white on white

Crunchy, snowy bootsteps.

Snowmelt spilling down the fence line.

Ghostly beech leaves rattling in the wind.

Bird flock call and response high in the ash tree.

Sometimes there is perfection in this world.

it's a goat thing

Lindsey and Gretta with twin kids.

"Tulip" is their Mama.

Climbing/resting on Mama.

Waiting for fresh hay for lunch.

The two newest babes, snuggled in the birthing pen.

I want one.

Many thanks to Steve and Judith who's 

generous hospitality allowed us to stay and play

for the better part of the morning.

Find their award winning goat's milk caramel here.

Their chevre is awesome too.

The maple chevre is one of my faves,

 and the syrup they use is wicked local!

Happy spring from Vermont!

r&r at "a bit of earth"

snow squall across the valley.

plow leftovers in the driveway and a resident penguin.

shed roof melt.

the very last sunflower, bent with age.

birch love.

a non-skid solution on an icy path.

(it smells wicked good).

dreaming of bees

Feeling a wee bit overwhelmed with all that's been going on around here lately, I've carved some time out of this afternoon to do some day dreaming. As they often do, my thoughts floated off to the "when we live in Vermont full time" neighborhood. 

I've given thought to keeping bees. I've even taken a few workshops about bee keeping and apitherapy at various NOFA-VT conferences.

The tiny bee is part of the hardworking team of critters that help keep our natural world carefully balanced.  Like so many other species, they are having a very hard time. You can read about colony collapse and why it matters to everyone here. Here's a good read about some solutions to the problem. (Thank you Gretta, for sending these sources my way).

While exploring the Vermont Beekeepers Association's website I found this very beautiful Vimeo of bees close up, busy at work. I am intrigued by these industrious, cooperative and remarkable insects.

A few weeks ago, I watched this video, "Revive the Hive with The Beez Kneez Honey House" and donated some money to the Kickstarter project because it just plain old made me happy. (And maybe the crazy gals in antennae reminded me of my own girls).

There would be a learning curve for me, and start up expenses, and an electric fence to keep out the bears...but I think I would like to lend the bees a hand.

Thoughts? Have you kept bees? Know someone who has? Any advice? Cautions? Fun stories? Please leave a comment! Thanks. xo

PS What are you dreaming of these days?

8:30-9:30 tonight

Join us as we turn everything off and sit in peace for one hour tonight. We will be celebrating EARTH HOUR, and you can read about it here.

No matter your time zone, hemisphere or country...if you do it you'll be part of the wave that floats across the plant...a wave that's filled with awakening, solidarity and hope.

Hope. Isn't that something we could all use a bit more of?

snowdrops

hope springs eternal.

they taste like dirt (in a good way)

golden, chioga and red beets, chopped and ready

Vermont Life magazine has shown up in my mailbox every month for decades, way before we found our bit of earth. No matter where I was actually living at the time, the pages would transport me to the hills and valleys of my beloved state, and remind me of why I longed to live there "someday". Even now, as a part time Vermonter, the pages make me happy when my feet are not in the state. 

In the "cooking in season" section of this year's spring issue, Gretta and I were thrilled to find an article about BEETS. Adapted from chef Jeff Egan, kitchen manager for Hunger Mt. Co-op in Montpelier, this recipe for Roasted Beet and Wheat Berry Salad caught our attention.

I made a batch today, and the many different flavors and textures in this dish are sure to keep this salad on the favorites list in the Reed kitchen. There's a link to the recipe here. There's also a recipe for "Pretty in Pink Pancakes" that has me very intrigued.

Even as we get antsy to plant seeds in trays on the windowsills here, the sturdy and dependable root veggies help tide us over. Someday, when our root cellar in Vermont is fully functional and our road is so mired in Mud Season that we won't be able to navigate it, we'll try those Pretty in Pink Pancakes...with a glug or two of Vermont maple syrup poured over the top.