Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Archives for groundhogs

Monday Stuff: Flowers, Groundhogs, Mosquitoes

July 24, 2023 at 9:16 am by Claudia

Monday. It may rain, it may not. Yesterday was so lovely, we tried to really be in the moment and lap it up.

Don suggested we sit on the porch since, for once, the weather was good. We sat on the glider. We had to leave because there were so many bees buzzing around the roses and other flowers.

We decided to sit in the secret garden. I got attacked my mosquitoes. We retreated to the house,

So much for sitting outside!

These day lilies are so gorgeous and I often miss them because they’re on the far side of the house. They’re also huge.

I might weed-whack a little today. The area around the secret garden is overgrown because we’ve had so much rain.

We’re sending off our deductions today. I’m glad that chore is finished!

No recent sightings of Buddy, though I did see the older groundhog who lives under the shed sunning himself on the ramp. That reminded me of Henry, who often took advantage of the ramp to watch the world go by. The baby groundhogs have grown up. They’re so big now. I was telling Don that I miss that time right after Mom fiercely moved them all to the other burrow and Buddy would sneak back down here during the day. When it was around 5:30 pm, he’d look around, make sure he was safe, and trot back to the gate, look around again, and make his way into the secret garden and then run up the stepping stones on the little hill. Then he’d run toward the burrow. He was so gosh-darned adorable.

But kids grow up so quickly, don’t they?

Katie bonding with The Dude.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: Blythe dolls, garden, groundhogs 16 Comments

Guess Who?

July 12, 2023 at 8:29 am by Claudia

At some point in the late afternoon, I took a quick glance outside and what did I see?

Buddy.

And later, I realized that he was with one of his siblings.

So I officially give up. Trying to figure out what is going on with these guys is fruitless. They’ve been gone, they’re back. Maybe they were off building their new homes and were taking a break? Maybe they haven’t even started doing that yet? Maybe both of them are living under this tree? Or one of them is? Maybe they were hanging out with mom up in the back forty? Who knows?

Of course, I had to go out there and erect my little bin wall again. Even so, the sibling knocked one of the lids down and was in the big garden so I had to make an appearance, just as I did this morning when a baby bunny ended up in the memorial garden.

Speaking of bunnies:

A mama and her baby. They were hanging out by the Funky Patio.

And then,

Mama, baby, and off in the background, the groundhog who lives under the shed.

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.

Today it is supposed to be unbearably hot and humid so I’m going to make this short. I need to do a little work outside before the humidity gets to me.

This summer? A love-hate thing. I love the summer but the weather conditions, and that includes smoke from wildfires and flash flooding, has been a giant pain in the tush. Still, I love watching our animal family, and yesterday I saw a hummingbird moth flitting between coneflowers, and the grass is really green again, and our well is filled up, so I’m grateful.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: bunnies, groundhogs 22 Comments

A Zinnia and the Groundhogs

July 11, 2023 at 8:43 am by Claudia

The first (rather small in diameter) zinnia opened. I usually just grab 2 or three packs of seeds and sow them without any actual planning. So I’m always surprised by what comes up. This batch is growing much more quickly than the others.  Anyway, zinnias are cheerful and I’m grateful for them.

No sign of Buddy. I’ll share some thoughts about this. I’ve done a lot of research on groundhogs over the years. This year I read that after the babies are born, they remain together as a family unit for a few months. After that, the ‘kids’ leave the unit to establish their own residences. I don’t know how old the babies were that day when we first saw them, but a quick calculation told me they’d leave in July or August. I think they’ve done that. I haven’t seen any of the siblings that hung out here either. Last week, I saw Buddy grabbing a handful of dead, dry leaves in his mouth and hold them there before dropping them again. I’d never seen him do that before. He wasn’t going to eat them, so why? And another time, as I headed back to the house after going to the mailbox, I saw him in the entrance area to the tree, digging a bit. That’s something I hadn’t seen from him before. I wonder if the urges to dig and tunnel that are part of his DNA were emerging. I think so. He was getting ready for something.

I miss him, but I don’t miss having to constantly check in to see what he he might be up to. But I must admit, I loved nothing more than watching him lay on one of the rocks, his front paws over the edge, just watching. And then, he’d shift his gaze to me, standing behind the window. He always knew I was there.

One of the profound pleasures of living on this property is the chance to observe wildlife; we’ve watched foxes, deer, groundhogs, birds, monarch butterflies, bunnies, wild turkeys, squirrels, chipmunks, and black bears. How lucky we are!

Well…one good thing: I can finally weed whack some of the areas near the garden bed and funky patio that I purposely kept long so the ‘kids’ had something to eat. It’s clean up time. I cautiously removed two of the blue bin lids that I had employed to make a barrier in my somewhat futile efforts to keep the groundhogs out of the garden. I guess I can take the rest down today.

It’s going to be very hot and humid today. I don’t mind telling you that I’ve been feeling pretty awful this summer between the smoke, the pollen, the humidity, and the rain. There have been very few days in which I caught a break. So rather than act on my initial impulse to mow part of the corral today, I’m going to hold off.

I’m just about to finish Babel (oh, what an excellent novel!) and then I’ll return it to the library and pick up two more books that are waiting for me.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: flowers, groundhogs 14 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 18
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

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.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2025 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT