Winter 2024

How quickly the seasons pass.  This year I was so consumed by all things Holiday that I missed posting about it!  Despite all that, winter is officially hear and I’m pretty happy about that.  Winter is that time of year of guilt free indulging in rest and relaxation.  The cold winds blow hard outside and the snow piles up around the house, but inside we are surrounded by a warm hearth, comfort food and projects.  A time to savor being inside without the need to tend to anything outdoors such as gardens!  Use this time to recharge yourself.  Spring is inevitable, but there can be none without the time of solace.  “To every thing there is a season….”

Autumn 2023

Simple dried hydrangeas from the garden combined with cattails and white pumpkins come together to create this welcoming fall vignette for my tabletop.

There was a soft knocking at my back door.  I knew who it was, she’d been lurking, dropping hints and calling cards of tinged leaves and cool mornings.  I opened the door and in she wafted with the unmistakable scent of moist earth and mushrooms.  And then she settled in with her lovely gifts of pumpkins and gourds too decorate and cozy up all the corners of my home.  Welcome Autumn.  

For many, autumn is their favorite season.  There is something so appealing about a warm hearth, heartier meals, cooler days and of course the glorious colors of the turning deciduous trees.  It’s hard to resist.  It’s the season of apple and pumpkin – everything.  The season of our quiet retreat preparing for winter and all that it entails.  Enjoy the transition and be certain to check out my favorite autumn recipes such as stuffed acorn squash and delicious roasted chicken.  Autumn is here, may yours be perfectly beautiful!

Summer 2023

Welcome summertime! The weather is warm and ready for us to move our activities outdoors. For me that means gardening – in all it’s forms, tending to the flower beds and planting the kitchen potager. It means, al fresco meals out on the veranda and evenings by the outdoor fireplace. Summer days and evenings are so full by nature, primarily because of the extended daylight hours which we all like to take full advantage of.  Summer also means, fresh foods as roadside vegetable stands start to pop up. The abundance of fresh produce alone is conducive to so many wonderful recipes and what can beat a warm tomato plucked right from the garden? So many of my very favorite recipes are listed in my “From the Kitchen” section, be sure to look them up! Whatever your favorite summertime activities are, and where ever your summer travels may bring you, I hope you remember to set aside time to savor some of the simple joys of this season. Watch fireflies at night, smell the air after a summer storm, enjoy the plethera of early morning birdsong, walk barefoot through dewy grass or pick bouquets of wildflowers. These are just some of the things that belong to summertime and she is ready and willing to share all of this goodness.  Enjoy all the moments!

Spring 2023

It’s currently mid March as I enter this blog post, as of yesterday, a Nor’easter came through and left us with several feet of snow.  So to write the phrase “spring” feels a little out of sorts to say the least.  Despite all that, while spring is certainly well underway in other parts of the country, we in the northeast will be patient. Our turn will come, even if that means we will have to wait at least another full month.  That’s ok, we are used to it. As I always say, we may have long winters, but that’s why we own the book, so to speak, on the most glorious autumns!  The other day we ‘sprung ahead’ with the clocks, making evident the change in seasons with the longer afternoon sunlight that shines once again strongly into my kitchen. Filling it with a fresh glow and brightness only associated with this time of year. So for now, I’m just enjoying the beautiful give and take as the seasons struggle to give up one for the other. With all that said, I am decorating my home with fresh touches. Tulips like the ones above and fresh spring blooms brighten the corners of my home. I also start to put together the spring to-do list of chores that will need attention once the snow retreats. And naturally, I am thinking of the potager and what I’d like to plant other than the mainstay of tomatoes and fresh herbs.  Spring will come in it’s good old time and when it does, I’ll be ready to say hello but at the same time I’ll be wistfully waving goodbye to a winter of memories and beauty.  Enjoy all the moments my friends.

Holiday Season 2022

Perhaps I’m a little behind on this post, as for me, the holiday season really includes my favorite of all – Thanksgiving.  I believe that starting a season off with gratitude and a celebration of simple gathering is the best way to grasp that special spirit that embodies this time of year.  Our tree always goes up the day after Thanksgiving. A tradition we started so many years ago. Its such a fun weekend, since all my children are home and the house is bustling with activity.  Traditions are the root of the festivities at our home, starting with decorating the gingerbread houses, trimming the tree, making my annual pot of turkey soup, playing Christmas music, etc. The list goes on and my family wouldn’t have it any other way! There will be more, of course, as the month progresses and we creep closer to the big day.  Each year these days move along quicker and quicker. Gone is that childlike feeling of time being at a crawl. With so much to enjoy and accomplish we can get a little lost in that bustle. My advice to you is to try to savor all the moments, even the mundane. Each one becomes a moment in time that adds up with all the others to create that vision in our memories of another holiday that could slip by all too quickly.  My wishes to you for peace and the feeling of love and kinship all through this glorious season.

Autumn 2022

Find these beautiful table linens @AprilCornell

Once again the seasons change. This time bringing that slight chill to the air and a hint of tinged leaves.  Within a few short weeks we will be experiencing autumn in all it’s glory. The scent in the air has that unmistakable earthiness that only comes at this time of year and I feel that urge to start cooking long simmered dishes and baking apple pies. Autumn is truly the season for cozy feels and taking full advantage of all the outdoor activities we can before we finally retreat indoors driven by colder temperatures and shortened days.  And as the trees give up their final leaves to flit gently to the ground we will welcome the feast of Thanksgiving and be once again, grateful for family and friends. I wish you all a most beautiful autumn season. 

July 2022

July – the quintessential essence of summer. The days are long and warm, the gardens are growing voraciously and vacation days are officially well underway. What is there to say about July that doesn’t evoke even the slightest of summer nostalgia. Catching fireflies, swinging hammocks, al fresco meals and just soaking up being outdoors more than any other time of year. July is that month we like to hold onto for as long as we can to savor all the goodness this time of year has to offer. We just recently finished jarring strawberries for the sweet memories they will bring during the bleak winter months. We had our annual Fourth of July BBQ featuring all the tried and true American classics – all recipes on the blog of course and are anticipating harvesting the first of our tomato crop. On another note, I have decided to make a minor change to the blog. I am no longer going to do monthly intro’s. As much as I love posting about the beauty each month brings into our lives, I have decided to simplify my life a bit as well and therefore going forward, I am going to post an intro for each season. And of course, there is always much to say about each one, especially when they are all so distinct here in the Northeast. As usual, check out my Amazon shop The Hive Shop, for products curated by myself and often have in my own home. See the link in the side bar. Have a fabulous July and summer, get out there and soak in the joy! Happy summer my friends.

June 2022

The view from the kitchen potager

June. The month of graduations, weddings, and other milestone marking festivities. Here in the northeast, the gardens are planted and new hopes along with them for a bountiful crop. Summer is officially underway and we are all eager to enjoy warm weather and outdoor activities. Personally, my favorite is al fresco dining. What else can beat eating outside while a soft breeze wafts through the surrounding flowers, soft flickering candles and that lazy, maybe I’ll have another glass of rose’ feeling? Others enjoy gathering around the firepit while the last vestiges of the day disappear into a lovely sunset and the fireflies flit about. June is definately magical and I’m ready for it.  Welcome June and welcome summer!

April 2022

As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. I’m hoping that this will be the case for us here in the Northeast. April weather can be fickle and an occasional snowstorm is far from unusual.  Despite that, there is no denying the longer sunlight as each day brings us closer to warmer days and budding flowers. The earth is once again waking up and filling our world with color, and birdsong is starting to become a louder chorus as more and more migratory birds return to stake their claim to the best nesting site! This month I will add a few new recipes that I’ve tried and loved. I’ve been experimenting with Sourdough Starter as well.  I’m still in the process, so we will see how it turns out.  Hopefully,  soon I can get into the kitchen potager to turn the soil and prepare the beds for May planting – fingers crossed! There’s plenty to do on the household projects list, so I’d better get busy. Have a most beautiful month and enjoy the re-birth!

March 2022

It seems as if I just posted my February intro and here we are welcoming March already! As much as many are a little winter weary and ready for spring, I stick true to my mantra, that all seasons are wonderful and rushing through one to get to the other only hastens our moments, our days and our lives. It’s true we have had a very cold winter so far, and for us in the Northeast, there’s still a bit to go, however it’s the subtle changes in nature that bring me joy.  The days are lengthening, mornings are brighter and I’ve seen and heard more song birds. This subtle change is remarkable to witness. Just the way, once again, the sun as it changes it’s position in the sky, fills my kitchen with it’s bright afternoon light. I am feeling the need for growing things so I’ve been bringing some potted flowers such as hellobores and cyclamen into the house. I’ve also been starting to think of some new spring fashion.  All little steps towards what will be inevitable. But for now, I’m just going to savor the still quiet winter, because what also comes with Spring is my to-do list with all the projects and such that will need attention and truthfully, I’m not ready to get that busy quite yet.  Happy March my friends!