by Susan | Dec 23, 2014 | On My Mind
A few readers have shared their experiences with home-grown Christmas trees with me. Reading one of these messages this morning made me reflect on our first home-grown tree. It was December 2004 and our first holiday in Maine. A 27′ camper trailer was our home...
by Susan | Dec 22, 2014 | Out and About in Maine
by Susan | Dec 21, 2014 | On the Farm
This is what eight cords of wood look like when delivered. Every day the weather permits, Paul spends part of the day in the wood lot, cutting and splitting. Old Blue, limping along with a failing clutch, is Paul’s trusty steed on this project. Many of the log...
by Susan | Dec 18, 2014 | On the Farm
This is what 1-3 inches of snow looks like in Downeast Maine. It must be tough to be the weather man. What I expected to be a “dusting” or even rain turned out to be a 12 inches. It was a winter wonderland fitting for a Christmas card. A week of mild...
by Susan | Dec 13, 2014 | Critter Patterns, Felt Patterns, Woodland Patterns
The sound of the yip-yip-yipping of the coyotes in the distance at night never fails to give me the shivers. This coyote was on the drawing board for my Maine Woods Christmas tree, but I ran out of time, so he stands alone. Right-click here and select “save link...
by Susan | Dec 8, 2014 | On My Mind
Our tradition of harvesting our own tree from the property started when the family budget didn’t permit the luxury of visiting the local tree farm. Despite a mostly balanced budget these days, our home grown tree tradition continues. On Sunday, Hannah and I donned...
by Susan | Dec 5, 2014 | Critter Patterns, Felt Patterns, Woodland Patterns
This little white-tail deer fawn made her first appearance on my Maine Woods Christmas Tree. I do believe she is my favorite ornament to date. Do I say that about them all? I hope you have as much fun with her as I have! Here’s how I handled the flip side of the...
by Susan | Dec 3, 2014 | On My Mind
I’m not often up for sunrise in the summer, but this time of year I catch many of them. Each sunrise is unique. This morning was too gray and blustery for the sun to make an appearance. But, yesterday’s sunrise was spectacular. While Monday’s sunrise...
by Susan | Dec 1, 2014 | Backyard Birds
Someone looks a bit out of place.
by Susan | Nov 29, 2014 | On My Mind
The theme of my tree for this year’s WHRL Christmas Tree Auction is the Maine Woods Christmas Tree. This tree will be featured at the Women’s Health Resource Library’s silent auction along with 24 other trees. Here’s the run down on my 3 1/2...
by Susan | Nov 28, 2014 | Critter Patterns, Felt Patterns, Woodland Patterns
One of the things I enjoy most about winter is being able to easily follow and identify the tracks of the critters who live in our woods. The snowshoe hare has already made an appearance in the dark of night. Here’s hoping he doesn’t find my lilac bushes a...
by Susan | Nov 25, 2014 | Family, In the Kitchen
I never met my maternal great grandmother, Estelle Strobel. Yet, she is part of every Thanksgiving in our home. I don’t know where she got the recipe for her Cranberry Salad, but it’s been a holiday staple for every generation in our family since. 1 pound...
by Susan | Nov 25, 2014 | On My Mind
I’ve mentioned my greenhouse from time to time. We’ve been planning a green house for years. We started small with two variations of a cover for my raised beds. We talked of a hoop house and then possibly re-purposing a tent frame structure into a...
by Susan | Nov 23, 2014 | Photography
Bare winter trees in silhouette against a setting sun.
by Susan | Nov 21, 2014 | Critter Patterns, Felt Patterns, Woodland Patterns
Bashful you ask? That’s what our neighborhood bear seems to be, spotted only on wildlife camera. Now, this is a good thing. You’ll find this bear much more fun to have around! Right click here and select “save target as” (on a PC) to save this...
by Susan | Nov 19, 2014 | On My Mind
I have this sad little Meyer lemon tree. Mom (Granny Gadget) sent it to me last year. From the looks of it you’d think I’d done everything in my power to kill the poor thing. It has five leaves. And for some reason the dog likes to eat the dirt out of the...
by Susan | Nov 16, 2014 | On My Mind
As I sit here grumbling about the early deep freeze mother nature has delivered, Paul is snuggled up toasty warm under his tee shirt quilt. The other year for Christmas, I made this quilt for him out of a collection of his old t-shirts. Shirts he never wore. Some...
by Susan | Nov 14, 2014 | On My Mind
The first snow day of the year is upon us. What better way to spend a Friday than snuggled warm inside watching the world turn white outdoors. It’s rare to see snow on the ground when the pond is not frozen. I wish the duckies could enjoy the pond all winter...
by Susan | Nov 14, 2014 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Ground and Game Bird Patterns
Just in time for Thanksgiving, I bring you the turkey! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started and then abandoned a turkey pattern. When the bird’s colors are so subtle and of the same family it’s challenging to come up with a design that...
by Susan | Nov 11, 2014 | Out and About in Maine
