I love to read, but I’m not one who will read any book that comes along simply because it is new. I have pretty strict rules — excellent writing, take me on an adventure, make me laugh or tell me something new, introduce me to engaging characters, and NO SAP. Lately I’ve been enjoying the newest book by Frances Mayes, Under…
Picnic theme inspiration can come from so many places, and one of the best is a great tablecloth! Recently I was perusing one of my favorite blogs, Happier Than a Pig in Mud, and saw Lynn’s cute tablecloth with a map of the US and very fun graphics. Of course I had to go hunting online for one, and I found this! I…
A Year in Provence — what a wonderful idea. I’m not sure how I would manage to get you all over there, together with my books and all our picnic goodies, however, so instead I’ll share our recent picnic inspired by Picnics in Provence. Just up the road from us is Weir Farm NHS, once the home of the American painter J. Alden…
Into the Woods. Do those three little words strike fear into your heart with thoughts of Red Riding Hood and her wolf or Hansel and Gretel and their witch, or does your heart beat a little faster with the anticipation of fresh air, lovely sounds, and a bit of an escape from your hectic life out of the woods? I was…
As you may know by now, I can’t cook. I mean, the food gets cooked, but it’s not usually pretty enough to photograph, and certainly not worthy of sharing. However, I read voraciously and love to picnic, so when the Novel Bakers did me the tremendous honor of asking me to join them for Picnic Week, I did a little…
During the past month we have been up and down the east coast, in Maine, clapping politely at Will’s math thesis presentation (pretending we had some idea of what he was talking about ~~ Topological Methods in Combinatorics, in case you were wondering), cheering as he conducted a live orchestra in the premiere presentation of his music thesis (“For Film”), …
How many hours of my childhood were spent drying dishes? In our house it was the chore from which we were never excused ~~ the dishwasher served only as a storage place for assorted containers. I usually detested that chore, which had to be done after the three meals each day, and then twice a year when all the…
It’s truly Spring here in the Northeast! We’ve been buried in this seemingly endless winter, trying to keep the oil tanks and the bird feeders filled. But now the trees are beginning to bud, the bulbs are sending up shoots (no flowers yet, not even daffodils!), the sap is flowing and the birds have returned, looking for the choicest nesting…
2014 Happy New Year! There’s nothing like a brand new year to excite and encourage me. It’s a time for me to evaluate, reinforce and revise my daily actions, my plans and my dreams. And to do all this I need to start my year as I start each day, with a few essentials. That means a fresh…