by Susan | Jul 26, 2020 | Family, On My Mind
This is a brave man. Twenty-three years ago, he married me; for better or worse. It hasn’t always been easy. But there’s nobody else I can imagine spending this life with. There are days he drives me bonkers, and I’m sure the likewise is true. Yet...
by Susan | Jul 17, 2020 | Family, On My Mind
There comes a point in gift-giving when it’s hard to think of the perfect birthday gift. That’s true for my dad this year. As I was “pondering” the dilemma this year, inspiration hit last Saturday at midnight. We’d recently recorded a...
by Susan | Jun 21, 2020 | On My Mind
I’ve so enjoyed working from the deck since screening it in last month. I’ve been researching roll up blinds for the porch but decided they’re just not in my budget. A search through the linen closet revealed one old curtain panel (just one). A couple of old...
by Susan | Jun 18, 2020 | On My Mind
It’s official. Hannah WILL be returning to Denison University for her senior year. She learned the news last week and is over the moon, knowing she’ll reunite with her friend and begin classes again. It’s been three months since she was sent home...
by Susan | May 2, 2020 | On My Mind
We’ve just finished our first month of “Stay Safer at Home” here in Maine and are now into month two. Yet for the Bennett family, it’s been over eight weeks of hunkering down. When Hannah arrived home from Denmark on March 14th, we...
by Susan | Apr 3, 2020 | On My Mind
This was so much fun! Thank you to everyone who took a few minutes to share how you’re spending your COVID-19 Safer at Home self-isolation. Your comments reminded me that not all of us have time off – some of you are working harder than ever. Some of your...
by Hannah Bennett | Mar 29, 2020 | Hannah
This was it – my final week in Copenhagen – though I didn’t know it yet. On Monday, March 9th, it was announced that all future study tours were canceled – which meant that I would not be able to go to Normandy, the Czech Republic, and Austria...
by Hannah Bennett | Mar 21, 2020 | Hannah
Little did I know, this was my last full week in Denmark. Yet, I had a feeling. Reports were coming in about the spread of the Coronavirus across Europe and the rest of the world. In the meantime, I went on with my regular life and tried to make the most of it. I...
by Hannah Bennett | Mar 19, 2020 | Hannah
After my trip to Poland, I still had some free time and was looking for a fun day trip. Helsingborg, Sweden, was a 40-minute train ride and 20-minute ferry ride from Hillerød where I lived with my host family. My first impression was, “Oh, it looks a lot like...
by Hannah Bennett | Mar 18, 2020 | Hannah
Hi. This is Hannah writing about my final weeks in Denmark. Seven weeks into my stay in Denmark, I had a free week. From my first week in Europe, I started planning this trip to Poland. Fellow students were traveling to famous sightseeing spots, but I wanted to...
by Susan | Mar 16, 2020 | On My Mind
Hannah’s first day home from Denmark yesterday felt oddly anti-climactic. After such a flurry of angst and anxiety to get her out of Europe, we suddenly found our selves at loose ends. Not knowing what to expect in the coming days, we decided to take our...
by Susan | Mar 12, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
Today will be Hannah’s last day in Denmark. Covid-19 has slowly eroded her study abroad program. Last week, her program canceled all travel outside Denmark (Normandy, Vienna, and Prague). Earlier today, we learned Denmark is shutting down schools, universities,...
by Susan | Feb 29, 2020 | Family, On My Mind, Projects
My grandmother’s silver bangle bracelet is one of my favorite possessions. It’s perfect for me with the embossed bird design. I like to think it’s a loon, but who knows. I wear it almost daily and have this nasty habit of unconsciously removing it when...
by Susan | Feb 23, 2020 | Hannah
The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a challenge for Hannah. Being sick when you’re away from home is never fun. Pair that with the lack of familiar cold meds (a professor told her she needed to go to Sweden to get good cold meds), and it was rough. After...
by Susan | Feb 14, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
When Hannah is away, I enjoy creating care packages to send periodically. Monthly packages to Denmark was not fiscally viable, so I had to plan and secretly send them along with her. Given her suitcase size and weight limit, I didn’t have much leeway. Five...
by Susan | Feb 3, 2020 | Hannah
Hannah has settled into her Danish routine. The six-hour time difference makes finding good times to chat a challenge, but thanks to the Internet we text and chat daily. She’s learned where to find lunch deals in a city where hot cocoa costs $7. The mishaps of a...
by Susan | Jan 19, 2020 | Hannah
One of my favorite past times is to explore old posts from Downeast Thunder Farm. It’s a cross between a diary, a project board, and a photo album. I can watch Hannah grow and change on these pages. It only makes sense to chronicle her time in Denmark. Maybe she’ll...
by Susan | Jan 5, 2020 | Family, On My Mind
It’s been ages since we had a family photo. I was determined to get one before Hannah heads off to Denmark. With fresh snow for the backdrop, I asked everyone to wear black and white. When I saw the photos I appreciated that although black and white – the...
by Susan | Dec 31, 2019 | On My Mind
An early morning walk on this snowy New Year’s Eve. There’s something so appealing about walking through virgin snow. Our cozy home. Snow does such an excellent job of hiding the yard and garden debris yet to be dealt with. This little guy might be next...
by Susan | Dec 24, 2019 | On My Mind
I always have so many plans for the holidays – things I want to create, gifts I want to make, ideas for decorating or baking. In the end, there’s never enough time. And then I think, “next year.” But, then, the crazy cycle starts all over...
