Our Days in Boston

We stayed with the Composer's first cousin once-removed (fancy for his dad's cousin) in a little township west of Boston. I'd never been to New England before and was unprepared for the late-winter beauty of the still-bare hardwood forests, the pristine white buildings, and the stonework.

Cousin Robert is a historic preservationist so we kind of landed on our feet there in terms of old buildings! They put us up in the Shaker house they hauled over the highway and attached to their home. Beautiful.

 Tuesday we stopped by the *really* old house Robert has been restoring for seven years (that's his job). These are the set kettles in the basement--so handy for your cheese-making.

We were nearby, so we stopped at Fruitlands, the failed Transcendental utopia perched on a barren hillside, where Bronson Alcott dragged his long-suffering family. I've never been a fan of his.

Then we went into Concord and saw every inch of Orchard House, Louisa May Alcott's family home. 80% of the furnishings were used by the Alcott family. There were Flying Geese quilts on the beds that apparently Marmee had stitched.

No pictures were allowed in the house, but this is the charming exterior (I dressed to match the front door).

That evening we came back to our hosts' home and the Composer walked over to the common. The church was open and he was invited in to play the organ! Sadly I missed it as I was cooking dinner for us all.

I couldn't get over how much history is still standing around there. Here's the stone pen for any stray animals that wandered around--they were impounded and their owners had to spring them with a fee.

We completed our Boston adventures by shopping at two choice fabric stores--Mercer Fabrics in Beacon Hill (multiple stars for its friendly proprietor and fine selection--stop in if you're around and pick up one of their totally charming calling cards with a hedgehog on it). The other was Gather Here, in Cambridge--bigger, with a few more basics, but not half the cozy charm of Mercer!

The Composer's Big Run

Whew! We all survived the Boston Marathon! It's such a large event that we actually got to see very little of it. We dropped the Composer off in Hopkinton near the start line, then drove to a village train station to ditch the car and take the train into the city's North Station. With the wonderful marathon app, we we got a notification every time the Composer passed a 5k mark. So fun!

Also, Giles had us tracking our fantasy family team--he found runners named Anna, Giles, Felix, Clara, Bella, Tia, etc. and we kept an eye on them also. Clara made very good time. 

We had time for a relaxed lunch and a walk all the way across town to the finish line. We had to go through Boston Commons, home of the ducks from Make Way for Ducklings, of course. I thought of Daisy.

By the time the Composer had sweated it out through 40k we had found our way to the finish line to watch. The crowd was five people deep, but folks were agreeable and allowed us right up to the rope to watch him come in.

Which he did with a smile on his face!! That's him below, waving in the white tee. He said he was *very* glad to stop running. It was a hot, sunny, windy day--beautiful for the spectators but hard on the racers. 

Some of us got worn out. In fact, we all fell asleep on the train home.

That Boston is hard work!!

I'm with Him

I'm up for the weekend to see this guy, ride up to Boston with him and Tia to watch the Composer run the Boston Marathon, then come back down to meet Tia's parents.

Also to eat Korean barbecue and Earl Grey fudge ice cream.

Clara Quilting Ravens

We've been making this quilt up as we go along. The black triangles are in the middle, and we just draw whatever lines we feel like to quilt around them. Air currents, weather maps--these are our inspirations.

Frederick Greets the Dawn

Frederick greeted the sun this morning

as I drank my tea.

Now They're Licensed

It's just a few weeks away! 

A Hundred Thousand Flowers

Lady Banks is blooming!

A Mess of Scraps

I got in the scrap bin like a raccoon in a trash can--digging around and throwing out everything in a mess behind me.

Egg Cups for Tea

Daisy wanted a little tea party this afternoon. It was close to dinner, so food was kept on the small side. Clara filled egg cups with alternating layers of lemon curd and whipped cream, and Daisy decorated each top with a yellow jelly bean. Like a soft-boiled egg, but not.

Ashes and Roses Log Cabin Quilt

Not to be confused with this quilt, which is different. Here I grouped the pinks and grays separately.

My  mother quilted and bound this, taking it to the next level (actually she went two levels up) by inserting welting between the quilt and binding--on both sides! On the back (above) you see the gold and red silk plaid.

On the front, she added a strip of turquoise. The woman knows her way around the scrap bin.

I'll be posting this for sale later.

Morning Comes to the Blue Room

Roger's Afternoon

Roger had quite an afternoon. When I went out to garden I heard him calling from the barn, but he often calls to us when he hears us come outside. 

Half an hour later he still hadn't quieted down, so I walked down to find him trapped under a heavy metal bar he had somehow pulled down on himself. Fortunately he was resting on hay, and undamaged. 

A long cozy nap in my lap in the shade made everything well, and then a little extra attention from the ladies made things even better . . . .

Sister at the Foot of the Bed

From October (kitten days): Sister crouching at the foot of Bella's bed, which is tucked up under the white eaves. Possibly the best.

Clara Embroiders a Waistband

Clara is making herself a summer dress from sage green dotted Swiss. She used the wrong side of the fabric for the waistband and is embroidering it in vines and flowers.

Easter 2016

I know that my Redeemer lives,

and that in the end He will stand on the earth.

Infrastructure: A List of Smaller Blessings

The big blessings are easy to name.

Today I was thinking about the ones a step down, built into the infrastructure of my small-town life.

A safe and pleasant trail to run on.

A reliable grocery store that carries quality produce, meat, and dairy.

A decent library.

Good music teachers for my children.

Office supply, art supply, and sewing supply stores.

An active 4H Club system.

Really good-tasting municipal water.

Beautiful hikes a short drive away.

A lively three-season farmer's market.

Strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, peach, and apple farms.

Great hamburgers.
Excellent thrift stores--no need to ever pay full price for anything.

Purple Tulips in the Green Room

White Tulips in the Blue Room

No Soft Dinner for Sister

I've only ever purchased soft cat food for one cat--and only had one cat diagnosed as being slightly too plump. Same cat.

No more soft dinner for Sister.

Out of Hades' Clutches: A Springtime Feast

You know we gave the Composer's parents a Christmas gift of a dinner party--they invite their friends, we provide the venue, the food, and often a little after-dinner entertainment. This weekend they cashed in their gift certificate, and we threw a springtime feast.

My mother-in-law used to teach quite a bit of Greek literature (hence the Hades--remember that he kept Persephone underground for six months each year and only let her out in spring). She also got it when I set out the silver teaspoons engraved "Helen".

I was going with a Greek thing.

This was a really, really good dinner to eat--and one of the easiest to prepare. Much can be done ahead. See below for the full menu and recipes. 

Not-So-Hard Springtime Feast:

Homemade pitas*

Baba ganoush drizzled with olive oil and served with olives and parsley*

Homemade hummus*

Green pea soup with mint and feta*

Boneless leg of lamb marinated in yogurt, coffee, and cumin*

Steamed asparagus with lemon zest

New potatoes roasted a long time in olive oil

Sliced cucumbers in homemade yogurt*

Individual Pavlovas set in cream, topped with homemade lemon curd, cream, and berries*

*Can be made ahead--or in the case of the lamb, marinated the day before and roasted for two hours. And in the case of the dessert, the components can all be made ahead and assembled last minute.

The Pretty Side

The other's side's not quite as done. But we are moving along! Four of sixteen cushions covered, too.

Re-Imagining the Compost

It was my friend Carol's idea to use a vintage ice bucket on her countertop as a compost container. Yes, please! I have several elegant ones from the thrift store, they have nice carrying handles, and the lids are easy one-hand off and on. I'm actually using this one for chicken scraps, and I don't even mind seeing it out on the counter.

A Grace Livingston Hill Reading List: Home Makeover Edition

Oh Grace Livingston Hill, you make me think I can do anything! And that's why I'm upholstering two sofas at once, while simultaneously renovating the upstairs, sewing for a wedding, and planning a dinner party. For inspiration:


Not Under the Law. Joyce finds herself out on her own and buys herself a tiny land office! It's an empty shell, but she turns it into a one-room home complete with kitchen cupboards, curtains, and a hand-made mattress for the bed.

The Honor Girl. Elsie turns the wreck of her father's house upside down with her industry. From pot roast and pumpkin pies and new floral eiderdowns on the bed,  to a new fireplace and chrysanthemums in season, she cranks up the domestic goodness.

The White Lady. Constance has lost her money and position, and decides to go into the restaurant business. Finding a decrepit mansion at a great price, she gives it new life with artistic wallpaper, potted palms, and dreamy mirrors. And the table d'hote menu sounds delicious.

April Gold. Assets lost to a bank crash, the Reeds move to a spider-infested shack in the worst part of town. But they scrub and paint and paper and build shelves and even haul the old henhouse across the yard to add on new kitchen space. And their bare yard is transformed by forsythia and daffodils.

Re-Creations. Domestic transformation begins, ends, and informs this one: when Cornelia leaves college before she can complete her degree in interior design, she finds plenty of opportunity to put her theories into practice at home. Before she knows it she's painting the dining room a soft green, designing a fireplace to be build out of fieldstone, making a marble-topped work table for the kitchen, and stenciling birds onto curtains.

Oil Painting: Daffodils

Daffodils from tonight's painting session.

Bella Studying + Redbud Branch

Song Without Words