horses – This Old House 2

A glorious October

Despite predictions that New England would have a drab fall foliage season due to the drought we experienced over the summer months, there’s been plenty of beautiful color. My walks and hikes with Kai have been fragrant with crunching leaves underfoot, the strong scent of pine needles along some of my favorite paths, the swirling breezy wiffs of autumn that always bring me back to childhood and fond memories – leaf pile making and jumping in. “Dog shows” on the front lawn with neighborhood kids and their pets. Making little trails in the leaves with rakes for my breyer model horses – For in the ‘burbs’ there was no room for real horses.

In our yard there are three shrub varieties that are beautiful this time of year… If you’re looking to add color to yours, these are a great addition.

Flaming azalea…

CrapeMyrtle –

And Snowball Viburnum – in spring months the flowers of this shrub are wonderfully fragrant.

Out on the trails and around the farm, the golden hues have been intoxicating…

Sometimes kai and I traverse a town instead of beach or woods walks. The Town of Essex does a spooktacular job during Halloween season, one of our favorite strolls.

The grands continue to bring me so much joy, and the holidays come alive again in a whole new way when we get to share it with them, and see their excitement and wonder and thrill –

Another joy of mine is getting to witness my kids become loving and engaged parents. Daughter K has her second child due in January – grand No. 4!

Two simple recipes Susan Branch has shared weaved into her art –

We had a celebrity visit here on the farm a few days ago…. If you know, you know. Well the picture helps if you don’t know 🙂

The Mister and I have visited a few farm markets, this month was the last hurrah for the farm market season and we took advantage… We are sixty-ish now and it shows, but those smiles and lines and gray hairs represent a lot of living that I am grateful for. Amen… and Amen again.

Up at the barn, it’s blanket season! Max is now about 30 years old, we don’t want the old boy to have to work his body too hard to stay warm… and Leah, bred for show… doesn’t grow a strong winter coat so we give her a boost as well.

I am tempted to dive into the tangle of current events, so much of it alarming… but I think I’ll leave this post as a reminder that there are many many things to be thankful for, and our peace is worthy of protection. Keep doing all the things you do to make the world a better place, even the smallest acts of kindness send a ripple out into the world. Hug those you love, love on them well and tell them often. Take care of yourself, too.

Cheers to hope for the future, from our moms, who are still with us, (so thankful for that)…. to you. To all of us! 🥂

Till soon –

Heaven is Here

Pardon the poor spacing in various places here… wordpress can be maddening and I’m done wrangling it for the day 🙂

It’s late August and fall is knocking on the door with cooler nights and the leaves on some trees are actually starting to turn. Around the farm with not enough rain, our tomato plants, grape vines, raspberry bushes and so on petered out early.

Molly and Lacey eating breakfast

The girls at the EggPlant enjoying some free range

With current events what they are, I’ve been distancing myself more often so that I can enjoy my time on this earth as best I can, and the people I love that are in it. We live in remarkable times, both good and bad. Here’s some of the good….

A dear friend of mine posted this a few nights ago. He has had some remarkable adventures, some incredible highs and some very deep sorrows but he always finds his way to a better place regardless. With his musings he brings me and anyone else lucky enough to read or hear his stories along for the ride. I keep telling him he needs to retire and write a memoir… he’s my modern day Charles Kuralt. Michael, I hope you’ll forgive me for sharing.

“On a late August evening where the calendar said summer, but the air had that hint of Autumn; I went down to Lynnie Lou’s Ice cream in Naples, New York for the last “Car Cruise Night” of the Year. It’s a summer staple every Wednesday night in June, July and August and I’d yet to make it to one this summer.

Aside from the ice cream (peach sundaes were plentiful), the fare was burgers, fries and rings along with music and joyous, exuberant (but very bad) Karaoke. The crowd was decidedly older (as am I) but the evening and night were perfect. Everywhere I looked people were smiling, having a grand old time whether eating, looking at the cars, getting ice cream, bravely doing Karaoke, dancing or just chatting with friends.

All sorts of old 50’s cars…. some Corvettes and old pickup trucks…. even a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, complete with a huge rear spoiler and dressed in a can’t miss me color of “Hemi Orange.” Occasionally one of these old beauty’s would fire up…..go for a spin and head up Rt. 21 with tires squealing and glass pack mufflers echoing a sound I had not heard in years. A sound of my youth. Lynn the owner of the ice cream stand was cooking away at the grill singing to the music while young high school kids waited on the many hungry customers in line for a burger.

Scenes like tonight take place all over small towns across America. Sitting there soaking it all in on a perfect summer night I was as content as I’d ever been. The line from Field of Dreams came to mind where the numerous ball players ask Ray Kinsella…. “Is this heaven?” Tonight if I’d been asked that question I’d have answered…… “No its Naples!”

There are small towns that dot the landscape of America all across this great land….and I’m very happy that I chose this one. Thanks, Lynnie Lou’s for a special evening that made me feel right at home (and oh, I really do think this is heaven.)”

I’ve been painting more of my “tiny painting series” in preparation for our upcoming artisan market. This is our 10th year of collaboration to put on this show, and I am so grateful for all the volunteers who come together to help us make it happen… and especially my market partner, Linda, who is more organized than I will ever be. We make a good team and that is such a gift. With over 90 quality artisan vendors and some really awesome food selections, it takes a village.

Mia’s Rocks… My granddaughter and I picked some rocks on the beach in Maine and we made this heart at waters edge. I painted it as a keepsake ❤️

This is a scene another dear friend took while on his boat watching fireworks… he has already collected this tiny painting, a reminder for him of a wonderful night he spent with his wife and friends in his favorite place.. on the water in a boat he’s restored.

When the season from summer to fall begins to change I spend more time in the kitchen and begin the hunt for new-to-me fall recipes. Having good food on the table for my family brings me tremendous satisfaction. The cleaning up part, not so much, LOL. I also bring out the big binder full of recipes I’ve been collecting since my early 20’s – many of which are from family and friends, some of whom have departed. The handwritten ones are my favorites…. and each time I make their dishes it feels a little like bringing those loved ones back into my kitchen to say hello.

My daughter brought this home from first grade class and it’s a wonderful bread to have on the counter in fall months.

Aunt Ro was a wonderful cook who could whip up a big four course meal for the whole extended family – If you like Brushetta, this is a good recipe. She left us last year in her 90’s.

Marge was the mother of a man I dated briefly. We became life long friends and she also lived into her 90’s. Marge was a fountain of optimism, I always enjoyed time spent with her, her enthusiasm for life and good old common sense were golden rays of sunshine even on the dreariest of days . She loved horses and dogs, too… and the state of Montana, which she and her husband visited whenever they could travel out west to visit a few of their sons.

Till soon, friends –

And Just Like That…..

… it’s August.

We welcomed our third grandchild last Friday! Much to his parent’s surprise, he has a shock of beautiful red hair. We are all over the moon, full of joy for this little guy, who joins his sister M and cousin J, all of whom are being raised on this family farm.

My daughter and her son… my son and his daughter in our vegetable garden on the hill behind our house.. This picture captures the dream my husband and I have been building for 37 years and not a day goes by that I am not grateful for this blessing.

Speaking of blessings… the fruits of our labor were on the dinner table last night…

Not pictured is my most favorite summer food… a simple garden tomato sandwich with mayo, salt & pepper. Sometimes some greens.

More garden shots…. I think planting things in your surroundings and nurturing them is one of the best gifts you can give yourself.

If you’ve been visiting this blog for years, you’ll remember our cottage at the shoreline.. Stella. That was a wonderful renovation project and we enjoyed Stella for six years. What we discovered along that journey is having two places to manage/maintain when our main homestead takes up so much of our time and energy isn’t ideal. I found that most of my time spent at the cottage was doing the upkeep chores instead of the rest and relaxation it was intended for. So ultimately we decided to sell it. Mom had been renting a summer cottage down on the island for five years previously, and this year the opportunity to rent that previous cottage came available…. and so we headed down to the island again, moved mom in for a little over a week… and enjoyed what initially drew us to the area – rest, relaxation, sea air, shore birds, and a few refreshing gin & tonics.

Who knew cormorants had such beautiful greenBlue eyes! They are the color of jadeite –

Have you ever seen an American Oyster Catcher? They, too, have beautiful eyes. All of these shots I was able to get while out in the kayak in the cove.

Back on the farm… smoke from the Canadian wildfires has made our sunrises and sunsets eerily red lately. Sometimes we can smell the smoke of it….

One of my favorite quotes – “We’re all just walking each other home”….. I keep reminding myself to keep this mentality when I allow myself to peek at the news headlines or glance at the TV screen as the noise blares. And there is SO… MUCH… NOISE. I’ve not ever enjoyed politics, largely just keeping it out of my life other than to exercise my right to vote and cast my pebble into the ocean of what feels like the right trajectory for us and our fellow countrymen. I knew there were many things our governing bodies were not getting right, many things that needed change and action that wasn’t coming – and that blame lies across the entire political spectrum.

That being said… I would not ever have believed an administration and a leader who is so thoroughly corrupt right in front of our very eyes in every facet of the human existence could muster the kind of cultlike support he has managed to create. It’s mindblowing. Ignoring it feels like a cop out, so I can’t.

If your entire political identity is built on hating “the other” – immigrants, queer kids, people of color, women who speak up – then maybe it’s time to ask who really broke this country. Because it certainly wasn’t progressive ideas… and let’s be honest about what that actually means, those progressives… the idea of progress. Specifically, it refers to social progress, the process of a society lifting itself out of ignorance, injustice, and inequality, toward a future that promises enlightenment, prosperity, equality, and environmental sustainability. Why does that notion offend anyone at all? The answer to that isn’t comfortable.

No… what broke this country was the normalization of cruelty, the elevation of fear over fact, and the celebration of power over principle. We didn’t drain the swamp, we added pollution to it.

Loving your country doesn’t require hating its people. If your politics demand cruelty and hate, you’re not patriotic. That’s parasitic.

And I don’t regret losing a few “friends” because I choose to speak up about what we are all seeing and being honest about it. Because I know… where I come from is a place of fairness, justice, truth, equality, safety…the desire for economic and environmental soundness…. FOR ALL.

If you’re still with me, this blurb below is true too…. ” we are all saving each other every single day in tiny, seemingly insignificant ways”…… that. Keep doing it wherever you are. Let’s grow where we are planted, and water others along the way. That is where our power lies, in the every day interactions.

till soon –

All creatures great and small

I knew from a very young age my life would need to revolve around animals. Growing up in a suburb on Staten Island, there weren’t many farms, although I did eventually work on a few. I’m trying to remember the first animal I brought home with me… there were many, much to my mom’s chagrin. A pigeon with a broken wing… a few cats over the years… a few dogs too… a sick baby goat from the Staten Island Zoo, mice, hamsters, parakeets. My kids were bitten by the same bug, although perhaps not as intensely as me. I thought I would be a veterinarian… however some of the gore involved…and to witness so much of the abuses, turned out to be too much.

Farm life suits me well, and animal advocacy. So this is what I built my life into. At 60 years of age, I do feel the wear and tear of the physical work that has gone into it and continues… but I wouldn’t trade it for any other thing.

Yesterday we got a lot done around here… my son has begun the haying process… and we pray for four days of dry warm weather. The hay needs to be cut, then tethered into rows, then hopefully the breezes and sun dry it out good, then bale it, stack it on a truck and store it in the lofts.

Meanwhile, we did a little pony ride aboard my mini horse, Lacey. She was a trooper. The pony saddle is really too big for a mini but for these toddler years it’s workable. We may bring a pony home for the grands at some point. When I think of that I ask myself… do I really want to add to my work load around here?

We also gave our blind mini horse, Molly, her summer hair cut. Her coat is very thick and we help her to be more comfortable as the weather warms up with a clip job. For the same reason I wouldn’t ever be a hairdresser, I won’t ever be great with the clipping of a dog or horse, but I do it as necessary around here.

My girl rode her horse, Leah… and our old boy Max’s picture is below just because. At 29 years old, he’s doing great. This is what I wish every horse’s retirement looked like after a life of service to humans.

Meanwhile… just down the road a piece… we visited a thrift and rescue/rehab facility in the next town over… There aren’t a lot of places where you can visit with Tortoises, parrots, goats, peacocks, lizards, snakes, frogs and other creatures and then shop in a huge thrift store, all proceeds of which benefit the creatures in their care, and then some. The kids picked out a toy and books after visiting with the animals. A morning well spent and a great cause supported. My kind of day.

This is a great bread recipe for those of us who are a bit intimidated by the bread making process… It came out delicious and wasn’t hard to make!

These are my two loaves… the recipe below makes 2!

One more thing and I’m off to the barn for morning chores….

This… a thousand times… this.

It’s been a while

Almost a year since I’ve been here, so much to cover and where do I start? I guess right where most of us are struggling at the moment or at least have some concern.

This world and this country in particular are in quite a state. Depending on your leanings, most likely you’re either cheering or you’re horrified by what we are all witnessing. There doesn’t seem to be much in between. The division among us and how intense it is, is frightening. The mistrust and misuse of our government and our news sources even more so, their integrity in tatters. My son asked me the other day…. “do you think we’ll ever come back together as a country? The divide seems so huge, runs so deep, it seems impossible. ” There are times I think that’s the likely truth… but as I said to him… I’m reminded that this country has been in upheaval before. Just magine the divide during the civil war… where the north and south had completely different views on slavery and it was a very big part of the south’s way of life and prosperity. We all know how that ended. And the young country did seem to move on, eventually, mostly and for the greater good.

I am an unaffiliated voter, my husband a dyed in the wool Republican. Many an argument has infused our cohabitation since M*G* has arrived and right now the air is so thick with the discord we could cut it with a knife here in this old house. I can’t deny our governing bodies have been ignoring major problems for a long time… overspending, over taxation of the working middle class, immigration reform, healthcare reform, our crumbling infrastructure, corporate greed… the list goes on and these are the things the Mr. brings up when I question his loyalty to his party’s current path. The failures of both parties for a long time are why we now have an orange nuclear bomb dropped right in the middle of it and the fallout reach is everywhere with it’s tentacles in absolutely everything. That is where my significant other and I are in agreement. And that’s where it ends…. because as I watch the reckless behaviors and actions and attitudes of this Tr*mp. 2 administration, as I watch women’s rights being yanked back and the rules of law being blatantly ignored, abuse of power rampant (and they are giddy with it)…. the previously trusted relationships with our allies shredded, our environmental protections discarded, our public lands under siege, the words diversity, equality and inclusion pummeled, when facts no longer matter….. I cannot help but be appalled, embarrassed, ashamed for this country. And that brings profound sadness and even disbelief that we are where we are.

But you see how far down a rabbit hole one can be dragged, and so I have to remind myself to let go on occasion and search for peace within and out there in the universe of our lives. To do good things where I am, to grow where I’m planted… to assist where I can for the greater good. No matter where you stand on all of this… I hope you’re able to do the same.

I completed my 60th year this month! Holy shit! But I’m not complaining one bit. Sixty is not old… it’s damn lucky. I’m still pretty active and I plan to continue for a long time if life permits. I hike or take long walks regularly with my best buddy/rescue dog Kai. Getting out in nature is my respite, my recharge.

My barn chores and grands keep me busy. My arthritic neck and hands remind me I’m not a spring chicken, but it’s all part of the luck of still being here and having more good days than bad. I’ve cleaned up my diet some and try to get in more greens and berries and whole foods, much less processed crap. One of the things many older people hear when they end up at a clinic with illness is that they are dehydrated. So I’m making a concerted effort to drink more water because it’s not something I crave. Hydration is important so if you do just one thing for yourself in your current state of being, drink more water.

And be grateful for every.single.day. Don’t take any of it for granted, it all goes by so damned fast.

Farm update – with the sale of our little cottage by the sea, Stella…. we’ve had more time to focus on improvements here. Up at the barn we’ve still got our mini horses, our two quarter horses, two goats and 16 or 17 chickens depending on the day’s count and my patience for doing it. We brought home a rabbit and my granddaughter Mia immediately named her Hoppy. She’s very friendly and a welcome addition to our farm family.

The grands – they’re now 2 years old and almost 2, my daughter’s son and son’s daughter. Being a “Mimi” – a name my granddaughter chose for me, is such a wonderful chapter in life. We get to experience young personhood and all the wonders and discoveries over again through their eyes, but with less responsibility, LOL. A third is on the way! I am their caregiver for a portion of each week as both moms went back to work part time and it’s so true, they keep you young! ish….

We converted my office into an art studio with a little side of toddler toys now that I am retired from my editing/writing/family business responsibilities and I have been able to dive back into my art inclinations. I’ve set oils aside and have begun exploring the world of water color, a completely different universe.

A recipe I’ve tried recently and really like – This one is so delish and refreshing. I don’t really have an opinion about Meghan, but so many do. I’m glad I don’t live anywhere near the spotlight. I give this a thumbs up. I did use spinach instead of shard and shaved parmesan instead of feta.

Meghan Markle Sussex Veggie pasta salad

Ingredients

For the pasta salad:

12 ounces paccheri or fusilli pasta

Kosher salt

1 cup English peas, shelled

1 bunch Swiss chard (about 5 cups loosely packed leaves), chopped

Optional: 1/2 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed, chopped

3/4 cup snap peas, sliced

Optional: 1/2 zucchini, chopped

1 cup feta cheese, plus more for garnishing

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnishing

1 tablespoon fresh dill, plus more for garnishing

For the vinaigrette:

1 shallot, sliced

2 garlic cloves, grated

2 lemons, zested and juiced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes

1/3 cup olive oil Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Create a bowl of ice-cold water and ice cubes to shock your vegetables to stop the cooking process.

2. Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil and season with ¼ cup salt. Blanch peas for 30 seconds and move to ice water to shock.

3. Blanch Swiss chard leaves for 45 seconds to a minute, until tender and move to ice water to shock.

4. Add enough salt to the water so it “tastes of the sea” and boil the fusilli until fully cooked according to package instructions.

5. Drain the pasta and set aside to cool.

6. Dry peas and Swiss chard on a towel until ready to use.

7. Chop chard into bite-sized pieces.

8. To make the vinaigrette, combine the shallot with the dried chilli flakes in a large bowl.

9. Add cooked and cooled pasta. Toss to combine, add chard, peas, snap peas, feta, and herbs. Toss and season to taste.

10. Serve, garnishing with more herbs, feta, and lemon as desired. Enjoy!

I don’t keep track of the traffic here anymore when blogging, but if you’re visiting and are so inclined… let me know what you’ve been up to, and if you keep a blog, where to find it! I hope all is well in your neck of the woods –

Till soon –

Robins in Snow

Just now as I’m sitting in my office/studio pondering what to tackle while the granddaughter sleeps… I looked out at the gentle snowfall (always my favorite kind of snow… and the quiet that generally accompanies it) and witness such a beautiful thing – Robins eating the holly berries on the corner of the porch.

The barn chores take a little more time in winter, this is where I start to feel my age… the ice chipping, the frozen water bucket hauling, the frozen manure, the winter blanket maneuvering. All the layers of clothes even. But… as much as it can be a hassle, I wouldn’t give up the animals for an easier existence nor the seasons to go live six months of the year somewhere balmier. I’d probably weight 200 pounds if I did. The occasional reprieve will do. I do know many who love that yearly migration. I would just miss my family too much, I am a home girl through and through.

Our old boy, Max… 29 and looking fine.

We have some exciting news… our daughter is getting married in April! We’ve been busy with wedding plans and most of it is fun! Some of it anxiety inducing! I hope to lose 15 pounds to fit into the dress I found and bought and love. Stupid way to plan on the dress for the occasion but I’m going to give it my best shot, because I really do love the dress. And it didn’t come in my current chubby size.

I’ve had a few paintings on the easel this year…. my favorite is called “Organized Chaos”… a scene from our perennial gardens here on the farm…. I like to incorporate a creature into my paintings when appropriate… can you see the bee?

This one done for a friend, who built and runs that sugarhouse for the community and is in the picture along with his grandson –

Currently on the easel – still a lot to do here, this is just the base layer…

Things I find inspiring…..

A photo taken by Michael Blanchard on Martha’s Vineyard – the island has gotten hammered in recent months with severe storms that have brought an angry sea to wipe out many of the dunes on the beaches…. Michael has been through some very trying times and has beaten and continues to beat back alcohol addiction, helps others now, and has written some inspiring books on the subject, with his photography.

Thankfully the Mr. agreed to a summer getaway to my favorite nearby island in July – Looking forward to walking this beach again.

This sink showed up in my newsfeed, isn’t it beautiful? Would make my least favorite chore so much more enjoyable. Can’t help but wonder though, Wood and water usually = rot eventually.

Have a good weekend and an even better week ahead – Till soon!

Four days later….

Two posts in one week? Welp… it’s dark and damp and chilly outside and while the barn chores beckon, they can sleep for another hour, yet I cannot… so here I sit. Middle middle age has not been kind in the sleep department. I wish I had a good solution for that.

I used to talk politics a little (well, mostly my outrage) here on this blog but I’ve tried to get away from it as much as is responsibly possible for my own sanity. What I will say is I am truly so discouraged by the state of things in this country regarding our governing bodies. The infighting that prevents solving our critical issues, the division between civilians, not just our elected officials. The corruption, the egos, the greed, the failures.

Out of that rabbit hole we go… On to more cheerful things… and one place I find solace is in the writings of a now deceased author who’s words still ring true for me in all matter of things,……. Gladys Taber. I wrote more about her here in THIS blog post if you’re interested. AND.. if you’re a Gladys fan already, I just discovered I ordered a book of hers that I already have in my collection. So, I’ll happily ship it off, once it arrives, to one of you if interested. Let me know in the comments and one lucky person will receive it. The Best of Stillmeadow is the volume I refer to. Her books are no longer in print so I find them occasionally on old book seller sites.

Some snapshots of my days here on the farm….

These photos above and below taken days apart – New England weather fluctuates tremendously. No jacket one day, hats and gloves the next.

Sometimes you just buy your own damn flowers 🙂

Sunset on our hill

My heart 💗💗

My favorite folksy artist… Jane Newland out of the UK

Words to live by……

Till soon –

Gram x2

Welcome Mia Jane!

Now two weeks old, she is my little sunshine alongside her cousin, my little pumpkin.

Being a grandmother is something I have looked forward to and hoped for, and what a blessing it is.. a whole new chapter. I am so proud of the parents my children have already become.

Johnathan and I discussing world problems…..

Despite our 58 year age difference, we both came up with the same solution….. baby toes….

Has the Canadian wildfire disaster affected your area? We’ve had days of grey and orange hazy skies, ash landing on our plants, awful air quality. Thankfully as of yesterday it appears to have lifted and blown off.

My newest painting on the easel.. almost done. This is a nearby trail at the shore we often walk.

As for our Stella by the Sea…. we have decided to sell the cottage for a few reasons. Some days I am good with the decision, and on other days it’s hard to imagine letting it go. We’ve put so much into her rehabilitation. Our truth is, the care of this farm and the animals who call it home takes a lot of our time and effort and it’s lovely here in summer months. To leave it for the shore frequently is tough due to the responsibilities that remain here daily, and just as important… our family hasn’t used the cottage as much as we had anticipated. One more thing… I’d like to travel some before I’m too old to do it, and having a second place kinda makes you feel obligated to spend whatever free time you have … there. A wonderful family wants Stella very much, and I know they’ll take great care of her. So, I think we’re going to sell to them. I am so grateful for the time we’ve had down there, and my mom as well. Onward to new adventures –

wild nightshade at the seawall.

Ending this post with a little gem of advice…. and I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Till soon –

We’re all just walking each other home

….. one of my most favorite quotes, attributed to Ram Dass, an American spiritual leader of the 1970s. This country and the world at large is in big trouble on so many levels, all because of the flaws in humanity. Recently I am making every effort to focus on the uplifting things, and that quote is one of them. It truly helps me to believe in that simple concept and gives me inspiration to do whatever little good and truly see it anywhere it can be found.

I don’t have much to say here right now, just that I am enjoying my new grandson immensely and watching my daughter become the wonderful mother we all knew she’d be.

We’ve had some glorious weather and I’ve been out in it, soaking it all up, getting some exercise, enjoy this farm and the woods and the shoreline trails.

Till soon –

The Happening You Must Focus On

It is easy to mourn the lives we aren’t living. Easy to wish we’d developed other talents, said yes to different offers. Easy to wish we’d worked harder, loved better, handled our finances more astutely, been more popular, stayed in the band, gone to Australia, said yes to the coffee or done more bloody yoga.

It takes no effort to miss the friends we didn’t make and the work we didn’t do and the people we didn’t marry and the children we didn’t have. It is not difficult to see yourself through the lens of other people, and to wish you were all the different kaleidoscopic versions of you they wanted you to be. It is easy to regret, and keep regretting, ad infinitum, until our time runs out.

But it is not the lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It’s the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people’s worst enemy.

We can’t tell if any of those other versions would have been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on. ~Matt Haig

(Book: The Midnight Library)

I love that passage so much! I also read the book, and while it wasn’t one of my favorite reads, it’s a good one… and that group of text above? Spot on. Who among us hasn’t dreamed another dream, had a few regrets, wasted too much time on what isn’t. And we all know, life is short and too precious for such nonsense. I am a firm believer in making the best of every day, even when I catch myself doing anything but. Then I readjust the sails.

The new barn has been a Godsend here on the farm. Both of our girlies are very pregnant and I’ve taken over all barn chores again, which means a lot of water buckets and hay bales and stall mucking etc. etc. With the yoga and stretching/meditation I’ve taken up, my body is faring better than I had expected. 40 plus years of all that work has left me with some arthritis and worn parts, blah blah. But it’s also made me a strong work horse and I’m grateful to still be able to do it. And I love those animals so. They are my heart and my peace and my salvation often. We got our first real snow of the winter on march 1st. In New England, that’s just strange. But it’s made all that work easier on this older girl.

I have always felt the sky is like a painting we live under, it’s landscape always changing, and all we ever need to do is look up to see the mood of the moment, the beauty of nature, the temperament of the weather gods. Who hasn’t marveled at a full moon rising, the night stars on a cloudless night, the rolling roiling storm clouds coming across the horizon or the gorgeous colors of a beautiful sunrise-sunset. On the hill and fields of this farm we have what I call big sky country, a big patch of blue with many glorious sunrises and sunsets.

I made a few more recipes from The Lost Kitchen files…

New England baked beans and brown bread – first time I ever bought a slab of salt pork, had to ask the butcher where to find it at the store.

And Waldorf Salad – with apples, celery, Fennel, arugula, lemon juice and zest, candied walnuts, mayo, salt & pepper… SOOO GOOD!

The Mr. turned 59! We had a lovely family dinner at one of our favorite restaurants near our Stella by the Sea. Our mothers are still with us and we are so grateful they are here to meet their first great grands.

Cheers to many more years!

I completed the Woodstock, VT Middle bridge painting, whose true angles are a bit skewed in any photo taken, so this was a real challenge and it’s far from perfection, but I’m glad I attempted it. The bridge for me represents many happy family memories there and hopefully more to come. The lighted star up on the hill is the first thing I look for when we drive into town.

Had a physical this week, and it’s clear I need to get serious about cleaning up my diet. Cholesterol numbers less than stellar, weight – about 25 pounds overweight. Bleh. I get plenty of exercise, so… as the doctor has often said… it’s what you put in your mouth. Each new day is a chance to get it right.. right? I’m making a concerted effort to improve those numbers. Being a food loving person and one who likes to cook and bake for others, it ain’t easy.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods – till soon 🌹