Living and gardening in an older Hudson Valley home
A fluffy snow arrived last night. The snow fell in thick clusters of flakes. The temperature was quite chilly. The result is trees and bushes with what appears to be a generous dusting of powder sugar coating everything. It reminds me of childhood and the wonder of waking up to a snow covered yard, hoping […]
What a difference a year makes. While sitting in church on Christmas Eve this year I recalled my experience the year before, in 2019. Then I had waited outside St. Thomas’ church, on 5th avenue in New York City, for over an hour in the cold – just to ensure I would have a place […]
We all wallow in the past. This year, 2020 is the consummate year to look backwards. The COVID pandemic has made us long for the past and wary of our unknown future. No where is this more evident than in the anxiety everyone has about Thanksgiving this year. Thanksgiving is a nostalgic laden American tradition […]
My home has a ladies dressing room between the master bedroom and the bathroom. It has a built in vanity, full length mirror, ironing board, storage drawers, shelves and hanging spaces. All the original cabinetry remains intact and I assume the square, clear, plastic handles are also original. It serves little purpose for me, as […]
The Great British Baking Show is one of my favorite shows on television. Not only is it fun to watch, but it is also even more fun to try to replicate some of the things they make. The format is perfect, a Signature challenge – picked by the contestant, a technical challenge – picked by […]
Mention Autumn gardening and everyone thinks of raking and gathering leaves. Without a doubt falling leaves generate the most work in my yard. Instead of thinking of the onerous task of picking up millions of leaves, for me Autumn conjures up days of collecting seeds. It is through the harvest of seeds in the Fall […]
The passage of time can be marked in many ways. Minutes, hours, days, weeks, years all measure our passage of time. Certain activities and events mark time and we pause, even for a moment to reflect on a particular time. In the kitchen is a small broom closet. Over the years this closet has been […]
There is almost nothing better than nurturing plants and watching them grow. It is exciting to see a burst of growth mid-summer or a plant covered in blossoms. However, the thrill of eating what you have planted is perhaps, to me, the greatest satisfaction. Our vegetable garden fence is covered in lovely purple and pink […]
When the remnants of hurricane Isaias blew through New York on August 4, 2020, it made an unwelcome stop in Newburgh. One of the old willows, in a part of the woodland garden that will remain wild, broke in half and came tumbling down. Fortunately, the tree fell in a convenient place to just leave […]
Summertime and the livin is easy! – the enduring classic by Ella Fitzgerald resonates at my home. Work projects are less intense as the heat of the day encourages me to stop early and enjoy the pool in the afternoon or stroll around the yard to observe summer blooms and new growth. Here are a […]
