country life
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Busy Beavers
We have recently discovered beavers on the property. Consequently, instead of researching Black Friday and Cyber Monday online sales, I’ve been browsing the Internet for information on beavers. I could be trotting over the stream and through the woods to visit the beavers myself, but I choose to feign a nap and let John lead the woodland tour. (It’s Continue reading
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Countdown to Thanksgiving
For some people the upcoming days count down to serious Christmas shopping. Others are counting the days to shotgun season. For me, multiple checklists focus me toward the annual Thanksgiving crowd at my house. With about forty guests expected, the checklists–my marching orders–keep me from total panic. I used to spend a whole weekend making Continue reading
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Where’s the @#$% ice scraper?
Trick or treat? Snow for Halloween is quirky cool. The juxtaposition of vibrant leaves with snowy groundcover is a good photo op. But, really, I’m not ready to deal with the morning exit routine. Sunday morning, I’m all ready for church, attired in appropriately autumnal colors. I’m even reasonably on time. Before dashing out the door Continue reading
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Friday Night at the Hunting Lodge
I must begin by saying that we do not run a hunting lodge, bed-and-breakfast, boarding house, retreat center, target practice range, catering service, or wedding reception venue. It just feels that way. If we really were doing all those things I would not have to limp into work everyday and deal with sleepy teenagers who are completely Continue reading
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Butternut Squash Soup
“The sun’ll come out…next Thursday.” That was the weatherman’s snide remark on the radio the other morning as my windshield wipers swished away. (And the song from the musical Annie is still stuck in my head.) By Saturday I am finally able to sit out on the café porch, surrounded by deep green leaves backlit by patches of chartreuse Continue reading
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Pets or Pests?
Why is it that a mouse in Shelley’s bedroom results in a cell-phone video of a screaming woman leaping onto the bed while begging her daddy to save her, but a hamster gone missing brings that very same woman to her hands and knees in her son’s room in a desperate search that, please God, will not end with dead Continue reading
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Monster caterpillar attacks Maywood
Last week we had enormous mutant mushrooms growing in the yard. Last night I came home to the biggest caterpillar I have ever seen in my life. I’m used to seeing bugs and critters, but this thing is creeping me out. Harper and John discovered it on a volunteer tomato plant in the yard, where it was voraciously Continue reading
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Do we have electricity?
Monday, when my post for Mondays at Maywood is due, I will either have electricity or not. I will either be dealing with lack of power, fallen trees, and water where it shouldn’t be, or I will be calmly observing that the prior week brought both an earthquake and a hurricane. So on Saturday I Continue reading
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Future Bambi-burgers
Two fawns have been hanging around Maywood recently. They still have spots. They are cute. They are young and innocent. They make you say, “Awww…..” The GGPs (Great-grandparents) have seen them napping under an arborvitae in their yard next door. The fawns hang out in front of our house and traipse across the driveway. They are so Continue reading
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Heirlooms in the garden
Just because you plant a garden doesn’t mean that you know what’s going to come up. This is especially true if you get your garden plants from someone else’s garden! Many things in my garden had their beginnings next door in the original Maywood yard. Why buy hostas, periwinkle, daylilies, daffodils, lily of the valley, or Continue reading
Slightly Off the Grid 