by Susan | Mar 1, 2015 | On My Mind
It’s a wonderful thing to bid good-bye the most ferocious February in memory. February 2015 brought mayhem to my world. It was the coldest month on record. Ever. Seriously! Mother Nature delivered more than 8 feet of snow! This is the view out my kitchen windows...
by Susan | Feb 22, 2015 | On My Mind
I’m feeling a bit hemmed in by all of the snow. When I took a walk this morning at first light (in my jammies and Muck boots), there was still snow gently falling. The trouble is; the snow is so deep that my “beginner” snowshoes are ineffectual. So...
by Susan | Feb 16, 2015 | On My Mind
The other week I shared pictures of this guy attempting to raid my new bird feeder. At first I thought the design baffled him. Then, one morning I found him hanging by his toes, nibbling away at the buffet. I threw open the window and shooed him away. That worked the...
by Susan | Feb 14, 2015 | On My Mind
This morning dawned a brisk -22 degrees outside. Despite the frigid weather, it was a work day. It seems as if everyone is busy before the storm. Paul and I have been taking turns raking snow off the roof. My arms and shoulders are aching for a hot bath. I thought it...
by Susan | Feb 13, 2015 | On My Mind
I’m happy to share that the winner of the random drawing is Carol Rice-Dempsey. However, I was so pleased and touched by Ann Schmidt’s comment, that I’m sending her an order of felt as well. Ann shared, “…the Eagle will always be my...
by Susan | Feb 8, 2015 | Family, On My Mind
Granny Gadget gets the prize for giving the most unusual gift this Christmas. One of her gifts for Hannah was an Ancestry.com DNA test kit. I’m not sure Hannah knew what to expect, but she followed the instructions, spit into the little vial, and sent it off....
by Susan | Feb 1, 2015 | On My Mind
Late this afternoon, I strapped on a pair of snowshoes and ventured outdoors, enjoying this brief respite before the next storm hits. The snow is so deep that we have to clear space for the ducks with the tractor or they’d spend the entire day inside. The piles...
by Susan | Jan 31, 2015 | On My Mind
My mom, AKA Granny Gadget, sent me a lovely new bird feeder this week. I filled it and set it out yesterday. This morning, as I was lingering over my morning coffee, I watched this little guy scurry across the porch. I knew right away his destination. It only took a...
by Susan | Dec 25, 2014 | Family, On My Mind
As I snuggled down in bed last night, Christmas Eve, I commented to Paul that Hannah didn’t negotiate a wake-up time for Christmas morning. Our 15-year-old is growing up. What a gift to be able to sleep in on Christmas morning! Yet, at 6:45 a.m. this morning I...
by Susan | Dec 24, 2014 | Family, On My Mind
My grandmother’s aunt, Elizabeth Stroble, created this beautiful linoleum block print when she lived in St.Paul, Minnesota (the 1940s-1950s). Carved with the help of her students, she sent these to family and friends as her Christmas card. This is one of a dozen or so...
by Susan | Dec 23, 2014 | On My Mind
A few readers have shared their experiences with home-grown Christmas trees with me. Reading one of these messages this morning made me reflect on our first home-grown tree. It was December 2004 and our first holiday in Maine. A 27′ camper trailer was our home...
by Susan | Dec 8, 2014 | On My Mind
Our tradition of harvesting our own tree from the property started when the family budget didn’t permit the luxury of visiting the local tree farm. Despite a mostly balanced budget these days, our home grown tree tradition continues. On Sunday, Hannah and I donned...
by Susan | Dec 3, 2014 | On My Mind
I’m not often up for sunrise in the summer, but this time of year I catch many of them. Each sunrise is unique. This morning was too gray and blustery for the sun to make an appearance. But, yesterday’s sunrise was spectacular. While Monday’s sunrise...
by Susan | Nov 29, 2014 | On My Mind
The theme of my tree for this year’s WHRL Christmas Tree Auction is the Maine Woods Christmas Tree. This tree will be featured at the Women’s Health Resource Library’s silent auction along with 24 other trees. Here’s the run down on my 3 1/2...
by Susan | Nov 25, 2014 | On My Mind
I’ve mentioned my greenhouse from time to time. We’ve been planning a green house for years. We started small with two variations of a cover for my raised beds. We talked of a hoop house and then possibly re-purposing a tent frame structure into a...
by Susan | Nov 19, 2014 | On My Mind
I have this sad little Meyer lemon tree. Mom (Granny Gadget) sent it to me last year. From the looks of it you’d think I’d done everything in my power to kill the poor thing. It has five leaves. And for some reason the dog likes to eat the dirt out of the...
by Susan | Nov 16, 2014 | On My Mind
As I sit here grumbling about the early deep freeze mother nature has delivered, Paul is snuggled up toasty warm under his tee shirt quilt. The other year for Christmas, I made this quilt for him out of a collection of his old t-shirts. Shirts he never wore. Some...
by Susan | Nov 14, 2014 | On My Mind
The first snow day of the year is upon us. What better way to spend a Friday than snuggled warm inside watching the world turn white outdoors. It’s rare to see snow on the ground when the pond is not frozen. I wish the duckies could enjoy the pond all winter...
by Susan | Nov 3, 2014 | On My Mind
November arrived in a most rude fashion. Our little patch of woods escaped the worst of this first wintry Nor’easter with a few inches of icy, snowy, slushy mess. Just a few miles inland from the coast they’re shoveling out from a foot or more of heavy...
by Susan | Nov 1, 2014 | On My Mind
November 1st dawned with the threat of a Nor’easter heading up the coast. The weather man has the nerve to predict 5-10 inches of snow for us. I am not ready for snow. I have too much unfinished business. The last of the garden cleanup is not yet done My garlic...
