Snow Day in Amherst Mass.

Finally we have snow! I think this may be the largest snow fall we have had in some years.... looking at at least 20" in my driveway. We took a couple hour stroll through town, stopping at the Freshside for lunch. Quiet, peaceful and absolutely beautiful! A sampling of the 100+ pictures I took include: our house (Sweetside), Emily Dickinson's statue (her house is in our neighborhood), me standing in front of a huge snow pile in town that appeared over night, the beautiful Congregational church across the street from us, our snow covered deck, view from our living room bay window (a maple), snowy bench and info center on the town common, our puppy, Mia, on Main St, view headed into town from our house and a couple of pics of the Snow Alien in my garden (aka, the spot light that illuminates the large wreath on the side of the house).

Work for Free?

I don't know about you but I am one of those people who puts so many hours into my "job" that my hourly rate (if I dared to stop to figure it) would be less than I made as a babysitter back in the 70's. I am also a sucker for doing things for free (or at least I was, when I still had at least 1 hour available to me each day). I'm not knocking doing things for free.... indeed, I think it's an essential part of being in the human family but, sometimes I need to stop and think more carefully about when and how. Anyway, I think that is why I love this Should You Work For Free chart by Jessica Hische so much.

Until next year......

Taking down the Christmas tree is always bitter sweet... sweet because it is a time to recall all the memories, from this past Christmas as well as the decades of Christmases that have gone before. Many of our ornaments have been with me for years, like the little blue snowman that I received when I was in kindergarten in the early 60's (yes, I am really that old!). Quite a few were acquired when our children were young, though many of "their" ornaments have followed them to their homes now that they are both married and have their own trees to decorate. Some of the ornaments here have joined us since we moved to this house, 4 years ago. The "bitter" part comes because I am putting them away for yet another 11 months or so. There are a couple of my birds that I leave out year round but most of these sweet little memory prompts are now packed away, with dozens of Christmas balls and other decorations - safely tucked into the attic until some time after Thanksgiving 2011. Goodbye little treasures, until next year.

Skating at Puffer's Pond

Though it was very windy and cold, we had to get to the clear ice at Puffer's Pond before the snow arrived Sunday eve. So, Sunday afternoon found some of us up at Puffer's with the pups. Pictured here is my daughter Jess, jetfuellines.wordpress.com
and DinL Lauren, with my pup Mia and Lauren and Aaron's pup, Poppy. Both puppies are from A Place to Bark, www.aplacetobark.blogspot.com in Tennessee. Two of our family's four sweet rescues from the awesome artist - Bernie Berlin.

Christmas 2010

We celebrated a wonderful Christmas here at Sweetside with a dozen family and friends - Baird and I had pumpkin waffles in the morning before the kids and their spouses arrived at noon and we exchanged gifts. About 3PM the kids' in-laws and families arrived a for dinner, desert, a game of "name that tune" with Baird as DJ (game won by Ben) and a walk through Amherst College. No snow on 12/25 but by 12/27....the ground was white.

Open House New York!

This past weekend I was able to go to NYC for my fourth Open House New York (OHNY) event. The kickoff weekend event was a reception at the penthouse of the Centurion....not in my budget but gorgeous.

My weekend included 2 walking tours- Battery Park City and NYU/Greenwich Village, as well as a talk atop a theater roof, about their living roof (garden) in the East Village and another talk by KleinReid ceramics.

Walking around the city always results in my camera being full of images that grab my attention, from the couple strolling along in their wedding attire to the new construction at the World Trade Center site and the Belgian block streets in the mews at Washington Square.




There's just so much to enjoy in every direction.


Before hopping on the train back home, I checked out the indoor carnival at the Armory on Park Avenue. Filled with little ones and their parents, it was a venue packed with excitement and joy.

Of course any weekend in NYC means great food and this was no exception. Add to that the perfect Fall weather and it was a weekend not soon to be surpassed.

The Chairs en situ

We were back in Lynn today and I got a shot of the chairs en situ. A and L's new place is looking lovely.