Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Photo taken from the glider on the porch.

I heard screeching this morning and stepped outside. From my position on the porch, I saw some big bird of prey in one of the pines across the street. I suspect it was an eagle, but the photos I took just show him in silhouette because it was early morning. I suppose it could have been a hawk, but it sure sounded like an eagle. While I was adjusting my lens, the bird flew away.

After that, I decided to sit on the glider because the humidity had yet to make itself known and I figured I’d take advantage of that. After about 15 minutes or so (I’d already checked on Mama Catbird who was sitting on the nest) I heard a catbird call from the direction of the maple. It was a warning call. (The eagle was long gone at this point.) So I got up and peered into the hydrangea and there was mom, out of the nest, perched on a branch just above the nest, ready to fight off any predator. It was pretty neat to see, but I didn’t want them to stress about me, as I’m definitely not a predator, so I went back inside the house. A few minutes later, I snuck back out there and mom was back on the nest. I guess Papa Catbird thought I was a suspicious visitor, rather like robins do when you walk near their nest.

It’s so humid and hot that my sinuses and allergies are complaining loudly. I don’t know when this pattern is going to break, but it can’t come soon enough. My back is slowly improving, thank goodness.

Yes, they’re everywhere – in front of the house, in the big garden bed, in the little bed by the porch, on the driveway side of the house, and on the far side of the house. Coneflowers are a gift; they reseed everywhere and if you love country gardens as I do, they provide most of the set design from mid-summer until autumn, The black-eyed susans are about ready to bloom, and some of the David phlox has bloomed. The rest of the phlox will bloom later because the nibbling deer delayed things.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

 

My back is still acting up, so I’m having to limit my activities. It’s so annoying! No mowing, or vacuuming, and only the most careful bending over. It’s slowly getting better, so I’m doing a lot of reading. I’ve also been keeping an eye on Mama Catbird. So far, all seems to be well.

The level of water in the culvert is very low after a long period of it being rather high. How does this impact our Phileas? Don says he briefly saw him yesterday, and I saw him the day before. But we haven’t had a whole lot of rain recently. I hope we’re not heading into the drought segment of the summer.

I took this yesterday:

This is taken from the entrance to the porch, so we’re looking at the side of the house, the entrance to the side door, and part of the funky patio. So far, it’s pretty lush out there! And the coneflowers are everywhere. As you know, they are my favorite part of the summer garden. The splash of purple in the background is the patch of balloon flowers (more this year than ever) and those are zinnias in the metal tub on the patio.

But it is so darned hot and humid out there! We’re feeling trapped in the house. I don’t know when the humidity will lift, but it can’t come soon enough.

A wee little package arrived yesterday.

New shoes for the girls. I usually buy a pair or two of shoes from my favorite shoe maker, Cora, about once a year. The pair on the left is a new design, with a pointier toe. The pair on the right is a favorite design. She threw in the socks, which was a delightful surprise.

Since I was sitting here nursing my back for long periods, I noticed that Zoe, who was wearing a cute denim dress, looked hot. It was way too heavy for a hot and humid summer day. So we switched to a summer dress.

You might notice that she’s wearing the new shoes.

Much cooler!

Gosh, she’s a beauty.

Today, more resting is on the docket. (I’ve also had to delay washing the bedsheets.)

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

I quickly took this picture of mama catbird sitting on the nest. I check in on her several times a day. She’s been there through thunderstorms and very humid and hot weather. The nest is deep within the hydrangea bush. The photo has been cropped within an inch of its life so you can see her.

I water all the porch plants very quietly. I don’t want to scare her.

It has been so hot and humid this week. Really unbearable. It will be hot again today, but there is no heat advisory, so maybe the humidity has dropped. I tweaked my lower back a bit yesterday – it’s getting better – and I’m going to take it easy today.

Our friend Margaret is home from the hospital and the rehab facility. She was hit by a car a few months ago. But even though she’s home, the recovery will take months and months. She can’t sit down yet, she has to be put into a kind of body and neck brace in order to take some steps with her walker. There is still considerable physical and emotional trauma to deal with. All of this because an employee of a company that delivers food quickly was in such a hurry that he didn’t see her crossing in a marked intersection.

We have become a society where speed is of the essence. Amazon deliveries. Binging on a series. Speedy food delivery no matter what the price. Downloading a book to a Kindle. MUST HAVE IT RIGHT AWAY! I see it in myself, when I’m online. I often have no patience while waiting for something to load. It isn’t good and it surely isn’t healthy. The company that the driver was working for is well known and legal action is being taken. Meanwhile, Margaret is 78 and her body was broken because someone was working on a ridiculous time limit set by the company. Adrian still feels a great deal of rage and I don’t blame him. Any prayers you can send their way are appreciated.

Don and I have talked about this a lot. Slow living is our goal. Less screen time. More patience.

Pip of the very, very sweet face.

I spilled a glass of water this morning. Not a very good start to the day!

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.