Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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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.

Gentle Beings

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Today’s theme is ‘Beings who are not Human.’

My beloved Lonesome Dove, who sat on the rim of the birdbath for at least 30 minutes. Maybe longer. Enough time for me to run and get my camera with the telephoto lens. This little interlude made me very happy.

Later: a scary thunderstorm. Lonesome Dove had moved on by that point.

Discovered on some milkweed:

Another Monarch caterpillar. I’ve seen a lot of them this year, but never get to see the chrysalis. I’m not sure why, as I’m constantly checking for them.

And this morning, seen from the kitchen:

But there wasn’t just one fawn – there were three! The other two were hidden behind some trees to the left. Amazing. I’ve never seen three fawns on the property.

Magical!

Focusing on nature and all these wonderful beings calms me. I’ve been dealing with a bit of generalized anxiety of late. I’m not sure why – I have bouts with it and then months go by without any problems. When I saw Lonesome Dove last night and stood in the kitchen watching him/her, it melted away.

Stay in the moment, Claudia. Breathe.

I worked on deductions yesterday – most of which won’t work for Federal Income Tax, but will for New York State, because…we’re a Blue State – and am close to finishing. Deductions and taxes certainly can contribute to anxiety, right?

Today, I’m off to get the car inspected. Fingers crossed I don’t have to get new tires.

Happy Monday.

 

The Fifth of July

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Thank you for the lovely messages yesterday! I forgot to mention that yesterday was the 21st anniversary of Don’s proposal of marriage. That came four years to the day after we met. We were getting ready to go to Kathy’s again and our dog Winston was outside in the back yard. We had left the door open. Suddenly, Don got down on one knee and proposed and I said yes and as we hugged, Winston came running in from the yard, jumped up, and joined the hug! Such a wonderful memory.

We did just what we wanted to do yesterday. We hung out at home, our favorite place. It was lovely.

We shared our memories of that day with each other. We remembered old friends, now gone – Kathy and Jonathan. We toasted each other in the evening with Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider.

It’s a big deal for us. Don had been married before when he met me. His memories of marriage were not happy ones. I had never been married. I never thought I would be married. I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to be. I was fine with that. I couldn’t conceive of 2 years with someone, let alone 25. Yet, somehow, we found our way together and these past 25 years have been the best of my life.

Lonesome Dove sitting on one of the power lines across the street.

I’m having lunch with Rick today. We haven’t seen each other for a while and it will be good to catch up.

We watched Casablanca  last night. It has to be one of the best movies ever made. Perfection: screenplay, cinematography, direction, acting – everything.

And that’s about it. I hope your July 4th was a good one, however you celebrate.

I took this yesterday. There are even more flowers open today.

Okay, my friends. I have to get moving!

Happy Friday.

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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