stormy day activities.

with the impending storm on its way, we harvested the garden.

and so, we spent much of the day creating tasty treats with our harvest. 

6 jars of salsa.

8 containers of pesto. 7 in the freezer for off-season enjoyment.

i bought a red pepper plant this spring. due to its placement near the tomato trees, it hasn't exactly produced the peppers i imagined. here's the scale of the sole pepper it has produced. keep in mind that is an itty bitty sungold next to it- not a giant tomato!

good spot to read in the rain? i thought so too.

hurricane irene.

i've received an amazing number of sweet notes, texts & calls from folks all over the country who are seeing on the news how devastated vermont was by hurricane irene, and who want to make sure we are okay. thank you for thinking of me, and for your concerns. the good news is that montpelier survived relatively unscathed by the storm-- we had high water and plenty of damage to river banks and basements and other spots. but compared to many other parts of the state --south of here particularly though even as close as 15 minutes away-- we were incredibly lucky. the distress many regions of our tiny state is going through in tremendous, scary & sad.

it's all too easy for me to forget for a minute all that our state has gone through in the last 48 hours because i'm not faced with the immediate challenges in visible routine. and then, i see a photo, hear a piece on the radio, or talk to a coworker and the reality of this situation comes crashing back to me. for a glimpse of just how bad it is around here, check out this video. and please ignore the dramatic music. the scenes are incredibly sad, and i'm quickly learning of so many people i know who were badly affected. the town of waterbury, where the gmcr headquarters reside, was underwater and at least a handful of employees completely lost their homes. there is chaos and tragedy all over this state. FEMA has arrived to provide support, and the government is thankfully taking it very seriously.

we have a long road to recover from this, but if there is one thing i admire about vermont it is the sense of community here. vermonters are already coming together to support each other in many ways. this was one of my favorite tales today.


"Vermont is a state I love... I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys, her scenery and invigorating climate, but most of all, I love her because of her indomitable people. They are a race of pioneers who almost impoverished themselves for love of others. If ever the spirit of liberty should vanish from the rest of the Union, it could be restored by the generous share held by the people in this brave little State of Vermont." 
-- Calvin Coolidge, after the floods of 1927 

thought for today.

steve jobs' words of wisdom.

another day, another bounty.

the garden's been keeping busy this week. the sungolds are consistently popping, and we've even gotten out first few heirlooms and larger tomatoes this week. the squash and zucchini are sprouting like crazy. every trip to the garden is an adventure. 

1 tomato.

2 zucchini.

3 green peppers.

42 sungold tomatoes.

congrats are in order.

something really wonderful happened last week. 

see that handsome guy?

he asked that sweet girl to marry him. 

of course, she said yes. 

congrats to two of my favorite people on their engagement. 

i love you both. xo

redesign.

so...
what do you think of the new look, my friends? header is still in the works, but i'd love your feedback! i'll always be a blue&green girl, but it was time to change up the look and simplify things a bit. how did i do?

rules of friendship.

from the artist: "it is said that in order to support those around you, you  must act as least one of these."

i can think of a few lamps, lifeboats & ladders in my life. and i'm grateful for them all.

rainy morning here- couldn't be more happy to start my day with a yoga practice, hot coffee & a hand delivered bagel. i stayed up too late making pesto (i know, i'm a wild child), so i'm glad to ease into my day by working from home and then working in waterbury. happy thursday, folks, the weekend is near.

lake lovin'.

as i mentioned yesterday, jenna and i had a delightful time at her family's camp. her family is my family & while it had been years since i'd been out to their camp, i felt instantly thrilled to be in such a wonderful & important place. we sunned, we swimmed, we feasted, we played games. brett and alex came out for the night too. we boated as the moon rose, and then kayaked under a starry sky. and then we awoke on sunday to make blueberry pancakes (picked on the way to the boat the day before) and then head out on a bike ride (alex in tow). it was simply lovely. 

adorable little family.

sisters.

the pup.

the view.

hello, moon.

captain.

i love this picture.

summer in vermont.

forgive me for the delay-- last weekend was a wonderful combination of two of my longtime favorite summertime traditions. nope, i didn't scoot back to aloha. jenna & i shared a delightful weekend sailing on lake champlain with my folks, and then heading out to her family's camp for a wonderful afternoon on the pond, reading in the sunshine, a moonlit kayak and a bike ride. i felt transported back in time, yet found a new appreciation for perfect vermont activities that have been a longtime part of my life. 

(check back tomorrow for photos of the rest of that weekend)

birthday cheer.

happy birthday miss molly!

wish we were celebrating just like this again this year. 

may all your wishes come true. 

xoxo

garden bounty.

 

off we go...

friends.

 a few weeks ago we had an impromptu gathering of friends new & old in our backyard. a few of my favorite boys from camp and their ladies, jenna's dear college friend and her sweet man, and friends-of-friends. soon we had this whole crowd gathered and everyone got along splendidly. as jenna said to me later-- how fun would it be if this was our new local gang? some daunting clouds held off and we enjoyed a few lawn games, snacks, beers & puppies. oscar & od played like maniacs and entertained us all.

happy friday!

here's a special treat to start off your weekends, my friends. isn't she just adorable? and wow- what a voice.

all in a day's work

today was the 5th annual grounds for health car wash at work. grounds for health is a local nonprofit that works to prevent cervical cancer in coffee growing communities. our department work closely with them, providing support through grants, employee donations and this car wash. the weather was perfect today for a car wash with stunning "colorado" blue skies.

i spent the first half of the car wash in a ben & jerry's scoop truck scooping free ice cream for folks who were having their car washed! it was pretty much the best job ever. jerry and ben actually each stopped by, and jerry came to visit the truck.

i followed that up with some hosing & scrubbing, until the senior leadership team of GMCR strolled through the tail end of the car wash in their suits, joined by governor shumlin. he & some of his team were on site for a meeting and a tour. we got the ceo of our company to push a car through the car wash, which was a wonderful sight.

after some cleanup, brett came to meet me and we went for a beautiful kayak on waterbury reservoir, did some swimming, and then grabbed a burger & beer on the way home.

all in all, not a bad day.

the power of female friendship.

an email exchange with my dear friend emma recently brought up the topic of female friendship, and how important it is all throughout the life. she mentioned an npr piece she had recently heard interviewing ann brashares, author of the sisterhood of the traveling pants books, and a more recent followup book on the same characters. emma said that the piece felt very fitting to our conversation, and discussed an interesting concept that the late 20s are a time when friendship often steps aside to give way to partnerships, careers, and other priorities. really, this is a time that women need each other's support and friendship more than ever.

i suggest that you listen to this lovely piece, which also includes many listeners calling in to share their own stories. you can find it here or here.

i've been blessed in each of my years by strong friendships with many inspiring & supportive girls and women. between being an only child & spending 12 summer at an all-girls camp, i've always valued my "sisterhood" of friends and have strived to keep them each forefront in my life. this is a challenge living in different regions and with varying lifestyles and priorities, but i value each of these friendships and their influence on my life infinitely.

here are  few of my women (even if your pretty face doesn't appear below-- i love you & thank you.)...

today i love:

• working from home
• fresh laundry on the line
• exercising in the morning
• basil
• blueberry picking
• sailing
• friendship
• decorating
• this song
• cool breezes combined with warm sun
• sungold tomatoes

lemon fusilli with arugula.

step one:

pick fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden. 

step two:

wash the goodies. 

step three:

go to your local store to buy the rest of the required foods. 

step four:

follow this recipe, which i first tasted when created by jenna.

step five:

enjoy hot or cold with abundance and good company. 

pair this tasty creation with a spinach salad topped with goat cheese and beets grown by jen & al and you've got our dinner plate. follow it up with a peach so juicy you have to hop in the shower after to clean your arms off! yum yum yum.

today i enjoyed fresh local corn dripping in butter and salt, followed up by a chocolate-vanilla twist at the creemee stand. oh summer, i'm in love.

life in a day.

my friend kat shared this trailer. how wonderful does this movie look? i'm looking forward to see it. 

bright eyes, twinkling stars.

last friday we headed to shelburne museum for a concert on the green with jenna & alex. while the clouds and raindrops kept us on our toes for a cancelled show all day, the clouds literally parted as we drove to shelburne and by the time we arrived we could see the adirondacks across the lake peeking through. we saw the mountain goats & bright eyes, and enjoyed a delicious local picnic of fresh bread, amazing cheese, sungold tomatoes & sweet treats. the sky cleared enough that the stars were out by the time we left. talk about lucky.