a teaser

a placeholder,

while there's a vortex of change over here.

it's as if we opened the door a crack

and pent up energy just blew it wide open.

standing in it's blast

is both thrilling and a wee bit terrifying.

is this not life at its very best? 

In CT.

come on over

fortification.

multi-grain muffins made with last summer's blueberries.

transportation.

snowshoe tracks.

the balsam orchard.

light, fluffy, beautiful snow...

...blowing into gentle contoured drifts.

there might be 2 feet of snow out there.

windswept still life.

winter sun.

it's about 9 degrees and very windy,

so i did not stay outside too long.

spring will come, it always does.

in the meantime i am appreciating the 

fire in the wood stove, mugs of tea

and some daydreaming.

vermont public radio and henry keep me company.

dear readers, if you are sick of winter,

i wish you could come by and see the

vermont version.

it's special and might change your mind.

In VT.

20 inches of snow?

What to do when one needs to catch one's breath and take a few new deep ones? Why, run away to Vermont for a few days! This is what was waiting for me...sparkling snow, dappled with critter tracks. 

Have you heard winter storm Vulcan's forecast for central Vermont? Twenty plus inches of spring snow...on top of what's already on the ground. This morning I awoke to the distinctive quiet that comes with falling snow and smiled. 

The wood box is filled, there are plenty of candles in the cupboard, there's soup on the stove and some hand sewing in a basket (a gift for a brand new grand-nephew named Liam)!

Check back tomorrow for pictures, unless you're sick of winter. :-)

Only with winter-patience can we bring 

the deep-desired, long awaited spring.

-Anne Morrow Lindburgh

happy 23rd birthday gretta!

A few of you have followed my blog since I first started keeping track of my days here. You "knew" Gretta when she was still in high school, and was just looking at colleges. Some of you kept tabs on her as she set off for the Midwest and then when she was in Australia for a semester. You read about how she supported us as we went through Batman's surgery (just a year ago this week!). You saw pictures of her as she helped us prep our CT house for the market, and you saw her gradute from Knox in June 2013. You read about her nine month residency at Shelburne Farms. You really haven't much about her since then.

Well, friends, here is a picture of her in early December 2013, with a key to her apartment in Brooklyn, NY! She and her beau, Ben (fondly called "Nature Ben" by those who know him best) are carving out a bit of hipster life in the midst of one of the biggest cities in the world. She has patched together a bunch of jobs to pay the bills and has her eye on bigger and better things. One foot is in the door at a well known botanic garden, where she's working part time with school kids.

Her great-great Aunt Margretta's china is in her kitchen cupboards, her green/sustainability library is nestled in the bookcases and her guitar and ukelele are stowed in the corner of the living room. We've been to visit once, and hiked around their fun neighborhood. We'll head back on Sunday with the traditional Reed chocolate birthday cake and gifties in hand. 

This girl of ours...she lights up every life she wanders into. It's such a joy to see her out in the world, making it a better place for so many folks. 

Happy Birthday Gretsky!

xo

a gentle triptych for you

xo

D. carota

oh.

you sweet little carrots.

pulled from the soil of our vermont gardens,

tucked into the cooler and 

then into our connecticut refrigerator.

you have brought memories of summer days at

our beloved bit of earth into our winter days here.

thank-you, to the very last of you,

for surrendering to the alchemy in the kitchen

and turning into beautiful, delicious

morning glory muffins.

recipe from here...