Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

Potting

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The other crabapples have fully bloomed. They’re simply gorgeous.

I see them from the window above the kitchen sink.

I ended up going to the nursery on Saturday. It was crowded, but not too crowded. I had an itch to buy some plants for the porch. I came home and started potting some of them but the wind started kicking up, so I had to stop early. It was so nice to see some flowers!

There is some of the lobelia that I use every year. (I’m nothing if not predictable.) Though, I did add an additional color to the mix.

Today, I’ll start to pot the impatiens. It’s suddenly very warm here – in the mid to high seventies – so everything in the ground is growing by leaps and bounds. We saw our first bunny yesterday. Adorable. The peepers are back – they were resting during the very cold nights we just went through. Two nights ago, it went down below freezing and now we’re having very warm days. Go figure!

My right hand is a bit sore at the moment, so I may not be answering comments. But I’ll definitely read them.

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.

Oh, the Mowing!

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We ended up mowing the entire property yesterday save for the corral, which I had mowed last Sunday. I was on the phone with my friend Doug and Don mentioned that he was going out to mow the lilac side of the lawn. Okay. But, as I sat there talking to Doug, I noticed that Don had finished that side and had moved on to the main part of the lawn. He took a couple of breaks, but by the time I joined him out there, he had finished about 3/4 of that huge expanse.

I took over and worked my way through the rest of that section, then upward alongside the house, then to the secret garden (still soggy) and the up to the back forty.

Oh lordy, we were tired. I mentioned to Don that my sections were much more ‘hilly’ and that pushing the only partly functioning lawnmower up and down the hills was not the best thing for my back. We’ll either tag team or switch sections next time.

But it sure looks pretty out there. There’s nothing like spring, when the lawn is thick and a lovely shade of green. It’s all very satisfying! But…we are resting today because it was a darned workout!

Now that we’ve passed last night’s cold temperatures, it will be time to plant some pots and some seeds. I’d love to drive over to our nursery today but I’m hesitant because the weekenders will be there and it will be crowded. But will I miss out on plants?? I haven’t purchased anything yet because the weather has been so funky. The force field is pulling me towards those plants!

The Adirondack chairs need to be moved from the shed to the porch. The cushions have to pulled out from the cupboard under the stairs. The bucket of salt for winter ice needs to go back to the shed. I’m getting an itch to transform the porch and the pots in the secret garden.

I took this photo as evidence that I love a brunette bob.

Okay, my friends. Have a lovely weekend.

Stay safe.

Happy Saturday.

Crabapples

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Last night the temperature went down to 31 and there was frost on my car windshield this morning. Tonight? 34. On Saturday things will get back to normal and I think we will have officially turned the corner into Serious Spring.

I can’t wait. My sinuses can’t wait, as well.

I’m going to do some mowing today. Same mower as last year – with the real wheel drive broken. When we can afford to, we’ll replace it. But with Don’s car repairs and some other expenses needing to be dealt with first, we’ll just have to work with the mower as is. We have to mow in smaller increments, but we get it done.

As far as I can tell, we have two different kinds of crabapple trees on the property. You remember the crabapple that was cut down by an overzealous county employee? That was my favorite kind of crabapple and I miss that tree to this day. But I have discovered at least two younger trees that are the same kind as the one we lost. They are now blooming. They’re on the far side of the house.

The blooms are a deep pinkish red. As they begin to open, they turn pink.

The flower is white and pink.

Aren’t they lovely? I’m so happy to have found them. Actually, I found them last year. This year they’re larger and there are a lot more blooms. They bring a smile to my face, which is much needed as I read the news. Enough said. You know what I’m thinking.

There are lots of dandelions on our front lawn which also makes me happy, as bees depend on them in the early spring. And even when we mow, they come back very quickly. Speaking of bees, I’ve been keeping an eye on the catalpa tree where the honey bees often reside and I haven’t seen any so far.

I’m seeing more and more green on some of the trees in the distance. Hurrah! And I’m certainly seeing buds on all of the trees. The catalpas are always the last to leaf out.

Once tonight’s cold temps are a thing of the past, we’ll be saying goodbye to winter for good.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.

 

 

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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