To Life! :: Spring Surplus

This past week has been anything BUT quiet, and as our time runs out in Vermont things are bound to get more busy and more frantic. For now it still feels a bit like the calm before the storm.

Last weekend, of course, we had our Last Annual Kentucky Derby Party in Vermont, and I think I can safely say it was the best one yet! There was plenty of bourbon, nice people, and pretty hats. (Not to mention pretty lemonade.) This is the first year there were kids at our party, and their enthusiasm wore off on the whole crowd. Everyone was cheering for their favorites during the race!

Sunday we needed to bask in the glory of Vermont spring, so we went up to Camel's Hump and hiked around a bit. It was wonderful! We got to experience nature, and each other experiencing nature.

The first picture here is of my pie breakfast on Saturday morning. The first weekend in May really is a great one in Montpelier. It marks the first outdoor farmer's market of the year, this annual all-you-can-eat pie breakfast, Montbeerlier (Three Penny Taproom's annual street-birthday party) and of course, our derby party! The all-you-can-eat pie breakfast, as you can see, is pretty spectacular.

News from the Back Yard
This week our flock of birds was Blue Jays. There were at least 6 of them in the neighborhood. I heard a ruckus coming from my backyard and ran to the kitchen window to see what was happening. It was just three or four Blue Jays, jumping about in our tree, cawing and cooing and pecking at each other. I ran to get my camera, but alas when I got back they had moved on. I could still hear them, and Thunder was looking around a little bewildered at what he had just witnessed.

The sunny sun sunshine continued until Wednesday evening, when we had a quick and fierce deluge of rain. It was much needed, and the earth sucked up the water and was dry again very quickly. Our first spring rainstorm was short and sweet.

I had a lovely picture of the rain, but apparently I deleted it. After the rain vegetation burst forth in its full spring glory. Our Hawthorne trees started blossoming:

The Columbine which miraculously appeared in my vegetable garden has nearly tripled in size! I love the way its leaves capture the dew drops:

Things We'll Never Buy in Vermont Again:
I'm pleased to bring you this new segment, Things We'll Never Buy in Vermont Again. I've been thinking about it for a while, but as our closing draws ever nearer it really is becoming kind of comical. This week I focused on the kitchen, and found all of the things that we'll definitely not be buying again before we move. This whole thought process was started when I found an unexpected container of salt when I was putting the kitchen away.

Once time when I was little, I filled Dad's salt shaker up because I thought it was close to empty and he might run out during the week. How pleasant it would be for him not to run out at all, and not have to worry about it! Next time I saw him, he asked if I filled the salt shaker and I proudly said "Yes!" He was so disappointed, because he had been trying to see how long he could live without filling the salt shaker. This was kind of a bewildering thought for me, that for years he hadn't filled his salt shaker at all, and it made me wonder how long one of those big containers of salt must last! This memory flooded back to me as I realized that I had a whole extra container of salt, and there was no way I could use it up before we moved (if Dad can make one last for years, I doubt my ability, even if I make all the saltiest things I can think of, to use up one and a half in a few months.) Anyway, enough blabbering, here are the items in my kitchen which I don't expect to be buying again as a resident of Vermont.

We still have sage left over from last year's garden, which we are clearly not using fast enough.
I bought lemons for the derby party. Maybe I'll have to make real lemonade soon!

Lastly, I'll leave you with a shot of Thunder protecting the yard from the dreaded squirrels. As you can see he is very attentive.