Just a bit of this and that...

Seems the heat wave has passed.  That's just fine with me.  We have had some much needed rain and my garden is showing its thankfulness.  The rather hard rain on Sat. afternoon was a bit too heavy and too much too soon for my hydrangeas and they just laid down in the back yard.  We were away at the time, about an hour away and there was no rain there at all.

It was a great 50th anniversary party on Sat. for cousin Natalie and hubby Jerry.  We all had a great time and enjoyed a nice buffet lunch and really good tasting cake... should say cakes as Natalie's niece Abby made a birthday cake as well as the anniversary cake because Sunday was Natalie's birthday !   Niece Amy made great punch and everyone raved about the meatballs made by Natalie's sister, Janice.  The rest of the party was catered and everything very tasty.  Chris, the couple's son, provided us with background music from the 50's.  Some were brave enough to get out and dance a bit too! I met some very nice ladies from Natalie's hometown who helped with the decorations and helped serve and keep the party running smoothly.

Today I made a couple batches of strawberry rhubarb jam.  The berries are very sweet this year it seems and our rhubarb plentiful.  I also took time to sit on the porch and finish the book I was reading. "The Help".  They tell me it is a movie now too.  It was really a good story. If you aren't familiar with it, it is about the black ladies who worked for the wealthy southern women in the 1960's.  I recently got a Kindle and found that one can borrow books from your local library wirelessly.  I had a short waiting time for it to become available but only a couple days.  Then I have two weeks to read it and it is taken off my Kindle. Isn't this modern technology something!

Hope you all have a happy week.   A quote for you...
"What we see of God's provision teaches us to trust Him for what we cannot see of His purposes."

A Whirlwind Weekend

We're back home again...busy weekend behind us and I've declared the day, or at least half the day "Be Still and Smell the Posies Day".  Even though it was a busy weekend, it was a fun time. We saw a number of old friends at the Alumni Parade and at Den's class dinner Sat. night. People we don't get to see very often and cherish the time with.

On Sunday morning we traveled north to the Vermont History Expo 2012,  History's Country Fair held on the fairgrounds in Tunbridge where  150 + Historical Societies around the state participate in this event every two years.  This year's theme was the Civil War. We were scheduled to 'sit' with the Weathersfield Historical Society's display in the afternoon from 1-5 pm so we arrived early in order to take in the sights before our time to man the booth.

After looking at the many interesting displays and seeing the reenactors in their encampments and many folks in period clothing, which got them in at half price, and good visits with participants we took our lunch break feasting on Wood Fired Pizza.  The aroma was just too good, wafting on a hearty breeze that cooled our otherwise really warm day.  Actually a picture perfect, mid June day.  (The pizza was as tasty as it's aroma promised.)  We skipped the homemade fudge!

At noon The White River Players of Rochester, VT presented highlights from "Ransom" an original play and music inspired by the Civil War letters of Lieut. Ransom W. Towle of West Rochester, VT which he sent home to his family from Virginia where he fought with the Union army and boys from the 4th  Vermont Regiment. The play writer,  Dick Robson was there as one of the actors. His wife Dorothy wrote original music, arranged traditional music of the Civil War and was the pianist. Every actor, and there were many, did an excellent job portraying the part of their 1860's character.  If you ever get the chance to go to the play, "Ransom" and see the whole play, DO !  The 50 min. version on Sun. was very well done and very moving.  In April 2013, the Lost Nation Theater production will be opening in Montpelier VT .

After a long day we stopped by the booth where the Vermont Cracker folks were offering free dishes of a traditional Civil War era supper.... Cheddar Ale on broken up VT Crackers...or the other choice was Civil War Stew, a concoction of crisped up salt pork and forage findings like greens, chives or whatever a soldier could find to add to his stew.  I chose the Cheddar ale which was much like the sauce one would make for macaroni and cheese only with non alcoholic ale added.  This sauce of a medium thickness poured over the crackers was absolutely delicious !  I took it along to have  with a sandwich we made foraging in our little fridge in the Gypsy Wagon.  Then we headed over the hill to Vershire where we parked the Gypsy for the night and had a good visit with friends on the Hill for the rest of the evening.  It doesn't get really dark until about 9:15-9:30 there high on the open-to-the-sky hilltop.   We don't have electricity away up there where we settle, so after getting ready for bed, reading wasn't on top of the list as to see to read we would need to light up the gas lantern...too tired for that so we hit the hay early and watch the darkness descend and listen to the night sounds, including the "who, who, who, to who" of an owl in the trees nearby.  All cozy in our big bed we are soon off to sleep.

We wake early to the songs of many early birds.  It's Monday and after our breakfast we pack up and decide to head home.  Our friends get off to work and we leave for home.  It was surely a  nice first trip for our Gypsy Wagon... now we need to think about all our chores around here.  But not until tomorrow.  I remember it's "Be Still And Smell the Posies Day"for me anyway, Den is mowing the lawns.   So I will just write my blog, sew a label on the new great granddaughter's quilt..Oh yes!  she now has a name...Alexandra Paige... a very beautiful name for a very beautiful baby girl!  And I picked some rhubarb to make us a rhubarb crisp...that doesn't count as work. Until next time... Be well and enjoy each day for the gift it is.

Some highlight scenes from the play, "Ransom"

Civil War Soldiers of the 4th Vermont Regiment

A family life back home scene, early in the war

Blessings To Share With You

I am keeping way too busy these days.  BUT today I must take time to sit and tell all of you of how we are so blessed today.

This morning our grandson and his wife were blessed with a new, beautiful baby girl !  She hasn't been named yet but they will choose a name for her soon, probably after getting to know her today.  She has a sweet little sister waiting for her at home.

It was a great day all around.  I finished up with my root canal therapy and am all thawed out and not hurting.  The sunshine has helped the garden and things are all up now.  I sat on the front porch this afternoon and watched a couple of woodpeckers on the crab apple tree.  They were being so nice to one another !  One would find a fat juicy bug and feed it to the other who would return the favor when he found one to share.  They were so busy and keeping up a chatter all the while. Our little 'Jenny Wren' has a nest in our birdhouse in the front yard and a pair has a nest in the backyard too.  They are pretty loud singers and a joy to listen to.   I will stop now and finish up this post a bit later.  Need to feed my hubby some supper.

Supper's over and dishes done.  More busy days coming up.  Missed my class breakfast this morning but hope to see some of my old classmates at alumni weekend tomorrow.  At night we will see old friends at Den's class dinner.  On Sunday we will travel to Tunbridge to sit with the Weathersfield Historical Society display at Vermont Expo for the afternoon.  This is always a fun time.  We take turns manning the booth and going around looking at other displays.  Hope to get some nice pictures while we are there too.  It will be our first trip out with our Gypsy Wagon which is getting more completed every day. We will stay Sunday night with our friends 'on the Hill' in Vershire Lord willing.

So hope you have a good weekend. Will leave you with a quote and some pictures.  Blessings to you all.

             "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it !
                                                                                                                William Arthur Ward

Early morning ritual... picking a few blades of grass for her highness, our Lizzie love, 

who has her subjects very well trained !  Makes no difference what the weather !

Quilt I just finished for new great grand baby girl.

The sweet and beautiful brand new baby girl !

Posies from the back yard.

I'm Still Here !!

Wow, How the time flies!  I have been SO busy lately that I just don't get to sit and THINK !  Finally tonight I have taken time to check out my emails and look at what my friends on face book are up to.

It is that time of year when I have paperwork to do as I am the Village Clerk here and although it is not a big job, it is time consuming for a week just before and after our Annual Meeting.

The garden is all planted and some of my pole beans are already up.  They would like a bit more sunshine I'm sure.  We sure have made up for the lack of snowfall this winter with a lot of rain these past months.  It is so lush and green everywhere.

Many, many red squirrels and chipmunks about this year.  Hubby still hasn't won a bout with the red squirrel at the bird feeder!  But he has finished checking for nooks and crannies where they might invade our house. He's done lots of little cementing and foaming up these places.  We are in the village here and don't have a problem with the bears coming to the feeder so that is why we leave it up.  We have many pretty birds stop by to sing to us and thank us for keeping some seed in the feeder.

Dennis has been pining for his motorhome, the one we sold a few years ago thinking we would save on insurance and registration and gas by just having a little pop-up camper that went into the back of the truck.  This worked for awhile but the truck gets really bad gas milage.  Another plan, take the camper out of the truck and build it onto a car dolly and drag it along behind the truck.  This he did and we liked that for awhile.  UNTIL he got to missing the motorhome.  SO  he got a good deal on a Toyota truck with duel wheels and no body on it.  Ah ha... now he has made a sort-of- motorhome, putting the camper onto the little truck body permanently.  Quite a job but he really likes doing stuff like this.  Now, or soon, when he gets all the bugs out and it spiffied up a bit more, we can just pack up, hop in the cab and be off for a day or two without hauling anything and have somewhat decent gas milage.  We have some visiting and traveling around VT to do this summer so I hope it will work out well. Will post a picture or two now and when he gets the project done.

I'll call the new creation ' The Gypsy Wagon'.  I had a fascination with all things gypsy when I was a girl.  I loved to read about them.  I remember a book called "Gypsy Goes To College".  It was such a great story about a Gypsy girl way out of her element and coping as best as she could while striving to keep some of her heritage evident in her life.  Wish I could find it again !  I am sure it is out of print by now.  It was a book for young people maybe in 8th grade or so. Just maybe I could run into it again at a yard sale or a school book sale somewhere, someday.  This sounds like a far fetched occurrence but I once was looking for a book our teacher, Mrs. Hammond,  in 5th grade read to us as we settled down from a rowdy recess time outside.  It was "Dan's Boy" by Cobb.  I sort of remembered the story but for sure remembered how much I liked the story at the time.  While traveling north in VT one summer, we saw a sign at a big old house with a great front piazza that said Book Sale.  We stopped.  I went onto the piazza and looked around.  In a pile marked 'FREE please take', I found Dan's Boy !  Nobody was around and I let out a loud whoop for joy at my find.  There was a box there for donations or to pay for the books that weren't in the free pile.  I put $5. in that box I was so thrilled! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it again!  Maybe it could happen again??  Anyway, I am sure we will have a good time traveling around, Lord willing, in the new Gypsy Wagon.

The Gypsy Wagon in the making and...

All registered and rolling.  Waiting for the finishing of a few new

cubbies on the sides, fender things and some other finishing touches.

When popped up, it makes a nice little weekender. It has a gas stove,

gas heater and a fridge that runs on gas or 12 volt, and a comfy, roomy bed

even though it is a bear to make!

I found a quote to share with you today.   I'd better remember this one!

" While you were busy judging others,

You left your closet open and your skeletons fell out!!"

Take care and Blessings!

Perfect Peace

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, who's mind is staid on Thee"....The words from an old hymn we used to sing.  They came to mind on Tuesday as I settled into the dentist's chair for the LONG procedure of having root canal therapy.  I was looking for this perfect peace...calming of my fears of this place and especially this procedure.  All in all it wasn't so bad, but I did get pretty shaky before it was time to exit the chair!  The dentist was so YOUNG!  She looked like a teenager!  But she was sweet, kind and as gentle as one could be and get that job done.  I should say half done, as I have to go back in a month for the finishing touches.  UCK!   Now, a couple days later I have what they call a 'flair-up'  where I have some swelling in the gum area and much soreness and aching.  So I am taking some antibiotics and lots of Motrin and WAITING for it to all go away!  I'll never take a pain free day for granted again!

With my 'mentor', Lizzie.  Learning the art of relaxation !

It's nearly a week since I wrote the above.  I have been busy in all this wonderful weather with my neglected flower beds, catching up on reading while nursing my sore jaw and everything but writing in my blog!  Our little 'Jenny Wren' is back singing up a storm in our back yard and getting her birdhouse home all ready to nest in.  What a worker she is!  As for that clever red squirrel... she has won at least 5 rounds in her bouts with my hubby !  We finally noticed that she is a she and probably a nursing mom right now so we have just let her enjoy the birdseed...FOR NOW!   Then we'll see.  Dennis has been spending much time looking the foundation over, inside and out for possible entry places where she might be squeezing her way into our cellar. He found a most likely place and has cemented it up. We don't want another 'surprise' when we come home from FL next spring!  Even a lampshade was crooked, like she had been swinging on that and we have concluded that it HAD to be a squirrel as most little mice don't do such things and don't eat seeds, probably.

Waiting for the purple iris!  The deep purple lilacs did well but not the light purple ones.

Columbine and hostas

On Saturday, we had a visit from a friend whom we hadn't seen in about a quarter of a century!  Now that is a LONG time!  She came in the morning and stayed till after noontime.  We had a lot to catch up on and it was so very wonderful to have this time with her.  She also visited other friends here and I am sure they were as thrilled to see her as we were.

My sweet daughter, Angel with hubby Paul are in VT for the week!  It is so nice to be able to spend time with them.  We were off yesterday on an errand we have waited to do until we had some time to invest in the project.  We are 'elected' by our family to seek out a memorial for our family cemetery lot.  So we were about this project yesterday.  What a lot of choices.  We got caught up in admiring the beautiful work of a young man who carves not only names and dates but such lovely scenes, angels, and anything you might want for art work on the granite, marble or what ever stone you choose.  We left not choosing anything as we had so many things still to consider.  This is hard work!  We decided we needed to go for lunch and that was fun and tasty too.

In the evening as the sky grew dark, Paul had a nice big fire in the outdoor fireplace and we just sat around listening to the night birds warm up... the Hermit Thrush... my favorite, which I never see, just hear here in VT with her lovely trilling song.  Lately we have been treated to Canada Geese flying over our houses on their way to and from a beaver pond nearby and their other haunt up the river somewhere.  They come by in a gaggle in the morning but in the evening they return north in pairs or sometimes in odd numbers but not all at once.  They are very talkative as they travel. It was the perfect evening for a fire and NO bugs anywhere about.  It was pretty dark when we left to come home across the meadow that separates our homes.  The grass had just been mowed and as we scuffed along, that wonderful new-mown hay scent rose to thrill our nostrils.  We had left a light on in the house and it sent a welcoming glow out the window.  All this a peaceful preparation for a good nights sleep.

Today is a cloudy day but also great for getting some more yard work done.  When the flower beds are finished, it will be just time to plant the veggie garden.  But I also have errands and paper work to do today.  I am the Village Clerk and have to get the annual Warning out tomorrow and post it in a few public places.  So I'd better get busy!  Have a fabulous day, all!

And Spring arose on the garden fair

Like the Spirit of love felt everywhere;

And each flower and herb on earth's dark breast

Rose from the dreams of it's wintery rest.        

                                                        P.B. Shelley

A Poem for Mother's Day

For Mother's day, just a poem I wrote a few years ago.

My Mom and Dad and I

MOTHER'S DAY

It's Mother's Day again

And I need to pay tribute today

To my Mom, someway, 

My Mom who I barely remember.

Of that day in May

When she went away,

I have but little recall;

The sandy road beneath my feet,

Up the hill to the church is vivid still.

My Daddy lifting me up to see

Her sleeping in a fluffy white bed.

And saying good-buy

And blowing a kiss.

A new friend, Aunt Mary, 

Came for a few days to stay,

But then she too, went away.

The next few years are an empty page,

Until school days came

And aways, I hated Mother's Day.

Tho' I'd make cards for my Grammy P.

Who sometimes took care of me.

My world was my Daddy and me.

He was so kind and good

And patient beyond belief.

And I hated Mother's Day.

I went through the stages 

Of blaming her for leaving.

When everyone else I knew 

Had a mom to share in their achieving.

I needed to know...

What was she like?

And I realized it wasn't her choice

To go, and so, I'd ask others

About her... you know.

And always I was told 

Of her kindness and loving ways;

And how she surely didn't choose to go

And how she loved me so.

This was so important to know!

They said how she loved the Lord

And trusted Him

To keep His hand on me,

And so He has.

And blessed me evermore!

I know not the reason

He called her home so soon,

But His will is wiser than my own.

One day, I'll know,

When all is said and done.

How the time has flown! 

So many years gone past!

I am so glad God granted me

The privilege of being a Mom,

A Grammy an a Great Grammy yet!

I tried real hard to get it right!

I love you all so much.

Somewhere along the way,

I've  had a change of heart, 

For now I can truly say, 

I LOVE MOTHER'S DAY !

                                                                           by dottie richardson 

A Gift-Boxed Day...In May

Awaking on Friday, on a May morning in my Vermont valley, between the mountain and the river, is like being given a lovely gift..in a pretty box, all tied up in rainbow ribbons and colorful balloons.  All my senses awaken as well, seeing, hearing, feeling and smell.  The fresh cool air coming in through the bedroom window , open just a bit, refreshes ...and the curtain flutters in the soft breeze. The faint scent of lilacs and dewey grass wafts in along with just a hint of oak wood smoke from our kitchen chimney...as the coffee perks and sends out it's very own beckoning aroma, the birds begin to sing.

I accept the gift of this brand new Spring day.  And I thank my God for it and count my blessings all.  I'll open it slowly to see what is there and embrace the moments it holds as the day unfolds.

It's amazing how good that cup of coffee tastes!  As well as the rest of my simple breakfast.  A slice of homemade toast with spiced tomato jam accompanied by a fresh poached egg and a small clementine.

It seems this day was designed for friends as we are treated to a visit from Debbie this morning as she stops by for hugs and good cheer, bringing a toy for Lizzie.  We've planned a trip to see friends on Darling Hill, north of here.  Lunch is packed and we're off.  It is a great day for a ride up through our lovely mountainous state.  The hills fold into each other and I am amazed at just how many, many shades of green there are!  We take back roads in to our friends' place.  May flowers can be seen alongside the road.  It's sunny and nice with a cool breeze just to remind us it is still Spring.

Cyndy has made some of her violet syrup! What a lovely color and wonderful taste.  All from wild violets.  Syd has installed a new door. We catch up on each others 'doings' etc.  After enjoying a great day,  good visits and a walk down from the top of the hill where we visit with Cyndy's mom we all head off to the Upper Valley.  We choose Appleby's for supper.  Great food, good fellowship with good friends.  What more would one want?  Then we hop into our separate cars and go off in opposite directions, to arrive home just at sunset.  Lizzie is happy we're home.  We plop into our favorite chairs as the day winds down... it's gifts all opened and enjoyed to the fullest.  All 'cept one...falling asleep in our own soft bed, when Lizzie insists it's time for bed.  The quiet little night sounds barely audible through the partially open window.. where the curtain flutters just a bit.