spring break...

 As my daughter said...

"The balance has been restored!"

Both kids are free from workload of college classes as their Spring breaks lined up this week. And yes, balance indeed...4 place settings at the table, Wordle at midnight, dusting off of favorite movies, and food, food, food. They've met up with friends, stayed up, slept in, had all variety of pies on Pi Day, and in honor of Saint Patrick, we whipped up some traditional recipes and enjoyed Shamrock shakes. 

Today is a catch up day - laundry and shopping, as well as anything else that needs doing before classes begin again. Monday I'm back to the grind...there's still much take care of on my To-Do List. 

Always inspired by lovely places that Along the Way blogger Jules visits (see her blog here), I've made up my mind to do the same each week. As long as the weather cooperates, there are so many easy day-trips I could be taking to see new places...why am I not doing it?!

And so this week we visited a nearby 123-acre park - even though the skies were gray and the trees bare, there was still a beauty to it:

flowers were popping up,

  

and we found secret gardens, 

along with vignettes from the past.

There was even a perfect little farmhouse and barn

(I could easily feel right at home!)

And look at the fun weather vane!

Ahhh, March...up to her usual antics. Yes, the sun is shining, but the wind from the north is strong and icy-cold; rattling windows and sending anything outside that's not weighted down, dancing across the yard and into the surrounding fields. I'd best remember the advice I read years ago...

"March days should be lived one day at a time,
as it's likely early gardeners will meet with disappointment."

-Unknown

That's okay, I have dust bunnies to chase, papers to sort, and phone calls to make, there's no need to fret about gardening just yet. Oh yes, I'm sketching garden plans and looking at seed catalogs; if only I had a greenhouse. Sigh...

Happy weekend friends!

a catch up and the "real" me...

March...spring hasn't officially arrived, but somehow, I can tell it's coming - it's a wet, grassy smell that means the seasons are changing. Spots in the yard and fields are soggy, but still, the warming sun and brisk breezes are beginning to dry them out. I can hear cardinals and robins singing in the distance, I'm sure they're busily doing a little spring housekeeping and mending their nests. 

Fields and trees these early March days are filled with crows, but one day last week, my daughter and I were amazed to spot two Bald Eagles...honestly, what a thrill to see these majestic birds. One sitting high in a tree observing the world around him, while the other was in flight. 

However; not as thrilling was our close encounter with a large owl a couple of weeks earlier...we spotted him alongside the road as we drove by, when suddenly he took flight and flew right at us, just grazing the windshield. Either a Barred Owl or a Great Horned Owl with his tufts laid back, we can't be sure which, but what we are sure of, there's nothing quite like that experience to begin the day!

As promised, following Billie Jo's fun post over at her blog, I thought I'd share some odds & ends about me that you may find interesting...

Here goes!

I have a BA in Design, and my favorite job was being a Senior Cookbook Editor (the story is here) writing, brainstorming, layout, and yes, it included taste-testing recipes - yum! 

I am truly a homebody...taking an unknown adventure road or a day trip suits me fine, but I have no desire to "see the world."  Gladys Taber said it best: "I would be willing to go around the world, if I came back in time to light the candles and set the table for supper." 

I really enjoy gardening, both flowers and veggies. And, if you stopped by while I was gardening, you just might find me outside dancing or singing...good thing the neighbors aren't very close!

Autumn, for me, is perfect...there just seems to be a wisdom to it.

I'm smitten with my 1963 vintage camper named Maizy!

I love traditions...pumpkin carving, decorating the Christmas tree, and coloring Easter eggs

I cry easily...as you know if you've been reading about recent high school graduations; those emotions are at the surface.

I like very simple things...county fairs, a big field on the 4th of July with a picnic basket, curling up to re-read a book, family movie marathons, small towns, twinkling fireflies, barn sales, porch swings, and picket fences. 

Favorite music? give me the 1940's, I'll choose Glenn Miller any day!
Favorite color? Blue
Favorite food? spicy anything
Least Favorite food? rosemary anything

Growing up, I was convinced being a vet in the Yorkshire Dales was the calling for me. I've read and re-read the James Herriot books so many times I've lost count. However; the realities that high school chemistry and physics were not my strong areas meant it was time to shift focus.

I love old things...houses, barns, furniture, quilts, old-fashioned values, and simple ways. 

A wrap up? wife, mom, goat wrangler, chicken whisperer, farmers' market baker, renovating an 1864 farmhouse...I live in an apron. Welcome to my world!