Early Spring In a New Hampshire Bog

 

 I just returned from an impromptu visit to our daughter's in New Hampshire. I was able to spend an entire week, blending into her daily routine and sprinkling some fun activities in as well.

The weather forecast called for warmer temperatures and it turned out I did not pack enough warm clothing. Although it was fifty to sixty degrees in New Hampshire, it is different than fifty to sixty degrees in Virginia. Somehow it just feels different. I certainly was not expecting to see snow on the ground! It was just in the shady patches but I was still surprised. So I lived mostly in the same outfit every day consisting of a layering of a long sleeved tee, a cozy warm sweatshirt, and a borrowed down vest. 

One morning, we took a lovely walk around Kezar Lake and I fell in love with every New England home we walked past. We have stayed at the Follansbee Inn which is situated on the shore of Kezar Lake. It is a beautiful old inn and they serve spectacular breakfasts! As we finished up our three mile walk around the lake and were returning to our parked car, we saw a truck parked at the side of the lake. Two men were getting ready to send five hundred young trout down a chute and into the lake. We walked over to watch them and one of the men took up a net full of trout so that my grandson and I could touch the wriggling fish. They were so pretty in their rainbow colored scales glinting in greens and purples. 

Witches Broom

Pitcher plants grow among a carpet of cranberry plants.

Another day, we visited the Philbrick-Cricenti Bog. It is an enormous bog with a planked walking trail looping through it. I learned that a bog is a mat of growth floating on top of water. The mat is interconnected and if you jiggle the board that you are standing on, the plants several yards away will wiggle too. The surface is covered in cranberry plants, evergreens, and pitcher plants galore. It is very deep and one would not want to fall into the bog. 

The weather turned damp and rainy toward week's end so we took a one hour drive over to the Vermont Country Store. It was fun to wander from one room to the next and browse all the old fashioned products, pretty clothing, and lovely housewares. Eliot particularly liked the toy section and the colorful candies. The store attendant encouraged him to try out the toys on display and he did not need any coaxing. There were no crowds and we were able to take our time. We came away with a Vermont woven tablecloth for Chelsea, a game and dinosaur chopsticks for the three boys, and some dryer balls for me. We lunched at the little snack bar attached to the store and felt ready for the hour drive back home. We happened to pass an old building with a sign that read, "Frank's Bargain Fabric". With curiosity peaked, we stopped in and found an enormous store crammed with aisles and aisles of sewing and crafts of all sorts. Fabrics, patterns, embroidery, buttons, zippers, knitting, candle making, stencils, and on and on. There was one very odd caveat. Everything in that space was from the 1980's and 1990's. Everything was new and unused, but it was old. It felt as though we had entered a time warp. I found a dress pattern that I had sewn back in 1986. I bought it again because I recall it being a very nice summer dress and the style would still work today. Chelsea bought a package of countrified duck decoy stickers. I have no idea why she wanted those. All in all, we spent four dollars. 

When it was finally time for me to return home, it was hard to leave everyone behind. I decided to make the drive home all in one day rather than stopping overnight as I had done on the way up. I took a different route in hopes of saving a little time. It still took me twelve hours to drive home and my eyes were weary by the time I got home. I will always wish my daughter and her family lived closer. But they live in a beautiful area of the country and I am always happy to visit there.

 

I-81, Real Talent, Something New

1. Arriving at the hotel after a long day's drive, it feels good to be off the road and finally relax. 

2. A forty-eight year old episode of the Lawrence Welk show is on the TV. I never had much interest in the show but my parents sure did. It reminds me of home, my mom's singing, and the innocence of childhood. I am alone in a New York hotel room and feeling sentimental. Thanks Mr. Welk.

3. Well...I stopped to stretch my legs and I bought a new outfit.

Chair with a View, Appalachian Spring, Asparagus Time!

 

1. This is the view out the window from my sewing chair. The crab apple tree is a delight. Friends wonder how I get so much stitching done. It is because of the location of the chair. ; )

 2. The mountains are really beautiful in the Appalachian spring, especially on a rainy day. Redbuds and new green leaves line the way up the winding road. Pockets of mist settle in the hollows and everything feels gentle and still.

3. The asparagus is up in the garden!

 

Ninety-One Years Wise, Braids, Up Do's and Red Hair, What Could It Be?

 1. My wise, elderly friend and I sat across from one another at her dining table. We sipped mugs of tea and I asked her questions about life. I asked her how does a mother endure the helplessness of seeing her child suffer? My heart needed to know. She closed her eyes and remembered her own pain. Rocking forward in her chair, she opened her eyes, raised her arms up and said with emotion, "We hold up their arms for them when they can't hold them up on their own." 

2. I am waiting in my car in a parking lot. Shortly after noon, small groups of people dressed all in black begin strolling out of, "Paul Mitchell, The School". They all have trendy hair in various cuts, colors, and styles. I think to myself, here comes our future hair stylists!

3. Steve and I take a walk up our road. "Something smells sweet!", I say. We look around and cannot find the source.

!960's Next to the Garage, Manual Labor, Wild Ride

1. Lilacs don't seem to thrive in the south and I feel bad that I ask mine to stay. I grow it because this one scraggly bush produces puny clusters of blooms for one week of the year. When I inhale their magical scent I am transported to my aunt's yard in New York where a row of gorgeous lilacs bloomed every May. We would pluck the tiny purple flowers and suck the nectar from their ends. We cut bouquets of lilacs to give our school teachers every spring, and bouquets would fill the kitchen with their heady aroma.  I adore the scent of lilacs and I appreciate the fortitude of my unhappy bush to survive the heat. 

2. Another day of trimming trees and shrubs, trenching a diameter under each, and spreading mulch. The work feels good and the tidiness is both appealing and rewarding.

3. Life is pulling us along in a strong current for which we have little control. After feeling dropped by a wave and picked by up on the next crest, my first inclination is to look up to God and ask, "What are you doing!?"I am still waiting for the answer.

Perks of a Window, Favorite Breakfast, Look Up

1. There is so much to see outside the windows that it is hard to walk by without pausing for a moment. I see flowering crab apple, beautiful cloud formations, fresh dirt in the vegetable beds, and fresh mulch on the perennial beds. Some of it is nature's handiwork and some of it, our own. 

 2. One of the daughters has spent the night. We have fresh biscuits and coffee for breakfast. 

3. Experiencing difficult and stressful life events is not a good thing at all. It does not belong in these lists. But the deep search for meaning and the longing for hope in the midst of pain propels us forward. We come together in our pain and give one another hope.

Who ARE You?, My Love, Fresh Writing Utensil

1. Wind, thunder, heat, chill, wind, rain, sleet, sun and clouds; Spring, you are such a drama queen.

2. My morning cup of coffee. I like it more than something should be liked and I am not sorry for admitting that. Actually, I may love it.

3. I have two pencils with fresh erasers that I sharpened in the electric pencil sharpener. The sharp tip of the pencil improves my hand writing, even if it is only adding and subtracting numbers.