The Changing of the Seasons

Without question we have moved into the early fall around here.  Mornings are foggy after nights of the coolest air we have had since last spring, and the days warm up from the sun only to cool down again by late afternoon.  The trees are turning – yes, they really are.  There is a different feel and smell to the air, could it be the wood smoke as friends and neighbors build fires in the early evening to take the chill off their cottages?  We have done so.  In a couple of weeks we will be back in South Carolina and probably dreaming about the cool nights and clear air that we have left behind.  I remember going back to school in the fall and wearing my new school clothes and being fine as we walked to school in the morning but being way too hot by the time we walked home in the afternoon.  Schools are open once again in many parts of the country and up here in Canada.  It is a slow migration from the cottages to dorm life for those in colleges and universities.  The public school buses have been practicing their routes and will begin transportation in earnest in a couple of days.  Summer is over – until that last gasp on Labor Day.  Then it is back to routine and reality.  Having been in schools my entire life either as student, parent, faculty wife, administration and now retired, I can’t help but be a little wistful as this transition happens.  Grandson is a Junior in high school and granddaughter is a middle schooler in seventh grade.  Slow Down!  The time is passing way too fast.  Hope all have a great year.

A Little Travel for August

We made a quick trip to New Hampshire, just an overnight for some maintenance appointments.  I love that expression.  John needed a haircut and he has a barber he likes in New London, I needed a manicure and pedicure, so a great excuse to go there for a visit and stay with our daughter Katie.  It gave me an opportunity to do her walk while John was at his appointment.  It was wonderful.  Katie lives half way up Mt. Kearsarge with spectacular views of the mountains and valleys around New London, New Hampshire.  You can see for miles and miles in a 180 degree view.  This means that to do a walk of any kind you must either go up the mountain or down the mountain which means you will ultimately go up the mountain again if you intend to walk back to where you started from.  Her walk is five miles and is a circle.  Down for the first part of it, relatively flat for the middle and then straight up the mountain road to get home again.  Most of it was pretty good but there is a stretch that gave me pause and I mean real pause.  I stopped twice on that stretch to catch my breath but I made it.  Even Wyke was dragging by the time we got to the top. Luckily it was a perfect day with a good breeze so we didn’t get too hot.

Puppies and Mud

This coming week, Wyke will turn a year old.  He is definitely looking less puppy like and more doglike now.  He is lean and trim and certainly loves his opportunities to run free in the woods and discover as much mud as possible.  Thank goodness for the lake at the end of the hike to get him clean.  We had a wonderful run with Millie, and a great hike through the woods and also on the western hills.  I’m not at my 100 miles yet, slower start to the month, but am up to almost 90 miles with a few days to go in August.  There is a good chance Wyke and I will make it.  He has definitely made it because for every mile I walk I am pretty sure he runs two.  We have had some truly beautiful walks this week, the one in New Hampshire and then a couple up here in Canada.  The air is so clear and the colors are so crisp.  Mostly it is the golden hue of August that captures my attention right now.  The maples won’t really begin to turn until later in September.  I am relishing the hikes with my buddy and I know he loves to go with me too.

Update on Immy.  She is hanging in there.  She had a very good week this past week and appears to be content to sleep a lot and to lie in the sun and to just be with us.  She still follows us around for treats but she doesn’t seem to be interested in playing but she certainly observes her crazy sister who runs around chasing anything and everything.  She has made it more than six weeks.  We still do not know much about what to expect and whether or not this is unusual or just par for the course with F.I.P.  We feel lucky to have had these weeks with her and hope that it continues.

Best Small World Story – The Red Fleece

John’s mother’s cousin is here from California for her first visit to North Hatley and to Quebec.  We drove to Burlington, Vermont to pick her up.  We arrived a little early for our lunch meeting so decided to take in the open market that was in the park.  While wandering near the vegetable stand a young man approached me and asked me what my connection was to Wabun as I was wearing my Wabun fleece.  I told him that my daughter had been a staff member there for fifteen years and that both my grandchildren were campers.  He said that Dick Lewis, the owner of the camp, had been his Head of School when he was in Middle School.  I knew right away that he was talking about Breck School in Minneapolis where daughter Margot had taught for ten years in the Middle School.   I asked him if he knew Margot Moses.  His reply was that she had been his eighth grade teacher.  My jaw dropped.  Then he introduced me to his wife and baby and we kept talking.  His wife had gone to Connecticut College and it turns out knows the son and daughter of my dear friends who live in West Hartford, Wendy and Tom Lincoln.  His wife grew up with their son’s wife and both families had baby boys within three weeks of each other.  I have never had a small world story that had so many connections as this one did.  Remember, this camp in in Northern Ontario hundreds of miles away from anything and look at what happened just because of a red fleece.

Discovered a New Food

I ordered something for lunch in Burlington that I had never heard of before and still am not sure what it is.  Peach & Heirloom Tomato Burrata Salad and here is the description: Maple Brook Burrata served with Mixed Greens tossed with Sliced Peaches, Heirloom Tomatoes, Mint & Red Onion tossed with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Served on Basil Quinoa Pilaf.  So, I know what most of the items are but what is a Burrata.  I didn’t know what it was when I saw it.  I thought at first it was a VERY large poached egg.  Nope.  It is a cheese thing.  The outside is the consistency of a mozzarella cheese and the inside is really soft and creamy.  To be honest, it didn’t have much taste but it did complement the peaches and the tomatoes.  Probably won’t order it again but it did look pretty.  I was glad I was brave and ordered something that I had never had before.

Check out the Perfect Crockpot Beans from Blue Zones recipe and have a wonderful week.

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