by Susan | Feb 6, 2011 | In the Kitchen
My wonderful daughter is 11 and is quite the little cook in training. She hates for us to tell the stories about how when she was in preschool she watched cooking shows and would mimic “making” (her term for cooking) on her little kitchen set. We used to...
by Susan | Feb 5, 2011 | On the Farm
We heat our home with an outdoor wood boiler. This is a very economical way for us to heat our home given that we live on 49 wooded acres. The only catch is that at some point you have to cut the wood. We believe that the area where our house sits used to be pasture....
by Susan | Feb 2, 2011 | Odds and Ends
School was canceled today. Again.? I don’t think Hannah has had a full week of school since before Christmas. It’s hard to tell how much snow came down today because of the wind. I’m betting about 16 or so inches based on what we shoveled and plowed...
by Susan | Jan 30, 2011 | Out and About in Maine
We took advantage of another round of snow overnight and went for a sledding outing this morning. Beautiful, fresh, unblemished, knee deep snow turned out to not be great sledding snow. Instead we enjoyed the solitude of a winter’s walk. Click the thumbnails...
by Susan | Jan 27, 2011 | Odds and Ends
School was canceled today for the fourth time so far this winter. Snow Days are always a bit of a treat because we can sleep in and pretend that the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Although at this rate the kids will still be in school come July. This round...
by Susan | Jan 5, 2011 | Home Improvements
When we were designing our house I planned in this great laundry room. It has a washer, dryer, double utility sink, cabinets. clothes drying racks, shelving etc. The problem is that it never worked the way that I thought it would. It became the dumping ground for...
by Susan | Jan 3, 2011 | On My Mind
The first day of school for 2011. Yipee! The sky had such a beautiful quality to it this morning. Calm, peaceful, and gentle. My picture does not do it justice.
by Susan | Dec 25, 2010 | Family
Chrismtas morning. Note how dark it still is outside! Snape the kitty taking Christmas morning in stride.
by Susan | Dec 24, 2010 | Family
This Christmas artwork was created by my great, great aunt, Elizabeth Stroble. Elizabeth taught art at a high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each year she created an amazing linoleum block print poster and sent a copy to her nieces and nephews as her Christmas...
by Susan | Dec 9, 2010 | Out and About in Maine
I spent a lovely morning today with my friend, Carol. She wanted to photograph snowy fences in her town of Columbia Falls for her blog. So we tooled around town in search of snowy fences. Two nutty women cruising up and down the streets, making middle of the road...
by Susan | Dec 8, 2010 | Odds and Ends
We have this wonderful steel roof on our little house tucked in the woods. When it’s raining we hear a gentle pitter-patter on the roof. When it’s snowing we tend to have an avalanche. The snow will build up on the roof and then come flying off all at...
by Susan | Dec 6, 2010 | Odds and Ends
Today we had our first measurable snow of the year. And Maine never seems to do things by half measures. What was predicted as two to five inches is now eight and we’ll likely get a bit more overnight. Hannah was filled with joy at the first school snow day. I...
by Susan | Dec 4, 2010 | On the Farm
In recent years it’s become our family tradition to cut a Christmas tree from our own property. This usually involves at least an hour of tromping through the woods, studying every fir tree under 20 feet from all angles. It is too skinny? Is it full enough? Is...
by Susan | Dec 1, 2010 | Projects
I attempted to make my first balsam fir Christmas wreath. I’n my usual fashion, I researched the heck out of the project. I read tutorials on the Internet and watched “how to” videos on YouTube. I spent an afternoon tromping through the woods (hoping...
by Susan | Nov 2, 2010 | Projects
My husband owns a business called Downeast Thunder Power Sports. Although Paul has a colorful background (motorcycle mechanic, builder of motorcycle racing engines, U.S. Marine, marine engineer, port engineer, etc.) his passion is motorcycles and engines. He readily...
by Susan | Oct 31, 2010 | On My Mind
This morning I woke to the clanking of dishes. As I lay there sleepily, it crossed my mind that Hannah just might be emptying the dishwasher without being asked. Instead, I found a beautifully decorated table where Hannah served us a special Halloween breakfast. What...
by Susan | Oct 26, 2010 | Family
In my house we’re big on nicknames and endearments for those we love. For example, Snape the cat is Snapey-poo, Boo Boo Bear, or Itty Bitty Boo (just to name a few – the list goes on). Cinder the cat is Miss Kitty or Cinderkins. Ginger the dog is Ginger-baby,...
by Susan | Oct 10, 2010 | Critters
Snape the kitty has earned his stripes. Last night during the late night news I heard a scuffle sound followed by Snape (aka Boo) growling. He never does that unless he’s managed to snatch a fallen piece of pasta or green been in the kitchen. I followed him into...
by Susan | Oct 9, 2010 | Out and About in Maine
Today was an idyllic autumn day – puffy white clouds, crisp, blustery wind, and not a drop of rain in sight. We celebrated the season with a trip to Treworgy Orchards in Levant, Maine, just Northwest of Bangor. This is a destination farm. There’s the...
by Susan | Oct 3, 2010 | Garden
So this may not be very exciting for you, but I just harvested my very first carrots! I didn’t get them planted until August and I’ve had to thwart the deer to keep them growing, but here they are! I only planted three rows in my raised bed, but with the...
