Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Flowers, Imogen & Dove Cottage

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More clematis this morning. They sure do add a jolt of color to the green of the boxwood.

Hot, hot, hot here today. Tomorrow should be much cooler.

Yesterday morning found me pulling most of the forget-me-nots out of the ground. They were going to seed. I also wanted to clean the edges of the garden beds, so I fetched the lawn mower and mowed in front of the beds so that I could see the rocks that define the beds. Then I pulled anything that interfered with that border. And then, in true Claudia fashion, I also mowed the lilac side of the front lawn.

And then…I was tired. But it felt good to be out there after feeling under the weather for a few days.

Meanwhile, Imogen was on the porch enjoying the flowers.

(I love the cleft in her chin.)

Slowly finishing the front of the dollhouse. There are one or two elements to add, but here is where we are as of today:

I want to age that big pot on the left. The chair arrived in the mail the other day, all the way from Milan. I love the look of these bistro chairs; they remind me very much of the chairs in the Luxembourg gardens. I searched high and low until I found one.

I may make some stepping stones leading to the door. This area was to be a porch on the original house. Most of the porch elements were missing when I found it at the dump and I wasn’t inclined to replace them as I had a different idea of what I wanted it to be. So I’m left with this raised area. I’m going with terraced levels. I’ll probably add some of the ballast that I’ve used on the area just outside the front door on the lower terrace as well. Though, it’s messy and a bit of a pain in the tush.

And then we’ll move on to the Beacon Hill.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

It’s Those Decade Markers

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I have never seen so much fleabane on the property as I have this year. This photo was taken in the secret garden. The flowers cover the both sides of the stepping stones and the entire area bordering the back of the house that faces the garden. It’s amazing. I have to do some hop-scotch type moves to navigate the stepping stones. (That’s the rain barrel in the distance.) The petals are a combination of lavender and white. If I observed them more, I might notice if they start out as lavender and then change to white. I’ll try to figure that out.

It’s time to mow again. I’m not sure when we’ll do it, but it looks like we haven’t mowed in weeks when, in fact, we mowed less than a week ago. That’s the way of the world in the spring.

I’m starting to work on the finishing touches on Dove Cottage. I’ve been playing with the same mini pea gravel that I used in the rooftop garden on Hummingbird Cottage. I like it, but as much as I try to glue it down, it’s sort of impossible. And now I’m thinking that I need some stepping stones leading up to the door, with pea gravel around them. This pot of mums arrived yesterday. I have a few other things ordered as well. I need to finish this up and move it elsewhere so I can start in on the Beacon Hill while I’m still “young” enough to do all the work.

A glimpse into my mind right now: I’m headed toward my 70th birthday in November, and like all decade markers for me, it’s a time full of introspection. My posts about being an introvert come from that. I wake up some mornings panicked about how little time I might have left. Or panicked about how much stuff I have and realizing I need to make lists, provide information about all the things I collect (prices, provenance, etc.) in some big notebook. At the same time, I want to keep growing and learning and playing and creating – I don’t want to fall into the trap of thinking that possibilities are disappearing or fading. And all of that is up to me.

Thanks. I needed to share that so I could get some perspective.

Livvy: all set for summer.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

Wildflowers and Storms

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These tiny little wildflowers (fleabane) are popping up all over the place. I usually let wildflowers live wherever they decide to show themselves. I don’t yank them until they’ve gone to seed. Of course, going to seed means that even more of them will pop up next year. I have SO many forget-me-nots, more than ever. They are in the memorial garden bed, in between the cracks of the funky patio pavers, by the birdbath, next to and in all the flower beds. They sort of drive me buggy and all  of them are the result of a few seeds that were sent to me several years ago, which I planted in the corner of one bed. If I’d only known!

So on one hand, the messiness of them popping up everywhere drives me crazy. But on the other hand, this will never be a neat and pristine property. We’re too close to the woods and to the wildness of nature. We do not have a suburban lawn. And we do not have neat little garden beds. It’s impossible. It doesn’t suit where we live. I also love a slightly overgrown garden, so there’s that, too.

Right now the funky patio is covered with wildflowers. Same for the birdbath area and the memorial garden. If some wildflower is going to get in the way of something I purposely planted, then I’ll pull it. But only then.

Oh, we had some insane storms over the past two days. One on Sunday and two yesterday. The craziest was late in the day yesterday and I was alone here at the time. Don had run into the neighboring town to get his hair trimmed. While he was gone, the storm rolled- ‘roared’ would be a better word – in. The rain was coming in EVERY window in the house. When the storm hit, I heard a big bang and I wondered if a transformer had been hit. The winds were frighteningly strong, and the thunder and lightning was nonstop. We briefly lost power again, but it came back on almost immediately. The sump pump was on overdrive. I could hear the sirens of emergency vehicles.

Needless to say I was nervous, but all is well. Our trees are intact. The house is safe. I don’t think we had any hail, but I know neighboring communities did. It’s much cooler today and the oppressive humidity has left. The front lawn needs mowing but it’s still too wet, so we’ll wait until tomorrow.

I made a shelf for the interior of the mini fridge. As I said on IG, the egg nog is past its expiration date, and the leftovers in that container are probably funky. Time for a shopping trip.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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