I know, awful title. But fitting after a birthday weekend in beautiful, coastal Camden with the King-o-Puns, my Handsome Chef Boyfriend. That happened weekend before last, a birthday gift HCB planned and handed to me with the admonition to put away my wallet. We had to move heaven and earth to make our little jaunt … Continue reading Travel Log: Maine Attractions
Food
Living Small, Living Well: (Almost) Two Years of Handsome Chef Boyfriend
When Handsome Chef Boyfriend and I had our first delicate conversations in September of 2012, I told him that chefs are artists of the highest order of magnitude, to my way of thinking. I meant that. The two of us have so much fun with food--talking about it, finding, creating and playing with it, and … Continue reading Living Small, Living Well: (Almost) Two Years of Handsome Chef Boyfriend
Clear Brook Farm, 180 Degrees
We are spoiled in Vermont during the summer growing season with an abundance of gorgeous produce to be had in local Saturday farmers' markets and elsewhere. (I am okay with being spoiled, or spoilt as a Southern friend likes to say; the flip side of that is Vermont winter.) I have observed before that the … Continue reading Clear Brook Farm, 180 Degrees
Wednesday Morning
When I was a little girl my dad had a way of putting a positive spin on things during a challenging week. "It's Wednesday--Hump Day!" he would quip. "Friday will be here before you know it!" This rainy Vermont Wednesday morning the air outside is clean scrubbed. Inside a little of the the maple-cinnamon oatmeal … Continue reading Wednesday Morning
Saturday in Quechee Gorge: Photo Essay
If you hang out long enough near the swimming hole at the bottom of Vermont's breathtaking Quechee Gorge you will hear various languages spoken among the tourists. Yeah, it's a bit tourist trap-y, but it's an incredible geologic phenomenon; people come from all over (obviously) to see it. Which makes it all the more amazing … Continue reading Saturday in Quechee Gorge: Photo Essay
Charge Complete, Okay to Disconnect
"The main question is, Are you actually gonna cook in this amazing kitchen?' The answer came in turn as a question: "Do you want to eat?" I had put this to Handsome Chef Boyfriend a few nights ago during one of our twice-daily phone chats, referring to the beautiful house where I have been dog- … Continue reading Charge Complete, Okay to Disconnect
Houston, we have a problem.
Last weekend Handsome Chef Boyfriend and I had our first springtime work session in the "secret" terraced gardens on the property I call home at the moment. During a cool, misty afternoon we raked and shoveled and pulled weeds and prepared a bed in anticipation of putting my started-from-seed-inside veggies in the ground. I don't … Continue reading Houston, we have a problem.
Secret Garden Part I
Handsome Chef Boyfriend and I squeezed much into our Saturday as we are wont to do; it is really our only day together every week, so to quote Eloise, You can imagine.... In the late afternoon we pushed up our sleeves and got to work clearing and preparing beds in the terraced gardens on the beautiful … Continue reading Secret Garden Part I
Rye Bread on Saturday: a Brief Photo Essay
People who bake beautiful bread are superheroes in my estimation. I've always wanted to do that--bake bread. I asked my Handsome Chef Boyfriend a long time ago to teach me. He said, bread baking requires the "p" word: patience. Too bad for me. I am one of the least patient people I know. It is … Continue reading Rye Bread on Saturday: a Brief Photo Essay
Gracie’s Tomatoes
My great-grandmother lived 'til I was into my thirties; notably, for all but the last couple of months of her life, she was pretty dang lucid, too. Had she survived another year she'd have met her great-great-grandson. But, to quote a friend, she still won. Gracie. She lived in a tiny, vernacular cottage perched at … Continue reading Gracie’s Tomatoes
Sycamore Stories 