Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

  • About MHC
    • Disclosure
  • Dollhouses/Minis
    • Hummingbird Cottage
    • The Studio (Formerly TSP)
    • Dove Cottage
    • The Lake House
    • The Folk Art Dollhouse
    • The Modern Dollhouse
    • Dollhouse Source List, Information and Tutorials
  • On the Road
  • Collecting
    • Roseville Pottery
    • McCoy Pottery
    • Egg Cups
    • Bakelite
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy

Day One Hundred One

June 22, 2020 at 9:45 am by Claudia

I know this looks much like a photo I posted last week, but it’s slightly different in that the hydrangea blossoms are getting whiter.

We need some rain and every day we get a ‘chance of a stray thunderstorm’ in the weather forecast – but nothing really happens. We had some thunder over the weekend with about 30 seconds of rain. It’s been over a week since we mowed and the grass has barely grown. And the temperatures through the first week in July are going to be in the high eighties and low nineties.

I guess we’ve gone right to “Summer: the August version.”

I’m going to water the seedlings and pots right after I post this. We have a grocery pickup later on this afternoon.

It’s a bit harder for us to enjoy lockdown when it’s too hot to work outside. We’re doing our best. I know that Don will eventually head out there and I’ll have to drag him back inside at some point. The humidity and pollen aren’t good for my allergies, so I am more inclined to stay inside.

I was sitting in my chair yesterday writing this blog and I heard the sound of something falling in the dollhouse. This happens every so often when the tacky wax that attaches things to walls loses its stickiness. It happened recently with the Beatles canvas that hangs above the sofa in Don’s studio. (I’ve yet to fix it.) Anyway, late in the day I remembered that something had fallen and I turned the dollhouse around to see what it was.

Nothing.

I looked at everything. It was all in place.

I looked again. Nothing.

Do you think there’s a ghost in Caroline’s old victorian house?

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

 

Filed Under: flowers, miniatures 18 Comments

Day One Hundred

June 21, 2020 at 9:34 am by Claudia

Oh, hello, hollyhocks! There’s another flower about to open, which I am sure will happen later today as we are in for sun, high temps, and high humidity. In other words, the a/c will be turned on early in the day. Right now, it’s a bit humid, but cool enough to stroll around the property and take some pictures.

The milkweed is blooming. There are more plants than ever; so many, in fact, that I might have to thin them out next year. They’re taking over part of the big garden bed. The monarchs won’t come along until later in the summer.

The Secret Garden this morning. More than anywhere else on the property, the changes in light throughout the day are amazing. The rocks almost look like a wall here – but they’re not.

I’ve made Don promise to take a break today from hoeing, tending to his paths, getting rocks, etc. And I’m going to make him stick to it. He really loves working outdoors (new-found, I might add) and I’m happy that it is not only keeping him busy, but is making a big difference on the property. BUT, it’s going to be too hot and humid to do any of that and I have to rein him in. It’s as if our roles have been reversed. I used to be the one that had to be reined in and Don was constantly telling me to “stop and come in the house!” Now, I’m the one doing it.

We are going to make of goal our watching all eleven seasons of Cheers  before July 1st, when it disappears from Netflix. I think we have ten more to go.

I’m enjoying Moriarty  by Anthony Horowitz, one of my favorite mystery writers.

The puzzle is making me crazy at the moment. I have all of the edge pieces and am so close to being finished with that part of the process, but it’s not going together correctly. It’s maddening. I’m a bit under the weather, which isn’t helping my concentration. I’m hoping that later today I somehow figure it out.

Happy Father’s Day to my dad and Don’s dad and to Don, dad to all three of our dogs. And to all fathers out there.

Stay safe.

Happy Sunday.

Filed Under: Dad, Don, flowers, garden 31 Comments

Day Ninety-Nine

June 20, 2020 at 9:35 am by Claudia

While Don was on his walk this morning, I noticed a groundhog resting on the ramp to the shed. Assuming it was the new occupant, I grabbed my telephoto lens and took some photos from inside the kitchen door. When Don came back, I showed them to him.

It’s Henry.

Oh my heavens, our boy is still with us! There definitely is a younger groundhog hanging around as well. But this guy sat on the ramp for at least 20 minutes. And then he walked down the ramp to the grass to grab a bite to eat. And then he got scared by something and disappeared under the shed. Classic Henry.

I can’t tell you how happy this makes us – especially in the midst of all the corrupt, despicable and vile things going on at the moment. That our guy is still here is a big old shot of joy.

Bless his heart. Our resident gentleman is surveying his estate.

What a nice present this was – and it’s all in the timing, because I’m normally sitting in my chair at the time I saw him, but for some reason I was in the kitchen.

I had a social distancing dream this morning wherein NO ONE was social distancing and they were all getting way too close to me.

Also, Don did a big more digging yesterday and we added some more rocks.

Just a couple to add to the other side of the path and we’re done.

I dug out this large heart-shaped rock the other day.

Isn’t it lovely?

My allergies are out of control, so I’ll lay somewhat low today, except for watering all the seedlings and plants. It’s going to be another hot and humid day.

I’ve started another puzzle, but the edges are all either dark brown or black and it’s really hard to figure out what goes where! I’ll get there.

I finished the Simenon I was reading and then I actually grabbed a book from my TBR pile – Moriarty  by Anthony Horowitz – and I’ve started that.

But back to what is really important: Henry is still with us!

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: groundhogs, Henry 53 Comments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 478
  • 479
  • 480
  • 481
  • 482
  • …
  • 1768
  • Next Page »
  • Email
  • Instagram

Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

Thanks for stopping by.

Searching?

The Dogs

The Dogs

Scout & Riley. Riley left us in 2012. Scout left us in February 2016. Dearest babies. Dearest friends.

Winston - Our first dog. We miss you, sweetheart.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives

All Content © 2008 - 2025 Mockingbird Hill Cottage · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT