by Susan | Dec 24, 2015 | Family, On My Mind
The wrapping is finished. I’ve got a good start on Christmas breakfast and dinner. The house looks somewhat presentable. I’m feeling conflicted – grateful Christmas is a once a year event – and sad that I’ve not had more time to enjoy the...
by Susan | Dec 21, 2015 | On My Mind
Sunrise on the day of the winter’s solstice. This last day of autumn began with a frosty 21 degree F morning and ended with a balmy 45 degrees. Winter is entering like a warm breeze. The Christmas Eve forecast is calling for a high of 55 degrees and a low of 45....
by Susan | Dec 9, 2015 | Family, On My Mind
The first weekend in December is when we pick out and harvest our Christmas tree. Every year Hannah and I engage in a debate over the best tree. She likes fat and full, I like thinner with a bit of space between the branches for ornaments to hang. As fun as it can be...
by Susan | Nov 26, 2015 | On My Mind
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Now tell me, how do I make it through a Thanksgiving dinner with only one stick of butter?!
by Susan | Nov 17, 2015 | On My Mind
A frosty start to the day it was. Beautiful in a crisp, stark way, frost glistened like jewels on the grasses as the sun rose over the hills. Waiting for the car defroster to tackle windshield frost while I sipped my coffee, I pondered our to-do lists and what this...
by Susan | Nov 7, 2015 | On My Mind
This morning was a gift. Sunny and sixty, I spend spent an unusual November morning on the porch with my coffee soaking up vitamin D. It’s been more than a month since I had a full day off to enjoy just being. To be able to spend it on the porch this time of...
by Susan | Oct 8, 2015 | On My Mind
I’m not sure what a vice grip as a kitchen faucet handle says about us. The handle that belongs on the faucet has been falling off for two years. Two years! It drove us batty every time we forgot it was loose and the handle fell off, clunking into the sink. The...
by Susan | Sep 28, 2015 | On My Mind
It was a spectacular weekend here in Downeast Maine. I had plans to attend the Common Ground Fair, one of my absolute favorite things to do. Yet, when it came time to leave on the five hour round-trip to Unity, I realized that I wanted nothing more to be home. This is...
by Susan | Sep 9, 2015 | On My Mind
On the eve of a new adventure with a new puppy, I’ve been reflecting on the canine beasts who have added so much to my life. With the exception of my first year out of college, dogs have always been a part of my existence. I grew up with both purebred and...
by Susan | Aug 29, 2015 | On My Mind
I am guilty of a serious impulse purchase. It’s been two months since we lost Ginger and I think of her every day. I miss having a dog around the house. That we would someday get another dog was never in doubt. We’ve had some discussions about what type of...
by Susan | Aug 5, 2015 | Family, On My Mind
Birthday’s at our house tend to revolve around food. Hannah’s Sweet 16 started with my attempt at artistic chocolate chip pancakes. She was expecting Mickey Mouse, but I figured it was time to expand my horizons. Despite the fact that I couldn’t...
by Susan | Aug 5, 2015 | Family, On My Mind
My memories of that little girl with blond curls and sky blue eyes who loved Blue’s Clues and Beauty and the Beast are so vivid in my mind that it’s hard to believe that she’s 16 today. In honor of this momentous occasion, here are 16 adjectives that...
by Susan | Aug 2, 2015 | On My Mind
Summer has finally arrived with hot and humid weather. After waiting so long for summer-like weather, I have to keep reminding myself not to whine. I really don’t like hot and humid. I don’t do humidity. With cool weather just around the corner, my mantra...
by Susan | Jul 27, 2015 | On My Mind
Controlling fireweed in the garden is a never ending battle. I am forever plucking stems of this plant from my garden. This time of year in Maine the fireweed is in bold full bloom. Weed or flower? Up close, it’s actually quite pretty attracting bees and...
by Susan | Jul 10, 2015 | On My Mind
It strikes me that these violets in bloom by my kitchen sink look like little purple satellite dishes.
by Susan | Jun 30, 2015 | On My Mind
My heart is broken. Ginger passed away today while I was at work. Paul found her lying outside in the afternoon sun and she simply didn’t wake. Knowing that the end was near doesn’t make losing her any easier. At 14+ years, it’s only been the last...
by Susan | Jun 10, 2015 | On My Mind, Photography
I love patterns. I see them everywhere in nature – in the clouds, in the marsh grass, in the boat-shaped petals of a Lupin, in winter’s drifts of snow. And in dandelion blowballs. At first glance, it’s just another weed gone to seed. I have a lot of...
by Susan | Apr 30, 2015 | Family, On My Mind
Excited for Hannah’s first softball game of the season, we arrived at the field with jackets and lawn chairs. Yet, we spent 99% of the game in the car wrapped up in blankets watching the game through the windshield. Frigid temps and bitter winds dulled the...
by Susan | Apr 12, 2015 | On My Mind
What is a Joyful Day? It’s the first “porch” day of the year with my coffee and camera – despite the snow banks that still line the house and yard. It’s watching this little guy continue to drain my bird feeder. It’s the flocks of...
by Susan | Mar 8, 2015 | On My Mind
Longing to be outdoors today, I strapped on the only remaining pair of snowshoes we have that are whole. I took off at a very slow pace into the woods, testing the snow. The snowshoes are too small for both me and the deep snow we have, but they seemed to be doing the...
