seen. Very little snow. Abnormally warm temperatures. Then, suddenly, 20 – 30 below zero wind chill. Then temps in the fifties. My head is spinning.

2-24 livingroom

The living room on this gray morning. Ever since I got my upgraded iPhone, I find myself grabbing it to take photos more often than not. It’s so much more convenient than hauling out my Canon. It’s not as good as the Canon, to be sure, but sometimes convenience trumps excellence. I like to take good quality photos, but I am not a blogger who has to have magazine-worthy photos in every post. Good lord, the constant hauling out of the tripod and arranging ‘vignettes’ (you know I’ve come to hate that word) and waiting for the perfect light would drive me nuts. Life’s too short. Sometimes, the tripod and light and the right lens are exactly what I want to tinker with on that day. But since I blog every day, that ain’t gonna happen on a daily basis.

2-24 succulentgrowth

My succulents are sending out appendages of new growth. They seem to be thriving on the kitchen table. (That’s an empty CD container under the pot – I use what I have!)

We brought Scoutie’s ashes home yesterday. Don didn’t want her waiting for us on a shelf at the animal hospital. It was very emotional, of course. Don and I sat in the car and cried. She’s home now with her brothers, Winston and Riley. We were also given a round piece of clay with Scout’s paw print and her name etched below. It’s on the sideboard, where it will have a place of honor in our cottage.

Don is going into the city today, so I will be facing my first full day alone here. That’s something I need to do. For a girl who tends toward solitary, this is a tough one.

Happy Wednesday.

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Peak

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A peek at the peak of the garden, as photographed in the early evening.

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7-28 pinkphlox

7-28 sidegarden

7-28 tiny bug

(Just because I love this tiny little winged insect.)

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7-28 limelight

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Sometimes I look at all of this and a little voice reminds me that ‘living in a cottage in the country and having a garden’ was a dream I held for most of my adult life. The cottage part of the dream was taken care of when moved here at the end of the summer in 2005. As for the garden, there were some sedum and hostas, but basically, this was a blank space.

I had to hold off on my garden dreams until the spring of 2006. It’s taken me ten summers of digging out hundreds of rocks, amending the soil, digging new beds, adding just a few plants each spring (always on a strict budget,) experimenting, shaping, and crossing my fingers to get here. Here  to this abundant and verdant space tucked in alongside the cottage, with dense woods just a few steps away.

I pinch myself and feel such gratitude for a dream finally realized.

Not that I could afford it, but even if I could, hiring someone to design and plant these gardens was simply out of the question. Just as hiring an interior designer to decorate my home was out of the question. Good, bad or indifferent; these gardens have my stamp on them.

If you have the option when establishing your gardens, take your time. In this world of instant gratification, some things are worth waiting for.

Happy Tuesday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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