by Susan | Jul 27, 2015 | On My Mind
Controlling fireweed in the garden is a never ending battle. I am forever plucking stems of this plant from my garden. This time of year in Maine the fireweed is in bold full bloom. Weed or flower? Up close, it’s actually quite pretty attracting bees and...
by Susan | Jul 10, 2015 | On My Mind
It strikes me that these violets in bloom by my kitchen sink look like little purple satellite dishes.
by Susan | Jun 30, 2015 | On My Mind
My heart is broken. Ginger passed away today while I was at work. Paul found her lying outside in the afternoon sun and she simply didn’t wake. Knowing that the end was near doesn’t make losing her any easier. At 14+ years, it’s only been the last...
by Susan | Jun 10, 2015 | On My Mind, Photography
I love patterns. I see them everywhere in nature – in the clouds, in the marsh grass, in the boat-shaped petals of a Lupin, in winter’s drifts of snow. And in dandelion blowballs. At first glance, it’s just another weed gone to seed. I have a lot of...
by Susan | Apr 30, 2015 | Family, On My Mind
Excited for Hannah’s first softball game of the season, we arrived at the field with jackets and lawn chairs. Yet, we spent 99% of the game in the car wrapped up in blankets watching the game through the windshield. Frigid temps and bitter winds dulled the...
by Susan | Apr 12, 2015 | On My Mind
What is a Joyful Day? It’s the first “porch” day of the year with my coffee and camera, despite the snow banks that still line the house and yard. It’s watching this little guy continue to drain my bird feeder. It’s the flocks of...
by Susan | Mar 8, 2015 | On My Mind
Longing to be outdoors today, I strapped on the only remaining pair of snowshoes we have that are whole. I took off at a very slow pace into the woods, testing the snow. The snowshoes are too small for both me and the deep snow we have, but they seemed to be doing the...
by Susan | Mar 1, 2015 | On My Mind
It’s a wonderful thing to bid good-bye the most ferocious February in memory. February 2015 brought mayhem to my world. It was the coldest month on record. Ever. Seriously! Mother Nature delivered more than 8 feet of snow! This is the view out my kitchen windows...
by Susan | Feb 22, 2015 | On My Mind
I’m feeling a bit hemmed in by all of the snow. When I took a walk this morning at first light (in my jammies and Muck boots), there was still snow gently falling. The trouble is; the snow is so deep that my “beginner” snowshoes are ineffectual. So...
by Susan | Feb 16, 2015 | On My Mind
The other week I shared pictures of this guy attempting to raid my new bird feeder. At first I thought the design baffled him. Then, one morning I found him hanging by his toes, nibbling away at the buffet. I threw open the window and shooed him away. That worked the...
by Susan | Feb 14, 2015 | On My Mind
This morning dawned a brisk -22 degrees outside. Despite the frigid weather, it was a work day. It seems as if everyone is busy before the storm. Paul and I have been taking turns raking snow off the roof. My arms and shoulders are aching for a hot bath. I thought it...
by Susan | Feb 13, 2015 | On My Mind
I’m happy to share that the winner of the random drawing is Carol Rice-Dempsey. However, I was so pleased and touched by Ann Schmidt’s comment, that I’m sending her an order of felt as well. Ann shared, “…the Eagle will always be my...
by Susan | Feb 8, 2015 | Family, On My Mind
Granny Gadget gets the prize for giving the most unusual gift this Christmas. One of her gifts for Hannah was an Ancestry.com DNA test kit. I’m not sure Hannah knew what to expect, but she followed the instructions, spit into the little vial, and sent it off....
by Susan | Feb 1, 2015 | On My Mind
Late this afternoon, I strapped on a pair of snowshoes and ventured outdoors, enjoying this brief respite before the next storm hits. The snow is so deep that we have to clear space for the ducks with the tractor or they’d spend the entire day inside. The piles...
by Susan | Jan 31, 2015 | On My Mind
My mom, AKA Granny Gadget, sent me a lovely new bird feeder this week. I filled it and set it out yesterday. This morning, as I was lingering over my morning coffee, I watched this little guy scurry across the porch. I knew right away his destination. It only took a...
by Susan | Dec 25, 2014 | Family, On My Mind
As I snuggled down in bed last night, Christmas Eve, I commented to Paul that Hannah didn’t negotiate a wake-up time for Christmas morning. Our 15-year-old is growing up. What a gift to be able to sleep in on Christmas morning! Yet, at 6:45 a.m. this morning I...
by Susan | Dec 24, 2014 | Family, On My Mind
My grandmother’s aunt, Elizabeth Stroble, created this beautiful linoleum block print when she lived in St.Paul, Minnesota (the 1940s-1950s). Carved with the help of her students, she sent these to family and friends as her Christmas card. This is one of a dozen or so...
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 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 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...
