Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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Day Sixty-Seven

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Slow going. But I like the challenge. Since it’s Van Gogh, it’s basically little puzzle pieces consisting of brush strokes. That makes it both maddening and beautiful.

We did a lot of work outside yesterday. Don keeps carving paths into the wooded part of the back forty. I sowed seeds – this year will be a bit of a crap shoot because I normally add top soil before I sow the seeds. I don’t have top soil this year, so I sowed them directly into our rocky soil. Maybe I’ll get flowers…and maybe I won’t. I hope I get a few!

I also mowed part of the corral, an area next to the shed, and the other side of the front yard where the lilacs are. It’s looking so green out there. Now, when I sit in the den and look out the window toward the shed, all I see is green.

Yesterday, I happened to look out the kitchen window and saw a pileated woodpecker on one of the logs. I called Don over to the window and as we were watching, another  pileated woodpecker appeared. Since we were trying to take a photo/video from inside the kitchen, the picture is blurry – really, it’s just pixels – but you can at least see them both. A pair of pileated woodpeckers!

I got this frame from a video Don shot. It was amazing watching them. They were really hammering on this old wood. They’re so big and gorgeous. I think it’s the first time Don has seen one.

I’m taking it easy today.

Stay safe.

Day Sixty-Six

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These wildflowers are everywhere right now. We have scads of them on the property. They’re so delicate and pretty.

We’ve been doing a lot of work on the property; so much so, that by about mid-afternoon, we’re exhausted! There’s always something to do here and since Don is really taking notice of things, he’s finding more and more little and big projects to do. He just carved out a path from our back forty through a bit of our woods that emerges on our neighbor’s back field, which is open and beautiful. I tried to do it a few years ago when Don was away, but I left it too late in the spring so it was very overgrown. We have so many wild roses/brambles on the property and they grow like wildfire. If we let them go, it’s already too late. As I’ve said before, we’re on ‘the edge of wild.’ Anyway, the path is meandering and lovely and the view at the other end is gorgeous.

I did a lot of weeding in the big garden bed and the beds by the shed. I’m going to sow my seeds today, about three weeks later than usual. We have some more debris to load on tarps. There’s also mowing to do but that can wait until tomorrow.

This morning, we were out of the house by 6:30 to fill my car with gas. The starter in Don’s car is acting funny so we thought my car should have a full tank of gas in case we need to rely on it exclusively. We also got gas for the lawnmower. And then we went to our local supermarket to see if they had any disinfectant wipes. We were the first ones in the door, but no wipes – one of the clerks said she hasn’t seen them on the shelves in weeks. No disinfectant spray, either. Darn. But somehow, we managed to buy another load of groceries while we were there. We go out so little that we want to take advantage of empty aisles and a relatively empty grocery store when we can. We were back home by 7:30, disinfected everything, and had our second cup of coffee together.

This is the robin’s nest that is nestled in the branches of the climbing hydrangea. It’s been there for a few years. There was no activity there last year, but this year some robins took it over and added to it. I saw the parents flying back and forth with worms, so they had some babies and they must have fledged a couple of weeks ago. I hope they lay a second round of eggs later this season. I see one of the robins flying in and out of there every once in a while, I suppose he or she is making sure no squatters have taken over the nest.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Day Sixty-Four

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All they needed were a couple of days of warmth and sunshine. They’re late this year, but thank goodness, they’re here.

In the “What next?” category, we had a tornado warning last night and it was for our little corner of the Hudson Valley. We saw it flash on the television screen, so we got up, grabbed a flashlight and Don went outside and opened the cellar door just in case. Thankfully, nothing happened. We had a tornado watch for the rest of the evening. Yesterday’s temperature reached 83 and it was very, very humid, so I’m not surprised that we had severe thunderstorms all over the Hudson Valley, Connecticut, and western Massachusetts.

It’s all rather crazy: two weeks ago, the temperature reached 80 degrees, within a few days we were dealing with several days of frost and freeze warnings, then within a day of the cold leaving, we were in the eighties with a tornado warning.

As I said to Don, “What’s next? Locusts?”

Today is lovely. At the moment, the sun is shining. Don is going to work on some projects outside. I am going to plant in the big garden bed. Later, we have to drive to the grocery store for a pick up and then we’ll be back here disinfecting everything.

It’s so green and lush out there right now!

By the way, it pains me to write this, but I think Henry is no longer with us. We’ve not seen him and the main entrance he uses to go under the shed is full of leaves that have never been disturbed. I hope and pray I am wrong, but I’m already mourning him. Unlike other summers, I haven’t seen a groundhog near my garden bed (crossing fingers that I don’t have to put up fencing.) Henry never disturbed the bed, but other little scamps did. I’m also not seeing any bunnies.

If you have indeed left us, Henry, we thank you for your company all these years. You are a part of our family forever.

Happy Saturday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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