by Susan | Mar 5, 2022 | Out and About in Maine
I finally made my first trip to the beach this year. Granted, I drive by the ocean almost every day, but this is the first day I’ve taken time for a walk with my girl. We both needed the fresh air and the sound of the waves. Bundled as we were the cold...
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 | 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 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 | 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 | Apr 2, 2021 | Hannah, On My Mind
I received an exceptional package in the mail today. Hannah sent a birthday gift on Monday for my birthday on Wednesday. She was horrified to learn that USPS 2-day Priority mail isn’t – and was disappointed her package wouldn’t arrive on time. But...
by Susan | Mar 10, 2021 | On My Mind
A year ago tonight, the notice came that the US’s borders were closing due to COVID-19 and Hannah’s study abroad program in Denmark was shutting down. We had 48 hours to get her out of the country and on her way home. It was a crazy scramble. The fear and...
by Susan | Dec 3, 2020 | On My Mind
COVID-19 has changed so many things this year. Possibly the best silver lining has been to have Hannah home since Thanksgiving. As a result, we’ve been able to work together on donations for WHRL’s Christmas Tree Festival. I organize the event for WHRL,...
by Susan | Aug 16, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
It’s 1036 miles from Milbridge to Granville, Ohio. We made the trip to college this year with a couple of stops along the way and moved Hannah into her new apartment suite on Friday. She’s in a building of four-person apartments. Each student has a single...
by Susan | Aug 7, 2020 | Out and About in Maine
Low on motivation this afternoon, I talked Hannah into joining me on an outing to explore a new trail to the shore I learned about this week. She said she’d go but wasn’t up for a big hike. It turns out that the trail was just our speed. A short walk along...
by Susan | Aug 6, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
Hannah’s 21st birthday yesterday was a quiet day at home, laying low and enjoying life. The menu was the traditional birthday lobster and Hannah’s favorite “cheesy potatoes.” Paul surprised her with a gorgeous “campus cruiser”...
by Susan | Aug 5, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
Twenty-one. How is it possible that my little girl has grown into this amazing woman. Legos, Disney, and Harry Potter – they seem like just yesterday and have been traded for cameras, lenses, and scripts. Hannah, you’ve made parenting such a joy. Even...
by Susan | Aug 2, 2020 | Out and About in Maine
Hannah has a summer punch list to complete before returning to school. Visiting Acadia National Park was at the top. We’d planned to do this on her birthday next week – to make a day of it. Then came word from school that all students should quarantine for...
by Susan | Jun 30, 2020 | Projects
Mom taught me how to sew when I was young. I even had an inexpensive sewing machine that I used to sew doll clothes. As an adult, I’ve not made clothes, but it’s been handy to have the power to make curtains, blinds, pillow covers, and now masks of all...
by Susan | Feb 14, 2020 | Hannah, On My Mind
When Hannah is away, I enjoy creating care packages to send periodically. Monthly packages to Denmark was not fiscally viable, so I had to plan and secretly send them along with her. Given her suitcase size and weight limit, I didn’t have much leeway. Five...
by Susan | Jan 19, 2020 | Hannah
One of my favorite past times is to explore old posts from Downeast Thunder Farm. It’s a cross between a diary, a project board, and a photo album. I can watch Hannah grow and change on these pages. It only makes sense to chronicle her time in Denmark. Maybe she’ll...
by Susan | Dec 21, 2019 | On My Mind
With Hannah in college, it doesn’t feel like the Christmas season until she arrives home. My shopping is complete (please be on time UPS!), but we just started decorating and planning for the holiday. It’s our tradition for Hannah and I to hunt down a...
by Susan | Dec 3, 2019 | Family, On My Mind
Thanksgiving break came and went in the blink of an eye. Hannah traveled home for the holiday – two days of travel to get here and two days of travel to return between car, bus, and train. We had her for a short six days, and it was a whirlwind. I finally took a...
by Susan | Aug 28, 2019 | Family
It took us twenty-three hours of driving with a car packed to the brim and a layover at my folks to get Hannah to campus. We spent the afternoon getting her sorted. Her room feels especially cozy this year with lots of reminders of home including her adorable whale...
by Susan | Aug 25, 2019 | On the Farm
T-1 day. Our last day of the summer before taking Hannah back to college. We spent a few hours in our happy place on this most glorious of summer days. After walking the beach, we parked ourselves of the sand and could have stayed all day if we’d but had the...
