Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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Rambling

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waterdropsonhosta

I just realized the other day that this is the first time I have been home for an entire spring since 2008. Starting in 2009, I was away all or most of the spring on coaching jobs. The good news? I am really enjoying the opportunity to watch everything grow instead of witnessing it via the occasional photo Don would send my way. I love spring.

The bad news? I need work.

Ah well. I’m choosing to be grateful.

We had very heavy rain all day yesterday with high humidity. It was bit tropical-rainforest-y around here. Today the sun is out and it’s a bit cooler. We’re hoping to take another trail walk later in the day.

daffs

Oh pretty daffodils, I love you. Of the two kinds of daffs on this property, this one is my favorite. I love the white flower with that delicate yellow and orange center.

biggesthosta

Our biggest hosta is well on its way to filling this bed – which it will, believe me.

I need to weed. I haven’t put down any mulch since I’m on a strict budget. That means I’m going to have to weed a lot more. Some of the garden beds will eventually be full of perennials and weeds will disappear, but right now, as they are filling in and filling out, I have to be ruthless.

Or not.

lilacbush

The little lilac bush that could. I planted this a few years back and it’s growing, for sure, but very slowly.

clematis

The clematis has taken off this year and is winding its way around the porch railings.

Oh right. I need to clean the porch railings – a job I really don’t look forward to.

The catalpa, usually the last of our trees to leaf out, has tiny leaves now. The shag hickory has leaves. The maples are fully leafed out (now I’m wondering – is that a legitimate term?) as are the ashes and the black walnuts and the elms and the oaks. Don and I sometimes consider counting all the trees on this property. We have a lot of trees. And here’s a question: if one counts the trees, are saplings part of the count? Or just fully grown adult trees?

Where does one draw the line?

The other day, I was once again wrangling with the brambles (you can see the evidence of the battle on my hands) and was clearing some from an area near the woods. As I cleared out a bunch of the stuff that had been strangling some bushes, I noticed a young tree with blossoms on it.

dogwood

Hold on there…we have a little dogwood tree! I had no idea! It’s sort of blocked by another tree and unless I’m right down there in the thick of things, I can’t see it. It’s so pretty!

There are always surprises on this property.

Thursday was a bit hard for me as the mail arrived and I saw an envelope from my dad. I knew it was coming, but I realize now that I really wasn’t prepared to see Mom’s death certificate.

What can I say? It’s so final.

More tears.

I’m off to explore what’s happening out in the gardens.

By the way, a book I recently reviewed and loved, The Moon Sisters, is on sale right now (eBook/Kindle version) on Amazon for $1.99 through May 25th. That’s a great deal for a wonderful book! If you missed the review, you can find it here. So if you didn’t win the giveaway and have it on your list of books to read (and if you use eBooks) hop on over and buy it!

Happy Saturday.

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Let’s Take A Walk

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Let’s take a little walk around the property and see what’s growing and blooming in this late-to-get-going Spring.

wwildhoneysuckle

The wild honeysuckle that grows all over this property is blooming, much to the delight of the bee population.

wbigshotofhydrangea

The climbing hydrangea that I planted about 6 years ago is taking over the shed. It’s supposed to start blooming after 4 or 5 years but nary a bloom has been sighted.

wclimbinghydrangea

Until now. I couldn’t believe my eyes. In fact, I had just finished a sentence that included the words, “I guess this will never bloom,” when I saw these. Only two, but who cares? A small victory.

wlilacs

The lilacs have bloomed. I walk over to that side of the driveway several times a day and inhale. What a glorious scent.

wfield

Our woods open up to this big field, which is owned by my fellow blogger Breida and her husband. I walk through our woods daily and always take a moment to stand and gaze out at this vista.

wwoodpile

To the left is the back of our neighbor’s property. He’s been busy stacking enough wood to last him through the apocalypse. Check out his beautiful lilac bush.

wwhiteflowerstree

This tree is on the edge of my other neighbor’s property, which also abuts Breida’s field. Isn’t it pretty?

wquince

The flowering quince is still blooming.

wtulips3

My delicate yellow tulips are open. These were planted long before we moved here, as were the daffodils and a couple of the hostas and sedum.

wedbiggardenbed

The big garden bed on April 30th.

Wgardenview

On May 7th.

wbiggardenbed3

And on May 13th. As you can see, the trees have really filled in, there’s green everywhere, and the perennials are much bigger.

I planted lots of morning glory seeds the other day, as well as zinnias. I haven’t filled my barrels or my galvanized planter with flowers yet – my budget is very, very tight – and I haven’t bought any hanging plants for the porch. Those things will have to wait a bit. Waaah! I want them now!

whihoparking

When my friend Heidi’s shop (which was called Hi Ho Home Market) closed, she gave me one of her signs, which we have placed in front of the birdbath – right where we park our car. Sort of perfect for the funky patio area, don’t you think? We love signs and if they can be used with a sense of humor, all the better.

wtowelsdh

I made some towels for the dollhouse bathroom by using baby washcloths, a tip I picked up somewhere on the Internet. I think they look neat but they’re too bulky at the moment. I’m going to trim them down a bit.

Today I have to mail off all the items I made for the swap. I spent most of yesterday morning wrapping each item and figuring out how to pack everything so that nothing is damaged. Can’t wait to see what everyone else has created!

Happy Wednesday.

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Putting It Out There

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Wgazingball

Here’s looking at you. The world looks pretty amazing when it’s reflected in a gazing ball.

Spring is here. Although we had a minor glitch when we had a Frost Advisory last night.

It’s May 7th.

I had to run out and cover a plant I had just put in the ground a few days before. After the Red Sox game ended (12 innings!), there were Don and I, flashlight in hand, throwing a sheet on the plant. Well, not actually throwing a sheet; we artfully arranged it so it covered the plant, but didn’t touch it.

wedbiggardenbed

Big garden bed last week.

Wgardenview

Big garden bed this week: perennials are spreading, growing taller, and you can spy some green on those trees.

Wtreebuds

Up in the back forty, some are actually leafing out. Will wonders never cease?

Wtulips

The tulips are just about to open. My goodness. It’s May. (Do I need to keep saying that?) Apparently, yes. I am still wrestling with the fact that Spring has come so much later this year.

My peonies are emerging from the ground. They bloom, like clockwork, during the first week of June. Will that still hold true this year? I’m wondering.

Wvinca

The woods are full of vinca; swaths of purple flowers are everywhere.

Wbumblebee1

The buzz of big, fat bumblebees accompanies me on my walks around the property.

Wbumblebee2

Waiting for Spring here in Northeast isn’t for sissies. It requires a lot of fortitude and more than a little patience. This year, more than ever, I look for the tiniest signs. It’s getting a little easier to find them lately, but for quite a while there, I had to look very closely indeed.

I almost had to use a magnifying glass.

In other news, I cringe slightly when I share this with you, but here’s the scoop. I added another ad above the content area on the blog. I don’t like the look of it, but it’s necessary right now. I spent a long time on the phone with Dawn yesterday, trying to figure out how to change some CSS coding so that the ad wasn’t right on top of the post title. We finally figured it out, but it’s messed a bit with my post title spacing. Nothing I can’t ignore.

The truth: I need more income from this blog and I don’t kid myself; that will be easier said than done, as this blog isn’t one thing, i.e., a decorating blog or a food blog, it’s a lot of things. It’s a reflection of all my loves, all my passions. I’m perfectly happy with that, indeed, I deliberately fashioned the blog in that way, but the downside is that my kind of blog earns less ad income. So I continually walk a little tightrope here, balancing the need to be honest and real with trying to find more ways to generate an income. I haven’t had coaching work in several months. Jobs of any kind in my neck of the woods aren’t particularly easy to find. We need more money coming in. STAT.

Wouldn’t it be perfect if this blog I put so much work and love into, this place where I write a new post each and every day, could provide me with an income that matches what I might earn working elsewhere? I’m putting it out there into the Universe.

Why not?

(Please don’t think I’m asking you to click on ads. You don’t have to do that and I don’t want you to. Only click on an ad you are honestly interested in. If you visit the blog directly, that is enough. Thanks.)

Happy Wednesday.

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Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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