Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Ladybugs, Cupcakes & Baseball

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Yesterday was sunny and warm and beautiful. Today? Rainy and dark. Guess which one I prefer.

And before you ask, I have yet to shred.

I’ve read about this happening but this is my first experience with it. Swarming ladybugs. I took Scout for a walk around the yard yesterday and I kept getting dive-bombed by ladybugs! They are everywhere right now.

They seem to congregate by the kitchen door and along the front porch posts and railings.

I love ladybugs so I was delighted and fascinated. Enter Google. Apparently they do this in the fall as they are looking for a warm place to park themselves for the winter. Time to hibernate, my little ladybugs. Go ahead, use my porch, you can stay for free. They get in the house, of course, and while I love seeing them, they will die if they stay here, so I try to rescue them and put them back outside.

And just when I thought my plants had stopped blooming, look what I discovered:

A lovely little Clematis flower. That was a delightful surprise.

Don was in NYC yesterday and I knew he would be near Lincoln Center. That means he was near a favorite place of mine.

Sorry for the quality. It was dark outside. Yes, he brought me 3 Magnolia Bakery Cupcakes!

I may have twisted his arm a little.

I ate number one last night as we watched baseball. By the way, congratulations to my hometown team, the Detroit Tigers! Couldn’t be happier. Well, if the Red Sox were going to the World Series, I would be happier, but I’m pretty happy about the Tigers.

I’ll be back at 8:00 pm EST for A Favorite Thing.

I’ve listed a new scarf in the Etsy Shop. For those of you who have a problem with wool, this one is made from Silk and Bamboo yarn and, believe me, it is incredibly soft and silky on your skin.

Update: Sold. I’m starting a new scarf as I write this!

Happy Friday.

Leaves, Rocks, Moss, Acorns and an Anniversary

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Yesterday, we visited a favorite spot. The car climbed up the mountain ridge to this view (The Hudson River is way off on the horizon):

In about a week, the colors should be at their peak. There’s a trail up there, where we gathered acorns and pods and heart-shaped rocks.

Don found a puzzle rock.

Oh, by the way, see that wedding ring?

It’s our 14th wedding anniversary today. (Look at that pocket bulging with acorns and rocks!)

Anyway, back to the anniversary. I’m off to spend the day with my beloved husband.

I’ll be back at 8:00 pm EST for A Favorite Thing.

Happy Friday.

P.S. The winner of  a copy of Things Your Dog Doesn’t Want You to Know is Jennifer. Congratulations!

P.P.S. Just listed another scarf on Etsy:

Leaf Love

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This little leaf somehow recognized another ‘leaf’ and thought it would stay awhile. Do you see Scout?

At this time of year, the theme around here seems to be: Leaves. Whether they are on the ground (and they are – everywhere) or in the gutters or in the birdbath, we are surrounded by leaves.

Here’s Don on the roof, clearing out the gutters. We have to do this a lot in the fall, especially when rain is in the forecast.

Our maple has suddenly lost almost all of its uppermost leaves.

How did that happen?

You notice that Don is on the roof, not me. That’s as it should be. I hold the ladder. I hand up tools, like brooms and rakes.  I’m a wee bit afraid of heights. If I had to, I’d do it, but Don is willing, so I happily let him go up there.

So much raking ahead. Every time we start in on it, it begins to rain and we have to stop. Or my arms get tired. That happens frequently.

This is my favorite. No amount of tweaking or styling could arrange these leaves more spectacularly than my friend, Mother Nature, has done. For free.

Happy Sunday.

Linking to my friend, Elaine’s Sunny Simple Sunday.

MHC now has a Facebook Page. If you’d like to, drop by and say hello! Maybe you could click on ‘like?’

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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