As I write this post late in the afternoon on Wednesday, Don is mowing the lawn. Now, I love mowing the lawn, but I have to say that I’m awfully tired at this point in the day because I’ve been on the go since early this morning, running errands, packing up bags of stuff, buying groceries and sundries, walking around the garden to imprint it in my memory, as I prepare to leave for Hartford.
I’ll be gone five weeks, but fear not, I plan to come back home to visit – hopefully, in a week and a half. I want to see my husband, the cottage, and the garden. Mostly, I want to spend as much time with Don as I can before he leaves for month of rehearsals in NYC.
Current hollyhock status. This is such a pretty version of this old-fashioned flower.
Morning glories.
Our very tall butterfly bush. Can you see the orb in the photo?
Zinnia.
The limelight hydrangea is so much bigger this year!
Big, fat hydrangea heads. My annabelle hydrangea blooms earlier in the year and by this point it’s beaten down by the heavy rains we’ve had, so it’s nice to have a second chance with the limelight.
Our local guy who tends our oil burner and does the plumbing came by today to check out where to set up the propane tank and to take a look at a section of the baseboard heating that I wanted trimmed. It extended into the area of the wall where the stove will be so I got down on the floor and checked it out a few weeks ago. Happily, the pipe that comes up from below the floor is actually under the window about 5 inches in from the end cap, so I thought it would be easy to trim off some of the housing and move the end cap over so that it doesn’t restrict the placement of the stove.
So, Gino came over (I wasn’t here) said the placement of the tank would be okay and to code (it has to be 5 feet away from any windows and we have a lot of windows!) and then looked at the baseboard heating, worried for a moment about the pipe and whether the pipe would have to be moved, and then confirmed what I already was pretty sure of, that it would be no problem. When Don told me that, I smiled knowingly.
As we get closer to the arrival of the stove (I don’t think they’ve finished working on it yet) Gino will come over and take care of everything, then he’ll connect the line to the stove.
Gosh, I hope all this happens while Don is still here! He has to get several of his friends to come over to move the stove into the house. The shippers just leave it on the driveway. I’d feel better if he was handling it. Fingers crossed.
Okay. Have to go.
I’ll see you on the other side when I’ve arrived in Hartford.
Happy Thursday.
Hi Claudia…heres wishing you a wonderful time in Hartford!!! I hope the time goes by fast for you so you can get back home again to your beautiful new stove and pretty flowers :-) Take care and safe travels!!!
Thank you, Carol!
Best wishes Claudia for all you and Don are doing.
I did see the Orb. Did u mean of a ghostly nature?
Take care. Be safe and sound. Becky in OK
Just a light orb! Thanks, Becky!
even if it doesn’t exactly feel that way to you, it sounds to me like you and don have it all covered and under control. :) hope you have a good drive to hartford, enjoy the work and get home often in the next five weeks … especially when your stove arrives!
and that first photo of the hollyhocks? so pretty! all your flowers and photos are pretty, but i don’t think i’ve ever seen hollyhocks before and now i want to find some just like that to put in a vase in my own little place. thanks for taking time to share your photos and words, especially at such a busy time.
kathy in iowa
Hollyhocks are wonderfully old-fashioned flowers. I really love them!
I looked and looked at that picture—and then I saw it, the orb! Does it suggest an other-worldly presence to you? It’s beautiful, regardless. The hollyhock you have is stunning, too!
Happy trails to you, today. Easy travel and light work.
I have taken other photos lately with orbs in them – something to do with the light at that particular time. I like to think that maybe my departed loved ones are appearing.
Thanks, Shanna!
Safe travels!
Thank you, Cathy!
Hope the stove is in place by the time Hartford is over. Drive carefully.
Me too! Thanks, Wendy!
I’m enjoying all the photos of your lovely garden. Enjoy your trip to Hartford. The two of you have gotten so busy! Hugs!
Thanks, Linda!
The hydrangeas look like those sweet treats we’d sometimes have as kids which were maybe called snowballs…big round white things (cake or marshmallow or both?) rolled in white coconut; very fluffy. I see people try & try to grow hydrangeas here in SoCalif and it’s mostly a bust; I’ve never had any luck although my mom could get one to bloom in a protected north-facing side of the house. But nothing big like your healthy limelight; it’s gorgeous.
The stove details are sure a bit of a worry if neither of you are there for its arrival; what will you do? Will Don’s buddies just try to get it in the house, where it will wait til either of you can get there to coordinate with your plumber? Sure can’t leave it on the driveway for days on end! You must be going nuts with details right now, Claudia…the stove, Hartford, Don & his extended gig, both of you so busy. Whew!
Maybe they need a hard frost? I’m not sure on that one.
I had Don call Antique Stove Heaven yesterday and explain our time constraints. It should get here before he leaves. Fingers crossed!
It took me 5 times to see that orb! Gorgeous flowers! ;)
Thanks, Donnamae!
Saw the orb right away. Pretty flowers!! Our Hydrangea is loaded as is yours. I have taken so many pictures to peruse in the days ahead when the view is not so lovely as it is now.
Hope the bed and the couch are right this time as soon as you move in. Always fun to see the pictures as you accessorize! Hope you have safe travels and a good stay.
They are so full and lush this year!
Bed and couch are right – all is well!
Be safe Claudia!…I will miss you being at home but I enjoy going to Hartford with you also!
You all have been with me in Hartford a lot!
Wishing you a safe trip to Hartford. Your flowers are lovely.
Marilyn
Thank you, Marilyn!
How on earth are you going to stay in Hartford working once that stove arrives and not be home to casually walk past it twenty times a day so you can admire it? I loved the hollyhocks, too, so I immediately looked to see if they grow here in Central Texas. I found that they can grow in hot and humid areas and also in arid areas such as Taos, so I think we’re safe on that count. We have both patterns here. Today the humidity is very high, but often we have strings of 100+ days with no rain. Our soil is poor–over farmed with cotton plants back in the day–so I am not sure after all that we’ll be able to grow them since I read that they are “heavy feeders.” Some of our beds have been improved, so I may have to keep my fingers crossed and give them a try.
I don’t know! I just don’t know! I guess I’ll gaze at a picture of it in our kitchen and console myself with that!
I hope the hollyhocks work out for you!