~HAPPY HALLOWEEN~

From our house to your's...

Happy Halloween...

~OH WOW~

A milestone for Travis Lloyd...A first haircut...a few snips here...a few snips there...

suddenly, in the blink of an eye, our grand baby has morphed into a little boy...

How fortunate I am to experience Travis's sense of wonder ...his many "firsts"...his excitement... "oh wow" being  his favorite words of the day... 

  I may miss that chubby baby face with it's toothless grin...but, boy this Granny sure is having fun, I just hope it  keeps me young... 



~HALLOWEEN STITCHERY~

There is magic in the night when pumpkins come alive by moonlight...

"I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through."

~Jules Verne~
No scary movies...No sweet indulgence...my hands have been busy with a bit of stitchery...a mousetrap is set...the homestead is secured for the night...it's off to bed...goodnight...

~BIG MISTAKE~

Big mistake...

Mistake number #1...I opened the bags of Halloween candy ...mistake #2... I have  stayed up way past my bedtime while indulging in mistake #1...(it's two minutes to midnight)...mistake #3... my choice of Friday night television...ghosts... paranormal...and zombies...will I ever learn...and now there is something making a chewing noise in my old red cupboard...I'll be sleeping with the covers over my head...that's if I sleep at all...

~ONCE UPON A TIME~

Once upon a time there were four little fuzzy chicks who came to live at Dog Trot Farm...two buff and two barred...they were happy, healthy, chicks who over time would be integrated into an existing flock of fifteen...As days turned into weeks the chicks thrived..but one chick in particular matured sooner than the others, poultry puberty had begun...

 The signs were subtle at first,  as a seasoned chicken keeper I should have known.  Perhaps it was denial on my part...but as her "honk" grew into a yodel...finally evolving into a masculine Cock-a-doodle-do...there was no denying it...I now had a full sized...sex crazed rooster...It wasn't pretty...

 

 I named him Marvin...he spent his days trying to catch the eye or should I say the tail of my full sized hens...they wanted none of it...Marvin became self indulgent... continually molesting my banty hens...his fate was sealed the day he eyed Travis..

Marvin lived a short, but good life while here at Dog Trot Farm...The day he was butchered Mr Dog Trot and I left town, we took a picnic to camp...His life was not in vain...if Travis could talk I'm sure he would say  "Granny, Marvin tastes just like chicken" instead he said..".um mm"  It's funny how the brain works, I could never eat an animal that I have given a name to, I do admit Marvin had a lovely aroma while roasting, but that's all I am going to say about that.... 



~GOOD WEDNESDAY~

Good Wednesday morning...

 the sun is shining...there is a chill to the air...

  Autumn's beauty surrounds me...

 leaves crunch under my feet and geese fly overhead...

 vibrant colors remain steadfast...

 Mr. Jack welcomes visitors to Dog Trot Farm...

 and I get to share it all...with my best buddy...how could I ask for more...



~TASHA TUDOR, PART 3~

Upon completion of the garden tour,  Marjorie Tudor  safely placed us in the hands of Winslow Tudor, son of Marjorie and Seth and grandson to Tasha...The afternoon became cool and overcast, but as we stepped into Corgi Cottage the warmth and magic of this house enveloped us...

On this Autumn day the fire places were lit, carefully placed maple leaves, mums and bright orange pumpkins adorned the home...it is a wonderful New England house, a design chosen by Tasha and  built by hand by Seth Tudor, Tasha's eldest son...the rooms are small with low hung ceilings, dimly lit, and as Tasha once remarked  "it is like a  chipmunk's nest".

Tasha's presence is keenly felt...we respectfully tour Corgi Cottage, no room is off limits...Of interest to me, Tasha's kitchen with it's old hand pump and wood burning cook stove... Tasha's famous tin kitchen sits in front of the kitchen fireplace. In the downstairs bedroom  Tasha's reading glasses remain on her pillow..it is a warm and cozy room who's windows look out onto the gardens.  As we ascend a very narrow stairway leading to the second floor we come to the loom room and adjoining attic bedrooms...  Corgi Cottage remains as Tasha would have left it, you have the distinct feeling that she has  just stepped out into her garden, perhaps to pick a bouquet of flowers for afternoon tea...Tasha was an avid collector, Corgi Cottage is filled with  many beautiful items, those she collected and those passed down through her family . Tasha's art table is located in the winter kitchen by a north facing window...her paints and brushes remain...There is so much to see and take in...

Corgi Cottage remains vacant...family members tend to it's care... Winslow is slowly making headway bringing Tasha's gardens back to life...If you stop and listen carefully, the faint voices of Tasha's menagerie can be heard...her beloved Corgis, cats, parrots, finches, chickens, roosters, goats...they are all there... If you  have the opportunity to take the Corgi Cottage Home and Garden tour I encourage you to do so...I have been fortunate to take the tour twice, both in the spring and fall. I  so enjoyed both tours, one is not preferred over the other but simply different...Finally, the Tudor's are a very gracious family, their loss is  still raw ... Tasha's presence is clearly dearly missed.   

Upon return to the rookery...the three groups were reunited where we enjoyed  warm mulled cider served in Tasha's blue and white Canton china cups, stuffed eggs, chicken salad sandwiches, cider donuts...No matter the weather it was a lovely and most magical way to spend a day...Thank you Tudor family...I hope to return yet again...

~TASHA TUDOR, PART 2~

Rounding the corner...as woods give way to a clearing, Corgi Cottage comes into sight...it is a weathered cape nestled between outer buildings...Truly, you feel as though you have stepped back in time...

Our tour began with Marjorie Tudor, Seth's wife and Tasha's daughter in-law, leading us through Tasha's gardens...  Marjorie freely offered wonderful stories about Tasha's love of gardening...case in point...when Tasha sold her rambling seventeen room farmhouse house in Webster, New Hampshire ... not only did Tasha move her "things" but beloved plants and trees too...At the time of the move Tasha drove an old Range Rover... On this particular day Marjorie drove the  Range Rover with Tasha barely visible  sitting in the passenger seat completely taken over by plants, while holding a Buckeye tree in her lap...I brought home a buck eye from Tasha's tree...and a sprig of rosemary...rosemary being for remembrance...The gardens, now quiet...but if you conjured up your imagination...the gardens were in full bloom...their fragrant scent heavy in the summer's air... Tasha bare footed...digging in the warm soil...and her beloved corgi's by her side...

~THE WAY TO CORGI COTTAGE, PART 1~

The long winding dirt road which leads to Tasha Tudor's Corgi Cottage... it is an isolated road...surrounded by woods...woods which you just have to believe faeries gather in...

 

 The tour begins at the "Rookery" so named by Seth and Tasha... rookery means "gathering" place...and that's what "we" do...this house was built by Seth... was once home to Tasha's oldest daughter Bethany, but now home to the Tasha Tudor family business and gift shop...Soon we are warmly greeted by Tasha's son Seth and his wife Marjorie, Tasha's grandson Winslow and his wife Amy and their two children Ellie and Kate...We are divided into three groups of six each being escorted by a family member...we are kindly requested to place all electronics in the safety of our vehicles...sadly, but understandably NO photography...

 After introductions...we learn one couple is from Japan...many from the Midwest...one lovely lady is 91 years young...this tour is not for the faint of heart lots of walking through hill and dale is involved and proper footwear is a necessity...case in point...the walk did in one participant, sadly she was unable to continue and required an inhaler...the tour is 3 hours... 

for most of us it is a magical 3 hours...

~THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT~

This may appear as any ordinary dirt road...

however, it is not...this road winds through the remote countryside of Northern Vermont, while leading you to one of the most enchanted places on God's green earth...Corgi Cottage, the beloved home of  author and illustrator Tasha Tudor...Saturday afternoon...I will once again have the opportunity to tour Tasha's home...this is a dream come true a second time around...Thanks to Mr. Dog Trot who while traveling on business pulled over on the side of the road in a blizzard just to get online when  tickets  became available...(they were sold out in four minutes) and to my parents who are willing once again to care for Winslow Homer and tend to the chickens...I am a very lucky gal... 

~SALEM~

"When witches go riding,

and black cats are seen,

the moon laughs and whispers,

'tis near Halloween"...

~unknown~



 Calling all witches from near and far...

it's time to unearth your Halloween finest...

and dust off your trusty broom... 



Salem is waiting for us...now go reserve your room!!!

~MAGICAL OCTOBER~

October, the magical month... brilliant colors in shades of orange, red, and yellow paint the landscape...

 It is harvest time...farmers gather their crops... corn fields are chopped, pumpkins gathered, apple trees hang heavy with fruit..."we" drive back roads seeking red berries and bittersweet for window boxes  ...hydrangea blossoms  are hung indoors...

old friends are brought down from the attic...

  days are warm...evenings  cool...

the cricket's song is no more...in the darkness of the night the faint hoot of the Barred owl can be heard... 

such is life in the country...



beauty surrounds us...we give thanks... 

soon I am reminded...at some point... all these beauties will have to be raked...



UGH!!!