Mockingbird Hill Cottage

The roses that grow next to the porch are blooming. In the past few years, they’ve started to poke through the railing. I love that.

And right around the corner from the rose bush, these guys are about to take off.

Of course, it’s been raining – yesterday, today, and tomorrow – let’s hope the rains are gentle so they don’t fall over.

I know some of you who are in drought conditions, and you’d love rain, but we are sick of it. We’ve had way, way  too much rain. The secret garden is a swamp and there are permanent puddles of water all over the property. I screamed “I am so sick of all this rain!!!” yesterday, no doubt alarming Don.

I honestly don’t have a lot to say. I could say a lot about the administration and the horrors taking place every day. I could say a lot about the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Evil is everywhere. As Don said this morning, “As evil as you think they are, they’re worse.”

Truer words were never spoken.

On these rainy days, it’s harder to avoid the news. When the weather is dry, I can go outside and do some chores and/or mow and I can escape for a bit. Rainy days? Almost impossible to escape. And I want to know what’s happening because I feel we all need to bear witness. It’s imperative.

I’ve said this before, of course. It’s something that both Don and I keep wrestling with. We used to say, “How do we find balance?” But frankly, there is no balance right now and I don’t think there will be for a while.

And yes, I know about the dollhouse and reading and all the other things I could do. At this time, if I have one day a week in which I’m mildly distracted by any of them, it’s a win.

Anyway, I’ve said it before and I don’t mean to lay it on you again. I’m simply being somewhat transparent. Believe me, you don’t want completely transparent.

Sending lots of love to all of you because I know you’re dealing with the same challenge.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

First, my heart goes out to Minnesota. The senseless murder of a legislator and her husband, the shooting of another legislator and his wife – it is incomprehensible. As I write this, I see that the murderer has been caught. Sending love and prayers to all who mourn this senseless loss.

The news of this act of violence was in the same news feed that showed the wildly successful and powerful protests going on in this country and all over the world. Bravo to everyone involved, everyone who took a stand. There is nothing more inspiring than seeing the millions and millions of people saying “No more!”

I need say nothing about the parade. The images tell the story.

Taken from my position on the porch yesterday, right after I finished mowing the lilac side of the front lawn. You can see the white of the catalpa blossoms in the distance. Right now, the tree is full of blossoms, but rain is on the way for Tuesday and Wednesday. In the meantime, as I mowed or did anything on the property yesterday, the scent coming from the flowers was heavenly. I try to imprint these delights in my brain so I can remember them come winter.

Bees were all over the spirea yesterday. Everywhere I looked, there was a bee. Hurrah! Not only is the spirea beautiful, it provides nourishment for the bees.

I don’t know if you remember this, but for several years I had crown vetch growing in the big garden bed. It initially came from some cuttings from my friend Heidi. It filled the left side of the bed, and I really loved it there. But we lost one of the big limbs on the maple tree, a limb that provided shade for the bed, and within a year, the crown vetch disappeared. It needs shade. It’s been about 8 or 9 years since it disappeared. Last year, I noticed a bit of it reappearing. Was it a temporary situation? Well, this year, a lot more appeared, both in the garden bed and outside the bed near the funky patio. I’m so happy to see it return! And it’s blooming.

This is right next to the maple tree. Gardening has an element of magical mystery, doesn’t it?

A big thank you to reader Judith who left a comment with the name of this wildflower. It’s beardtongue. You can see the ‘tongue’ in the center of the flower. It’s native to the eastern United States.

I found some more near the porch. Such a delicate little flower!

Stay safe.

Happy Monday.