by Susan | Jun 16, 2017 | On My Mind
For more than seven years I’ve passed this blueberry field on the way to work. A solitary tree rising above the blueberry barren like a sentinel, creating focus, depth, and perspective in the landscape. This was the view as I drove into work this week. My...
by Susan | Jun 12, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
My folks made the trip from Pennsylvania for Hannah’s high school graduation. Their visit was short and we didn’t have a lot of free time, but I did my best to give them a snapshot of my Maine. For Mom, outdoors activities include her home and garden. Dad...
by Susan | Jun 11, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
I’m not a foodie and you’ll find more “oops” stories here at Downeast Thunder Farm than you will recipes. In planning for Hannah’s graduation celebration, I found these little graduation cap cupcakes on Pinterest. They looked pretty...
by Susan | Jun 9, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
It’s been a wildly crazy couple of weeks. Watching Hannah wrap up her high school career has been bitter-sweet. Happy for her accomplishments, and sad that this chapter of her life is winding down. Prom, senior night, class night, and finally graduation today....
by Susan | May 6, 2017 | On My Mind
I woke last night to the sound of pouring rain. Torrential rain. As I lay there listening, I dreaded morning. I organized the annual Elaine Hill Love a Nurse 5K scheduled for today – rain or shine. Ugh. We had 73 folks pre-registered as of yesterday. I...
by Susan | Apr 28, 2017 | On My Mind
It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve spent any time here at Downeast Thunder Farm. Life has been a little too crazy. Hannah and I spent a week on the road visiting colleges she’d been admitted to but hadn’t yet visited. Denison University in Ohio was her top choice...
by Susan | Apr 16, 2017 | On My Mind
It was a glorious Easter Sunday here – rare 74 degrees and sunny for April. Since my partner in crime (Hannah) is off on a trip to New York, I recruited Paul and Gidget for this afternoon’s walk by the river. The water was high, roaring past the railroad...
by Susan | Mar 28, 2017 | On My Mind
Many mornings I take a short detour through Columbia Falls to study the river. It’s a beautiful spot. This morning I spotted a juvenile bald eagle chilling on the ice. As I looked around, I saw a large bird sitting atop a chimney. You can imagine my excitement...
by Susan | Mar 20, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
The movie Beauty and the Beast has a special place in my heart and in our family. Hannah has never been an over the top girly-girl. As a kid, she enjoyed Legos more than dolls. She was never into princesses but rather thought she’d be a firefighter. Yet there...
by Susan | Feb 26, 2017 | On My Mind
In a week overloaded with challenges, stress, and entirely too much work, where the ordinary suddenly goes off track, I’ve been in search of a bit of serenity. Thankfully, I’ve found it in stolen moments. The sun rising over ice shacks on a quiet river....
by Susan | Feb 18, 2017 | Family, On My Mind
I know I’ve mentioned before how fortunate I am to have such a handy husband. Paul, a marine engineer by training, describes himself as an engineer, designer, fabricator, and maker. We joke that he’s the idea guy. I, however, have veto power. I always seem...
by Susan | Feb 14, 2017 | On My Mind
We’ve had snowy winters before. It seems like every couple of years we get a doozy – snow up to the eaves. Yet, this last week has been one for the record books. Eighteen inches last Thursday and then yesterday, we got 30 inches in 30 hours. It...
by Susan | Feb 10, 2017 | On My Mind
We have had a very mild winter to date. With temps bouncing from frigid to moderate, the little snow we’ve had has quickly melted. Until today. It seems that with only 38 days until spring, winter has finally arrived. We woke with 18 inches of snow on the...
by Susan | Dec 25, 2016 | On My Mind
It occurs to me that Christmas 2016 is the last of an era in our house. This is likely the last Christmas with Hannah at home full-time and times are changing. It was 7:30 am before we were up and at ’em and even then, Hannah helped with breakfast preparation...
by Susan | Dec 24, 2016 | Family, On My Mind
I sit here on a rainy Christmas Eve with my family watching Scrooge wondering where the time has gone. Didn’t I just put away last year’s Christmas decorations? The house smells yummy – cookies, cheesecake, munchies, bread, pineapple stuffing, and...
by Susan | Dec 12, 2016 | On My Mind
Winter has descended upon Maine. Today, our first snow day of the year, has me looking back at my camera roll wondering where past two months have gone. It seems that autumn was so fleeting, and but for the pictures, I may have missed it. There’s no doubt that...
by Susan | Dec 2, 2016 | On My Mind
It’s that time of year when the Women’s Health Resource Library in town hosts their Christmas Tree Festival. We pluck baby balsam fir trees from the woods, pot them up, and invite folks in the community to adopt one and decorate it. The decorated trees and...
by Susan | Nov 2, 2016 | Family, On My Mind
I’ve been pretending that this school year is like any other. Going through the motions, trying to ignore the milestones that bring Hannah closer to going off to college. Take senior portraits for example. Since summer, I’ve watched portrait after portrait...
by Susan | Oct 21, 2016 | Family, On My Mind
Hannah’s senior year started in September. At the beginning of the year, she spoke often about first “lasts”, marking somewhat inconsequential milestones in this final year of high school. Her “last” first day of school. Her...
by Susan | Aug 5, 2016 | Family, On My Mind
Seventeen years ago, I welcomed this child into the world. Who knew then that this journey with Hannah would be the very best part of my life? She’s experienced so many milestones this last year that illustrate she’s not my little girl anymore, but an...
