Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Hydrangeas

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Remember those hydrangeas? Last year, I thought they had been killed by an especially heavy snowfall. Many of you gave me advice, which I took, and they started coming back nicely last year. They’re even better this year.

Of course, we’re going to get very heavy rains today and tomorrow – there’s already a flood warning – so lord knows what will happen to them.

We’re going to shop for groceries this morning before the two-day deluge hits.

I saw the most adorable thing yesterday. The two baby rabbits were right outside the kitchen door and they were playing and/or sparring, I’m not sure  which. They would jump up and down on all fours, jump on each other, do it again and again. It was absolutely enchanting. Then they stopped and continued eating.

I haven’t seen Buddy (the one groundhog I’ve named) in a couple of days. He wasn’t near the tree on Friday afternoon and I didn’t see him at all yesterday. They drive me crazy at times, but I worry about them. Where did he go? I just pray he’s safe. Mama rabbit was dining on the grass here yesterday. A favorite sight: Mama lying on the ground, all stretched out, happily looking around. She’ll do that for a long time.

Don calls her Buddha.

What else? I started the day today reading Babel, then I meditated. I’ve been enjoying getting back to crossword puzzles again. I completed the three puzzles that I printed out, and am currently working on yesterday’s puzzle, which I printed out late in the day. And today, of course, is the Sunday puzzle. Not to toot my own horn, but I’m quite adept at solving them. But they’re a challenge and sometimes it takes me a couple of days to complete a puzzle. I love that challenge.

My rules: I never  do them with another person, just as I never do my jigsaw puzzles with anyone else. I don’t want help. If I can’t get a clue, then I can’t get it. And I do them in pen. I tried my favorite pencils long ago, but I’m really a pen person. Sometimes that means I have to write on top of an incorrect letter. So be it.

We haven’t turned on the a/c yet, but you can feel the humidity in the air. And now there’s a dust cloud from the Sahara headed here. Such a bizarre summer!

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

A Sultry Saturday

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More of this day lily, which blooms spectacularly. It doesn’t bloom for long but I must get about 30 gorgeous flowers. What a gift!

I’m wiped out today so it’s going to be a day of rest. Don and I mowed the rest of the front lawn and also the lilac side of the lawn and it was both physically tough and very hard in the dense humidity. But we knew we were going to have several days of showers and thunderstorms so it had to be done. I think we were finished by 10:30 or 11 am – so we avoided the worst of the humidity. We felt invigorated when we finished, but later? We crashed.

Today will be stormy, or so they say, so we’re going to stay inside and just plain hang out.

I started a subscription to the NY Times Crossword puzzle yesterday. I used to have one but I let it go several years ago. I’ve been missing the mental stimulation of the crossword as well as the zen-like state I’m in when I’m trying to solve it. It’s only $5/month and I figured I could afford that. I print them out on our printer. Truth be told, Don gave me a book of crosswords a couple of months ago and I finally did one of them yesterday. I was finished in less than 5 minutes. Too easy. Solving crosswords is a skill that develops with practice and I’m a bit rusty. But it’s coming back.

I’m not hearing much bird song when I first get up, but I’m a bit relieved because I just opened the door (at 7:43 am) and there was lots of bird song. I don’t want this summer to go by too quickly. I want to hear the birds and the tree frogs and the bullfrog next door. I can hear a mourning dove right now. Remember Lonesome Dove, the dove without a partner who hung out on the property? I miss him. And I miss Henry, that grand old gentle groundhog we loved for so many years.

Ah well.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Heat, Humidity, and Stuff

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We have another air quality alert for today. It’s because of the level of ozone in the air. It’s not due to wildfires. It is VERY humid out there and it’s going to reach 91 today. So. We’ll have to stay indoors – or at least, I will. Yesterday’s work in high humidity did a number on my allergies/sinus. Note: our crack local forecasters say it IS due to wildfire smoke.

I worked outside yesterday – weed whacking, pulling weeds in the garden beds, and mowing. About halfway through the mowing the front lawn, the lawnmower became difficult to handle and the front wheel drive that makes it easy to propel wasn’t working. I was already dripping with sweat. Don came out and took over and he, too, found it very difficult. So we didn’t finish the lawn. The lawnmower works, it’s just very hard to propel it around our big patch of lawn. We have to mow some more and I thought I’d tackle it slowly this morning – a bit at a time – but then I learned about the Air Quality warning, so I’ll have to wait on that.

Lawnmower not working right. Washing machine is leaking a bit. Just had to replace the air conditioner. The usual ‘everything happening all at once.’

It’s worrisome. So I keep on giving myself chores and activities throughout the day. Thinking can be my worst enemy.

Oh, and the groundhogs. Remember when I said they ‘mostly behave’ yesterday? I was wrong. They were climbing up on top of the bin lids that make a little barrier between them and the big garden bed yesterday, and I discovered one of them on the porch and sure enough, the blooms on the calibrachoa in the planter were GONE. Clearly, they view the porch as an extension of the grass and garden. I was not happy. All planters that were on the porch floor are now on top of the picnic table.

I told Don I miss the time when they were more timid. Big sigh.

The balloon flowers are opening in the memorial garden. I chose it because the name of this particular balloon flower is Sentimental Balloon Flower. You can see the flower in its initial balloon shape at the bottom of the photo and one that has just opened at the top.

More coneflowers are opening up, rain and storms are coming tomorrow.

I’m already sweating, so I’m going to turn the a/c on.

Stay safe.

Happy Thursday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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