maywood living
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Bees alive as glaciers recede at Maywood
It’s sunny and positively balmy with temps in the 50’s as we trudge through the snow to get to the bees. Some parts of the yard still measure six inches of snow. This snow is not uniformly melting so much as it is receding, like a slow moving glacier. Or, to think more positively towards Continue reading
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Pioneer Chronicles or More Reasons Why I Don’t Do Camping
Never underestimate a snow storm. I should know this by now. Twenty years at Maywood. We survived the Winter of 1994 when the stream froze and the ground was white with snow and/or ice from Christmas until the first day of spring. We sledded groceries down to the house…when we could get out to get groceries. Continue reading
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Bee-ing hopeful in the dead of winter
The bees are still alive! I saw them yesterday. Today a boatload of snow is falling… to be followed by frigid temperatures and a sub-zero wind chill. Already, with hours of snow yet to fall, gusts of wind whip clouds of snow off the roof and swirl it around the yard. The bees and sensible Continue reading
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Frozen Fog
Frozen fog? I’ve listened to a lot of weather reports over the years, but this morning’s was a first. Frozen fog was causing accidents all over Carroll County. The pre-caffeinated brain has trouble conceptualizing this. How can fog freeze? Isn’t that oxymoronic? Isn’t fog water suspended in the air? If it freezes, wouldn’t that make Continue reading
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In the bee’s midwinter
In the bee’s midwinter frosty winds made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone. Snow was falling, snow on snow, snow on snow In the bee’s midwinter not so long ago. Ok, so I changed a couple of words. Winter has hit hard with the New Year. Six inches of fresh snow blanket Continue reading
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Are you ready?
It is the dreaded count-down-to-Christmas question. It is the opener for probably every conversation during December…especially among women. On Friday, this question launched a teaching colleague into a rant on how much cooking she had to do for the holidays and how she was never going to find time to do it. Then everyone else in Continue reading
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Christmas Trauma
I don’t know whether my youngest daughter had the most traumatic childhood ever or whether she’s just the best at guilting me over it. For years, she has been giving me grief for not buying a Baby’s First Ornament for her the year she was born. Her oldest sister has a lovely Hallmark ornament from her Continue reading
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T-Day and counting
It’s late November and I don’t want to hear any talk about Christmas music. There is one tune in my head this weekend before Thanksgiving. Dun dun da da dun, dun dun dun dun…. That’s right, cue the Rocky theme. Pull up the computer file of lists, lists, and more lists. Light the Autumn Harvest scented candles Continue reading
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Pioneers in the woods…or is it wood?
This week we hosted a Pioneer Day at Maywood for the new international students at school. The ESL history teacher had shown the students Colonial House and told them that I lived like that…sort of. Well, ok, yeah, I live like that except that I have indoor plumbing, electricity, 2 zoned heat and AC, high speed Continue reading
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Musings while medicated…
It’s been over a week since I traded in my last original hip for a new sleeker model. Not that anyone but an airport security officer can tell. I don’t think I weigh any less. I’m still wearing the same size pants. However, for those who have observed my gimpy gait since I got the Continue reading
Slightly Off the Grid 