I love Echo Lake in the summer. So peaceful and pretty.  There are several lakes all in a row along the above area.  A little ways down the road is a state beach on Plymouth lake.

I also like the waterfalls that you see along country roads.  So pretty the way the water tumbles over the ledge.

You see covered bridges here and there in Vermont and Queen Anne’s lace wild flowers a lot.

When I was a kid, there were 5 children in the family and my Mom would pack a picnic and the whole family of seven would spend the whole day on a weekend at the above Hapgood Pond which is in Peru, VT.  It was a lot of fun and I have a lot of fond memories of that place.

Now they have a campground there and there is an admission to swim in the pond.  It used to be free admission when I was a kid.  I think that it was one of my parent’s favorite places to go.  After my Dad retired, they used to take a camper to that camp ground.

There are picnic tables all around the pond.  Beautiful area.

Now there is a walking trail that goes around the pond and they have little signs showing all the different wild flowers and their names.  Kind of a fun walk.

Now there is a general store near the pond called J J Hapgood.  They kept the inside as the same style as the old General store used to be.

They have a wood fired oven that they make pizza with and it’s supposed to be really good.  The pizza dough is made with organic flour from the Nitty Gritty Grain company.

The above is a photo of the owners of the General Store and they had a famous visitor last February.  Paul MccCartney of the Beetles was skiing at Bromley Mountain which is just up the road from Hapgood and he stopped in and had a Margaritta Pizza with a side of JJ’s famous red sauce and an organic Kale salad.  I read that the famous Beetle’s people called ahead and said he would be there and if they could have the store empty of people for him.  They did and he posed for a photo with them and also gave them an autograph.  Now that doesn’t happen every day around this area.  Kind of neat.

Their pizzas must be really good.

The above must be the organic kale salad that McCartney had.

One of these days I am going to travel over to Hapgood and try one of those salads.  Then I can say I had a salad that was one like the one that Paul McCartney enjoyed.

I’d like to try one of their breakfast sandwiches.  One of these days I’m going to go over to Hapgood and spend a day at the pond.  Have a breakfast sandwich and pick up a kale salad for a picnic lunch.  Bring a cooler and maybe have a glass of Rose wine and just enjoy the day.  Take a swim and do the walk around the pond.  Soak up some sun.  Then on the way home try a pizza.

Sounds like it might be even more fun then I could imagine.

 

 

 

 

Memorial day is here.  I find it a kind of somber time.

Yesterday my youngest son visited and we went to the Blackrock Steakhouse for lunch and had the soup and salad bar.  The soup was chicken vegetable and it was really good.  I went on Pinterest and found a recipe for a similar soup and pinned it on my soup board.

They had lots of different salads to choose from and one that was really good was the Tortelini salad.   I found a recipe for a similar salad on Pinterest and pinned it on my salads board.

Then the broccoli salad with bacon in it was just really outstanding.  I found a similar recipe on Pinterest and pinned it on my salads board.

They also had roasted asparagus, roasted peppers and all kinds of salad fixings.  Really good salad bar.  Fun place to go.

Then we went over to Hemingways and browsed through their greenhouses.  My son was looking for some plants to landscape the front yard of his house.

We went through several greenhouses and wandered along the paths.

So many plants and a fun visit.

Hemingways is one of my favorite places to visit.

They had all kinds of herbs, also.

I liked the poppies.

I liked the above plants.  Purple and white with one pink flower.  Looked pretty to me.

The Bagonias were really pretty.  I never have seen so many plants.  I loved it.

It was fun walking along the winding paths.

One of my grandsons is really good at sports and he got chosen to go to a New England track meet in Conneticut that is for the best of the best.  So proud of him.  He’s only a freshman and competed with seniors and got chosen.  He throws a disc and to me looks like a Greek God.  I mean he has a style that is amazing.

So it’s been a beautiful weekend.

I used to have lunch at a little park where I could enjoy the views of the waterfalls.  My office had no windows where I worked and to get out in the air at noon was literally a breath of fresh air.  We had two breaks besides a lunch break and we used to go for a walk on the breaks.

It was pretty in the Spring time with the blossoms on the fruit trees and there were landscaped flowers.

I used to look forward to going there for a picnic lunch in good weather.  There was a nice landscaped lawn and  brick path along with a couple of benches.

I think that it was my way of coping with a stressful job that demanded all my energy.  It was like an escape from a pressure cooker and some of the stress was relieved.  Being a person that was not naturally outgoing and being pushed into having to be a person that I was not was so challenging to me that without the 15 minute lunch break after the 5 minutes to get there and the 5 minutes to get back to work, I would just not have been able to cope as long as I did.

Every time I go by that place, I smile.

 

My husband and son were once in the Navy and I believe the above is the theme song for the Navy.  I forget the country singer that sang the song, but it’s appropriate for Memorial Day.

It’s a nice weekend for grilling and I like the idea of the above steak kabobs.  It’s perfect when you have people who like steak but a lot of steak is not good for you.  Little bites on the kabob is delicious and just right.

I like grilled chicken and a marinade makes a difference in the moistness and flavor of chicken breast which sometimes can be dry.  This morning on the Pioneer Woman show on Food Network, she made grilled jerk chicken.  The jerk chicken marinade in the above was a lot like hers, but a little less complicated.

Fudgesicles were not my favorite treat as a kid.  The milk chocolate flavor with a ton of sugar and not that great.  I saw the above recipe that called for dark chocolate, cream and sea salt.  Sounds like it might be good.  I pinned the recipe on my popsicles pinterest board.  The reviews said they added chocolate chips to be melted in the cream which sounds good and some people adjusted the salt if they liked salt or not.

I like the above idea for storing silverware and cooking utencils.

I like to grill veggies on the grill.  You can make a a fun wrap with them.

The above rustic herbed roast asparagus seasonoing blend was $6.00 on Sur la table.  It’s on sale for $3.99 this weekend.  They were using the blend in their Spring cooking classes and it sounds good to me.

I like good old fashioned Strawberry Shortcake the way my Mom and my Gram used to make it.  What’s not to like.  They didn’t put sugar on the biscuits, but put a dollap of whipped cream on top.

I like wild flowers.  I think the above probably was grown from using packets of wild flower seeds.  Neat idea and very colorful when they are all together like that.

And that’s my interests on this day.

 

 

 

When a yellow dandelion turns white and fluffy, it just goes with the wind for the seeds in the fluff to plant more dandelions.  I can remember, as a kid, blowing the fluff to the wind and making wishes.

I think that nature is beautiful, sometimes.

A dandelion is just a weed, but it’s just a pretty color and when they are all together in a field, it just looks pretty.  The greens from the leaves are delicious to cook up like spinach.  They call them dandelion greens.

Buttercups grow wild and are pretty also.

Daisies and buttercups look pretty when you see them together.  If you take a walk along a country road, you see a lot of both.

Ladybugs are supposed to be good luck.  So cute to see a ladybug floating along on a dandelion gone to the wind.

I love sunflowers.  Those have to be planted, but the white wildflower is what we used to call Queen Ann’s lace.  You see a lot of Queen Ann’s lace on country roads.

I like blue and white and love the above design for a room.  The rugs are by Claire Murray.  I think that the design was made for a house on Nantucket Island.

Today it is in the 80’s and very humid.  Popsicle weather.  The above combination of strawberry and lime sounds good to me.  I make a smoothie in my blender sometimes with orange juice and frozen strawberries.  It’s really refreshing.

And over and out from me in Vermont.

 

I looked out my living room window this morning and the sky was all red from the sunrise.  Kind of pretty.  This sky was at 4:45 AM this morning.  I don’t usually get up that early.

Yesterday was a very sunny day and the temperatures were in the 80’s.  A friend of mine had to have his heart put back in rhythm at the Veterans Hospital on same day routine.  So he chose me to pick him up as he was not allowed to drive for 24 hours.  So we went over to Sunapee Harbor and enjoyed the harbor views of the lake before taking him home.

They were getting the dinner cruise boat all fixed up for the holiday weekend.

It was a beautiful, sunny day.   I think that the peaceful serenity made my friend’s uncomfortable morning a little better.

On the way back, the dandelion covered fields along the road were so pretty.

I think that water lillies are beautiful.  They are out in full bloom now.  You see a lot of them in little set backs along the Connecticut River.

Lupines are really pretty and they spread all over.

Who doesn’t like pizza?  But the crust is what is full of carbs.  I like portabella mushrooms and those huge version of the portabella make a nice mini pizza that is gluten free.

My Mom used to like Cheese Danish.  The above recipe looks like it might be good.

I like wildflowers.  They make beautiful bouquets to put in a mason jar.

I like window boxes.  The above window box is awesome in my opinion.  The two ivy and then the purple and white is a beautiful combination.  Then the stucco siding of the building along with the curved holder and Greek looking shelf holding it all up.  Then to top it all off the fancy scroll above the window in the stucco.

Hildene Gardens in Manchester is where Robert Todd Lincoln once lived.  The house and gardens are open for tours and I think that is where I first fell in love with the manicured hedges for garden separators idea.  The above is the back yard which is one huge garden.

I like Black Eyed Susans and that purple version has a name that I can’t remember but is pretty, also.

 

 

 

 

Vermont’s state flower is the Clover.  Red Clover grows wild everywhere around here.

There are all kinds of wild flowers that just grow wild and free.  So pretty and colorful.

I like the daisies.

Lady Slippers are so pretty.  They are like a wild orchid.

I would love a pond like the above.  The arch bridge, the water lillies and some Koi fish.

From what I see on the fashion blogs, the above style is in.  The white jeans, the infinity scarf, the Tiek shoes that cost a lot but really comfortable, the turquoise earrings and bracelet that matches, the bangle bracelets, designer pocketbook and aviator sunglasses.

I like a salad….

My big fat Greek salad.  You’re welcome.

Buffalo chicken salad with blue cheese dressing.  Yum.

I like the above style.  The color of the Tiek shoes matches the scarf and everything.

I think it would be nice to have roses in a garden where that you could pick some roses and put them in a vase.

What a neat idea for a celebration of Spring.  I don’t think I could make that huge rose, but maybe a smaller version.  Love the colors.

The above is another set of artistic emblems that can go on a kitchen aid mixer.  I like the polka dots and the green lace.  I saw it on Etsy.  It looks like that hand painted design that is so cool.

I would use the polka dots and lace and the above roses, cutting one big rose for the bottom part of the mixer and the the two roses across the top.

The above Tieks can only be ordered on line from their website.  They cost $175.00 but you can see why they would be comfortable.  They contour to your feet and are soft Italian leather.  I’ve read that if you wear a half size to order a size up.

I like the color of the above Tieks.

I love the above shoe space for shoes.  So cool.

And that is my interests for today.

 

 

I like how the Pioneer Woman, Lee Drumand has her kitchen aid mixer designed by Un Amore Nicole Dinardo.  The above is another design sort of like the Pioneer Womans that that company does.  They hand paint the mixer and it costs about $1,000.00 which includes the Kitchen Aid Mixer.  Now, I don’t know too many every day people that can afford that after bills and what it costs to live.  So I found some ideas that would be affordable for just to do for fun and look kind of designer.

I liked the above decals that actually look hand painted for $12 that are on Etsy and also Amazon.

On Saturday morning the Pioneer Woman made meal kits for a week that were the same idea as those Blue Apron boxes that you can order where everything is in just the right proportions and delivered to your door and you can make a home made meal and it’s better then take out and quick to make.  She chopped veggies for a stir fry and put them in separate little zip lock bags, she made a sauce and put it in a mason jar and cooked up some noodles and put in a zip lock bag.  Then she put 4 kits together  on 4 cookie sheets stored in the refrigerator.   She posted 4 different recipes on food network for the kits that she put together.

One of the kits the Pioneer Woman showed was stuffed peppers which looked good to me.

The above is what one of those Blue Apron kits look like and I bet that they are wicked expensive.

I love the idea to prepare ahead, have the recipe right there and have home made without the hassle.

Another idea that the Pioneer Woman has on a different freezer episode is to marinate chicken breasts, grill them and put them in those food saver bags in packages of 2 or 4.  You can thaw them out and use them for salads or any kind of quick meal with no fuss. Those food saver bags are good for up to a year with no freezer burn because that little machine takes all the air out.  I love my food saver machine.

Then she had the idea to brown up hamburger in the cast iron pan and put the cooked hamburg in food saver bags and take out for tacos, spaghetti sauce, chili and any number of things for quick and easy meals.

She also made hamburg patties to put in packages of 2 for the freezer bags.  She made up pie crust and pizza crust to freeze.  She also did muffins and Lasagna.  Love it.

I like a bay window and the above view would be delightful.  Looks like a nice place to read a book and enjoy a glass of wine.

I like the above idea for a window seat reading knook, also.  I like blue and white, a throw,  soft pillows, sea shells and a cool breeze from a screen window.  Then a picture of the ocean on the wall.  A place to store your favorite magazines and books in the drawers.  And I like the white wainscoating on the walls and the shutters.

Blue has always been one of my favorite colors.  I think blue Hydrangas are just awesome.

Heavenly Blue Morning Glories are also one of my favorites.

I like all the colors that Hydrangas come in.  I think they have white ones also.

I like to get cheese at the Vermont Country store in Rockingham.  They have all kinds of cheese to choose from and I especially like the cheddar cut from the big wheel of cheese.  Also the smoked cheese is really good.

A nice grilled cheese idea is gouda cheese, roasted mushrooms and onions.

I have a software on my computer called “Cook’n”.  It’s a fun place to store recipes and you can make cookbooks from it, print out recipe cards, take a recipe from the internet and just bring it into a cookbook with the push of a button.  Or you can type in recipes that go into a neat format and you can customize the format with graphics.  If I spend $67.00 to upgrade it, I can go to my Pinterest recipe boards and bring in each board and all it’s recipes that organize themselves into a Pinterest recipe book with just the push of a button.  It also brings in video recipes if you have a video recipe board.  And each time something is pinned, it automatically goes into that book if you do the upgrade.  Right now I have a book for favorite recipes and family recipes.  Kind of neat.  A nice feature that it has is you can change a recipe to make it for 2 or for 10 and it will automatically change the amount for each ingredient. It makes out shopping lists, makes dividers, indexes and all kinds of neat stuff.

So that’s the interests I have for this Sunday.

 

 

 

 

I like the curb appeal of the above.  The sail boat windmill, the picket fence and brick path, the patio for a table, the seashell wreath on the door, the grey cedar shingles on the house, the water fountain.  It’s just darling in my opinion.

I like the style of the above table.  At Love’s Furniture they have furniture called “Select” by John Thomas.  You can choose your style, your color, your way.  They have 36 stains and paints to select from.  All kinds of tables and chairs and you can build your own pedestal table.  You choose the top and choose the base.

You can also design your own chairs, any color and any style.

I love the style of the above garden.  It’s really beautiful the way they manicure hedges and make little paths.

I love garden gates with stone paths and the lush lawn beyond the gate is just a plus.

I saw a recipe for lasagna with butternut squash and spinach that sounded really good and I pinned the recipe on my casserole Pinterest board.

Avacados are supposed to be good for you and I love guacamole.  So easy to make.  I put the above recipe on my dip board on Pinterest.

King Arthur Flour has a new magazine out called “Sift”.  Really nice magazine.

The above hutch style would be fun to have.

I like Pistoulet dish pattern.

The above hutch is made just for Pistoulet dishes but is impossible to find.

I love the above cannister from Pistoulet.  The only place I’ve seen it is on Ebay.

All the above Pistoulet are on the Pfalzgraff website.

As you can see I bought a few of the dishes when they were on sale.  I’m always getting 20% to 40% coupons and they are always having sales.  Sometimes I like to have breakfast using my Pistoulet.  There is actually oatmeal under all the toppings.

I guess that the Pistoulet reminds me of a French cottage.  There is even a book called Pistoulet with French recipes and everything and charming stories.  I just love it.

 

I think that it would be neat to have a 2 sided fireplace.  One side in the living room and the other side in the dining room.  I also like a field stone fireplace.

I also love the style of French Country.  I only have a little French in me and that’s Canadian French.  But I just am attracted to French style.  I took French in school and can speak it enough to fool people into thinking I speak fluent French.  I have done that a couple of times and it just was at a beach in Maine when I was in high school.  And then one time hiking on Mt Mansfield at Stowe I fooled a person from Canada by having a conversation with him.  He said I had a Paris accent.  It made my day.  ❤

On my bucket list is to actually see Paris.  My sister and my niece have been there as well as my best friend from school.  They all said that it wasn’t so great, but I think I would absolutely love it.  It’s just the city of romance and full of history.

I have got to read the above book.  It sounds awesome.

I like my Paris plate and coffee cup to match.  I haven’t gotten a chocolate filled croissant from Burdick’s Chocolate actually since last Fall.  But those chocolate croissants which I thank they call Pan Purdue or something like that in France are as good as what you could get in Paris.  I really think so.  They are wicked expensive but worth it.  So buttery and flakey.  Then the chocolate they use is really good. Then a cup of Starbucks coffee from the Keurig coffee maker.  My very favorite treat.

I like the above water fountain as well as the pink peonies and the manicured hedge.  So pretty.

I love tulips.  They just are so Spring like and if I could, I would plant tons of tulip bulbs every Fall.

White tulips are gorgeous.

Roses are beautiful. I once had a house where there was a whole bank with all kinds of roses because the people that lived there before us planted them.  They were retired and their hobby was gardening.  I was told to feed them 5/10/5 special plant food and to prune them in the Fall.

I also like pink peonies.  They look like cabbage roses.  We had lots of them on one side of our lawn in a cottage we rented in Rhode Island when my then husband was in the Navy.  They come up every year.

So my blog is supposed to be about Vermont and the four seasons.  But I like gardening, design, cooking and travel.  And I like fashion.  So I can’t help myself if I wander from topic to topic.