Mockingbird Hill Cottage — Page 1614 — Mockingbird Hill Cottage

The Garden, Leaving and Loss

April 30, 2011 at 8:51 am by Claudia

From the garden, as I prepare to leave tomorrow morning:

Texture.

Lamium – Dead Nettle

Lamium – Yellow Archangel

Jacob’s Ladder – poised to attempt a garden takeover while I’m away.

Catmint

Tulips – ready to bloom (but not, apparently, before I leave.)

My other daffodils (white with delicate yellow centers)- ready to bloom
(but not, apparently, before I leave.)

What’s blooming?

Violets scattered throughout the grass.

And my Wiegela bush.

Why do I have the feeling that bright and early on Monday morning, as I rise in Wisconsin, everything here will burst into bloom? I try to take comfort in this – since this has been such a late spring, maybe I’ll be able to catch a little of the Catalpa tree in bloom (which usually blooms the second week of June) and the tail end of the peonies when I return home on June 19th. Cross your fingers for me.

I’ve been waking up too early lately. There is much on my mind and much to do. Today I do laundry and pack – the usual ‘what to take for 7 weeks’ challenge. Don’t want to go. Don’t want to leave my husband, my dogs, my garden, my cottage.

On a sad note: Several bloggers have had to say goodbye to their beloved pets in the last week. My heart breaks every time I read one of these posts. Yesterday, my dear friend Donna had to say an unexpected and painful goodbye to her dear Fezzik. Fezzik was only a year old. He was still a puppy. Please know my thoughts are with you all. Saying goodbye to a beloved family member, whether at the end of a long life or suddenly without warning, is gut-wrenching. I can only say I understand your grief, your pain and the profound loss each of you has suffered. I do believe, with all my heart, that your beloved pets are with you in spirit.

My Beautiful Babies

April 28, 2011 at 7:19 pm by Claudia

As soon as Scout hears my feet hit the stairs in the morning, she is raring to go. She wakes up with a smile on her sweet face. Her joy is infectious – she often goes into what we call a ‘pounce.’ Sometimes she’ll spin around. She’s hilarious.

Riley, on the other hand, is like his mother. He wakes up slowly.

While Scout is ready to go outside and take care of business immediately, Riley stays on the floor for a while. He may be there for a mere 10 minutes but he’s been known to stay there for 2 hours. Then suddenly, he’ll get up and head for the door.

They’re so quirky and individual, these little babies of mine. This is the part I hate – knowing that I’m leaving in 3 days and will be away from them for 7 weeks. They have no idea. At least Don knows and understands and has had time to prepare for it all. The minute Scout sees my suitcase, she’ll turn away from me. She won’t meet my eyes. I’ll explain as best I can why I have to go, but they won’t understand. This is the time my heart breaks a little.

Babies need their Mom. Mom needs her babies.

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My heart goes out to everyone affected by the devastating tornados in the South. I hope and pray you are all safe. The weather here today was stormy and unpredictable. At one point, I was running errands south of our home when the radio broadcast a tornado warning for the area in which I was driving. The sky was frighteningly dark. I got out of the car and went into Target until the warning expired. That was unsettling but nothing like it must have been in Alabama and Georgia yesterday.

I also want to add that I am behind in blog visiting and commenting. I’ve so much to do before I leave. I don’t think I’ll be able to catch up until I get to Wisconsin and have some down time. Sorry!

Much Mulching & Pretty Pottery

April 27, 2011 at 8:59 am by Claudia

Alliteration makes me smile, hence today’s blog post title. Greetings from the land of mulch! And I mean lots of mulch. Yesterday, this crazy, extreme spring gave us a sunny day in the 80’s. I knew what I had to do. It was mulch time.

Don usually helps me with mulching but he had to go into Manhattan at the last minute. So it was just me and 8 bags of mulch. Since I’m leaving Sunday and big thunderstorms are forecast today and tomorrow, I had to grab my chance. I mulched. I planted. I mowed the dogs’ corral.

And I can barely move today. My arms are sore from carting bags of mulch around. My back is sore from bending over. I got a little sunburn. But, gosh darn it, except for a little bed on the side of the house and the beds in front of the shed, all is mulched. I’m trying to keep potential weeds at bay but I’m sure that upon my return in June this will all be overgrown. Don is afraid to pull anything that might be a real plant and not a weed. I’ve given him permission to yank the Jacob’s Ladder when it gets too pushy, otherwise it will take over the garden bed.

I took a walk around the property – everything is just starting to bud.

The big sugar maple will probably leaf out right after I leave. I’m crossing my fingers…maybe it will happen sooner.

My little lilac – will it open before Sunday?

Tiny, perfect buds on the Wiegela bush. Please open before Sunday…

By the way, I have to get up at 4 am on Sunday to catch a 6 am flight. I had two choices: arrive in the morning or late at night. Since I will be using a rental car and I have no idea how to get around in Wisconsin, I thought the wise choice would be driving in daylight. So I can see where I’m going. And find the condo where I will be staying.

And, unbelievably, Sonja (who sent me some Roseville pottery a while back) sent me another piece! I am amazed at her generosity. How did I get so lucky?

This is the Zephyr Lily pattern. I have a shallow dish in the same pattern – it might have been the first piece that I acquired. Isn’t it lovely? And those little rosettes? The vase was full of them.

Right now they are in this unattractive zip-lock bag but they will soon be headed up to my studio. Thank you, Sonja. You are a truly generous person and I am deeply grateful for these gifts.

I’m going to do a bit more work around here today, if the rain holds off. Carefully. Gingerly. Don’t want to be hobbled by a bad back when I get to Wisconsin.

The Garden, Leaving and Loss

My Beautiful Babies

Much Mulching & Pretty Pottery

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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