Day dreaming

Our weather in New England has been pretty nasty for the past 10 days.Nothing like the mid-west but, enough to keep us in the kitchen by a warm oven or bundled up on the couch with our knitting. 

It doen't take much to give me cabin fever and my husband and I took a little drive on the back roads of our neighborhood to see how everyone else was managing.

About 15 miles from our home we saw these horses out for the afternoon just enjoying the day.I think this one was happy to see someone drop by.

I guess we interrupted lunch and this fellow had no intention of being social. He never did raise so much as an eyebrow to see who was watching him.Someday I plan on taking a few lessons and and enjoy the thrill of being up on one of these mighty steeds. Maybe this will be the year?

Looks like my grand daughter is dreaming the same thing. I can hear her now saying "Jayne ......when you grow up ,I'm going to ride you into the wind"
                           Can't wait to see that..................said the hobbit

In the greenhouse

Ok Here I am back to tell you more of my trip to a local rose garden.In case you forgot I was visiting FULLER GARDENS , A Victorian garden created by Mr Fuller for his wife at their summer home.After walking through a gorgeous rose garden the path led me to a tropical conservatory filled with succulents.

I have to tell you ........If I was to make a list of my favorite plants,these would be a little low on the list. They often look like they came from another planet............don't you think? 

This particular plant was the Aconium Arborium

Their tentacle like stems reached about 4 to 5 feet into the air.Although they had flowers crowning them ,it was so high up that I could not see them to appreciate their glory.

I know , this garden  was constructed  for everyone not just me and  I needed to explore  every nook and cranny.It was rather humid in the greenhouse and I walk  briskly, so sure I wouldn't see anything that would stop me in my tracks.

Then I saw this little jewel.......never say never. It looked like delicate little aqua bubble bursting from  tiny corn like pebbles.Although everything to this point had be labeled, I was unable to find any information on this plant.

Leaving the conservatory I spotted this one flower heading toward the door.

It probably wanted to jump into this fountain which faced the exit. Temperature were 90+ that day so I think all living things were looking for a little relief.

Walking a few more feet was this tempting water pool. Why is it that people can't see standing water without throwing in their pocket change? Am I missing something here? No one was around and my husband and I seriously thought about dipping our toes in this refreshing oasis.But , so much more to see......we decided to move on. I hope to get back and tell you the rest of the story.......soon, really,...........said the hobbit.

What's in my area?

This year hubby and I thought it would be a good idea to visit a few places close to home. We always hop in the car ,ride for about 2 hours, struggle to find a wonderful place that we have read about , and sometimes get there a little too late to enjoy it. Ask my children............sometimes Hubby would say "Who wants to go for a ride?" And they would run for the hills. Children have left the nest now,but, hubby still likes to get in that car and ride.......First on our places to visit wasFuller Gardens This is a turn of the century garden created by  a loving husband for his dear wife Olivia.

 It's a little more formal then I would have in my backyard but, still so much that we ooh'd and aah'd about. Hubby feel in love with this tree. He could see himself sitting in an Adirondack chair and taking a little siesta

Turns our it was a magnolia tree.Now he's on the lookout at our local nurseries in hopes of finding the perfect one.

 Every bush was a different rose. I had never seen so many in one place.

 Some had already passed there bloom but, many were picture perfect.

All were marked with their names.Something I should do in my garden. Seems I can't remember from year to year what I planted.Have more to show you. ...........maybe tomorrow............said the hobbit

Here in New England

Summertime is just filled with things to see and do in New England. We try to squeeze everything into 10 short weeks of summer. This year is no exception,so much to see and do and so little time. Of course I can't start summer without a visit to the sheep and wool festival. Ours was in late May. I know this is July,but, I'm having a little trouble keeping up

Here are some of the sights I saw. This is a bunny!! Can you believe it? He just sits on his owners lap while she spins his hair. My husband thought this was a great idea. He actually said he wanted to have bunnies like this and learn how to spin. What could be better this winter than having a fuzzy bunny sitting in your lap to help keep you warm. As much as I'd love to take him up on his offer to be a spinner, it's not going to happen. I have visions of furry bunnies running around the house waiting to have their fur spun and my husband saying"I did it last week....isn't it your turn?"

Then we saw the llamas. They were dressed as tv character for a parade. I think this was suppose to be Lucille Ball. Not sure,but, Jiggy fell in love with them too.

How about this guy. Now that's some kind of sheep. I do believe he was in for a cut and trim.

Once we decided that one of the animals was not going to come home with us, I bought a skein of lace yarn and am working on a lightweight shawl that would be just enough for those chilly restaurants or maybe that wedding coming up in September. Did you know that a skein of lace yarn has 1000 yards? At least this one did. I wound it all by hand and thought it would never end.................said the hobbit

Summer in Bloom

Summer came yesterday. I was absolutely smitten and couldn't wait to get out there. Hubby couldn't wait to get on the road and drive, drive and have a nice lunch.

So off we went to do a little shopping and eating. I spotted a local woodworker who was selling wood cubes. I had visions of my porch having these dressed up as tables/eating areas and I quickly ordered 2. I don't have them yet but, I'll keep you posted as to the actual turnout. Then it was off to the Maine Coast and one of Jiggy's favorite restaurants.

THE MAINE DINER ......I quite enjoy this restaurant but, as with all diners the portions are more than I can eat. Jiggs had his favorite SHE CRAB SOUP while I sipped on an ice tea.Then we shared an appetizer of fried seafood and a side order of potato salad. When the appetizer came I thought she was bringing us someone's seafood platter. Really it was that big.We took our time eating and had just enough room for a huge (of course) strawberry shortcake. Now I'm really stuffed and it's time to move on to a farmers market. Hubby is really trying but market to him is

TRADER JOE"S That's ok I know by now what he really needs is a cart to help him walk and I don't make a fuss when we drive right by 2 fresh and local markets. No carts at the eat local and he still has a hard time with uneven ground. The new knee still needs to be babied. Don't tell him I know. We bought all the treats that he loves and can not buy "locally" Dried fruit for his granola pistachios for watching baseball and Canadian cheddar and crackers to root for his beloved Bruin hockey

Meanwhile I'm dreaming of the porch and how I would like it to look. Last year I went to a Quilt Shop in Cornish Maine and this was her porch.

Not perfect but, so welcoming. I thought it was time to dress up our porch and as taking inspiration from hers.

A closer look show a grouping of totally unnecessary items but in just the right colors to make for good eye appeal and fun conversation. My favorite thing was her Nasturtiums.

I immediately went home last year and tried to duplicate these. Starter plants were all gone so I planted seeds in a pot much smaller then hers. Of course I had blooms for about 2 weeks before a frost came. Her pot was a huge cobalt blue about 24 in across at the top. I checked these out at the garden shop and it's a little pricey for me. Besides you can't even see the pot or the crumbled pieces that the UPS man had just made when he hit the pot while backing up. So today is not sunny and gorgeous. A perfect day to work outside,however, the lawn has gotten out of hand and not only does it need to be cut,it also needs to be raked. Really it's that high! Luckily I've learnt to take one day at a time so maybe tomorrow I'll be in the garden.....................said the hobbit

Road trip with the girls

Well, we finally did it!My 2 daughters and I have tried to plan an all girl get-together for a while now and two weeks ago we finally pulled it off.

Boston is only an hour and half away but, the traffic can be intimidating ,not to mention the ridiculous parking fees. Our plan was to avoid all that by driving to Sarah's ,parking at her apartment and taking public transportation in. Here she is planning our strategy to ride the bus to the famous Sully Square Station.

While she was concentrating on that,sister Renee discovered her stash of fabric and was intent on taking a few samples to go. I wonder if she managed to tuck a square or two away?

After catching the bus, we rode the Orange line into town. Renee was in entertainment mode and immediately started hamming it up for the camera,which set the mood for lots of laughs and giggles. A most difficult decision was "Where do we go?What do we see?"Boston has so much to offer and we have so many varied interest that this was a major decision.

It was decided we should go to a yarn shop on Newbury street,which is the Rodeo drive of Boston. The shop is small,but,filled with hand dyed yarns of high quality.

Mmm looks like Sarah knew what she wanted. A chunky hand dyed yarn requiring #15 knitting needles. But, that was only the beginning of the day. I'll be back to tell you the rest of the story.............................said the hobbit

My crafty people

I forgot to tell you about our road trip to Web's!!! What was I thinking?

Eight of us headed down to North Hampton Mass.for a day of yarn shopping and lunch.Not pictured here is Sarah I have no idea were she is ,since we asked some total stranger to take this photo. We had already completed our shopping and were taking a well deserved sit-down.

Betty and the" sock queen "provided us with the transportation and we changed places at the rest stops so we could have a conversation with everyone. It was a 21/2 hour trip so we had lots to say.

Michelle the" fancy stitching teckkie" found this stitch and bitch pin and bought one for everyone to make the day memorable.What a sweetie.

Then Webs gave us each a little packet as a" thank you for coming" prezzie.Each bag contained Jolly Roger hard candy ,measuring tape,delicate laundry sample and a new pin to add to my collection.


MMM, this was LUNCH. One of my favorite meals Mussels with pasta.I can never resist this when I see it on the menu,but,that day it was the special.Whenever I go to a restaurant I always order the special because I feel this is where their strenght is on that day. How about you ?Do you go with the special?Repeatedly order the same thing?Are you one of these people who avoid the special because you think they are trying to get rid of something that has been lurking in the fridge a tad too long?

Sadly I have to say goodbye to one of my stitch and bitchers.This is Just Jen. She lost her husband to cancer a few years ago and was in this area re-educating herself in her chosen field.Her classes are completed and now she is moving back to N.Y. We have all exchanged mailing address' and hope to keep in touch,but,the ritual of seeing her come thru the door and saying "It's just Jen" has come to an end.We hope her future will be bright. On that note I have to mention that we have a cyber stitch and bitcher I hope to tell you all about her next time we meet. Her name is Margaret....................said the hobbit

"Happy Happy Joy Joy"

Yes, it's that time of the year for me again. I'm as they say one year older and wiser.

Did you notice the candle is a little askew? I guess that gives you a little insight into my personality. Yea,I'm just a little off center.This was the grand finale to an excellent meal at Petit Robert Bistro .This was a peach cake topped with a homemade raspberry sorbet.Very yummy!
It all started with an unusual drink called Mon Petit Miel (my little honey)and although it sounds like it would be something sweet, it contains grapefruit juice putting it more in the refreshing and thirst quenching category.This was all part daughter Sarah's planned day for me,and when we are together we are always open to having something we have never tried before.If you think you'd like to try this honey and lavender rimmed drink she has posted the recipe here .

This was our oh sooo french waiter who had the ability to smile like that at all times.We originally ordered the macarons for dessert and we had to laugh when he reported to us that they didn't look very pretty today and perhaps we should order something else? OK!!

A tasty bluefish with a healthy serving of mashed potatoes and vegetables gave us all the energy we needed to make it to our next stop. It's a good thing we had to walk a few blocks to get the blood flowing again.

The grande finale.A well spent evening with the Boston Ballet where we saw 3 of George Balanchine's works, all different styles yet all having his distinctive signature on them. Of course you know "no photos allowed "so the best I could do was to take a photo of a billboard outside "The Opera House".

After an adventurous return on the MBTA's Orange Line(there's always a story on the orange line)I arrived home exhausted ,but,excited to have made so many new memory cells.
Life is good.......................said the hobbit

Taking a ride

This past weekend we had the whole family over for the day .We had such a great time I forgot to take pictures.So I'll just have to tell you about a day trip Jiggsy and I took.You know him hubby/cooking student.Golf season is almost upon us so I don't think we'll be having too many cooking lessons till Nov.I don't golf so before he disappears for the next few months he tries to get in some together time.A few weeks ago,in mid-March,we took a ride to the beach. We are fortunate enough to be about 30 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean and 45 minutes from N.H. White Mountains.An awful wind storm had sparked a fire at the beach.

It burned a whole block to the ground.I couldn't get a better picture than this because when Jiggsy said we would take a ride to the beach he didn't think I actually wanted to stop.HELLO!!He's funny that way.

When I finally said "dear,I can't focus on the waves unless you stop" He said "Not a problem,your wish is my command" REALLY? The water was so calm that the seagulls were sunbathing out on the waves.Can you see them? Just beyond the surf?

So many places to stop and take a deep breath from the everyday hustle and bustle. I always wonder why I don't go more often.

The summer house has to be opened ,but,it'll have to wait till another time. Just kidding,but,this is someones summer place just not mine. I'll be back soon I've got a few new projects to show you........................said the hobbit

Nothing could be finer

There's nothing better than hanging with my girls at Tuesday night Stitch & Bitch.There is always lots to talk about and we never run out of ideas to discuss. Our follow through needs a little work but, we are making an effort to improve on that. Soon we are taking a road trip to Webb's.I have never been there,it's a factory with yarn and yarn and more yarn. We are going on April 17 however if I talk about it now I can believe it will happen. If you have made the trip before let me know what you thought, if not, than I'll have lots to tell you when it happens.

I might have mentioned this before,but,if you sew,my friend Cynthia

makes the best seam rippers going. The handle is long,like a pen would be. No stubby little
plastic vial to try to hang on to. I have given these as gifts and after using them the recipient always comments on how great it feels in your hand. Cynthia recently moved from the West coast to the East coast to help her parents deal with illness. She feels like a fish out of water here sometimes but we keep telling her she did the right thing. So head on over to her web-page ,check out her hand crafts and just say hi.

This little scarf is something I've been working on. Isn't it a cutie?Of course I'm thinking it needs an old fashioned button on the cross tie.This pattern is VERY simple and I would encourage my beginners to give this a whirl.

Of course if it isn't quite right you can always use it as a ROSIE THE RIVETER bandanna.Thanks Michelle,your a sport........................said the hobbit

A little more of N.Y.city

Here we are back in the big city.I'm trying to catch up to all that has happened these past few weeks and it really has been quite the whirlwind.Everyday I have 3 or 4 things I want to tell you however there just doesn't seem to be enough time.As I mentioned before we stayed at the Hyatt next door to Grand Central Station.If you like to shop,you could spend the day at the station and not see everything there. I chose one shop to explore completely and will save the rest for future trips. I obviously plan on going to the city for at least another 100 times or so.

This trip I chose Pylones This is an adorable shop with things just a little quirky.You know we all have those friends who appreciate a purchased gift with it's own special panache.One of my gardening friends will surely like these trimming clippers and I doubt if they will ever misplace them when they lay them down in the grass.They kind of reminded me of the movie Beetlejuice.

Then I spotted this roly -poly sugar dispenser.Some of his squares are clear so you can see the sugar .His head is the cap and the spout is his crown.I couldn't resist.I'm sure he'll make a great gift for someone.Hmm let's see who will it be? The Hobbit is sworn to secrecy.Although a really good eclair can make her spill all.Don't tell her you heard it from me.After going through all the goodies I had to go to Sullivan street in the village. There I went to my favorite shop ,Purl Soho.

They actually have 2 shops .One is for fabric and the other is for yarns.They are 2 doors apart but, on the same street.When I first knew I would be in the city I had hoped to attend a class with Betz White the author of Sewing Green.Due to Hubby being a little slow with the details of our trip I was unable to register.While perusing the fabrics I lamenting my misfortune and told the salesclerk how sorry I was to have missed out on meeting her.You guessed it, I was telling my tale of woe to none other then the author herself.We had a good laugh about it and I soon discovered that she will be in N.H. for a class this summer.All is well in my world.I couldn't resist purchasing a few yards of fabric.Red and white is my favorite so that will be for me and the children's print will make something special for Isabella ,who is 6 months old. I hope to get something done up for those summer strolls on the beach. Well that will have to do for today. It was Mothers Day and I hope you all had a great one. I know I did.I have 4 children and every one of them called or saw me today.What more could I ask for............said the Hobbit