Early to Bed...

Its 9:28pm on a warm, breezy evening, and the house is as quiet as a mouse. Everyone has gone to bed. The dogs are sleeping out on the cool patio, my husband went up to bed about half an hour ago (he has one of those lousy, summer head colds) and my daughter and two granddaughters who have been here for 5 days now all go to bed about 8 o'clock. The two little ones wouldn't last much longer, both of them still wake up several times during the night, or in the early morning hours. And its just easier for my daughter to go to bed with them, although she lays up there and reads until she falls asleep. So, its either the computer, or the tv.

It has been a great week, although tiring! The two little girls are 2 1/2 and 7 months old, so it is quite a challenge keeping track of both of them, keeping both fed, cleaned, and satisfied, and entertaining them, especially the 2 year old. She plays wonderfully, but, typically, has the whiney times when she fights for some independence. We have kept fairly busy with breakfasts out, walks, playing with toys and a tent, eating, going swimming at the neighbors' pool, going to the playground, today we went to them mall. The days seem like they will be long, but then before we know it, its time for dinner, baths and books and bed. Their last full day is tomorrow, then we'll drive them back to the airport in Manchester, NH so they can
catch their Southwest flight non-stop back to Baltimore. Two best things so far: having my granddaughter run to me with a big hug and kiss at the airport (yes, there were tears in my eyes), and two days later saying "I love Mimi's house, Mommy!" Today, while we were walking the dogs, I thought she said "You're my best friend", but no, she was saying the dogs were her best friends! The weather has been just about a little bit of everything, but yesterday was a perfect 82 degrees, and today has been breezy, but nice outside. I will post a picture as soon as I get them downloaded to my computer.

Babbling Brook Mystery Solved (and repaired!)

It has been a long week, meaning last week that ended yesterday. On Wednesday we woke up to no water, and when my husband went down into the basement to check things out, he found our water booster pumps overheating and smoking. These pumps add pressure so we can actually have force in the water upstairs to enable us to take showers.  He shut the pumps down, and with just a bare trickle in the upstairs bathrooms, we opted to use the lower level shower until we could have things checked out. The next day our water guy shows up, and within minutes he realized the problem was with that little spring of water which had been flowing for nearly two months. His conclusion: the water was actually coming from a break in the pipe going from our well to the house, which means our well was supplying all of that water that has been running constantly down the driveway! The prognosis did not look good. We could have to dig up half of the yard, including the area where we thought the pipe might go under the driveway, to find the source of the leak. We called two neighbors to ask for advice on who they would recommend, left a message for one, then spoke to the second, who suggested his cousin who was an excavator. Within an hour we had set up a meeting for the next morning, the second neighbor stopped by to check things out and offer assistance, and the other neighbor followed shortly behind to see what he could do. Its amazing what these people do to help one another, and how grateful we are for knowing them. They are an unending source of information and support. We are so very lucky. The next day the crew arrives, the hole is found rather easily and repaired quickly, the dirt is replaced, and we have our water back and running. The booster pumps still need some kind of tweaking, but the pressure is strong enough to enable showers upstairs, and things looked solved. I had been up Friday morning at 3:30am to get to work by 5:15am for our semi-annual store inventory, I was tired and exhausted by the time I got home that afternoon, but we picked up a bottle of wine to take to the neighbors' to thank them for their help. That turned into hanging over there for 3 hours, eating crackers and cheese, then steaks on the grill, and having the best time, and a most special end to a rather challenging week. Okay, the week didn't really completely end on such a high note. Last night, Saturday, still this same week, I went to do the dishes after supper, and SURPRISE! NO HOT WATER! I guess this will be chapter 2-to be continued this week...

Long, long days of June

It is after 9pm, and the sky is still light behind the silhouette of the trees. In another 3 weeks we will have the longest day of the year. Up here, if it is clear that week, it won't get completely dark until nearly 10pm. And then the days will start getting shorter. My son-in-law, who is from Honduras, couldn't comprehend this concept at all because down there, a day in December is just as hot and has just as many hours of daylight as a day in June. I like the long days, even if it means that the sky begins to get light shortly after 4 am. I really like the short days when I can come home at 5pm and put my pajamas on because it feels like it is almost time for bed right after dinner.

The rains have let up, for now. We have had the snowiest winter on record, with 128.4 inches. And the rainiest spring with 24.78 inches so far for the year. And that is compared to 12.63 inches normal for the whole year. Talk about green EVERYWHERE! Our little babbling brook still continues to flow several gallons per hour, and everyone who sees it says they have never seen anything like it.

Yesterday was nice. After 3 days of very warm, humid weather, it cooled off dramatically, with lows into the 40's and the high of only about 68. It was perfect for heading up to the local nursery and buying some flowers to plant in our large barrels. And while looking for the best flowers to plant, I came across some called "Elfin Mix Impatiens" and just had to buy them to plant near my Elf door that my brother-in-law made a few years ago. Here is what is now looks like:

There are 6 impatiens plants in the mulch. I love this area because I can see it from the kitchen window when I am doing the dishes or cooking. Hopefully the little garden takes, and the flowers spread. Maybe the elves will help with the weeding!

My youngest daughter and her two little girls will be here in just over 2 weeks. We are looking forward to some special time with our granddaughters who are almost 7 months and almost 2 1/2 years old. It should be fun having them all here for a few days. I hope the weather is fairly good, and the bugs aren't too bad. I have a multitude of tiny no-see-um bites that are very itchy right now. The little buggers should hopefully have died off for the year before they get here. Of course, about the time they are gone, the pesty deer flies start dive bombing us as we walk the dogs, and right behind them will be the swarms of blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Ahhhh, summer life in the country!

Blue Skies and Warmer Days

It's been awhile, so, time to do some writing. We have had some very rainy, wet weather this spring, resulting in lots of flooding all over Vermont. Especially along the coastline of Lake Champlain down in Burlington, and up here in St. Albans Bay. We have even sprouted our own small stream on our land that begin showing up last week, and has been running strong since last Saturday. It seems to be bubbling out of the ground, pools around a bunch of trees, then spills out onto and down our driveway and into the woods. It's very crazy, but rather interesting too. We are estimating several gallons an hour continue to flow out. Here is a picture I took on Sunday:

Notice the pool of water, and where it is running down the driveway. It continues on down the hill.

We have finally had a break from all of the rain, and it has been sunny and warmer since Sunday. What a great break, even if I have been working. Speaking of working and water running-last week while I was working in my maternity store, a young woman was in exchanging some items, and returned to use the restroom in our store. Not a noteworthy story, except she thought her water had broken, which it had, and I spent a short while trying to calm her down, and sent her on her way with a new pair of pants and a roll of paper towel. She came back on Tuesday to thank me for my help, and introduce me to her new little girl, Genevieve.

And, speaking of little girls, I have been busy sewing during all of our chilly, rainy weather, and here is a picture of the quilt I made for my 6 month old granddaughter:

I thought it really turned out cute. I also made a pillow to match it, as you can see in the photo. I appliqued owls on it because that's what my daughter said she wanted on it, and I couldn't find any kind of fabric with owls on it. It was fun doing. Now I am finishing up a pillow for my other granddaughter so she will have something in the box also. Then I will send them on their way and hope they both like them. We are trying to figure out a time for the three of them to come up here, maybe next week, or more likely, in June. But I know I won't be able to wait for them to get it, so I'll mail it out soon.

May is already a third over, as always passing way too fast. Hopefully more things will happen so I will have more to write about in the next few weeks.

Pond Thaw

This is significant. It is April 9th, nearly the 10th since it's after 8pm. On my way home tonight after work I can finally say our pond is finally free of ice. I think maybe there was one small spot left, but it may have just been leaves or the reflection. Last year the pond was thawed by the middle of March, which shows just how much colder this winter has been. They were boiling at the sugar house when I passed it too, and I'm pretty sure they collected for the last time. Bucket washing will probably be next weekend, but I do have to work bot Saturday and Sunday. The temperatures have climbed into the 60's today and tomorrow, and maybe 70 on Monday, and today was mostly sunny, but we do have some rain in the forecast. It does feel like Spring is coming now.

My daughter and son-in-law and two granddaughters left for their yearly 2 weeks in Cabo San Lucas. I hope they survivied the plane ride and are happily enjoying the sun and warmth. They have time share there and return every April to the place they actually got married three years ago. It was a beautiful wedding, just like the one up here in Middlebury last year. Its exciting seeing them start their lives just like we started ours so many years ago. They have everything ahead of them.

Is it really April?

Mother Nature delt most of the New England area an April Fool's joke with a big nor'easter snowstorm that dumped close to a foot of snow in some locations. I woke up yesterday morning expecting vivid white everywhere, but all that was out there was the snow that still hasn't melted from our unusually long winter. There wasn't a flake or a flurry anywhere, despite the warning that snow would develop shortle after midnight. My drive to work was effortless, I only encountered a bit of rain/snow mixture my last few miles, and certainly nothing that was causing more than wet roads. Last night, as the temperatures dropped to freezing, the snow did begin sticking to the trees and open grass a bit, and now, this morning, there is still a light dusting that will disappear quickly as the sun rises higher in the sky. Hard to believe its even April. We did warm up into the 50's on Thursday, but we need lots of days with high temperatures to warm up the ground. On the plus side, the sap is still running like crazy. Even with the warmer temperatures, many of the maple trees are still sitting in a foot or more of snow, so who knows when they will decide to bud and stop producing sap. This time last year, the sugar season was already over.

Nevertheless, we know Spring will somehow arrive here in the next few weeks. The maternity store that I work in will be going thru some major changes in the next month. Maybe once it warms up we will start to see more sales of Spring and Summer clothes. I think that is what is hurting our sales right now. And then, I will be starting with nearly a completely new staff by May. In some ways I am anxious to put together my own team that might just manage to somehow work together. I want to put so much blame on my assistant manager, but I guess I also need to look at myself and see where I really need to improve. The turnover here is crazy, that really needs to get under control. I can't put my finger on exactly what is causing it, and what would improve it. I am off for the next few days, maybe giving myself a chance to get things together, and go back next Thursday ready to face what's ahead of me.

Mild days, warm sun, melting ponds, leaves, flowers, and a new staff of team members. Its all in the forecast!

Maple Sugar Time

The sap is running! I went out to help collect this afternoon, and the weather was perfect. It had rained earlier in the day, but by noon most of it had quit, and by 3 o'clock the tractor came crawling down the driveway, and it was time to gather the sap in buckets and bring it back to the sugar house to be boiled into maple syrup. The snow was so deep it was difficult to reach some of the buckets, then turn around with a full pail of sap to bring to the tractor. But everyone was in good spirits and it felt wonderful to be out in the thawing warmth. Its 10pm now and I can still see the steam rising across the meadow. Maple time is such fun. The sap might run all night, and tomorrow they'll make the same run once or twice and boil down the sap all day. It would be a great time to make sugar on snow. I can hardly wait, except I have to work tomorrow and Sunday. I'll probably stop by the sugar house on my way home. I can smell the sweet maple scent already!

Here is a sap bucket on our huge maple tree!