“It’s as simple as this: a garden is like love. As with amour, a garden is a place you venture into with hope, energy, excitement, enchantment, and the greatest of expectations.” — Carolyne Roehm, At Home in the Garden Yes, I did venture forth on Sunday with such feelings as I visited Carolyne Roehm‘s Connecticut estate, Weatherstone, as part of the…
Spring has sprung here in the Northeast and that is good news for all secret garden lovers! The northwest corner of Connecticut, known to the world as Litchfield County, is full of exquisite homes of all styles tucked into the hillsides: small cottages with cottage gardens to match, farmhouses with orchards and fields, and stately colonials with elegant spaces to rest…
The first day of Spring, 2016 ~~ growing up in our house we celebrated it on March 21, my dad’s and my grandmother’s birthday! (imagine getting your first baby (named William) as a birthday present!) In the eyes of my grandmother my dad, even fully grown, was her baby boy and he always tolerated her motherly attentions, which I constantly remind…
It’s time again for our popular town fundraiser, Tablescapes at Waveny! The New Canaan Beautification League members have been busy as bees this spring, cleaning up little plots of land scattered throughout our town, and this tablescaping event provides enough funds for them to beautify our town in a most glorious way! Waveny Park, which is home to Waveny Mansion, consists…
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…
I love challenges ~~ the anticipation of the delight in meeting a goal makes my insides tingle with excitement, and my insatiable need to learn more about everything and anything is fed as I gather information and formulate my game plan. And while success can be an ego boost, the path to that success provides plenty of opportunities to give…
Dear Michael Lee, I know you are a southern woman, writer, cook (exhausted), relentless renovator. I devour your blog whether you are telling us about door colors, the saga of the columns and the corbels, farmstock living in your gorgeous front hall, or garden adventures with attack goats and boughs. The food ~~ did I mention that? As a non-cook (yet still…
Fall has arrived here in southern New England right on time and in glorious fashion, and this year without hurricanes or blizzards! The trees have not changed yet but the crispy air, honking geese and brilliant blue sky are sure signs we will soon see the autumn foliage. Although the leaves are still green my hydrangea bushes are changing…
When I heard that Cuisine Kathleen was having a ~~ white plus one party ~~ for Let’s Dish I thought to myself that it would be an easy and quick way to set the table. Well…..I found out that I was wrong! I love adding my colorful dishes and linens and little toys to my…
Towering over my small table on the back deck is a glorious tree. For a few weeks each spring it bursts into blossom, and sunlight streaming through the petals casts a pink glow on everything around. From our two rear bedroom windows on the second floor we see this every morning. Sitting underneath the spreading boughs I can drift away…