Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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You are here: Home / Archives for porch

Missing My Husband, Garden, & Little Z

May 20, 2017 at 9:42 am by Claudia

It’s a good 15 degrees cooler today than yesterday. I must confess, I did a lot outside yesterday, culminating in mowing the larger part of the lawn. This is tiring on an average day, but yesterday, it was extremely  tiring. Maybe because it was warmer and humid? I’m not sure. But I had to stop more than a few times and hydrate myself and rest. I felt frustrated by the whole endeavor, though I did finish. I’m not one to back off of chores like this and the fact that it was harder than usual ticked me off.

Anyway, after it was all done, I came into the house, took a shower, plopped into a chair and a wave of missing Don completely engulfed me. It’s been over 2 months now, with a month and half yet to go, and I felt overwhelmed with loneliness. And I knew I couldn’t call him because he was in the middle of rehearsals, so I had to wait until later in the day to speak to him.

Most days, we both handle this pretty well. But there are some, like yesterday, that are too much. We often say, “If we could just give each other a hug, everything would be better.” Not being able to do that is just plain hard.

Today is a new day and I’m better, as I knew I would be.

So far, I see three poppy buds. There will be more. And you can see that the catmint is just starting to bloom.

Forget-me-nots in the Memorial Garden.

I received an item in the mail yesterday that lifted my spirits. It was addressed to Aunt Claudia.

From Little Z.

We spoke briefly last night. He hadn’t had a nap and he was tired. After a little back and forth, he said, “I can’t talk because it’s raining.”

Oh, that boy! He makes me laugh.

Happy Saturday.

 

Filed Under: Don, flowers, garden, Little Z, porch 36 Comments

Prettying Up the Porch

May 3, 2017 at 9:02 am by Claudia

Weather, weather! Cold, windy (very windy), more wind today, heavy rain due on Friday and Saturday. And, a frost advisory for tonight!

So, I’m holding off on buying plants for pots and urns and hanging pots until this passes.

I planted the morning glory and zinnia seeds yesterday, but forgot that moonflower seeds need to soak for 24 hours, so I’ll be planting those today.

And I put together the other Adirondack chair – this time, it only took about forty-five minutes. Since the bench cushion arrived yesterday via UPS, everything in that little sitting area is now ready for some photos.

Hello, pretty Adirondack chairs! Since our porch is covered in bluestone and also slopes downward a bit, finding a place to set up the other chair was a bit tricky. Then, later in the day, the wind was so strong that it actually collapsed (but not in a bad way) with a loud bang – now I know that they really do fold up for storage!

The chairs are from The Christmas Tree Shops. The cushions are from Home Goods. The little table was a  last minute find from Marshall’s.

The funky, rusty glider with its new clothes…I really love this look.

The bench cushion was ordered from Plow & Hearth. Finally, a bench cushion that actually fills the entire seat! The cushions on either end are from Home Goods and the one in the middle is from Marshall’s.

Everything was inexpensive – including the chairs. It was time for some sprucing up. I started with  a plan to find a bench cushion for the glider and some pillows to match. Then I saw the ad for the chairs, and so I had to buy more cushions and the little table.

It’s bright and colorful and I love that. The house color is muted, the bluestone is grayish. A lot of the other furniture is very weathered teak. We need some pops of color!

An impulse buy from Home Goods, but one I’m happy about:

This plant stand, which also folds up for storage. I’m looking forward to filling this up with some lovely plants.

I want to share another great find from The Christmas Tree Shops:

These great urns, made of fireclay. I had an itch to find some antique urns, but who knows how long that would take and/or how expensive they would be! Then, I saw these outside near the entrance to the store and I bought one and stuck it in the cart with the chairs.

Then I couldn’t stop thinking about them and I bought three more. They are only $16.99 and have a nice, hefty weight. I haven’t planted them yet because of the weather but soon.

The gray version, which picks up the gray in our shutters. One on the funky patio, one next to the kitchen door. Aren’t they great?

Once I plant some impatiens in the hanging pots and fill some other pots with flowers and plants, the porch will be ready to go!

Don has been following along via texts and he loves it, which makes me happy.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: porch 62 Comments

Flowers, Porch & Apple Trees

May 2, 2017 at 9:29 am by Claudia

Thank you for all the wonderful comments yesterday. Well, make that every day. And don’t worry about commenting, I was referring to the times when a frequent commenter suddenly disappears and I find myself worrying about them.

I love that you’re there, silent or not. Thank you for that.

This is a weed that is popping up all over the property. I don’t know its name, but it’s awfully pretty! Such a pretty dash of yellow. Between these and the dandelions, there’s quite a bit of yellow around these days.

Wild honeysuckle. If there’s a scent, it’s so faint that I’m missing it. This bush is right by the shed.

Just because they don’t last very long. So there will be lilacs here as long as I can still take pictures of them!

Yesterday, I drove north to visit another HomeGoods store (looking for more cushions for the porch) and I marveled at the seemingly endless variations of green everywhere. Truly astounding! I did find some more cushions and I’m awaiting the bench cushion I ordered for the glider to be delivered. Once I get that, and once I put the other Adirondack together, I’ll show you what I’ve been doing. It’s all about color and lots of it. I’ve been texting photos to Don and he’s very excited. Nothing earth shattering, by the way, but rather a sprucing up of the sitting area on the porch. It needed it.

We are known for apple orchards around here and everywhere you travel there are apple trees in bloom. It was gloomy yesterday as I took this photo, so I brightened it up a bit. This particular road has row after row of apple trees and it’s quite stunning. I’ll try to get more photos when and if the sun comes out again!

I’m going to sow my morning glory, moonflower and zinnia seeds today. Then to the nursery to buy some mulch and some impatiens.

Happy Tuesday.

Filed Under: flowers, garden, porch 36 Comments

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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.

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

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