December Sale – The Roses at the End of the Road

  • Post published:11/30/2012
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  For the month of December I am selling my book, The Roses at the End of the Road for $12 with no shipping costs. All ordering information is here.  The book is filled with characters and our adventures here at the end of the road. To give you a taste, the Rachel's Rose chapter follows below. There is a rose in my garden named Rachel. One summer Rachel Burrington Sumner, one of Heath’s grand dames, who knew…

Happy Birthday Gertrude Jekyll

  • Post published:11/29/2012
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Gertrudy Jekyll (1843-1932) was one of the great British gardeners. It is her gardens and writings that essentially define the British perennial garden to this day.  This is the 169th anniversary of her birth in in London. Though she did travel throughout England, Europe and even the United States she spent most of her life in Surrey, England. There she built her final house and garden, Munstead Wood, with Edward Luytens, the well known architect.Most of the photographs show…

I Made This Christmas Wreath

  • Post published:11/28/2012
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One of the pleasures of belonging to the Greenfield Garden Club is the November meeting at Chapley Gardens where we have help and materials to make our own wreath.  This year I did pretty well. At least better than I did before. Mother Nature decorates like this. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.

What Comes After Thanksgiving? The First Snow

Thanksgiving Day dawned mild and sunny.  There was little left to do in the morning at daughter Betsy's house so there was time for a stroll and for The Major and grandson Rory to have a tete a tete. Things got a lot busier at daughter Diane's house, especially in the Thanksgiving kitchen. Cooks and kibbitzers gathered near the stove to be there when the turkey came out of the oven. It is impossible to get everyone in the…

What Does Prosperity Look Like

  • Post published:11/24/2012
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One beautiful day this fall I was driving around doing my errands when I passed a farmhouse shaded by trees. I was forcefully struck by the beauty of the well kept house in a peaceful shade. I was also struck by the thought that this is what prosperity looks like. As we have traveled through the political campaign season, and the harvest season on our way to Thanksgiving I cannot help thinking about what it means to be…

Cookies for Moonlight Magic

  • Post published:11/21/2012
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  I'm still baking for the Family Feast tomorrow, but I just finished my cookies for Moonlight Magic in Shelburne Falls on Friday, November 23. Lots of  cookies for sale at the Visitors Center and lots of magic throughout the town. For more Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.  

Visitors from China Explore Heath and Environs

  • Post published:11/19/2012
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When our friends LiSha and Chris visited us, all the way from China yesterday we spent the day celebrating. After sharing lots of family photos and stories  we took them on a whirlwind tour of the highlights of Heath and Shelburne Falls. We began with a visit to Bob Dane's glassblowing studio to show off his artistry and shelves and shelves of beautiful glass ready for his local sale on December 8-9 and 1-16. Unfortunately, we  couldn't take our…

Cynthia Boettner and the Silvio O. Conte Fish and Wildlife Refuge

  • Post published:11/17/2012
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    The first thing Cynthia Boettner had to explain to me about the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge is that the Refuge consists of  the 7.2 million acres of the Connecticut River Watershed that runs from the far reaches of New Hampshire, through Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut before it exits in Long Island Sound. That is an enormous charge and responsibility. As Boettner explained how she works to monitor, control and eradicate invasive plant…

Mr and Mrs Vegetable – Garlic Heads?

  • Post published:11/15/2012
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When we finished the remodel of our kitchen a few months ago I took Mr and Mrs Vegetable out  of the drawer where they have been living for the past two decades. I remember these from my childhood when  they hung on the kitchen wall in  New York when I was about five (1945) and then in the farm kitchen in Charlotte, Vermont. My brothers and I found them in a big storage closet  along with our childhood…

Beavers are at work – on Wordless Wednesday

  • Post published:11/14/2012
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Beavers have been working this area out on Rte 8A and now the water has risen nearly to the road. The pond has become quite large and there is more. It's hard to see the steps of the dam below the beaver pond but the water is rushing here. And here is evidence that work continues. For more (almost) Wordlessness this Wednesday click here.