Putting the GUSTO in August!

I woke up one morning to an email from daughter, Sara.

MOM! WHAT IS WITH THE LACK OF BLOG POSTING.
come on!! i keep waiting for an update but it never comes.... :( :(

Oops, sorry!

In way of explanation, July, 2009, was something we endured in western Maine and while there were tidbits of greatness and personal joy, mostly it was depressing and trying to blog about it in an entertaining and positive manner seemed too daunting. Our precipitation total was at least three times the normal July amount--almost every day and night had the soundtrack of raindrops and the need for sweaters. But, it wasn't a total bust--we have the greenest August grass that I have ever seen AND last weekend when we climbed Mt. Moosilauke we climbed alongside a waterfall that was breathtaking (well maybe it was the climb that took my breath--but the waterfall was full of water and just beautiful!)

We also had a bumper raspberry crop--I froze 12 quarts for future pies, baked several pies from fresh raspberries and we ate--maybe a million berries--maybe more. Enough are still coming in for my morning yogurt, but by the weekend we will start cleaning out the old canes and trimming back the new growth for winter.

The bees seem to be doing well, but as a first year beekeeper, I can't be sure. The rain has surely hindered them in their nectar gathering and I worry that they won't have enough honey to make it through the winter--or to share with us. After a few months of watching me tend the hives, my Dad couldn't resist any longer and has joined me in caring for the bees. I love sharing this with him. Mom took the picture with her telephoto lense--but I have a feeling she'll be asking for her own hat and veil before too long!

Today, our winter wealth and security was dumped into the driveway--six cords of wood. We (and when I saw we, clearly I mean Charlie) will be splitting and stacking probably right up until we need to use it.

I will try and be a better blogger, Sara, sorry to disappoint--future topics might include

• what it felt like when the quiet other daugher asked me to share a lobster risotto.
  
• what it feels like to still see youngest son out of the corner of my eye--walking up the driveway or around a corner in the hall--but, of course, he isn't there, he has left the nest and the state and the region and is not walking up the driveway or around the corner in the hall but finding his own way 600 miles from home.
• planning a trip to Europe to see the not-so-quiet peace corps daughter.

Thanks for missing my posts :-)

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy

It is glorious out today--the sun is finally shining and the weekend looks like it is going to come through for us. Now the only decision is which mountain to climb. Sewing, jigsaw puzzles, woodstove--that was so two days ago.

Rainy Days and Sundays, Mondays, Tuedays....

Please note the juxtaposition of the verdant growth of raspberry canes outside of the window and the roaring fire in the woodstove. Another rainy day in the 50's in northern New England and we have only FIVE pieces of wood left in the barn--I guess we'll have to start burning books and furniture soon. I try to recall summer, but the memory is proving elusive.

So, we do what we can.

Molly just finished a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of sunflowers and I gave into an impulse purchase and bought 8 yards of fabric at Walmart without any idea of what to do with it. But, you see, the fabric contains outlines of all of the states with their attendant flowers and birds. Ideas are welcome. So far I have come up with curtains for the bathroom and placemats but that still leaves me with about 5 yards of unplanned fabric. I'm thinking about a skirt and matching handbag--is it really tacky to wear a skirt that matches your bathroom curtains and your placemats?

Yesterday, Molly and I decided to brave the weather and head off onto the trails in order to climb Mt. Willey and check another 4000 footer off the list. Our original plan was to hike to a mountain called Bondcliff--that one is an 18 mile hike and so we needed to get going really early in the morning in order to get out of the woods by dark. When I woke Molly up at 5, she suggested that perhaps another shorter hike that would allow her a few hours more sleep would be a better idea. I was happy that she gave me an excuse to change our plans, hiking to Bondcliff in questionable weather with high water at the river crossings was probably not a great idea. So, Mt. Willey it was.

Mt. Willey is the southernmost peak in a range of three 4000 footers at the eastern edge of the Pemigewassset Wilderness in New Hampshire's White Mountains. The day was rainy and the rocks were slippery and wet but there is no place that I would have preferred to be.

Is there summer out there somewhere?

Oh, it just won't stop raining.

It truly does not feel like the last week of June around here and while temperatures in the 60's suit me just fine, I need to see the sun!!!

And so do my bees.

The bees are doing well, building comb and filling it with honey and when they are able to fly out of their hives they have a smorgasbord of nectar awaiting them but they need a stretch of sunny days.

Other than the bees, I have two other summer projects and both require dry weather.

Project #1
In 2005, I began hiking the mountains above 4000 feet in New England with the hope of finishing the 67 mountains by my 50th birthday in 2009. Well, this is it and so far 23 days into June, I have not added a single one to my total. Last year was not a big year for climbing accomplishment either as we had rainy weekend after rainy weekend. I consider myself a fair weather hiker and a viewbagger more than a peakbagger--translation: I don't like to hike in bad weather.

In Maine, I still have 6 of the 14 to climb including two in Baxter State Park. One of the Baxter mountains is called North Brother--I got within 2/10 of a mile of the summit of North Brother last summer but turned back in the rain and slippery conditions--gotta try again.

In New Hampshire, I still have 7 of the 48 to climb. Two of those mountains can be combined into one hike, so with six hiking days I should be able to finish up those.

In Vermont, I still have three of the five which I can do in two hiking days and hope to accomplish my goal at the summit of Mt. Mansfield on my birthday in September IF it ever stops raining and I can get out on the trails.

Project #2
The beaver lodge and dam that I watched last fall, seems to be abandoned. If we get a dry stretch and the water level goes down in the pond, I want to try accessing the lodge with a flashlight and camera in a ziplock bag--that adventure will definitely be bloggable! So far my mother, my daughter and my husband are adamantly against this idea. Molly at least agreed to stand on the bank with a cell phone ready to all 911 to report her mother attacked by rabid beavers but so far my husband and my mother have not signed on even for that duty. My father, thinks it's a great idea although his idea is to take the top off while I insist on accessing it through their underwater tunnel even if I have to enlarge it a bit. I don't want to make it too hard for them to come back and make it their home again.

Some sunny days, please?

Another rainy weekend

I don't know how much rain we have had over the last month but my luscious vegetable garden has not needed supplemental water at all this summer and our grass is growing so fast you can almost hear it.

We had hoped to get a 4000 footer hike in today before the rain, but instead decided on a short hike up Sabattus Mountain in Lovell, Maine.

The hike was less than a mile to a nice summit with views of the storm approaching quickly from the west. As we were retreating from the top, something caught my eye and I crouched to the ground with shouts of "Charlie! Quick, the camera!" I'm not sure what kind of snake it was and I've looked at enough images on the internet in the last 15 minutes to give me nightmares for a week. So, if anyone knows the brand, please comment.

After our hike, we headed into New Hampshire and down to Lake Ossipee and Camp Calumet where Charlie was to perform a concert under the big top tent.

As the folks were arriving and the concert was about to begin, thunder started to roll and so we all moved into the conference center. He did a great job as always with his familiar songs, stories and sing alongs.

Altogether another nice Saturday that I didn't have to spend watering the garden.

Spreading Memories on Toast

It was a gold star weekend in New Hampshire that included hiking, music, friends, relaxation, fireworks, campfires and good food.

We always have a good time at Camp Calumet. There have been many summers since 1995 that Charlie has worked there. Two years ago he was newly back from New Zealand and working there when I sent him an e-mail that said "the definition of insanity is doing the same the over again and expecting a different result." Then I told my secretary that I was going to the grocery store, got in my car, drove past the grocery store and on to Calumet (I remember nothing about that two hour drive). I parked my car and started walking around, ready to bolt at any moment until I ran into some friends of his who escorted me to where he was........ a few weeks later we were married.

On the way home yesterday, I stopped and picked strawberries in the fields below White Horse Ledge and Cathedral Ledge where Archie learned to climb.

Then while Charlie watched the Red Sox and the Yankees into the wee hours of the morning, I made strawberry jam. Now, we can spread memories of this weekend on english muffins all winter.