Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for gardening

Dare I Call It A Potting Shed?

April 21, 2022 at 8:37 am by Claudia

A few weeks back, Don came home with something in the back of his car. He found it on the side of the road and thought that it might be something I could use for potting my plants. Since it is fairly lightweight, I quickly realized it was a no-go for the porch. We get a lot of wind.

But, we were about to wash the walls and the floor in the shed and once we rearranged things, I was pretty sure I knew where it would go. And yesterday, it all started to take shape.

His discovery alongside the road? The utility tub.

You know, Don amazes me sometimes. That he would see this and immediately think of me, gardening, and potting plants just boggles my mind! I was surprised when I first saw it, but I must admit, my mind immediately started thinking about what I could do with it.

For now, this is the way this potting area looks. What I would love to find eventually is an old workbench of some kind to place on the right of the tub. But this will definitely do in the meantime. The garden tools, snow shovels, rakes, etc., are on the opposite side of the shed.

We’re doing a little ‘decoration’ as well. Some antique locks and hinges are on display on the back wall. I’ll take a picture of that area soon. It’s still a shed, but dang if isn’t a lot more spacious than I thought it was.

I’ve had the shelf for a long time. It used to be on the wall in my studio when it was under the skylight. It’s not the strongest piece, but it could definitely hold packs of seeds and a few tools. I’d also love to find some really cheap framed prints of flowers and botanicals. Nothing too precious, of course, because it is, after all, a shed.

Before we rented the dumpster this shed was so full of stuff that we could barely get in there. I would have to crawl over things to find my pots.

You have no idea.

That’s why I keep marveling at how spacious it is in there!

By the way, we have no water access in the shed, but Don urged me to put the faucet on the sink ‘for the look of the thing.’

Isn’t it neat? I have my own little potting shed!

I’m going move the trash can that holds my potting soil to the shed. It’s currently on the porch. But first, I have to buy some fresh potting soil and some plants – I haven’t done any of that yet because it’s been too cold. But, as of today, freezing nighttime temperatures are a thing of the past, so I can finally get going.

Today, I’m going to start clearing out the garden beds – my first pass.

We worked outside for about 2 – 3 hours yesterday and we were tired. So we’re being very careful to pace ourselves. But, boy, is it wonderful to be outside again.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

 

Filed Under: flowers, garden, gardening 28 Comments

Day Four Hundred

April 17, 2021 at 10:13 am by Claudia

• As we’ve reached Day Four Hundred, I’m currently pondering whether today will be the last post with the number of days in the title. I haven’t come to a conclusion yet, but I’m leaning toward phasing it out. As I weed in the garden bed today and do the laundry, I’ll be thinking about it.

Current puzzle: Main Street, from 1939.

• The new John Derian puzzle that I ordered last week from Amazon has been delayed. This is made all the more annoying since Oblong Books had it on their shelf and, knowing that I already had it on the way, I didn’t buy it. Amazon is saying delivery will be sometime between May lst and the 15th. No can do. Looks like I might be headed back to Oblong sooner than I thought.

• It rained much of the day yesterday, so everything around here is soggy. The perfect time to pull some weeds in the big garden bed. That’s what I’m going to do this morning.

• Something else to ponder: My sister and I were chatting the other day during FaceTime about messages from our parents. As you know, I had several visits from my mother, both when she was in the nursing home and on the day she died. I’ve never sensed a message or appearance from my father. Or my grandmother. But I did have one, long ago, from my grandfather.

And from my brother – more than one. Both Meredith and I have had dreams in which we were dancing with our brother. Vivid, powerful dreams. I remember feeling pure joy during and after that dream. He will be gone 30 years this year. It doesn’t seem possible. I love the fact that we’ve both danced with David in our dreams.

• Don is currently at our local farm stand/nursery. I was all set to go along and buy some plants but I saw it might go down to 33 this week (that’s awfully close to freezing) so I decided not to go. If I went, I would be tempted to buy plants and I don’t want to worry about them and have to bring them inside this week. So I’ll wait a week and, in the meantime, catch up on all the things that need to be done outside.

That’s it, my friends.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: Dave, garden, gardening, jigsaw puzzles, Meredith 20 Comments

Day Three Hundred Ninety-One

April 8, 2021 at 10:08 am by Claudia

Running a bit late this morning as we were sitting on the sofa in the living room and I noticed a bird flying back and forth. I thought he was going to the birdbath but then I realized that he was building a nest in this:

Do you remember Don placing this way up high in a niche in the maple? It’s meant to be used for a nest. It was there all last year with no activity, but this year? I think we have potential tenants. I say ‘potential’ because nothing is happening at the moment. Were they scared off by our excited voices inside the house? I took this with my big girl camera but before that I had only my phone and if you look closely at this blurry photo below, you can see the bird either coming in or out of the opening.

I hope they stay!

Still no activity. I can see the little trailer right outside the den window as I write this. I can’t tell exactly what kind of bird it was – there was no time to capture it digitally. Maybe a wren?

Anyway, we got very excited by the prospect of some neighbors. Fingers crossed!

As to numbering the posts, I’m still not sure. We’ll hit our two-week mark on April 14th. But, you’re right, the pandemic continues. On one hand, after 13 years of writing a post every day, I always find it rather a pain to come up with any post title, so the numbering has been a nice break from all of that. On the other hand, I don’t want it to continue for months. I’ll simply wait and see how I feel. Thanks so much for weighing in!

We ended up pruning the burning bush yesterday, which was time consuming and tiring, as it’s quite tall. I started raking out some of the big garden bed and taking loads of debris to the pile by the shed. Today, I’m going to go a little easier and simply pot the pansies. The weather has been glorious – highs of 70 degrees and abundant sunshine.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

 

Filed Under: bird nest, birds, gardening 29 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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