a lot of someones.....

rain came followed by warm weather and now the snow has gone. it is later into the night i am sitting by the fire. i had not planned to post and even now i am searching for words.  perhaps i can mention the two coyotes that have been spending their days here, one is a beautiful red almost like a fox, the other has grey spots and half a tale without fur. i started looking at them through binoculars but now they are so close  to the house that just today i had to scare them. can i confide in you, i have watched them so much that i feel as if they are part of the farm- which is not good for a place with chickens and ducks. i wonder how to shut it off the thing in my heart that falls in love with all things, the one that wants to take care of them. these last few days my heart and mind has been on other things, things i just can't get use to. no matter how many times i tell myself to get over it, i just do not understand how i have been chosen not to be a mother. ( i know heavy right?) so sorry i will get over it or used to it one day. i just needed to tell  someone a lot of someones.....

.... and the trees that glisten in the sun

saturday early morning after gathering a few of my favourite pieces from my wardrobe and putting them in my back pack. after attempting to put makeup on for my maman " you really do need to start taking care of yourself", tinted moisturizer that ended up in my eye, causing me a silly amount of pain- i am so bad at these things. i put my boots on and headed to my rental car, i was going  home to montreal for  much needed city and family time. my car never made up the hill, a light dusting of snow was enough to paralyse this fancy rental. i had said  no to the  massive truck they wanted to give me. the cars tires slid, snow still fell and after a good two hours i gave up. my weekend came crashing in and my spirits where low, very low. all of Saturday i pretty much stayed the same. 

This morning i woke to the brightest sun, ran down the stairs as if i had known magic was at the door. i put my boots on and with sophie by my side i went outside. I fed and did chores, the sun barely out highlighted the glistening trees, millions of snowflakes turned into diamonds overnight. trees felt as if they had turned to glass. i had not planned on it but found myself walking, walking and walking. the cold hit my cheeks with a welcomed freshness. i walked and explored the animal tracks that were left behind, i watched birds eat the remaining sumac and looked out at  leftover golden rod dancing under the sun's glistening rays.  everything is right again,  nature and the farm suit me more than makeup ever did. i came back to find k. gathering eggs and sipping from his favourite mug from yellowstone, he too was looking out towards the hills.

i love it here and the silent of winter speaks to me with the most beautiful sound.

winter through tinted glass

winter fell upon me suddenly as i drove to retrieve my love from another state. the snow fell and everything seemed quiet out there as if the volume of the outdoors had been shut off. inside the car

Bon Iver played taking turns with people struggles from foreign lands on npr and other times my own thoughts drowned out the noise from my mediocre speakers. my hands went from tight fists to relaxed lady like movements, my camera sat in the passenger seat  and she saw what i was seeing, winter through a tinted windshield.

Our home Featured on Stephmodo!

Dearest Friends, the lovely Stephanie from Stephmodo wrote about and featured my home on her blog. if you have never before visited Stephanie's blog you  are in for a real treat!.  Stephanie is the owner of the stunning  La Maisonnette  a five hundred year old stone cottage  her and her husband renovated. i was  lucky to have stayed in when i was in Dordogne, France last year and happy to say will be staying there again this fall! so please have a look! 

1.16.2012

REAL LIFE HOME NO.14 - A CONVERTED BARN IN VERMONT

What would you give to call this lane your driveway?  And how would your life change if you enjoyed this beautiful expanse each day of your life?  A view that some say is the best view in Vermont as it covers four mountain ranges in four different states.  I, for one, cannot imagine such a thing as I can see hundreds of homes from my living room window.  Perhaps that is what makes this "real life home" so precious to me.  That, and the lovely woman who calls this converted barn in Vermont, home sweet home. 

whenever it falls, it is marvelous

while driving into boston from vermont an unexpected snow storm took over roads,  my journey took three times longer at one point i should have stopped i know. Oh it was so beautiful, thick wet white snow fell upon branches and stretched out fences. i could not help but to snap a few pictures while i drove, i know a terrible habit that i justified with "well if anything  was to happen my camera would be left with pretty photographs. for most of the ones above i managed to roll down the window but please forgive the wet specks on each one.  i love  the snow when it falls like this, i did wish i was walking instead, for dear friends i could have showered you with what i saw that afternoon, pure winter wonderland. even though my hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel and i questioned my rational while driving passed many cars that found themselves in a ditch, i knew that what i was seeing was winter at it's best- pure.

* today is my sister nancy's birthday i don' remember how old she is except to say she is much, much younger, uurrr!:)  Happy birthday dear, crazy dedicated sister. may your dreams of cuba and foreign land, tiny waist line  be only the beginning of what is wonderful to come your way.

snow, maybe

this morning when i raised myself from my bed i looked out the window, after an incredibly windy night a thin layer of snow had fallen barely covering the grass. Living here on the hill, knowing that last year's 'snow broke many records, i was beginning to wonder if last years snow accidentally stole this years fall. once i knew all the animals were well fed, i grabbed my camera, knowing that the warm temperature would soon take the very little we have. i walked a short distance into the forest when it began to rain. i took a few shots here and there but then i got distracted by green moss on tree trunks and from there i started noticing all the different texture of every tree, everyone wearing it's own distinctive design.  i came in to post photographs and when i looked out a few minutes ago  a full blown snow storm was on it's way which makes me very happy ( tiny nervous when you live alone in place so secluded from anyone else) but mostly excited to know that there is chance that by this afternoon i could dust of my snow shoes, take my camera and just maybe capture some real winter photographs. 

so now i will leave you with my view as i sit here at the dining table; there is the tiniest of snowflakes falling by the millions, big thick clouds feel as is they can replace the ceiling of my house and yours, somewhere in between layers of white cotton like clouds there is the sun who seems to be promising a visit. wait has the snow stopped, no not exactly. the snow flakes  are bigger now and you feel as if you might be able to count them, you stare at the basket holding your snow shoes and say maybe another time. the sun makes it through the sky's cotton fields.  you pick up madame bovary and curl up on the chaise with your feet tucked under a folded blanket and open up where you left of determined to get lost in it's pages, determined to make it to the back cover today, at least that is what you promise yourself.

thanks to tj of humble origins for giving me this link i can make snow flakes all day! - you should try it!

* new header taken in my old studio with my red piano( i  miss it)

Save The Date: A Food Styling & Photography Workshop In France

   We had such a wonderful time and it was such a great success, that Aran, Stephanie and myself are so excited to announce that we will be doing another workshop in France! 

                         This is a hands-on workshop where we will learn about Aran Goyoaga of 

                         Cannelle & Vanille philosophy on food styling and composition, how to tell a story

                         through props, the basics of photography, and understanding and manipulating light, 

                         all in the beautiful  surroundings of the Perigord region of France. There will be visits to

                         local farmers’ markets, gardens, and the beautiful walnut groves the region is known for.

                         It will be 3 days of cooking, tasting, styling, photographing, and visual storytelling.

                       The workshop will take place from September 23-27, 2012, and be limited to just 8 people.

                            The workshop includes 4 days of cooking, styling and photographing food in a
                             beautiful manoir nestled up against a stone cliff overlooking a lazy river. The cost
                             is $2,240/person (for a shared room) and $2,740/person (private room) and
                             covers 4 nights accommodations in a luxurious bed and breakfast, 4 gourmet
                             breakfasts, 4 lunches, 1 dinner, transportation during workshop hours, 3 days of full
                             instruction, and 1 day of sightseeing in the area.

                             We are happy to announce that registration will be open on Thursday, January
                             26th at 1 p.m. EST (10am PST). This is how registration will take place:

                            1. Right at 1:00 p.m. EST a post will go live indicating an email address where you'll
                            need to send your intent to register. Please make sure you are online at this time if
                            you are interested in attending this workshop as we are operating on a first-come-
                            first-serve basis.

                            2. Once you hear back from us via email, you will be required to sign a liability form
                            and return it to us via fax, email, etc.

                            3. Once payment is made and requested forms are signed, your spot will be secure.
                            At this time you'll receive an email from us confirming the good news. If you are not
                            able to secure your spot at this time, we will be sure to add your contact information
                            to a waiting list.

                            4. A detailed itinerary will be issued to the 8 participants via email within 48 hours
                            of registration.

                            Please know that our last workshop sold out in the first 10 minutes of opening
                            registration, so if you are interested, please make sure to send us an email as quickly
                            as possible. 

                            You are welcome to view images from last year's workshop here, here and here. 

                         * the food photographs are by Aran Goyoaga

thin layer of envy

 

a  light dusting of snow fell yesterday. as i sat sipping tea and staring out at gentle flakes

i started to think about my last post, more precisely your comments- thank you for them of course

but there was something that worried me, you see if i was going to be totally honest i would tell you that the last few month while visiting certain blogs a seed of envy or jealousy or comparison started forming, never did these things happen to me before. I would not want anyone to feel that way visiting my blog. i feel as if i do a good job and balancing the good and bad here on the blog. my last post made it seem as i got out of the gate of 2012 with a bang and that is not true, in fact i think for the first time ever in my life i wore my pjs for a whole day ( it is true k. the whole day) a slow start you see. yes of course some good things are coming and some good things i will work had in making happen but my life is far from total bliss but full of bliss just the same. yesterday after spending most of the day on the computer talking about the upcoming announcement( that is not all mine) i went outside to feed the horses, as i poured grain into their buckets, my feet in muck boots that for three years i could not afford but needed and finally gifted to me by my mother,  i stood on a thin layer of snow under the starry night sky singing to splash while he gave me big kisses, i felt like the luckiest girl in the world- it is these tiny moments that make everything sound like bliss here on la porte rouge. you see it is the accumulation of small moments but pure ones that make my life what it is.

these are the things that i need to hold unto while being a spectator to all the big things that are happening to others.

the horse outside my window and other things

Dearest, dearest friends we made it through another year! I want to begin to wish you all a happy new year may it be filled with  rediculous amounts of happiness!

although christmas day was not my best day what followed was great. my parents, elle and dylan arrived on the twenty seventh and spent time with us through new years day. we watched movies, my dad made pita bread  and bagels from scratch,  something i had always wanted to do. we danced in our living room till we were exhausted and we did  that often, we ate a big amount of sweets( my mums date and wlanut stuffed shortbread cookies are to die for), went to the movies and took a nice long walk. we celebrated christmas on new years day with afeast and cheered in  new years with comedy and presents! vermont had no snow, and none still but we sure have had some serious cold days and some fall like weather- strange!

i have made a list of what i expect of 2012 and the list is big. i will share it with you as i go along crossing them off my list. i just found out that a special blogger and friend will be visiting the hill with her family for the first time excited. my home will be featured over at anothers.  things are happening that is for sure, even an announcement next week might get you packing your bags!

so i will leave you now with pictures of what the last few days have looked like,  i have been quieting my mind to see clearly my  path ahead, al thought today  has been full of tiny loud disasters not excluding my computer making a crazy siren noise_ perhaps it is begging me to give her a break:)

thank you for being here- 2012  BIG!!

* if you hit the last picture to enlarge of bullet and gentillese they were playing cat an mouse- too funny