Tag: books
Gladys Taber and Stillmeadow Farm
I love a good book and have read many over the years. During spring and summer months here on the farm when the days are longer, I’m outside more than I’m in. By the time we get into bed I fall asleep before I’ve turned eight pages of whatever’s on my nightstand. When fall arrives and the days are shorter I start the hunt for good reading material. We are not night owls up in this house. We rise around 5 a.m. just because we always have, and of course there are the dogs and horses and chickens to tend to. Come autumn and winter when the light bleeds out of the sky by 5 -ish and the temps are chilly at best, we hibernate in the man cave by the fire with some sport or another on the flatscreen for him and a book for me. The dogs are happy with this arrangement for they nestle among us in front of the fire and one or two on the bed when we hit the hay.
I’m so disgusted by our current political atmosphere that I have been seeking respite from all that blustery ego and dagger waggering crap… and I have found it in the wonderful books of Stillmeadow by a renown (but unknown to me till now) author… Gladys Taber. I discovered Gladys through another favorite author of mine – also a respite read if you are looking for upbeat home and heart warming stories, art, recipes and musings on life. You can find Susan Branch’s wonderful blog and post about Gladys HERE. If you click on the link, scroll down her post a little to find info and a tour of Stillmeadow.
A little info about Gladys – Born in 1899, died at the age of 81 at her Cape Cod home, she was the author of 59 books including the Stillmeadow series currently on my nightstand. She was a columnist for Ladies Home Journal and Family Circle, had a bachelors degree from Wellesly, an M.A. from Lawrence College and taught creative writing at Columbia for years. Gladys married Frank Taber and had one daughter, Constance. The young family lived in a small, dark apartment in NYC, but she and her childhood friend and NYC neighbor, Eleanor (Jill in the books) yearned for a simpler, cleaner life in the country to raise their children and beloved dogs, away from the smog and noise of the big city.
After two years of searching NJ and CT for an affordable farm, the two families purchased the vintage 1690 Southbury, CT farmhouse for $30K and soon found there was much work to be done as the home was dilapidated beyond what they had assumed upon purchase. The women initially commuted on weekends, but within two years they decided to move permanently to the farmhouse. For many years after, Gladys wrote of life at Stillmeadow. It’s unclear what the role of the husbands were at the farm, they are not mentioned frequently in the books. What I found out by doing some research is that Gladys eventually divorced and Eleanor’s (Jill’s) husband died of cancer at some point. Gladys and Eleanor delighted in gardening, cooking, tending the old farmhouse, raising their children in the country and their beloved dogs as well. With her talent for writing, Gladys brings her readers along with her on their journey, these homesteading stories and recipes now treasured for generations.
Sadly, Jill passed on in her 60’s of cancer and Gladys found herself engulfed in grief. In one of her later books she shares with her readers the grieving experience and what she found helpful to cope with such a terrible loss. The title of that book is Another Path – I just purchased it on Amazon (all books are now out of print but if you’re lucky, you can find them online or in a bookstore that carries out of print books). The following are photos I’ve found online – hopefully it’s OK to share them here with you. Then I’ll show you a few of my own.
Photo Credit to Susan Branch, who’s link I placed
Below Susan Branch in 2014 at the front of the house, which can’t be seen from the road.
Yesterday, the Mr. and I took a ride to Stillmeadow Farm. I was thrilled to learn it was just over an hour’s ride from This Old House. While the home is not open to the public, it’s still owned by Gladys’ granddaughter. Amazingly, it’s reported she has kept it just as if Gladys had stepped out to run some errands. The Land Trust of Southbury has been working with the Taber family to help them keep the homestead. The farm once consisted of over 40 acres, but the Southbury Land Trust has bought some of it to include in their parcel right across and surrounding Stillmeadow Farm. One can’t help but think Gladys is smiling down on the arrangement.
The old road Gladys lived on is still unpaved and surrounded by fields and forest, all part of Land Conservation trust now. There are newer homes up the road that I’m guessing weren’t there years ago. As we drove down this little hill her beloved Stillmeadow came in to view. It’s sits just off the road and honestly, it’s as if no time has passed since she last walked the grounds – I half expected her Irish, Holly and cockers Tiki, Linda and Teddy to run out to the picket fenceline to make Gladys and “Jill” aware of the strangers in the road.
I remember a passage where she describes a conversation with her companion, Jill, talking of how it must have been before there was plumbing in this 1690 home as they stared at the ancient wellhouse… the occupants would pull their water up from this well, even in the chill of winter, and warm the buckets of water over the fire, one at a time..returning outdoors for each additional bucketful for bathing or cooking or cleaning chores.
That well house needed paint and was on Jill’s “to-do” list still sitting on the kitchen table when she passed away suddenly after a brief illness. Of the two, she was the fixer upper and had accomplished so much in her time at Stillmeadow.
While googling around for images, I found these pictures of the two properties in the snow –
This is why I love New England – our four seasons are spectacular and so worth the occasional nuisance.
The K List
This, that, and something that might piss you off
Two weeks into our new fitness regimen – so far Mike has lost 15 lbs!! Me- just 3. The skinny on Nutrisystem – it works… if you strictly follow their plan. The food doesn’t taste bad and you don’t feel deprived, (heck …some of their “snacks” are a chocolate cupcake, a soft pretzel!)…. you do add small quantities of fresh fruit and veggies , but I don’t like the processed food idea. What the plan teaches is what we all really know already, portion control and calorie intake.
The ceiling will remain as is, with a clear coat of something to bring out the wood grain. It had a low hanging ceiling that we ripped out to give a feel of more space.
The Icing…
Porch Sitting and Community gathering and OH, what a SUCKY MOVIE, but a few good books
Come. Sit. Stay.
The porch is officially open here at This Old House…. let me not ever live in a house where there is no porch. I grew up in an old farmhouse smack in the middle of a Staten Island, New York neighborhood where houses were stacked close together. Our house was the original, built in the 1800s, before the area became a ‘hood. On the front of that old house was a porch, where many a rain stormy day was spent watching the drops fall around us, perhaps catch the neighbors arguing or playing cards or reading on their own front porch, and it offered shade for sipping lemonade or iced tea on hot summer days.
When we re-built This Old House – we knew what we had to add – a porch. There’s one on the front, facing the road – which we rarely use. The rear porch looks out over our gardens and the hay fields and horses up on the hill. It’s screened in summer to keep out the bugs and glassed in winter to retain some heat. On a cold winter day where the sun shines bright, it warms up enough so that we can still sit out there with a cup of coffee comfortably and enjoy the view, maybe even read a bit of the book currently occupying the nightstand.
Today after getting the various “stuff” done that needed doing…. I looked at the beckoning porch and said.. why ever not. I grabbed my new read – Susan Branch’s Isle of Dreams.. and sat in the reading chair, a light breeze flowing through. I highly recommend giving yourself time in your busy day, time to just relax and let go of whatever might have your knickers in a knot.
If you’re not familiar with Susan Branch, she is an author and illustrator who resides on my favorite Island, Martha’s Vineyard. I love her water color illustrations, as well as her writing style.. and oooh, her recipes are divine. Her real life fairy tale story is one of courage in the face of heartbreak, and resilience. My current read – Isle of Dreams, is hand written and illustrated by her- an amazing feat, and feast for the eyes and soul.
Boys in the Trees
If you’re my age or older you’ve probably sung along to at least a few Carly Simon tunes in your younger mad-love angst-ridden years. I’ve always loved her music, and that of her famed ex-husband James Taylor too. Until now I only imagined what their (story-book?) life must have been like as a couple and always thought it a tragedy that they weren’t able to keep it together for a long and at least sometimes happy marriage. Having never really delved into the whys of their break-up, I just enjoyed the music and hoped for a reunion someday, if not as a couple, then an extremely talented duo who’ve brought so much soul to music over the years. One of my all time favorites is a concert Carly gave on the Vineyard Haven docks, Marthas Vineyard. Not just because I love that island with all I’ve got, but it was her best most natural performance in my opinion, in a place she loves and calls home. You felt it if you were watching.
I just read Carlys newly released memoir, Boys In The Trees – what in my opinion appears to be a thoroughly honest, (sometimes embarassingly so!) heartfelt account of her life story. That era was just before my coming of age so I wasn’t fully aware of the movement in the music world back then, but.. wow. To say I had no idea is an understatement… and for those who want to read it I won’t spoil your read by putting the contents here. Some of the artists are still entertaining today, it’s an interesting look back.
Two things I can tell you without spoiling too much. James Taylor does not speak of or to Carly Simon. He pretty much “erased her”, in her words in interviews, after their early 80’s divorce, although she only eludes to this in the book. She treats him fairly here, but honestly. Which is to say she doesn’t sugar coat their problems at all – hers or his. His heroin addiction since his teen years and chronic infidelities made him pretty much non-present in their ten year marriage and he owns up to it in subsequent interviews too, so it’s not bull. Her anxiety and insecurities stemming from the non-approving relationship she had with her father made her disfunctional and accepting of really poor treatment and low self worth, which ruled the landscape of her life for so very long.
While it’s clear JT suffered depression and the ills of a substance abuser, I still can’t help but like him a lot less now. Hard to believe the man who wrote and sang so many soulful songs of longing and caring and love and loss is the one who now thoroughly cuts out such a significant partner of his earlier days – one who stood by him when he needed love most. His children should matter to him more than that. He actually describes himself as a self absorbed artist who wasn’t fully present for his first set of kids or his first marriage.
I guess some habits never die. You’re so vain, James, and the song wasn’t even about you.
Do I even have to say it?
And get yourself one of those julienne zucchini peelers, because they
make the job so easy. I just got one for $8 at a local kitchen store but
you can find them on amazon too.
Off I go without coffee in hand for fear of an immediate freeze, into the Polar Vortex
Just a thought here….
Now, first understand that I don’t need donations to start up my Little Free Library. I’ve got plenty to stock it. However, if you love the idea too… and are an avid reader and book collector as I am… you can help me stock the library by sending a book you have already read and don’t mind never seeing again. It can be a childrens book or a gardening how to book or a romance or mystery, best seller or new author, whatever! I think it would be really fun to see the diversity of what we can throw together. If this is something that you’d like to join in on, I also recommend writing your blog address on the inside cover indicating to new readers that you donated the book. Send me an e-mail if you want to donate, and I’ll give you my mailing address. karenthisoldhouse@hotmail.com