by Susan | Jul 17, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Today we celebrate my dad’s 86th birthday. It’s been a rough year for my family, with mom in the hospital twice. I’ve made four trips to Pennsylvania so far to visit with mom and dad, and I’ve treasured every one of them. The older I get, the...
by Susan | Jul 1, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Our text with Hannah as Paul and I drove home from the Augusta VA.
by Susan | May 8, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Hannah arrived this morning with plans to spend the day doing whatever I wanted and cook dinner for me. She brought this beautiful bouquet. I think she was as excited to give it to me as I was to receive it. It was spectacular – created by our friend Christina...
by Susan | Apr 9, 2022 | On My Mind
I was home from my 12-day Pennsylvania trip for just two nights before I was on the road again. This time to Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta, Maine, with Paul, where he had surgery to remove a tumor from his neck. His surgery went as well as it possibly could....
by Susan | Feb 6, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
My paternal grandfather, John Reynolds Bender, attended Wittenberg University in the early 1930s. My mom attended in the late 1950s, and the tradition continued when I graduated from Wittenberg in 1986. This picture of grandpa is from the 1934 WU yearbook. John Bender...
by Susan | Jan 11, 2022 | Hannah, On My Mind
Yesterday was a momentous day. We moved Hannah into her first apartment. It’s a lovely little one-bedroom situated over a barn just 2.25 miles away. Finding rents Downeast is a challenge. Good rentals are far and few between. In this instance, a friend of a...
by Susan | Dec 24, 2021 | On My Mind
Christmas Eve has dawned sunny, very cold and icy. Rains the other night washed away the snow and left us with a thin layer of frosty ice. No white Christmas this year – despite the weather man’s assurance there would be. My gifts have been sorted,...
by Susan | Dec 23, 2021 | Hannah, On My Mind
I received a most unexpected letter in the mail today from Santa’s Helper. As a child, Hannah wrote Santa; the envelope addressed to “Santa Clause, North Pole.” Santa’s Helper returned to me two of her letters – this one written in...
by Susan | Dec 12, 2021 | On My Mind
It never fails. I’m so focused on WHRL’s Winter Tree Festival that Christmas decorating at home takes a back seat. I finally managed to get a simple wreath up yesterday with a rustic Merry Christmas sign Paul carved the other year. Sunny and mild, Hannah...
by Susan | Oct 3, 2021 | On My Mind
These first days of October are ones of coming to terms. That summer is over, and I must retire my sandals. That that the days of dipping my toes in the surf have passed. That my porch days are becoming a rarity. That the hummingbird who visited my feeder ten days ago...
by Susan | Aug 30, 2021 | Hannah, On My Mind
As a parent, I’ve oddly been missing that back-to-school vibe. For the first time since 2004, I haven’t participated in the shopping and gear-up for another school year. The rhythm is off now that Hannah’s a college grad. After returning from Denison...
by Susan | Aug 12, 2021 | On My Mind
Yesterday was a wonderfully exciting and rewarding day. The tale starts back in April. I work at Women for Healthy Rural Living one day a week. I’ve been involved with WHRL since 2005 in one form or another – volunteer, board president, and now staff. All...
by Susan | Aug 5, 2021 | Hannah, On My Mind
It’s hard to believe that I’ve had this wonderful girl in my life for 22 years. Although the weather was gloomy, we still celebrated with our traditional lobster dinner – margaritas, 1.5-pound lobsters, cheesy potatoes, cheddar bay biscuits, and a...
by Susan | Jun 27, 2021 | On My Mind
Last week I shared my discovery of the Song Sleuth app for identifying birds by their song. I’ve had more fun playing with this tool, learning about the less obvious birds in my backyard. A reader mentioned that they use the Merlin app for this. I’d played...
by Susan | Jun 23, 2021 | On My Mind
Some days are just out of kilter. From the moment you wake, you feel out of sync with the world. Or something frustrating happens that derails the rest of your day. When this happens, my girlfriends blame it on Mercury in retrograde (apparently, it’s not). I...
by Susan | Jun 12, 2021 | On My Mind
Do you enjoy the Downeast Thunder Farm BLOG? Don’t want to miss the latest news? Subscribe to receive an email notice for new posts. Including: Free bird, animal, and butterfly felt patterns for download Notices for new Downeast Thunder Farm SHOP felt, pattern...
by Susan | May 25, 2021 | Family, Hannah, On My Mind
Denison Graduation 2021 was a whirlwind of a week. We arrived home last night, and I woke this morning so tired that I could barely think straight. The adventure started last Wednesday with Gidget in tow. She’s very attached to us, and we were hesitant to put...
by Susan | May 16, 2021 | On My Mind
We were blessed with a glorious weekend. I bounced between work, house cleaning, and yard cleanup loving just being at home. I feel accomplished. The tide was out when I headed into town. I paused to photograph this white-tail deer crossing the river. The view of...
by Susan | Apr 19, 2021 | On My Mind
On my last visit with my mom, she sent me home with two quilts from my maternal grandmother. I finally pulled these out of the bag to take a closer look, remembering the quilts from grandma’s guestroom beds. I called dad to see if he knew any more about them....
by Susan | Apr 10, 2021 | On My Mind
After posting this video on Facebook yesterday, I’ve had lots of questions about our pond. My favorite one is “Did you look to buy waterfront property?” 😂 I know what you meant, Carol, but I got such a kick out of this as I’m not sure...
