quiet, a lavender sky and days with mum.

the sky has turned so dark that you would think it is closer to the evening than midday. the wind has picked up and the pieces of paper that casually sit on the table have blown to the ground. it is monday, monday is were i seek quietness to reset. my mum has been visiting and perhaps i have been too quiet for her liking, thank goodness for her love of books, i think she is on her fourth in just a week. our days have been one of early morning drives and late dinners. her craving meat and i sharing raw dishes making her forget her craving ( i hope) all the while picking what has been growing from the garden and stopping by farmers markets filling baskets.

looking up from my computer just now, i can see a real storm is coming. the next few days i will be getting the house, garden and animals ready as i take a quick trip to new york ( more on that at another time). i am nervous as usual to leave things behind, my mum will be at the helm. I think it is time to get the iphone i was gifted by mr. taylor activated. last night i welcomed the evening with a full heart after a wonderful day, this morning the fear that i will get trampled by the amount of work that needs to be done is swirling in my mind.  of course it will get it done, i am motivated by last minute pressure something that does not seem too good on the heart.

I  have been listening to Glen Hansard  rhythm and repose and even when away from his voice and walking in the fields through a stunning array of wild flowers his words replay in my mind like poetry
that i have learned to recite. Oh dear friends i recognize me in his written pieces and when that happens with any type of art, music, paintings, photographs it is as if i have walked into a film recounting the memories of my life and at the same time showing me scenes from what is yet to come.

a bouquet (*update)

it is still raining here and every once and a while the thunder is felt underneath my feet. we are safe, the animals are safe, the plants and the trees too. I am lucky and i know it. rumours have it that this was some sort of media hype but some people have lost their lives, their homes, their belongings. sometimes i am sadden that people to do not believe in the collective thought, the power of a group of people hoping, praying for the best positive outcome, perhaps that is what has happened, the worst has not found us and that is because we thought  it away.

k sits  on the chaise watching a movie, i check on animals, pick up around the house and find a recipe to try from a the beautiful Mediterranean cook book filled with incredible photographs that was gifted to us by Kevin's co worker jim  this weekend, what a wonderful and kind surprise, thank you jim. we arrived at the tail end of the farmers market in williamstown yesterday, vendors had packed up, but k found the the flower vendor loading his truck and bought the most beautiful bouquet of zinnias to brighten things up if we were to loose power.  i thought even as the rain falls outside how i can not help wanting summer to stay just a little longer.

hope you my dear readers are safe.

( i know it more might be coming in regards to the weather)

UPDATE* it is only when driving into boston at three am this monday morning did i learn of the destruction that has taken place  here in vermont, my town bennington and neighbouring towns such wilmington, troy  and brattelboro. Last night after i posted this post, the wind came and the rain poured but we did not loose power except for the quickest minute. we are fine and we know how lucky we are. i am very sad, if  i am to be truly honest -every time npr spoke about what was happening in vermont my eyes filled up with tears. this is a beautiful state and to know that the covered bridge i stood on and posted about just a  few weeks ago along with two others are no longer standing makes my heart ache. i am thinking of all of you and with all my heart hoping you are well.

little drives with maman

the last few days my mum and i have visited small towns, most of the time in search fro the best farmers market or farm stand. we went to brattelboro trying to find a good mocha, that failed but we walked around spotted an outdoor lounge chair in beautiful floral, my mum wanted to buy it for me, oh what was i thinking when i said no. then on our way home, off a dirt road we discovered a self serve farm stand, we bought dandelion marmalade, greens and farm eggs because the day before i managed to drop two dozen eggs on the floor, my poor chickens if they knew. Yesterday we headed to cambridge, greenwich and saratoga ny, it was a pleasant day that ended at a giant farmers market where i purchased, sprouts, sunflower greens, currants, bread and more. the funny thing is with all that we bought we forgot to eat anything all day except what we had had for breakfast.

Tomorrow i bring my mum back to montreal and pick up the kids, having the kids makes my summer, i usually spend one night in montreal going to the jazz fest, eating my favorite foods but i must come right back for we are having guest, corine and her family will be coming, we have never met in person!

i have had a great time with my mum, she is l o v e l y, i think she is discovering that her daughter is slowly lacking in social skills, dresses badly nowadays, has aged and makes stress nervous.

evening and morning walk.

the weekend was a great balance of things, hard work k. and i created another pasture and trimmed all along the houses, we had great afternoon snack of fresh strawberries, cheeses and hibiscus ice tea with a man who came to cut some of the fields, he told us a bit more of the history of this place which i soaked up. later on, early evening we went for a walk, looking at what had been cut, the wild flowers that are emerging and the birds. then we got dressed up, my mother came down the stairs looking so beautiful and graceful i could have worn a paper bag no one would have noticed me, then we headed into williams town for an incredible indian meal, walked along the town spotted some famous people who were in town for a play and spotted two great Pyrenees. the  night ended on the porch watching the fireflies flicker all around us as my mum said they were like mirrors to the stars.

this morning we went for a walk at the tropical conservatory and as we entered this is what we read

listen

It is easy to overlook the sounds that are all around you.  depending on the time of day, the season of the year, and the weather, there are many things you may hear.  birds like the red-winged blackbird and the black-capped chickadee are common singers in the marshlands.  on the summer and fall, insects like the cricket create an incessant buzz.  raindrops can patter on leaves.  sometimes in the winter, the only   sound is the creaking of the trees as they sway and rub against each other.

new england tropical conservatory

i am so greatful that k stayed home today, he has only been home a handful of days since we moved  and to see him enjoy it here as well as mum makes me very happy

the mind and fog

it rained from  early morning to late into the evening and still today it rains. the fog is character, a living thing here on the hill, always coming and going. sometimes i wish i could make a coat to wear from the fog, perhaps then i would be in the clouds for certain. the last few days maybe do to the books i am reading or the films i have watched, my mind, thoughts and heart have travelled back to a time where each day had four seasons, heartbreak, love, passion and fear. I have been telling myself while being told, do not live in the past it is what is ahead that is important, yes i suppose. i get caught up in beautiful pictures and words  so often that i become afraid i will mix the present with the past, that someone will surely think i have lost it, that my mind has failed. sometimes i think that too, i think that my mind is giving up on me for it knows i live through my heart always.

*pictures were taken after eight in the evening, in the rain & fog. the before last image just happened ( well they all just happen )but i like it, so i included it. my mother in the photographs.

the quiet moments

the farm has a glow to it. the picture above is of my mum, elle and dylan looking out of the kitchen window down a temporary kids pool we put out for the ducks. we spend a lot of time looking out our kitchen window something peaceful about watching all our feather friends go on with their business, it very soothing. when i look  at all the pictures above i reminded of the little moments that make living a quiet simple life on a farm  beautiful.

* my camera is broken, but using anyways( hence bad pictures)

* we are starting a book club 

browsing

these picures are from our trip to new york city and also ri, and connecticut. Oh the matcha shop was a pop up in soho, so simple and beautiful  not to mention delicious. my mum and i dreaming of a vintage car for our next autumn trip how cool would that be!

four & twenty blackbirds and maman

my time with my maman was just so wonderful. she was glowing the whole time. we spent a few days in brooklyn the weather was hot and the days flew by. I was spoiled by my mum in every way. right on the corner of our gorgeous apartment in park slope was a month old cafe that has become peoples favourite and that is where we started our mornings-'four and twenty blackbirds" i loved everything about the place and found inspiration for our hopefully soon new addition to our house.

I would like to post some of our time in brooklyn, boston, montreal in this week. I cannot do any of that if i do not say the following.

maman you are so inspirational to me. you are the love in my life. today i received an email from you that was by far the most beautiful, kind and gracious-those things are visible in everything you do. I know how lucky i am for spending time with you, for being able to say i came from you and that i am your daughter. I learn so much about how to live a kind life. hearing you share your stories with deb brought me to tears and i found myself wishing i had started to ask questions about your life sooner. I will count the days till our autumn getaway. all my love.

post revisited ; old montreal april 22, 2008

dearest friends i know things must have gotten really boring around here. so much going on right now and that has not allowed me to venture out too much. besides how many cows shots can one reader take! so because the next few weeks will be crazy i have decided to post some of la porte rouge post from way back when i had a life (off the farm). I will see you soon, where we are going is the most amazing place-still on a farm but this one will be extra special, it comes with the use of a cabin in the woods, a beach house, the owners will build us an addition of my design to the existing house to make is feel like our very own(how great are they) but the best part of it all is their will be more animals to love, people to share ideas with and the the opportunity to travel. my first destination will be a real visit back home for a few days as soon as i can to walk the cobblestone streets while eating a baguette and enjoying the company of the ones i love the most. for the now lets travel back!

maman

my dearest mom,

today it is your birthday. how i wish you where here at the farm having toast, jam and espresso at the kitchen table with me. words are swirling in my head as i try to find the right ones to express my gratitude for all that you have done for me through out my life. you make my life richer in every way, you help me see through the dark, shade my eyes from to much sun, you help me move forward when i am stuck and help me slow down when i move to fast. most of all you teach me how to love and to be loved. i love you mom. happy birthday and i can not wait to have you home for the holidays.!

* i thought you might like these pictures, it was a magical moment.