The Cottage In Moorhead

05/29/2026

No better way to end a Thursday than at our award winning restaurant Ada J's Steakhouse in Ute! No one makes a Chicken Fried Chicken dinner with homemade mashed potatoes with gravy and corn like Ada J’s! does! And the fact that two of my cousins were there with their wives, made the evening even better.
Small town life may just be the best life ☺️

05/28/2026

That moment when your neighbor asks you to help them “Quit Their Ditchin’”! ☺️

Excited to extend the lilies down the bank of the waterway ditch of a friends house. As they grow and spread, this should help simplify ditch maintenance by requiring less mowing on the steep side of the ditch, and yet the lilies are high enough on the bank that the water flow won’t be disrupted.

MORE FLOWERS IN MOORHEAD!!

05/28/2026

Peonies??? YES PLEASE!!!

It’s the little things that can really make a gal happy! Like arriving in Moorhead and getting to see Bruce’s famous peonies in full bloom along with his peonies that were transplanted to Bird Lodge when the sidewalk was widened at The Cottage In Moorhead. We transplanted those peonies in the heat of summer, and it took 3 years for them to bloom…but I love them and am feeling quite proud. I didn’t know peonies could be a bit tricky to transplant, but luck was on my side.

05/23/2026

Memorial Day weekend!
LET FREEDOM RING!

05/16/2026

I told him I wanted a big rock.
He said, “Baby, I’m going to buy you lots of big rocks!”
I should have been suspicious when he ask me to go to Bomgaars on a Friday night 🤪🤪🤪.

"It is possible to misunderstand everything if you just decide to do so." — Ludwig Wittgenstein

Fresh layer of white rock added to the bank of mailbox’s. I like my big rocks 😉

05/15/2026

How much do I love our little town???
Just a regular day around Moorhead when Larry hitches up the train and gives the kids a ride around town. It’s just the way we roll around here. Life is good ☺️

05/15/2026

Yes, this really is what the Loess Hills look like.
Reserve your stay today at airbnb.com/h/thecottageinmoorhead and come see for yourself the geological wonder of Western Iowa!

Lost in the Loess Hills, where wild prairie rolls,
And shaggy grazers still wander the knolls.
Iowa’s largest native prairie stretches wide here too,
With sweeping ridge-top vistas and skies of blue.
The bison may give this hidden place away —
Can you guess where we are today?

Photo by Ken West

05/14/2026

Spring blooms in all their glory!!
I have loved Bridal Wreath Spirea since I was a kid. This one is really strutting its stuff right now, and I adore it! The rhododendron continues to bloom, one of my native plants from Loess Hills Wild Ones is blooming for the second time. The iris are putting on a spectacular show and they smell so good that I ran a few up to some dear ladies. And this year 3 of QUIT YOUR DITCHIN’, is one I feel really good about because the lilies and columbine are filling in on the cottage bank and that means less mowing, weeding and trimming for me, while allowing the ditch to remain clear so the water can flow.
Life is good, when you stop to enjoy the flowers ☺️

05/04/2026

So much to do - so little time, and a 5 star review!

What a beautiful weekend in Moorhead! We were very busy and missed some events I really wanted to attend like the Fun Run and a church service, plus I was so tired by the time Sunday evening came that I didn’t get photos of all the things I wanted. But here’s a run down….
For my gardening friends, the newly planted rhododendron and the native columbine are in full bloom! I also am trying to propagate some hydrangeas along the fence. That will be a slow process but my fingers are crossed it will work. I propagated the ones on the corner by the front porch in July one year, and they lived, so I feel fairly optimistic…except for the one I ran over with the lawn mower 🙄. We also got new mulch spread around the cottage. And I added more day lilies and some salvia to mix in with some of the native plants. Still so much to do but my dream of having the landscape look like a fairy cottage filled with blooming plants and flowers becomes a step closer every day. It’s a long process, but one I really like doing.
The weekend guests enjoyed their time at The Cottage In Moorhead and exploring the Loess Hills, along with our local restaurants. It always makes me happy when guests love the area and long to return. ❤️
And many thanks to our friend Dennis who was so kind to send my mom and me a May Basket from the Moorhead Outdoor Spaces Team! What a wonderful surprise! Your thoughtfulness was most appreciated! ☺️

05/01/2026

Looking forward to the Moorhead Fun Run on Saturday!!
Thank you Moorhead Outdoor Spaces Team for offering another fun event!

05/01/2026

LOVE the Lavender Farm!!

Living Estate Sale during our Spring Opener!

Shop our store for lavender products, buy plants and find preloved must have items located in our venue!