Archive for the ‘life in new england’ Category

Stormy Weather

August 28th, 2011 by zoe 1 Comment

As Irene blows up the New England coast we are thankful and blessed to have shelter.

Watching inches and inches of rain fall, we are safe and dry at the top of our hill.

Sometimes Mother Nature shows her sheer power and one is humbled by the force of rising rivers, billowing winds and shaking earth. Even small creeks have swollen to the brim and washed out roads and flooded homes knee-deep.

Today we will be thankful for all we have – for our family and our safety. Tomorrow the rain will end – we will venture out and be saddened by all that was lost.

Just down the road, in the next valley….

Friends are watching a roaring Connecticut River, set free from the barriers of damns, wash their little village away. We love you Shelburne Falls and holy cow we are praying that the dams upstream hold! We are praying that the houses stay put on their foundations and that someday the Bridge of Flowers blooms like this again.

Fair Days

August 26th, 2011 by zoe 2 Comments

We had a grand country fair day -

Sheep dogs herding ducks right through the crowd.

Extra large horses happy to say hello.

Whirling rides providing happy dizzying fun.

Show animals lined up clean as any farm animal could be.

Winning a ribbon in the cross-cut saw competition, oh my!

Oh how we love these country fairs!

 

Tag Sale Bonaza

August 23rd, 2011 by zoe 4 Comments

Lately we have been finding treasures on the side of the road. Tag sale dump piles are sometimes better than the real event.  There is something marvelous about FREE – as long as it doesn’t find its way straight to clutter!

This giant piece of “art” was a side of the road find. Nothing about it screamed quality, the frame was crappy & the print was warped and mildewed. But a big light frame was just what I needed for this -

I have been dreaming about creating a menu board for the kitchen ever since I saw them on Pinterest a few months ago. There isn’t much wall space in the kitchen but the big frame was perfect for the side of the refrigerator.

I cut a piece of plywood left over from my headboard project to fit the frame and painted it with chalkboard paint. The frame was perked up with a couple of coats of spray paint.  I stuck self adhesive velcro on the fridge & frame at the top and bottom – it holds the menu board amazingly well!

I am hoping that we can actually USE it to prevent the 3pm “what the #*$#*%*  is for dinner panic” that seems to be a constant around here. Also, I was kinda hoping it would help us cook something NEW each week rather than just rotating the same fav’s over and over and over. Now wouldnt that be all FANCY LIKE!

Road side find number two is my new boot box.  The roof over our porch doesn’t quite keep the rain out – so we put muddy farm boots in the new boot box. Because muddy farm boots just aint welcome in the house! The kids helped to give it a new coat of paint, which kept them happily occupied for close to an hour!

And lastly, this glass block vase came home with the boys and we  …. filled it with the last of the summer flowers.

Good by till next year, we will miss you summer flowers!

 

 

Garden Psychology

August 11th, 2011 by zoe No Comments

What I really meant was Garden Reverse Psychology!

We actually aren’t trying to grow vegetables, we are trying to grow pigweed and crab grass!

Shhhh don’t tell the carrots, beans or the squash – they don’t perform well under pressure! They are hiding out under mountains of weeds just doing their thing, happily growing without a care in the world.

Now on the other hand, the tomatoes and swiss chard have completely thrown in the towel, they prefer an adoring audience and have withered in obscurity, heart-broken that fame and fortune did not find them.

Sometimes you can get caught up thinking you can do it ALL. I was talking with some dear friends last night about how you have to make choices if you are going to live a bit more peacefully. Find time for your passions but perhaps let a few things go – release yourself from perfection in every direction!

I love beautiful flowering fruitful gardens but right now I have way too much on my plate to make it happen. And that is just fine with me.

The vegetable garden is a lawn of weeds and oddly enough …

By a small miracle we grew some carrots!

And some beans!

Some years, we really have had a full and bountiful garden, but this year ….

it looks like this!

Of course if you look carefully, growing right there in the middle is a happy healthy child.

A fine garden indeed!

 

Vermont Views

August 10th, 2011 by zoe No Comments

We are …

Filling up on Summer Sun.

Learning to keep afloat.

Breathing the freshest air.

Swimming till our lips are blue.

Soaking in green country views.

Loving the late blooming flowers.

 

Soon enough fall will roll in but for now,

we are loving lake life in Vermont.

A Change In Scenery

August 3rd, 2011 by zoe No Comments

Yesterday we packed up the car and drove to the ocean for the day for a much-needed change of scenery.

Sometimes I forget that the REAL salty, sandy, shell laden shore is only a couple of hours away. I get stuck in the groove of  the norm, the patterns of home and forget I can find new adventures close to home. I can get caught up wishing I could travel to far off places, imagining a life of grand travel. Oh Europe, Oh Tropics, Oh Asia!

But for now, when I need a change of scenery -

I will try to remind myself that you CAN adventure close to home.

One hour and fifty-seven minutes to the beach!

I am so happy to have salty beach hair, I don’t think I will wash it all week!