Seven Days Until Spring

It's ironic and kind of funny that I'm posting a snowy picture like this for Spring.  The reality is that March has brought us higher snowfall totals than Dec., Jan., and Feb. combined.  In the past week, Connecticut, along with the rest of the Northeast, has been hit by two Nor'easters, which means lots of snow, lots of accidents, lots of fallen trees and branches, lots of power outages, lots of flooding, and quite a few snow days--like this one!

This was a Christmas Tree that we planted in our yard when I was twelve years-old.  It was only four feet back then.

Still, there's an end to this snowy weather in sight; signs of spring are all around us.  Robins have been visiting our yard daily; crocuses, daffodils, and tulips are trying to peek from the ground, and days, especially after we just set our clocks ahead, are longer.  Insects, unfortunately, (especially those abhorred deer ticks) are still around, too.  Evidently, our winter never got cold enough for long enough to kill some of these pesky critters off.

So, in the midst of our second Nor'easter, I'm daydreaming about all that makes spring great.  Here are just a few of the many activities and events I hope to enjoy, and if I visualize them enough, I think they're bound to happen!

1)  All Things Easter  I've already decorated our house with pastel colored eggs, bunnies, and chicks.  Next weekend, we've been invited to an Easter Egg Hunt, and we usually host one of our own--but usually in late April when it's a little warmer.

Our family will go to our typical Easter Mass and then celebrate with family at the Matabesett Canoe Club.  We'll exchange flowers and chocolate and then fill up on more candy until late April or when we've decided it's time to begin dieting for the summer.

A picture of Lewie and his Great Aunt/God Mother at the Canoe Club - Easter 2016

Since Easter falls on April Fools' Day this year, we may just drum up some pranks to pull on family members, too.  Maybe the Easter Bunny will deliver a fruit basket instead of candy or Tootie the Elf on the Shelf will make an appearance instead...

2)  Bike Riding   Little Lewie and I started taking morning bike rides last fall at a greenway near us.  Once the days became shorter, we had to stop, but when the snow melts, we'll be getting prepared for more rides--this time with the promise of warmer days and budding trees.

A Fall Bike Ride - Sept. 2017

3)  Festivals   Spring brings the promise of art fairs and craft festivals.  The best ones, in my opinion, are those that set up outside to enjoy our local parks, town greens, farms, and other outside spaces.  In years past, we've gone to the Meriden Daffodil Festival, The Fairfield Dogwood Festival, and the Milford Artisan Market.  New ones to explore might be the May Market in Farmington, the Gallery on the Green in Litchfield, and the Branford Craft and Community Expo--all taking place in May and early June.

Lewie at the Daffodil Festival - Spring 2013

4)  Day Trips    My mom and I love to visit places in the spring.  Day trips combine our love of shopping along with our love for nature, flowers, and gardening.  This year, we hope to take two special weekend trips.  The first is to the Hildene (The Lincoln Family Home) in Manchester, VT.  The tour boasts a chance to learn about the history of the home while touring its beautiful garden that overlooks the Battenkill Valley.  The description says, "Then suddenly as if on cue, as they did 100 years ago, the peonies 'pop' and the garden is awash in more than 1,000 blooms."   The second trip would be our annual trip to the Newport, Rhode Island Flower Show at Rosecliff Mansion.  The flower show, one of our favorites, happens every year in June with new and interesting themes.  Our day is usually divided with the first few hours at the show and the last hours shopping and dining in Newport.

A display at the Newport Flower Show - June 2016

5) Mother's Day    Mother's Day is a favorite because I usually get a chance to celebrate with a nice dinner at the Hopkins Inn in Warren, CT with hubby, Little Lewie, and my mom.  During some years, the weather has been warm enough for us to actually bask on their patio while overlooking Lake Waramaug.  This year, however, will be different.  Little Lewie will be making his First Communion, which means we'll 1) have to stay local, and 2) consider having some type of family party.  The details haven't been ironed out yet, but I'm starting to see that May will be coming sooner than we think.

Mother's Day at the Hopkins Inn - 2015

I can't help but be thankful for all our happy Spring memories and new ones to be made in 2018. What plans do you have for spring?

Daffodil Festival

Ever since Lewie was born, my mom and I have made it a tradition to go to Hubbard Park's Daffodil Festival.  The park has 61 varieties of yellow and white daffodils on display, and altogether, it's projected that over 600,000 of them are in bloom right now!

The first year we took Lewie, it was easy peasy.  Being 8 months old, he sat comfortably in his stroller watching the hustle and bustle as my mother and I whisked him from one vendor booth to the next looking for beautiful treasures to take home.  His reward for being such a good baby was a homemade baseball cap with his name on it and some of mommy's ice cream.

Now it's four years later, and I had to plan our festival visit a little strategically.  I volunteered my husband to come to the festival so he could take Lewie on the rides, while my mom, girlfriend, and I had time to look at the arts and crafts.  My husband's "reward" of course was his own set of tickets to go on rides with Lewie and an opportunity to buy a steak sandwich among other things in the food area--a grand concession tent that has over 50 food items to choose from!  My husband had never been to the festival before, so it was fun to include him!

I'll admit that this year I was the one who was spoiled the most.  Not only did I get a chance to spend valuable time "shopping" with my mom and friend, but I had a chance to skip over to the ride section to see my "boys" in action too. It was a wonderful, wonderful time, and in the midst of it all, I was able to capture some daffodil photos of my little guy too.  Here's my four year old, and his many "personalities."

Lewie, the Philosopher

Lewie, the Angel

Lewie, the Bold

Lewie, the Entertainer

Lewie, the Superhero

Lewie, the Dreamer
(He looks like my dad in this photo.)

Here's to wishing everyone a happy spring and some happy festival days ahead!

Oh Those Summer Days of Craft Fairs

There’s something to be said for going to a craft fair on a sunny, summer, Sunday afternoon.

Even before Lil’ Lewie was born, my mom and I loved attending fairs. We’d plan to attend at least one per month, but sometimes we’d have an opportunity to treat ourselves to a few more. Most of my favorite local ones follow a theme. For example, every year, we attend the same Dogwood Festival, Strawberry Festival, and Pumpkin Festival near us. Another favorite, which is probably the largest and most beautiful craft fair I’ve ever attended, is the Annual Stowe Foliage Arts Festival located in Stowe, Vermont. Being more than five hours away, we only managed to go to this festival once, but it had the most stunning assortment of handmade treasures, ranging anywhere from $10 jewelry to $400 silk blouses. The food choices from all the vendors here were organic (not something you see everyday), and all the “plastic” utensils (forks, spoons, knives, and even straws) were made out biodegradable material.


This past week, we attended the annual New England Craft Fair located on the Milford Green. Lil’ Lewie (my 23 month old son) loves attending these events with us, and he agreeably sat in his stroller while I pushed him around to the various booths. Like all craft fairs, this one didn’t disappoint. Items ranged from gorgeous jewelry, to beautiful ceramic pieces, to very unique crafts such as hand painted gourd birdhouses and whimsical pocketbooks made out of women’s designer shorts.

My favorite item, which I had to buy, was a wall hanging made of four letters that spell out the word LOVE. Each letter is a photograph of something either found in nature or in architecture that looks like the letter. For example, the “O” in LOVE is a picture of an oval shaped window from an old stone building of some sort. While I chose a wall hanging that was already made, other customers chose “customized” words, which were spelled and put together on the spot.

After a few short hours of strolling lightheartedly from table to table, we decided it was time to cool off with an old-fashioned glass of lemonade under a tree before returning home. Oh, there’s nothing quite like going to a craft fair in mid July to explore precious treasurers under the warm, glowing sun.