Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life

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I just mowed this about 4 days ago. Now it looks like it’s been neglected. The grass grows so quickly! Lots of wildflowers are emerging on the property and in the secret garden specifically. I love this particular time of year in this little hideaway because there will be all sorts of flowers and color for the next few weeks.

Speaking of flowers, we have a freeze warning for tonight. Are you kidding me? What the heck? So Don and I will have to bring in all the pots for the night, including these heavy vintage pots. Coleus does not like cold and they’ll die if frost hits. Big old sigh.

It’s actually been a trying 24 hours or so. Don found out his high school friend died a week ago. They hung out a lot together with another guy, Don’s friend Joe – who is in his early seventies and battling Alzheimers. So, one friend has passed away and the other is slowly fading away and it is very upsetting for my husband.

Then we found out our mortgage payment is going up because of some escrow screw up. We need to find out more and I’ve asked Don to call them tomorrow. But I’m already panicked.

Then, Don remarked casually, “Well, the babies have obviously fledged.”

“What??? I just saw them yesterday!”

“I took a picture and they aren’t there.”

So I went outside to see for myself and the nest is empty.

I had been staying away from the nest, which is quite deep, so when I actually peeked at it the day before yesterday and saw the very top of their heads, I assumed they were little babies.

Obviously, they weren’t.

So now I feel sad that I didn’t have any idea they were about to leave the nest. It’s quiet around here. No mom and dad scolding us, no babies. I just wasn’t prepared for it.

And a freeze tonight.

Insert lots of sighs here.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

Birds and The Dude

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Daddy Robin, ever vigilant, constantly tracking our movements. Even when one of us is on the porch, he flies over to the big maple to keep an eye on us. Bless him.

And he needs to keep vigilant because there are babies! I mowed a bit yesterday and as I was unlocking the shed –  the nest is just to the left of the door – I quickly took a peek and I could see the top of little feathery heads, moving back and forth. There are at least two of them, maybe three. Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

(I took this photo from far away, with my telephoto lens.) He was in a tree near the shed. Watching me.

This morning we saw the groundhog, a chipmunk, and – of course – Daddy Robin.

I mowed as quickly as possible yesterday because I was mowing the corral and the area of grass to the left of the shed. I had just discovered the babies and I didn’t want to prolong any parental stress. So I tackled the area near the shed first and moved further and further away from them – until I had to wheel the lawnmower back into the shed, but I did that very quickly.

The Dude.

Ever laid back and zen, he just hangs out and enjoys the view. He is our role model.

Today is take it easy day. Mowing outside is always tiring, mostly because of my allergies. Pollen is crazy right now and I’m allergic to grass pollen. But I really like mowing and I’m not about to give it up. It’s so satisfying! It’s also great exercise.

It’s another beautiful day. I find myself longing for a little rain, but it looks like we won’t have any for a while. Ants have appeared in our kitchen, looking for water. This happens every spring, but if it’s especially dry, they become more of a problem.

Stay safe.

Happy Tuesday.

 

Books and a Bear

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Reader Jeanie sent some miniature books to the girls. They’re in German. One is about Einstein and the other is about Leipzig. Wouldn’t you know it, Nina and Sophie know German, so they’ve started studying them.

Thank you, Jeanie! The girls love them and send their thanks. Though Sophie looks like she’s read enough for the day.

Story from yesterday: Around 11 am, I was upstairs in the bedroom getting ready to make the bed. I happened to look out the window and saw a bear about 5 feet from our kitchen door, right between the funky patio and the memorial garden. I couldn’t believe my eyes! I yelled out to Don: “Don! Don! Go to the window!” He kept yelling, “What window?” But I was so stunned that I could only say, “Just get to the window!!!” I finally heard him say, “Oh, my GOD!!!”

By that time, the bear had turned around and was heading up into the corral and Don got a photo of him.

Sort of blurry as Don was using his iPhone and trying to zoom in. Plus, the sun is shining on his coat, so he looks sort of brown on top. He isn’t. He’s a black bear and I got a really good view of him.

Don thinks he was not full grown, kind of a teenager. I think he’s right.

Anyway, we’ve never seen one that close to us before. He proceeded to go up into the back forty and then over to our neighbor’s property. I told Don to call them and warn them because they have chickens. Our neighbor said she was looking at him at that moment; he had crawled under the chicken house (which is raised quite a bit off the ground) and he was eating their food. Oh, my!

Later, after I’d posted the photo on IG, my neighbor who lives across the field that runs behind our property, asked me what time I saw him. Apparently, he was in the neighboring campground around 12:30 walking around near the canteen and front entrance – they’re not open yet for the summer. And my neighbor discovered that her trash cans had been raided. So, he left my neighbor’s property, walked across the field, ravaged her trash, and then went on to the campground. He/she was hungry!

Black bears are not aggressive. If, for example, I had been outside when he was approaching the property, he would have run off.

An amazing experience and it makes us wonder how many other times a bear has been around and we just didn’t happen to look outside at that moment.

I was really tired yesterday – allergies, I think – so I didn’t accomplish much other than a few chores. But today, I’m going to mow the corral, the last section of the property that hasn’t been mowed in the last week.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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