It was a lazy afternoon… The cicadas were thrumming in the background, as I hopped from shade tree to shade tree, to get out of the hot sun. The scent of freshly mowed hay filled my olfactory senses, intoxicating me like a drug. I made my way along the brook’s bank, stopping and peering down on it, listening to it trickle. Bumbling on its way to the river, it…
An early case of the Empty Nest… It’s springtime…fast approaching, summer. It’s the busiest time of year on a farm. Planting, mowing, chopping—I can go on and on. As the kids have gotten older, they have taken on more work at the farm during this time of year. It’s expected, and it’s welcomed. You know what they say about idle hands…the devil’s workshop. Teenagers are no exception to…
If you are a mom, I am sure you have one. The picture that captures a moment in time when you are revealed. “I am dead inside from nurturing these children.” If you have been there, you get it. If you are in it, we get it, and we are here to tell you you will get out of it. If you haven’t yet gotten there–you don’t understand,…
I love to bake. Baking is my first go-to when someone needs love and care. I immediately offer up homemade food. It’s what I want to celebrate with: Baked goods! It’s how I want to socialize: A cup of coffee and a freshly made pie. I am completely content and happy to wake up on a Saturday or Sunday morning in the winter, take up residency in my kitchen…
Things on my mind… It’s here, the end of summer, finally on October 29th. I put my flowers to bed for the season yesterday, just in time for the cold, wet weather to arrive this morning. Fall is here in the Northeast. I cut every possible flower I could find in my garden that still had vitality. Now, I have beautiful bouquets all over my house, big vases,…
I love the smell of manure. I don’t get to smell it every day like I used to. Friday, when I was walking to the post office, I was caught off guard a bit by the familiar smell that wafted into my nasal cavity. It was like an old friend. But where was it coming from? It is not a typical smell in the village of Greenwich. It…
There used to be three little faces in this picture. Like clockwork every year. All decked out in their new sneakers, shirts, and backpacks. But this year, there was only one. Just one, on the first day of school. As I sit back and think about the past summer and the launch of child number two out into the world, I am also thinking about the launch of…
The kids say I take more pictures of the dog than I do them. It’s true. I talk to her, and I find myself staring at her. I hug her, I kiss her, I make over her constantly. She absolutely is the object of my affection. My dog. Trixie. Do you know we have a joke in the office about the dog having seasonal depression?? I swear, whenever…
Finally, at the age of 48, I need to wear glasses for reading… and for looking at my phone and everything else I hold within my arm’s length. And it stinks! When did this happen? It’s BEEN happening. Just ask the kids. The little stinkers laugh and look at each other every time I navigate on my phone, and I have to hold it away from my body. …
In the blink of an eye, it’s high school graduation. How did this happen so fast? Where was I? I was changing diapers, doing laundry, and cuddling away a fever. I was running crazy schedules around practices and games, helping with homework, wiping away tears, and enjoying the little kid’s laughter. I was planning birthday parties and silently praying while watching them launch off of a bicycle jump…