Local artisans and antique dealers combined forces to re-purpose an old mill. The result is an inviting atmosphere to shop for handmade and one-of-a -kind items while supporting talented neighbors. A relaxing atmosphere helps shoppers explore numerous rooms chock full of unique items not found in standard shopping venues.
Shop local!
The isolation and quiet dedication of a solitary fisherman in the middle of a frozen lake captured my attention. This turned a frigid February day into a welcomed experience of mindfulness.
-Rutland State Park, Rutland, Massachusetts
The Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, MA is situated on Prospect Hill, the site where Bronson Alcott and Charles Lane founded a short-lived experimental utopian community in 1843. The view from the hill is still beautiful today.
The Fruitlands Museum relates that:
“Fruitlands has been host to some of the most famous people in America. Thoreau walked Prospect Hill and admired its view; Ralph Waldo Emerson, a supporter of Alcott’s, visited here; and Louisa May (then 10) would relate her experiences at Fruitlands in her books Transcendental Wild Oats and Little Women.”
Whether you are on a porch or in the field, it’s still frosty in Massachusetts. Spring is due in five weeks for our creatures at Wachusett Meadow Audubon. By then, the icicles should melt off the grapevines and food should be easier to find everywhere.
My creative neighbors decorate their homes to celebrate the midwinter holiday of friendship and love. This cheers us all.
“Come Out, Come Out,
Wherever You Are!”
With months to go before I can garden outdoors, I decided to garden indoors. With twice daily rinses, my sprouts were ready in about four days. Yum!
I expected my local grocery store to feature a traditional array of roses for Valentine’s Day. I was overwhelmed by a festival of Spring flowers vying for space and attention as well. Tulips, carnations, lilies and daisies lifted my spirits on this rainy Winter day.
The amaryllis bulb grows in a musical fashion with four bold trumpet flowers forming atop a two foot stem. What an eye-catching sight as I wait for Spring gardening time to arrive!
Sound the Trumpet!
Last night’s freezing rain enhanced the colors and textures of the Zen garden.
While “Scooter” forages for breakfast below, feathered friends keep a watchful eye from above.
This was originally posted in February of 2018.
The Baldwin apple tree in my yard is an old American variety and provides large greenish-red apples every other year.
But that’s only a start. Because it is larger than most apple trees, it is also a center for shade on a hot summer day, a hide for the the birds, an elegant statuesque centerpiece for the yard, and a winter frame to view the yard from a different perspective.
Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.
These waxwings are taking a break from devouring last season’s apples. Perhaps they overate?
Homeowners in Princeton, MA strive to maximize their views from the sides of Mt. Wachusett, Central Massachusetts’ highest elevation.
In 1888, prominent members of Holden, Massachusetts donated and dedicated materials for The Gale Free Public Library, which was originally also a high school. The historical archives note that this unique building features locally quarried granite, with brown sandstone for the detailing. Black and red slate were used on the roofs.
A 1989 addition to the library integrated the old stone walls with morning rose granite, capped with a copper-colored metal roof. The new inside space achieves not only a visually stunning environment, but one which retains a sense of history while celebrating the modern world.
Cedar Waxwings display an elegant combination of brown, lemon yellow and gray feathers, accented with red wing tips and topped off with a jaunty black mask. What a treat to see on a gray New England day!
