To Life! :: Part 2

Well isn't this shocking? Two posts in two weeks?!

This week was our first full week with the house on the market, which means its the first week since who-knows-when that we haven't spent our spare minutes working on the house or cleaning. So far we're doing a pretty swell job of keeping the house in a constant state of clean, which I think is the greatest thing that has ever happened to us! Anyway, here's this weeks happenings.

The week started out wet, damp and drippy.



I've kept our bird feeders full and our yard has become quite a social club for my feathered friends. (Despite Thunder's best efforts at vigilance he dozes off now and again.) So far I've seen Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Song Sparrows, Cardinals, Robins, Dark Eyed Juncos, Chipping Sparrows, and I heard a Wood Thrush this morning that stopped me in my tracks to listen!

This Chickadee-dee-dee knows what's up:

On Saturday we bought rabbit meat at the farmers market. Neither of us had ever had it before but we've seen it recently added to the menus of all the restaurants nearby who use locally sourced food, so we figured it must be in season. On Wednesday Seth butchered it and we simmered it into Rabbit a la Cocotte, a very beef-strogonoff-like dish served over buttered rice. It was so delicious; I think Rabbit is the best meat I've ever tasted! Thank you, little bunny, for your existence and your life.

Apparently wabbit season (and the end of sugaring season... our sap is officially cloudy which means you shouldn't use it) means that it's spring! We have some crocuses finally pushing through, and even though there is still snow in our forecast warm days here and there are already greening our grass.

Actually, it appears that I've spoken to soon. Today (Friday, finally) we woke to the most terrible ice/slush/rain I've ever seen in Vermont. It looks like its raining, but when you go outside you realize that it is just needles of ice falling in sheets from the sky. The yard is already covered in white again as slush builds up indiscriminately in the grass and the road. 

We also had our first showing today, which was slightly exciting and mostly nerve-wracking. This morning I made oatmeal raisin cookies in order to make the house smell nice, but while the first batch was baking I had a panic attack. "What if the smell of freshly baked cookies makes them hungry, and the fact that they can't have a freshly baked cookie makes them angry? Will they hate the house if they smell cookies and can't have any? Should I leave out a plate of cookies with a note to help themselves? Does that seem too desperate like we're trying to bribe them to buy our house with cookies? Would they be afraid to eat them anyway, afraid that they would get food poisoning and then be even more angry that they can smell and see cookies but can't eat them?" It was a terrible 30 second mind rage. Mom helped me decide to save the cookies for Seth and leave the nice smell, for better or worse. I might have eaten a few myself, just to make me feel better.

When Thunder and I left for the showing I decided to go to the grocery store since the roads were quickly deteriorating and we didn't have all the ingredients for dinner anyway. At the supermarket I looked over the flower section. I've had my eye out for flowers at the farmers market, but I think its too early. I happened to notice a lovely bunch of tulips that looked so elegant and springy and exactly the opposite of how I was feeling.  I went ahead and got them so that the house would look even more lovely when people come to see it. (Definitely not to make up for the icy turn of weather and frazzled stream of consciousness I'd been displaying!)

We have our second showing tomorrow, and to avoid making cookies every single day I bought some apple cider. I think it will make the house smell nice without the attending worries of cookie baking!