Spring, Or Not...?

Happy Spring, I think!

My neighor's shaggy horses

First of all, I want to thank all of you who send me emails and Facebook comments, or subscribe to my Pinterest boards. I love your comments, you encourage me so! I feel like I'm getting to know some of you very well! There are so many ways to connect now, it is amazing. I love my computers--it's great to visit each other this way.

Christmas trees gone wild

Today is the second day of Spring. In the last three days, we've gotten 6-8" of new wet snow. Some are disheartened by it. I must admit I'm tired of it too, but it sure is pretty!
 

One tributary to "our brook"

 The thing about point and shoot digital photography, though, is that the camera compensates for the bright lighting by darkening the picture, leaving you with a mostly black and white composition. I took these shots this week.

Looks cold!

We live in Western Massachusetts, in the foothills of the Berkshires. Our house is about 1100 feet above sea level. As you leave the Connecticut River Valley and start driving up into the hill towns, it gets colder, windier and whiter. In the summer, the cooler air is welcome. Now, not so much!

My garden is in there!

So in order to get into a spring mood, I intend to plant some seedlings this weekend. I've been saving TP rolls and food containers.

Toilet paper rolls and food containers

Recycled cloches

I have been collecting garden pictures on Pinterest, and share some of my favorites above and below, to set the scene and to inspire you (and myself!) To link to these pictures, click on my Gardenstuff board and click on the picture till you open the source, usually 2 clicks.

I want to try vertical gardening

I look forward to digging in the dirt and seeing which of my potted perennials will be back this season. Lavenders, clematis, peonies, daffodils, iris, purple coneflowers, hardy mums, oregano, coral bells, and a small pink willow. Sometimes the johnny-jump-ups, or pansies-gone-wild are among the first to be seen. But, as you can see in the pictures above, that is a while away!

Wild rose

Just need a drink and a good book!

Pretty corner

I have to convince Mom not to cut back the Wisteria!

Pretty border

Pink Poppies!

And on my deck....

Pop up aquarium!

Pick 3 plants and repeat

Locally grown food!

Happy Spring to all you Northern Hemispherians!

OMG, I'm breathless!

Hugs,

Sherry

Spring has Sprung

Spring has sprung,

the grass is riz,

I wonder where

the birdies is...

My Dad used to quote this-I don't know if my great aunt Hallie invented it or if it is an old poem from another source. Anyway the birdies is here! Every morning is a chorus of different birds as they migrate and move in and out of the area.

My great aunt, who we just called Hallie, was one of my grandmother's two sisters.  I remember her as an old lady married to a slightly nasty little man named Albert. They lived down the road in a tiny shack they called the Doghouse. Everything inside was painted red, the outhouse was attached to the back and they had an actual root cellar. My dad eventually built them a little house around the one good room of the Doghouse, tearing down the rest. There they lived till Albert died and Hallie (a few years later) went to a nursing home.

Hallie and Albert used to spend their days walking from the center of town up the street to my grandparent's farm just up the road from us. They would visit several people throughout the day, passing gossip from house to house, smoking their corncob pipes and umm-umming between gossipy tidbits. Albert had nicknames for everyone--I was Goldilocks, a neighbor was Little Penny P...., No Bigger than a Dime, there was a woman called Itchyfoot. They were legends in our small town.

Love the coveralls!

When I was a teen, Hallie and Albert always managed to get to our house around suppertime. They sat around all through the meal, commenting and umm-umming around their pipes. Hallie sometimes smoked little dark brown cigarette-sized cigars called The Acts. Albert smoked Prince Albert pipe tobacco in a can. ("Well, let him out!") Occasionally he would flash a mischievous smile as he lit a firecracker and scared us all. The boys liked him, but Mom and I were usually disgusted or embarrassed, especially if I had a friend over. He liked to leer at the girls--ewww.

Fur over baggy blue jeans

After Albert died, Hallie confessed that they had never married, though they had been together 50 years. Without Albert around, I started to appreciate Hallie and her sense of humor. She loved to play cards and drink little bottles of Knickerbocker beer. My brothers and uncles spent time doing both with her. I had moved away by the time she was put into the home, when she could no longer take care of herself. She became the darling of the nurses there, quoting little poems and lyrics.

I inherited a couple of Hallie's photo albums--the pictures show what a character she was, even as a girl. She often dressed as a man and hammed it up with cigars and wine bottles. She and her friends camped out and hung around in Enosberg Falls, Vermont. There are pictures of her with her sisters and brother and their mother, my great grandmother, who died before I was born. It was so good to see them as young people, and see how they lived. This picture of Hallie in her white dress inspired some of my "Victorian Cheek" note cards (above). Pictures in the older album inspired many other art pieces, including my "Ghosts of Christmases Past" ornaments.

I now seek vintage pictures and albums at tag sales and antique stores. Pictures tell stories, and each one of us might see a different story in any given picture. In case you hadn't noticed, I love taking my own pictures. I am surrounded by humor and beauty--if I can capture some of it, what fun!

Sweet Emily

Now that I've "gone digital", I take much better pictures than ever before, and I can just toss the rejects with no loss. I love being able to enhance, crop and edit my own pictures. Last weekend, my friend Emily taught me how to use the macro to get close-ups. This is cool!

I'm currently petsitting for a couple of little yippy dogs. I call them Zippy and Humpy, for reasons I won't go into here. Their owner was amazed when I told her they are sitting quietly-evidently they seldom sit still for her. Often people tell me their dogs are so calm when they come back. My theory is that I bore them into a coma, as I spend lots of petsitting time on the computer or watching TV. 

Hanna, aka Zippy
  

But today was exciting--first the landscapers were here for the whole morning. The dogs were totally unsettled and excited about that. Then Ellie actually bit the UPS man! I never should have opened the door to him. THEN, just as I was ready to head out for a meeting, Hanna escaped out the gate that the landscapers accidentally left open. The neighbors helped in the search-thank you!!! It took 45 minutes to find her! 

Ellie, aka Humpy

I enjoy the TV when I petsit because I don't have TV reception at home. I have Netflix and catch up on HGTV often on the computer. Mostly I read and pour over the many magazines that I am addicted to, or I drag out piles of paper and make things (including messes!) I'm working on having some art to show you all soon.

Happy Spring, all!

Hugs,

Sherry

Bogging Down...Springing Back!

Like Dawn at The Feathered Nest, I have bogged down a bit. Have made more messes and not been working very hard at the big downsize I spoke about last time. But it's only a small setback, I think! My foot is healing and I'm finally getting around better-one crutch (sometimes none!) is better than a wheelchair.

Today I had a spurt of energy (could it be the Prednisone I'm taking?) Spent a few hours cleaning and organizing the kitchen. Made squash/sweet potato/yellow beet/apple/garlic soup. Yummy previously roasted veggies and chopped apples in chicken broth with ginger and green curry powder, pureed. Coconut milk would have been good here, but I was out of it. I usually like soups to be more tasty and savory, but this is velvety and soothing. A nice change from the norm! I've been concentrating on my diet, as Winter can take a toll on my nails, hair, skin, etc. I'm making my own fresh sprouts for a daily salad, and keeping the sweets to a minimum. I love sprouting. I am my own local grower of fresh live food in the winter!

It has been a weird winter (still!) We've had very little snow, and what we get is usually melted off by noon. The nights are cool or cold and the days often above freezing. I don't know how this bodes for Spring or Summer water issues-or if we will have a good season for maple sugaring. Waiting to see, and looking forward to my first digging in the big flowerpots in early April.

I spent time today exploring my friend Jennifer's new blog, alotomaterial about her farm and the exploits of her goats, horses and chickens, experiments with goat cheeses, etc. She has a great sense of humor and is so full of energy, making the farm her full-time job at 50!  Visit her and check it out! Jennifer is the one who got me started on Pinterest, which I am enjoying immensely! Who needs TV with all this great computer networking and entertainment? This may actually help me taper off on the magazine buying....Hmmm.

Yes, those magazines. I spent at least 3 weeks tearing up old magazines and recycling the remaining parts. I have years' worth of Country Home and Mary Englebreit's Home Companion that I can't part with, so I tore out all the 2 sided ad pages. (obsessive? excessive?) I have not finished, but it is an ongoing project, that I know!

So one night last week after computing for hours, losing at hearts and solitaire till my eyes bugged out, I actually opened a new notebook, got out my purple pen and started planning the way to reducing my belongings by 50%, my goal for the year. I actually wrote a plan for every room and what to get rid of and how. I drew in new plans for shelving and storage and made a space (on paper) in my "walk-in-closet" (old bedroom) for my exercise bike and treadmill. I don't have a place I can use them now, and they are in the way. I need to get into shape after such an inactive winter!

Well, that spurt of creative energy spawned another idea, which had been trying to develop in my head. Rustique Resale! If I rearrange and neaten up the "Warehouse" I could have weekly tag sales in it! I thought of making an event of the first one to get people interested-advertising, balloons, signs, refreshments, etc. I could do April - October, as the room is not heated for winter use. I think it would be sweet to have a little store right here, surrounded by my garden out the screen door. I had originally turned it into a screen-porch by screening in the garage door that used to serve as a loading dock. I need to talk to the town clerk and see what is involved-permitting, etc. The building is zoned commercial, so that should be okay. Now to keep my energy up for it! I have a few friends who are slightly interested in doing it with me. I think they are just waiting for me to actually get it up and running first!

I've done a couple of collages in the last week, one to prepare for the collage class I "taught" at the Senior Center, and the one I did there. The first one was fun, but I didn't edit enough. It is sort of a mishmash. The second one, though simple, is rather sweet, I think. I will hang it with twisted purple wire. I want to do more paper creation to get ready for fall craft fairs this year. I've been thinking about maps a lot...and banners and sheet music and birds... Action, Action!

Hope you all have a lovely week, and remember that Spring will be here sooner than we think!

Hugs,

Sherry

It's Sugaring Season!

A couple of weeks ago I posted about signs of Spring, one of which is sugaring season.  Here in New England and Eastern Canada we make maple syrup from the sap of the sugar maple tree. You can read more about it here.

The weather has finally started to cooperate and the sap is running. Last weekend the first of the sugarhouse restaurants opened up. So yesterday Trisha and I made plans to go to South Face Farm Sugarhouse.  I'd been salivating for weeks thinking about the waffle with blueberries and maple syrup that I'd have there. Since my lap band surgery, I have had lots of trouble eating breakfast, and usually manage to barely eat 1/4th of a waffle.  So we planned to go for lunch. I got up early enough to have a huge cup of decaf and a breakfast bar and get some housework done. When Trisha called and said she'd be right up, I took my book and sat outside in the sun. It felt so good when the wind was quiet! The sun was dazzling and the roof was dripping. We took off on our scenic ride to Ashfield.

Worried that it might be closed when we got there, I had an alternate plan. But there were cars in the yard and it was still open. We opened the door and went in. The front door takes you past the boiler, and the steam was rising furiously and escaping out of the roof vents. The smell of this steam is heavenly. Hopefully this is what clouds smell like, if I get to heaven!

There was no sign-up sheet, as they were not too busy on their first day. We got seated right away and perused the menu over hazelnut coffees. I ordered my long-awaited waffle with blueberries on top and Trisha ordered a waffle with bacon and eggs. We oohed and ahhed as food came out of the kitchen. It didn't take long for ours to arrive. I slathered butter into every hole in that waffle then smothered it in syrup. The blueberries covered the center and dyed it all purple.  That waffle absorbed the syrup and softened up to just the right consistency of butter, syrup and crispy cooked batter. Ahh, the first bite was Spring incarnate!  I very carefully chewed and chewed. Heavenly. Taking my time, chewing thoroughly, putting my fork down and resting between bites, I ate the whole thing! I was so happy.

The building looks like an old chicken coop to me. It is long and low and on a slight slant. They have whitewashed some of the interior walls and covered others with weathered barn-board. There are short gingham curtains on the windows. The room glows in the afternoon sun. The walls are hung with old kitchen or farm implements along with old pictures and posters of flora and fauna. The room gradually filled up with families with kids, older couples, friends getting together -- people from all over.  The waitresses were chatty and sweet. We could see someone walking around in the kitchen with an aluminum foil hat with horns on it.  The mood was easygoing and fun.

 After paying at the checkout counter, we looked over the displays in the "waiting" room, then we left for our ride.

All I have to do is look at Trisha and tilt my head north and she says "Let's go!" We drove through Shelburne Falls, Colraine and into Jacksonville, Vermont. There is a little store there we like to stop at. It smells like Patchouli and is filled with beads, peace flags, jewelry, incense, tarot cards, yoga mats, India bedspreads, "smoking paraphenalia," gemstones, smudge sticks...you name it. The place takes us back to the Psychedelic Shop in 1968! We bought a few treasures and left to drive home a different way, (cause you gotta!) route 8A into Charlemont. Another little store, this one is the local bakery, deli, liquor and gift store. Another cup of coffee and a snack for the road. We chattered and laughed all day, making plans to go to Niagara Falls later in the year, telling stories about this and that. A lovely early Spring afternoon!

So, see? Spring is coming! The sap is flowing. Heaven is in the air!