A Place of our Own

I have not posted in FOREVER! But I am sitting here tonight and finally felt like writing for a bit. August was a long time ago. A really long time ago, it seems. August is when my sister came to live with us. This morning she and her husband moved out. Not too far away, just down to the end of the street. They will be house sitting at our neighbors' for the next 3 and a half months while they are in California. And while they try to find a house to buy. I have had a really great time while they were here. It was nice to come home from work on days when she was off to find dinner nearly ready, and dessert baked and waiting on the counter. It was fun to sit around at the table after dinner chatting about our customers, how busy we had/had not been at work. It was wonderful to share doing the dishes after we ate, and to shop together for groceries once in awhile. We still can't believe that my brother-in-law moved in nearly 6 months ago, and my sister almost 4 months ago. The time went quickly, but then our work schedules were such that we rarely had the same days off. In fact, we think that yesterday may have been one of the only days that all four of us were all off. We went to breakfast at our old favorite, My T Fine, because our favorite waitress was back working for the day. We came home to do some laundry and they packed up their things in anticipation of the move. Then my sister and I made homemade pasta with her pasta machine, meatballs, and bread. We had a roaring fire going because it was brutally cold and windy outside. We wrapped gifts and knitted and chatted. We all ate dinner together by the fire with a nice bottle of wine to mark the end of this chapter, and to celebrate the fact that we were all still talking at the end of it all. I miss my sister 😢. But guess what? They are going to come here for Thanksgiving Dinner!!! And next Tuesday she has invited me to dinner over at their new house! I think, maybe, we will still manage to see each other pretty often. And now, maybe I will have more time to do things alone, like writing posts and reading books.

Dog Days of Summer

Yes, this is a Dog Day kind of afternoon! Normally we think of the Dog Days of Summer as those hot, sticky, muggy August afternoons when it feels like summer will never end, and you are trying to enjoy every last second of the lazy mood before the new season kicks in. Most vacations have come and gone, visitors have packed their baggage and returned home, and the new school season in on your mind, but only the TV commercials seem to accept the fact that its just around the corner. I can remember shopping for new school clothes in August with my mom when I was young. Of course we started out the new year in our summer clothes, so we were looking for fall and winter items that she would put on layaway until the weather turned colder. There must not have been air conditioning in the stores way back then, because I know I would try on winter coats and just agree to the first one so I didn't have to roast trying on any more. 

Today, though, it is a fabulous day. Sunny, mild 70's, and a light breeze. Going to breakfast this morning we saw patches of leaves beginning to change into their fall colors. The mornings are cool and the days mild, but we know what is on its way. I am sitting out on the patio enjoying the gorgeous view out the windows, watching the yellow finches at the bird feeder. It is so nice out here. This is my favorite place in the house at this time of the year.

And here is a picture of the cows being moved across the driveway this morning to graze in the other meadow. They love moving to a new field. 

There are only 11 cows out there, but it looks like lots more. One is a bull who is doing his best to make sure that the heifers out there produce new babies in the spring. We know we have a glorious autumn coming, and then the long, cold winter, but all is good up here in the north!

Summer Changes

Last week was Summer. From Sunday thru early Saturday it was hot, humid and miserable. We had 6 days of temperatures in the 90's, lots and lots of storms, and blazing sun when it wasn't raining. We often get hot spells like that, and they sometimes last for several days in a row, so I wouldn't consider it strikingly unusual. Tourists, however, were pretty surprised, especially those who thought they were heading north for cooler weather. They should have travelled south to Dallas. Sunday and Monday their highs were only in the 70's. Friday it was 98° when I drove thru Burlington and got on the highway. As I travelled home the temperature dropped to 70 by the time I pulled onto our road. The rains came about an hour later. Sunday was really nice. Cooler, drier and less humidity.

Today, it felt like Autumn. It was pretty sunny and nice in town, but still only 70° when I left work. It was cloudy, breezy and 57° when I got home. The house felt chilly and all the windows were closed up. I put pants on and now I have a long sleeve top on! I know it will still warm up,  but most of the daytime highs in the week ahead are only in the 70's, with an 80 here and there. Just like that, we forget that week of super hot weather, and we start to think about the colors changing on the trees and apples and pumpkins! It can change so quickly here, but that's what makes it fun too.

Other changes will be happening soon too, along with the change in the season. On Sunday my sister will join her husband in our family room to begin their lives in Vermont. We will all be trying to live together as one happy family until they sell their house in New Hampshire and find another to buy here in Vermont. They will both be living here because they have taken transfers with their jobs, and need to begin working here. My brother-in-law has been here since the first of June, and my sister will start her job on Monday. I know this won't always be easy, I know there will be days we will all be in each other's way, but I'm also excited to be able to have them closer and to share what we love about Vermont with them. A move is one of life's most stressful occasions, and I hope I can help them get thru it as easily as possible. It will be tough on them, and probably us too, but we will make it work, and in no time at all, they will be settled in their wonderful new home, and we will be able to share so much more of our everyday life with them. This is going to work out wonderfully! I will keep you posted!

A Warm, Rainy and Muggy Summer

It's July! Summer is well under way here in Vermont. This one has been very damp and humid, and the forecast shows mostly more of the same for 10 days out. We talk about the weather here. A Lot! Probably because it changes so much. You can never count on days and days of sunshine and consistent temperatures like you can in some parts of the country. I am finding the topic of weather is often brought up at work, especially now that there are so many tourists coming into the store. Many visitors aren't that bothered by the storms we have been having, and like to compare it to what they have at home. Most of the complaints are coming from the Vermonters who know that summer is extra short way up here in the north, and having so many days of unsettled weather means an even shorter time of nice days before the season changes again. Visitors are here for a week or two, and let's face it, no one comes to Vermont, even in July, for beach weather! I would have to say the absolute worst thing about this kind of summer is that the bugs are out in full force, especially the blood-thirsty mosquitoes. They are so horrible this year, everywhere. It's awful just taking the dogs down the driveway for their afternoon walk. One step in the grass and the mosquitoes swarm around the dogs and me. By the time we turn around to come back we run to try to outpace them. Sometimes it works, and other times it doesn't. ...but, it sure is GREEN here!

I did escape to Cape Cod for a few days the end of last month:

This is the beach a block from the house. 12 of us were all together in a big old house my niece and her husband rented. It was so much fun, and a great vacation. All of my and my sister's grandchildren, sister, brother-in-law, 2 daughters, niece and husband. Beach time, play time, book time, super-super meals prepared by a world renowned chef, We had great weather the whole time. A morning or two of fog that burned off by 10, but mostly sunny, warm days perfect for the beach and ice cream. It was exhausting, but a wonderful 5 days filled with lifetime memories for all. 

Magic

I live in a Magical Place!

On my way to work the other day, I snapped this picture of Sadie under the big maple tree. It was overcast, probably had been raining since that seems to be all its doing lately, and she had been laying down until I stopped the car. But something about the way it looks bright behind her, and the contrast of the dark branches and dark calf, and the green, green grass just looks like a fantasy-type place. I have a little elf door at the bottom of a tree across from the house, and I plant flowers around the rock walk way going up to the door. Tiny, little wild strawberries grow all around it. I have never seen an elf near it, but I can imagine them dancing thru the trees. 

The Elf Door

The forest is saturated with moisture this morning, everything dripping with the falling rain, and the leaves hang heavy with the weight of water. And if fog comes rolling in, then it truly seems like magic is happening out there. This is looking into the woods, just past the driveway:

The woods are thick and dense now. You can hardly see thru the trees. And they are probably packed with mosquitoes too. But it looks so mysterious out there, and there are times I can hear something moving around in the trees, but can't see what it is. Often it's just a squirrel or chipmunk, or maybe a turkey. But if you pretend real hard, it could be just about anything...

Snow, Sleet, Sun and Hot

Today is Thursday. Four days ago there was a marathon in Burlington. It was cold, it was freezing and at times the runners were out in sleet. Windy, rainy and 43°. Mount Mansfield had 6-8 inches of snow, and they closed Smuggler's Notch. We turned the heat back on in the house, and wore coats outside. On Monday it was clear, and many of the mountains were white-capped. 

Fast forward to today:

View from the patio I am sitting on.

Sunny, clear blue sky, light breeze and EIGHTY-SIX DEGREES out! Absolutely crazy!  The high tomorrow is 90. What a turnaround. But its beautiful out here, and I like the warm weather. I love sitting out here, taking it easy, listening to the birds and smelling all the flowers that are opening up. There are lilies of the valley, lilacs, wild roses and honeysuckle in bloom. It's hot, but its not like the heat of summer in July or August, its still a fresh heat. It is still spring, after all. And what else happens in spring? You go out in the meadow and find this:

Nellie had her little heifer this morning. She is about 2 hours old in this picture. Here's a close-up:

We don't have a name yet, but have suggested "Brussels" to go with the other calf out there called "Sprout!"

Tomorrow is the start of Jazz Fest at work. We love this Festival. It is so much fun having the live music right outside our door. And it is supposed to be hot and sunny, so perfect for sitting outside enjoying the sounds. I think we'll eat at Leunig's Restaurant on Wednesday afternoon. It should be fun. It's been busy at the store, so I hope it continues. Life is good.

Welcome Little Sprout!

Little Sprout and his mommy, Beth

The cows are back in our meadow for the summer. Meet Sprout, who is only 6 days old. He is so cute running all around out there in the tall grass. When he lies down, you can barely see his head above the green. We also have 3 other full grown cows, and one of them, Nellie, is pregnant, and she should calf any day. Last year we didn't have the calves in our meadow, and sadly, neither one of them survived the winter. We are hoping that with our wonderful meadow, the mommies will graze all summer and give very nutritious milk so the little ones have a better chance of making it. It is fun to see them out there as I drive in and out. Cows on one side and horses on the other. Makes me feel like I live in the country! Oh, that's right, I do!

And, speaking of little ones, here's another one out grazing in the meadow!

(I borrowed this one from his mommy's blog!)

And here are a few more cutie pie little ones: 

Ahhhhh, Spring Time is wonderful!

Flowers For Mother's Day!

Had to share the beautiful bouquet of flowers that I received for Mother's Day this year from my granddaughters:

I smile every time I look at them. It's been a wonderful day. Had breakfast at our normal place and all of the regulars were there. Lots of chatting with people we only know because of eating there on Sunday mornings, and people we know from the neighborhood sugar house. I baked a cake, did some wash, talked on the phone, and we went for an afternoon creemee (mine was pistachio) even though it was cloudy and chilly out and we sat in the car and ate it! Now I'm going to make a new kind of pizza for dinner right after I take the dogs out, and relax the rest of the day. 

And I will always remember the Mother's Day story that a customer shared with me last week about buying herself the dragonfly necklace. She and her son had visited one of our stores and she fell in love with a dragonfly pin that day and bought it. Unknown to her, her son picked up the pair of matching earrings for her for Christmas.  A few months later he came again to visit and brought with him all of the Christmas presents because he wasn't sure he would be able to make it home for the holidays that year. Two months later he died, and his mother (my customer) couldn't even open the gifts that year. The next year she decided to open one each year as her way of sharing Christmas with her son, and the gift she opened this past year was the pair of dragonfly earrings. She remembered that we also had a necklace to match them, so she came in and bought it as her Mother's Day present for herself, because that's what she has to do now, and she feels her son would want her to do it. We both had tears in our eyes when she finished telling me about it, and I felt honored that she shared it with me. It makes me cherish my wonderful daughters and grandchildren even more.

Glorious Green and Breathtaking Blue

This post is about the final steps to Spring in Vermont:

 Mighty Maple, April 25th

Mighty Maple, May 6th

It's easy to see that once it started, the final burst of leaves came very quickly. We have had 2 weeks of glorious, sunny, warm weather day after day. The leaves are fully out, the meadow is green and growing tall, and the sky has been a magnificent blue. Plus its been warm, in the 70's and even a few low 80's. Now we have a spell of rainy, cooler weather coming our way, but we do need the rain to keep everything green, and for the farmers as they start planting their crops. We want that delicious corn on the cob in a few months! This really is a magnificent time of the year up here, and I truly enjoy it. It won't change much in appearance until late September. We will deal with the mosquitoes and flies as summer moves in, and some flowers will come and go, but the green will remain and the sky will be blue on these sunny days, and life is good. Oh, see the posts in the photo above? That fencing is from the cows that were here last year, and they will be back by the end of the month. But we will

get two pregnant ones this year, and their calves will most likely be born here and with us all summer. That will be fun! 

And with all this sunny, warm weather, Church Street has come alive, and work has taken on a new atmosphere. The door is propped open, people wander in and out, the smells from the restaurants drift in constantly, and we stand in the doorway watching chair man, egg man and the mountain folks (our nicknames for the street performers.) We had a busy week with Mother's Day shoppers, and the college graduations going on, so its been a lot of fun. Now the tourist season will kick into gear, and we'll have a constant flow of new visitors. All is good and well...

BenGay? DO YOU NEED BENGAY?

I am off from work today. I like having off on Thursdays because it breaks up my week, and gives me a day in the middle to do errands and such when most other people are working. So, I started my morning having my snow tires taken off and my all season tires put back on. It's like packing away your winter coat and walking around in your little spring jacket. It feels like you have shed all that heavy weight, and you're ready for the lighter side of life. We actually hit 73° yesterday, and it was so beautiful out. It was time to turn the season on my tires. From there, I made my bi-weekly trip to the grocery store. I use to go every week, but I found it takes up half of my day off, so for the past few years I have only gone every other week. And I try to not have to go back for something in-between because I find I spend another $70 even if all I needed was bananas. It was quiet there this morning. It usually is, especially during the week. Who else shops at this time? Lots of retired people, and young mommies with very small children. You know how it is, you keep turning every corner and it seems like you constantly run into the same person. Or, in today's case, two quite elderly women going very slowly down each aisle. The middle of each aisle. I couldn't help but smile each time I managed to get past them because I was thinking they seemed like sisters. They were talking about what they needed, arguing over what they were going to cook, and each added things to their single cart along the way. I was wondering if that would be my sister and I in the years to come. You see, she lives in New Hampshire right now, and its about a 4 hour drive from our house to hers. It's been nice being this close to her, meeting halfway for lunch, or spending a day or two together at one house or the other. But it isn't close enough for a spur of the moment rendezvous, a quick dinner after work, or for grocery shopping together. That will all change in the months ahead! She and her husband have talked about the possibility of moving closer to us for awhile, but they have lived where they are for almost 30 years! In a beautiful house they built themselves, in a wonderful location. In fact, their being there, was what brought us up to New England in the first place. We always loved our time with them, and have great memories of days spent up there, especially the year the girls and I lived with them while my husband was stationed in Korea. Now it will be our turn to have them here with us! They each work as retail managers and thru meant-to-be situations, they are each being transferred to their store's Burlington, Vermont locations! He will come first, the first of June. And she will come either when their house sells, or sometime around August or September. They will stay with us until they are able to find a house to buy, or until we drive each other completely crazy! But I think it will work out just fine. We all work, and we all have our own schedules, so there will be a lot of coming and going. But it will be so nice to be closer to each other, and to know that as the years pass, we will have each other to depend on and to help. I am really looking forward to it. And, say, in 15 years when we are old like those ladies in the grocery store today (Wait! 15 years? Could we really be like that in such a short span of time?), maybe it will be me yelling at my sister like the one did to the other this morning, "BenGay? DO YOU NEED BENGAY?"

My wonderful sister and brother-in-law

One Year minus One Day

 April 18, 2012

April 17, 2013

Look at the difference between the two pictures, and they were taken on practically the same day, one year apart. Last winter was so mild, and the spring so warm, you can see the leaves already on the tree, and the grass was really green. I took the second picture this morning because it is supposed to cloud up tonight with a chance of rain tomorrow, and I thought it best to compare two blue sky, sunny days. This year is probably more normal for Vermont, especially northern Vermont. We have only seen the grass begin to green up in the last few days with some sun and rain lately. And if you look very close, you can see the signs of buds on the branches just beginning to form. They have maybe another week to 10 days before they look like the picture from last year. Plus the picture from last year shows the trees in the background as quite green, and that is surely not the case today. But look at that blue sky! It only got into the mid-50's today, but you would have thought it was 75° down on Church Street. Even though my nose and hands were chilly, I kept the store door propped open, and people were everywhere. Performers were playing music, the restaurants were doing outside seating, visitors kept strolling into the store, and you saw outfits from shorts and t-shirts to heavy coats.  It was truly a fun day. It just lifts your spirits when its like this. And we haven't even hit 60° yet!

Today is also my one year anniversary with Danforth Pewter. A year ago today I went down to do my paperwork in Middlebury, but didn't start working there until April 23rd. Of course its been a fast year, seems like years ago since I left my job at Motherhood Maternity! Things certainly do happen for a reason, and whatever the reason for this, it has been a very positive one. It will be interesting as I start this second year to see if it still feels new, or if it starts to feel like routine. Everyday is the same, kinda, but still different by who walks in the door. Today we had lots of people from Massachusetts, since they have their spring break this week, a lady from South Africa, the lady with the huge diamond on her finger who was interested in one of a kind oil lamps, and the man on the phone from Michigan who may call back to order 11 pairs of earrings for Mother's Day. You just never know...

I talked to my daughter on my way home from work this afternoon. She and her family just returned from their 2-week vacation to Cabo, Mexico, so I shall share this picture of my 3 cuter than cute granddaughters:

And here is that adorable little grandson, who was down in Alabama with his mommy and my sister from Phoenix. Sure wish I could have been there too, but I know they had an amazing, special time.

And even though I didn't think I was going to mention it, here is a picture of my daughter after she had run the Marine Corps Marathon in October of 2011:

Can I just say that people who train, plan, run, watch, cheer, and support such an amazing achievement, with all the emotions and feelings and excitement and joy that is felt, should never, ever have to worry about bombs in pressure cookers going off and killing or injuring those same people.  

Sunny Days, Warmer Temps

 Church Street, April 6th

Yesterday a man came into the store dragging his wheeled suitcase behind him and spent a little while looking at everything. I had simply asked him if he was traveling in or out, and he said out. A short while later his comment was, "When does it warm up here?" To which I answered, "Where are you traveling back to?" He was from South Carolina. I take it he had been here for the week, and yes, indeed, we had had some down right cold weather for several days. We have not warmed up much at all yet this year. We haven't really hit 60 yet, and even the days that have been in the 50's haven't felt very warm because the wind seems to be blowing so much. There are still a few patches of snow here and there, especially along the ledge as I drive to work. It will warm up, we all know it is coming, but it sure is taking its jolly good time this year. Thursday it was sunny and bright, and we did hit maybe 51. It felt nice out when I went to gather sap for awhile. The wind isn't as strong in the woods, plus you're carrying buckets filled with sap up and down the hills, so you warm up even if its only in the 30's. Sugar season is nearly over. We may be able to squeeze a bit more from the trees tomorrow and Sunday, but after that it won't get below freezing anymore, and the sap will quit running, the trees will bud, and the peeper frogs will be out. We have made close to 100 gallons this year, almost a record for us. The next two days will tell for sure.

Last Saturday night 9 of us neighbors gathered in the sugar house for dinner. We had a lovely meal of pork roast, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. It was fun eating, drinking and chatting while we tried to keep warm as the night got colder. We all enjoyed the night.

Dinner in the Sugar House 

  They gathered once again this afternoon, sap that boiled down to dark, rich syrup. Looks like this is the end. Tomorrow they will go one last time, get what is left, pull the taps and buckets on Tuesday, and do the cleaning on Saturday. Another season comes to an end, but it also means Spring is well on its way. But by the end of this month the trees will have sprouted their new coat of leaves and the meadow will be green with new grass and the mud may even dry up some by then. It is coming, and we all know it. And its fine if we have to wait a bit longer to really appreciate it. Spring is wonderful here, and even if it is unpredictable, it is always worth the wait.

Cursed Recipe

Today is Palm Sunday-the Sunday before Easter. It is the start of Holy Week for the Christian Faith. I don't really go to church regularity, but I still acknowledge the holidays, of course. I grew up going to church every week, then went thru years where we didn't really go to church anymore, and then I started going again with my mom. When I joined the military, I loved going to church because it made the connection with home. No matter where I went to church, it was basically the same, with the same songs and prayers, and it felt comforting. I was married in the church, and we went all the time until we moved to Texas, and felt very uncomfortable in the church there. But in Crete, Greece, with two little girls, I was once again drawn back to the church for many years, until we moved back to Maryland, and really never went to church again on a regular basis. I will always have my faith though, no matter where I am, and I think, some day, I will feel that need to start going again.

So, with the start of Holy Week, it is also the one week of the year when I can make a special Italian Easter Dish, we all know better as Skutzel. This is a recipe passed down thru generations, and is said to be cursed for anyone who makes this dish outside of Holy Week. Don't ask me what would happen. No one in my family has dared to make it other than during this week. One sister tried to stretch it by thinking maybe it would be okay to make it on "Easter Monday," but we couldn't find positive assurance that Monday was part of Holy Week, so I don't think she made it that year. I even remember one year my dad was driving all over town on Easter Sunday looking for Ricotta cheese so my mom could make it that day. I made my Skutzel today. It is also known as Easter Pie. It is made of layers of cheese and eggs with pepperoni between, and baked in a really good crust. This is it with the first layer of cheese/eggs mixture in the crust:

Then I added the pepperoni, cheese, pepperoni, cheese, and the top crust, and it looked like this in the oven:

It bakes for an hour. The recipe itself is special because it was one my mom used that my Aunt Barb had typed out for her. It even says to call her with any questions, and told when she was home. And that Aunt Barb passed away in January of this year, so I was also thinking of her, and my mom and my dad as I made it today. I also thought of my daughters, two of which don't like Skutzel, and the one in Texas, who actually makes it herself now. I think she might have the recipe my mom wrote out for me. 

While my Skutzel baked, I finished making the duck I was doing for my grandson's first Easter. Here is a picture of it:

He turned out really cute. He has crinkly wings, and a round rattle in his belly. I want to mail out the things I got him for Easter tomorrow. I don't usually send the granddaughters anything for Easter. It may sound odd, but they are always in Cabo, Mexico at their time-share for Easter, and this year they leave on Friday to go there. I know they do things with their other grandparents, and it doesn't seem like such a big deal if they wouldn't even have whatever I would send them on Easter anyway. So that is one holiday I never get to share with them. 

So, now my Skutzel is done!

And, here it is cut so you can see the layers of pepperoni in it:

It really is yummy. I love taking it in my lunch. And I have some in the freezer just to be sure it doesn't go bad before we can eat it. I love traditions. They really mean a lot. And I love that I have a cursed recipe in my family. That would be an Italian curse, and you just don't mess with that!

Welcome Spring!

This is what the first day of Spring looked like this morning in Vermont:

Yes, I know it is a really pretty picture. That is our mighty maple and this is the view as you come down the driveway toward our house. And this is what it looked like this morning looking to the left from here, towards our neighbor's: 

Very lovely and picturesque also. But let's go back to the title of this post: SPRING! On Monday there was hardly a bit of snow around. It had been cold, but most of the snow was gone. Then Winter Storm Ukko blared into town, starting in the early morning hours Tuesday morning. It snowed most of the day and into the night, with a few breaks here and there. We probably ended up with about a foot of snow, which really isn't a huge problem around here. It was fairly warm, near 30° anyway, and most of what fell on the roads melted right away. But people are getting tired of the cold weather, and are ready for some warmer days.  So it was pretty barren down on Church Street all day, with only 2 sales and 5 people who came in all day. No one felt like being out and about. Even today, we had bursts of more snow, but some periods of sun too. And we do have warmer weather coming in by the weekend. So this will probably melt quickly. And the nice thing about it is that it will give us another good run of sap, and lots more maple syrup. Yes, this is Vermont!

Drip, Drip, Drip

Yes, those drips are from the sound of melting snow as the days up here in Vermont begin to warm up above freezing. But, March is sugar season, and even more important, that is the sound of the sap slowing seeping out of the maple trees through the taps, and into the many buckets hanging all over the state. 

Sap dripping into the bucket

This is a special time of year. People emerge after a long winter to join together with friends, neighbors and family to gather this sap, haul it down to the tractor, dump it out at the sugar house and boil it down to make Maple Syrup. Wednesday afternoon we headed out into the woods with about 10 other people and worked our way down the logging trail behind our house looking for this:

A bucket with sap in it

We empty this into pails and carry it down to the holding tank on the tractor. We have about 500 of these buckets hanging from maple trees around our little neighborhood, and it takes about an hour and a half to gather it all up, depending on how full the buckets are and how many people are helping. 

Buckets hanging on the Maples

Then we take it all back to the sugar house, and start the boiling process until the watery sap slowly turns into maple syrup. We live in this amazing neighborhood of about 4 close families who do this all together, then split the bottles of syrup between us all. Plus, we enlist the aid of nearby friends and family to help. We hang out in the warm, humidity talking, eating, drinking, sometimes dancing to the music that is playing, and having a good time until people slowly head for home. Sometimes they stop boiling early, and sometimes, if there has been a lot of sap, they will go until 11pm or later. This weekend looks like there will be a few late nights. The sap runs best when the temperature drops down into the upper 20's at night, then warms up close to 40° during the day. And if the sun is out, that is even better. Looks like it will be a good run for the next couple of days.

My son-in-law down in Maryland is a little sad that he may not make it up here this year to help. He has come for the past three years, since their wedding in 2010. But he just took 2 weeks of vacation to go to Honduras, and isn't sure he can take more vacation to come this year. He loves sugar season and hanging out in the sugar house with the guys. They may try to come up around Easter, and would hope the sap is still running, but they also have this little guy to think about:

Our beautiful grandson!

And his furry friend:

And its a very long 10 hour drive one way. So I understand well what a challenge it is to come up here. 

I will try to take some pictures of the sugar house to post on here over the weekend. We will go on daylight savings time on Sunday, which means it will be lighter out when we finish gathering and start boiling. The sugar house looks amazing when all that steam is pouring out of the top. And this is being repeated all over Vermont. It is the sign of the transition from winter to the warmer days of spring, when the maple trees begin to bud and the sap stops running. It is the sweet reward for the end of the long nights of winter.

It's The Birthday Fairy-Again!!!

Yesterday was my birthday, and I had a super great day. That's important when you reach these upper ages because we should make them count. And be memorable. And be fun. So, despite another winter storm coming our way, this one being named "Q," we packed the dogs in the car at 9am and headed 2 hours east toward the New Hampshire border for the Vermont town of Quechee. This is the nearly halfway point between my sister and I, and also where a great restaurant is, at the Simon Pearce glass workshop. We love getting together there, and have some great memories of lunches shared along the river.

We had snow most of the way, but it was in the 30's, and nothing was accumulating on the roads at all. They were just wet, more like it had been raining, and we watched the temperatures so we knew it wasn't freezing to cause any black ice. My sister and her husband, however, had a whole different story. They woke up to about 6 inches of snow, and this is what their drive looked like:

This is the interstate 89N heading toward Vermont, nothing plowed, one lane passable, and they went about 40 miles an hour until they were nearly to Quechee. Needless to say, they got to the restaurant about 40 minutes late. But we had a fabulous brunch, a great time chatting, and a fun couple of hours eating. Then we all got into our cars, and went a bit further north to the town of Norwich where the King Arthur Flour Bakery Store is. This is where I was getting my birthday present, and new bread maker:

Right now I have my first loaf of bread baking in it and it is beginning to smell really yummy. I love bread machines. I love bread too, and I love making fresh bread, but I don't always have the time it takes to do it. So this works great, especially when a loaf of nice bread (not stuff all sliced up for sandwiches) costs nearly $4.00, and I can get 5 pounds of King Arthur flour for $2.99. And my old bread maker just died right before Christmas, so I knew this is what I wanted for my birthday, plus lunch at Simon Pearce, and the shopping trip to King Arthur. Perfect day. Then you add in evening calls from each of my daughters, face time with the granddaughters, squeals from my grandson, and a call from my sister in Arizona, and it couldn't be much better. Oh, and a few cards arrived in the mail today:

So, it really was a wonderful way to celebrate. Here is the first loaf of bread fresh out of the baker:

Looks and smelly yummy.

Before I finish this up and head to bed, since I am a wee bit older these days, I have two more photos to share. Last week I worked the entire shift in the store on Tuesday and Wednesday because one of the girls was in California. It isn't that bad because it's only an hour longer than my normal shift since we do close at 6pm at this time of the year. But before I left on Wednesday, I took two pictures of Church Street still lit with all the lights. We go back on daylights savings time in two weeks, so even if I do need to stay late anytime soon, it probably won't be dark anymore when I leave. And it is just so beautiful all lit up:

It really does look magical. Thanks for sharing my birthday with me.

A Blizzard Named Nemo

Our Private Road Between Neighbors

Last Friday a blizzard roared into New England. Two storms colliding off the mid-Atlantic coast, then storming northward and out to sea. We were lucky, only in the 8-12" range. Other places in Massachusettes, Connecticut and Maine were in the 24"+ band, and that is what they got. I heard one place got 41 inches of the deep white stuff. We were closer to about 10 inches, which isn't really a huge deal around here. The interstate stayed pretty clear, sideroads a bit slick and slushy, but still passable, and things were pretty much back to normal by Saturday. I made it into work each day, but I did leave a little early for home on Friday and we closed the store up about 2 hours after I left. This storm would not have really had me concerned except for one thing; my husband left early Thursday morning to spend 3 days down in Burlington teaching one of his residency courses. He would not be home until late Saturday evening. I was left to get up early to walk the dogs before I left for work, and again when I got home, feed the pellet stove so the fire didn't go out, and figure out how to move a possible foot of snow from our 1/4 mile long driveway and private road. He is the one who takes the plow up and down, and finishes it off with the new snowblower. Hmmm I can drive thru about 6 inches with the car, but I can't shovel out our driveway and road and be to work on time. I was talking to my daughter down in Maryland Thursday night, and she told her husband he needed to come up and clear the snow out for me (he helped do this when we got 18"at Christmas) but his immediate response-"call Steve!" Steve is our neighbor, who lives that quarter mile down our driveway, then about a quarter mile up his. And that's what I did as soon as we hung up. His wife answered, and upon learning I was home alone with a nor-easter headed our way, said "smart boy" when I told her that my son-in-law said to call them. Of course Steve would be sure to keep me cleared out, what time did I need to leave for work, what time would I be back, was there anything else I needed? Our neighbors are the best. It's not a neighborhood, its a community of very special people who care about and for each other. Its a wonderful, comforting feeling. I know there are neighborhoods like this all over, but we like to think ours is very unique, and it is. Friday morning Steve was over at 7:50 plowing the driveway. As I was leaving work about 3 I sent him a text asking what it was like up here, and he said he had plowed again about 2, so I should have no problem getting in. During the night we had maybe 3 more inches of snow, and when I took the dogs our early Saturday morning I figured I wouldn't have any trouble driving thru it to get out, not wanting to bother Steve again to say I needed to go to work. But sure enough, he came rolling down the driveway about 7:50 again. And later after I got home, he sent me a text asking if all was okay, and he would come over if any goblins appeared before my husband got home. Cute. There are 4 neighbor families that are close, we have dinners together, celebrate holidays, share chores, watch each others' houses, and tell fantastic stories. Back in Maryland we had neighbors we would talk to and help out, but we weren't especially close. We did turn to one neighbor when our dog Cody collapsed one afternoon, and he helped us get him to the vet. And we had a group of neighbors where we lived in England that we were friends with, but each in their own way, not all together like we are here. We are lucky to be a part of this fantastic group of people. 

Our (plowed) Driveway

A Winter Festival

Church Street Winter Festival

This past weekend was the Winter Festival on Church Street in Burlington. I didn't actually stay late to see what the street looked like completely lit up, but I copied this photo from a newsletter we get from Market Street. It was really pretty and a lot was going on: the Polar Plunge into the lake on Saturday, a dance on the street, an outdoor market, and ice sculptures:

These were the two outside the restaurant next door to my store. If you look closely you can see the green building to the right of the sculptures. That is Danforth Pewter where I work. We are always in a great location for the activities on the street. It was a busy, busy day for us in the store, and we had a lot of fun. 

Here is a picture I took right before I left on Saturday:

It's just not dark enough to get the full feeling for what it looked like, but that also means that as I leave now at 5pm, it is still fairly light outside. Today the sky was even a wee bit light as I got off the interstate. That means the days are really getting longer. Anyway, it was pretty down on Church Street. Lights everywhere, and big, colorful balls of lights in the trees. It was chilly cold, only about 10 degrees when they started jumping in the lake. It is done to benefit Special Olympics. And one more picture from work before I forget. This is what I found taped to our door when I came back to work after our trip down to Maryland:

Isn't that cute? And, I hear that there are only a very few stores that were honored with this "Love Bomb!" It was a fun way to start that day, and I have left the sign up. I'll probably take it down after Valentine's Day.

Yesterday was the Superbowl, and the Baltimore Ravens won. It was fun to watch because we still feel the connection to the city. Here are what the grandchildren looked like;

All ready for the big game. But since it didn't end until nearly 11pm, I can't imagine any of these smiling faces were awake for the last play! It was a fun weekend. Now, the new week has begun, one day is complete, and it looks like it will be a week to continue getting caught up in the store. Tonight the low is -5, so that will mean a very quiet start to Tuesday.  No one seems to like to wander around outside when its soooo cold! Off to bed now, the morning will be here before I know it.