Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

Sunday

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Yet another crabapple discovered yesterday during mowing. A lovely little unexpected gift.

I moved things around in the shed yesterday, somehow managing to push the snowblower into a little corner so I could move the lawn mower over to the center of the back wall. I also swept the floor and moved the Adirondack chairs onto the porch.

Then we mowed the massive part of the front lawn (the lilac side is still okay.) Oh my heavens. Because we live on a little hill, the lawn slopes downward and the grass at the bottom of the lawn grows very long. Same thing with the Secret Garden. I think it must have been 8 or 9 inches long in some sections. Since the first mow is always the hardest, we worked very hard and I’m feeling it in my back. But today is a day of rest and I’ll feel better in a day or two.

The lawn looks so green. Gorgeous. Just in time, I might add, because I had no idea it was going to rain and storm last night and today. We had quite the thunderstorm last night, seemed to go on forever.

Rest in Peace to Barry Humphries, aka Dame Edna Everage. His brilliant creation – Dame Edna – was absolutely the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. No one made me laugh harder than Dame Edna/Humphries. Yesterday afternoon, after mowing, I spent time watching tons of old interviews on YouTube, laughing so hard I was crying. Then Don did the same. (Best prescription for back pain, by the way.)

Thank you for years of laughter and joy, Mr. Humphries. We will miss you and Dame Edna very, very much. There will never be another like her.

Hey, anyone with a (gmail) address: My responses to your comments are being sent back to me because they’ve added some bizarre security measure I can’t understand. And I’m not about succumb to yet another google requirement. So, check back because you know I answer comments.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Lilac Buds and What are you Reading?

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We’re getting close! There are lots of flowers on the lilac bush this year. That seems to vary from year to year, depending on what happened weather-wise during the winter. I look forward to them opening and inhaling that glorious scent.

I snuck in a little bit more work outside, but not much. Trimmed some old hydrangea blossoms, trimmed a bit of one of the ‘pricker bushes’ – darn, I always prick myself. “Pricker bush” is what we called them when I was a kid and it’s stuck after all these years. We have two of them. I also trimmed a few of the wild roses. And I cleaned the bathroom.

It was a bit too warm yesterday, but as of Monday, the temps will be back in the sixties. We may mow the lawn today. I also have to get Don to do a few things today that he won’t be able to do after his surgery. Wish me luck! He’s been noodling away on his ukulele, since he can play that by strumming with one of his fingers – that will serve him well during the post-surgery healing process.

Mabel insisted on trying on the new hat. I also chose to post this so you can see the GREEN in the background! Huzzah!

I’m reading Colson Whitehead’s mystery, Harlem Shuffle. That man writes beautifully (I guess we already knew that as he’s won two Pulitzer Prizes.) Don has read two of his books and loved them. He bought Harlem Shuffle  and then never got around to it, so I grabbed it. I’m really enjoying it.

And War and Peace – ongoing. I think we’re about a third of the way through it. Tolstoy was a genius. Don and I are continually astounded by the beauty of his writing; his knowledge of human frailties, the descriptions that are almost cinematic – brilliant. It is a true pleasure indulging in this slow read. I don’t think I would have done it otherwise.

So here’s a question I haven’t asked for quite a while: What are you reading?

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

A Visitor

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I did end up buying some pansies and some calibrachoa at the nursery yesterday morning. There isn’t a whole lot of inventory there yet as it’s been quite cold lately, but I expect that will pick up next week. After I came home, I cleaned out a bit more in the garden beds near the porch – so more wheelbarrows full of leaves were carted to our pile. I potted the pansies (oh, they’re so bright and cheery!) and the calibrachoa, which I always place in the vintage plant stand.

So I did quite a bit of work and was very tired, once again. But I have to remember that the last vestiges of the virus are still with me as well as allergies and just plain tiredness from the show, etc. But I am going to take it easy today before we mow for the first time tomorrow.

But the BIG thing about yesterday?

I was standing on the porch and I heard an extremely loud bird sound unlike anything I had ever heard before. Up and down the scale, screeching and calling. I looked up and saw a bald eagle right next door in my neighbor’s tree! Don happened to be outside getting ready to take a walk, so I alerted him and then I ran in the house for my telephoto lens.

You know, you just aim at the bird and hope at least one photo is good. This one is very good. Look at that fierce face! He was very, very vocal, making all sorts of sounds. I’d love to know what he was thinking. Eventually he took off but spent quite a bit of time soaring above us.

Don has occasionally seen bald eagles near the river across the road but this is the first time we’ve seen one on this side of the road and so close!

That was the highlight of my week.

Today is supposed to be quite warm and it’s sunny. I’ll take it.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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