Ice and lakes freezing

For the past few days up at Coniston we have had some amazing experiences with ice forming, lakes freezing, and in general with winter. Our first morning here on New Year's Eve, it was -3 degrees F when I got up at 7am. My nose hairs froze when I went outside for the first time that day. Our "Channel 1" is the lake and with no leaves on the trees, we can see a lot of the lake. Our first 24 hours here, Colchester Bay was still waves and water. 4 days later is is frozen pretty solid. The ice fisherman are all out there each time we drive across the causeway to Colchester. They sometimes have a little tent over themselves when they fish but today they were standing out on the ice with no tents.

Yesterday we took the ferry from Grand Isle to Plattsburgh. In the summer, it is nice to get out on the ferry deck. Yesterday it was pretty cold although John and I did get out on the deck on the return trip. We hiked in Pointe au Roche State Park. While walking along we could actually hear the ice cracking and forming. We practiced taking movies with out new camera of the ice and water. Pretty neat. We were going to snow shoe but there was not enough snow.

My sister in law grew up going to the ocean so water freezing is new to her. Ken Charles and she took a night time walk (to try to get Thomas Henry to go to sleep) and came back with a big piece of ice, which until it melts is now a piece of art out in front of our house. My brothers, Ken and Charles, carried the ice from the lake. It was probably zero degrees F that night.

We actually shovelled off our pond on New Year's Day in anticipation of a hockey game, but it was way too cold. We played Apples to Apples instead.

It is definitely a science experiment to live in this house and watch Channel 1. Growing up we spent most summers on the lake but we rarely went there in the winter, except for the ranch. Ice and winters are very interesting, and in fact awe inspiring. I don't think I will ever be an ice fisherwoman, but maybe. It is a pretty solo activity with long days out in the cold.

I bought a new parka today. If we are going to spend winters in this house I need to be warm. The next time I put ice in my glass I will look at it a new way.

Change and reflecting

On one of our VERY cold walks yesterday at Burlington, VT first night we had yet another Myers Briggs conversation. I don't like to spend much time alone, in fact in my extreme state of mind I would say NO TIME ALONE. As I sit here on New Year's Day and no one is up yet I thought about this time I often have when no one is up yet. A part of me is waiting for someone to get up to talk to. A part of me cleans up loose ends to start the day and a very little tiny part of me, sits back and enjoys this time alone. Mostly, I wait for someone to stir and get up.

With the New Year, I thought of changing the appearance of my blog, but why change something that works and is recognizable. I added a new quote today but only because the old quote was just that OLD and it is New Years Day after all.

So today I make the resolution to use a mug for coffee and drinks rather than use throw away stuff. I might need a belt clip to put my travel mug on or a camping one that collapses put in my handbag.

Last night was interesting. I needed to connect with our family traveling in Egypt and I did that via text. Rod was late connecting with England 2:45 am their time, CLS called just as he and Meg were going into Grace Potter and Mom called me at 10pm as we were leaving Burlington VT to go home and watch the fireworks from our very warm loft. Lots of extended family were touched in one way or another and some of the rest are helping us continue our First Foot tradition at Coniston. Only Ted and Margaret will need a phone call later today.

I did not write this yet but it is a true Sallyism. Tuesday night as I needed to kill some time before I picked Miss Amy up, I went to the Library. Truth be told, I needed to use their bathroom, but while I was there I decided to browse the recent returned fiction. That is the closest section to the bathroom. In that section was "Death on the Nile" and I grabbed it. What you need to know is that our traveling family got on a cruise of the Nile today their time. Why was that book there? Why did I chose to use the bathroom and browse for 30 seconds the recently returned fiction books? Why did I grab the book and think is some way that someone put that book there for me? I have never read it, so what an opportunity.

Typical blog, typical early morning basking in the recently appearing sun over Camel's Hump. Onto mugs and sub zero winter days in Vermont.

Life is Good

Each day I count my blessings and it is probably trite at this time of year, but I found myself doing it again today. We have a wonderful new house in Vermont, all of my extended family are well. My son is newly engaged and my daughter is on the trip of a lifetime with her aunt, uncle and 2 cousins. I LOVE MY JOB, in case you have not caught that in the tone of Intuit blog posts. I do have friends who are going through tough times; cancer, divorce, estrangement from family, deaths. Who knows why we are dealt the hand we are dealt? Who or what gave cancer to one and not another?

At times like this I always wait for the other shoe to fall. I wait to have some hand dealt to me that it hard to handle. But for now, I count my blessings, and look forward to the New Year with anticipation and reluctantly say good-bye to this one. It has been a very good year.

We are in for some Wind

I am sitting here in the living room at Coniston, listening to the wind. I don't think it has let up at all since midnight last night so for 18+ hours there has been a south wind blowing off of the lake. Our driveway this morning has a pretty big drifted bank of snow near our new septic mound. The plow guy plowed at 10am and when Crick and Meg left at 11am, only 1 hour later (after Rod won the most incredible game of Settlers) they had to accelerate through a new snow bank. The plow guy came again at 4pm and plowed quite a bit of snow so Rod and Bethany could leave. I left my car at the end of the driveway just in case we have enough drifting to create another impassible bank.

So for those who keep asking me "Have you spent a winter up there yet?" rest assured that this wind situation is very exciting for me. I am sure we will get snowed in a few times and we may have to reposition our driveway because I think where it is currently positioned, is the most drift prone part of our cleared 2 acres.

Growing up in Colorado, some of my best memories were when we got snowed in.

This weekend gave up the opportunity to meet a few neighbors. Rich took care of the situation this week where we lost water. We had to hire a diver with a dry suit to go see what was wrong with the pump, that is in Lake Champlain. Apparently we/they also lost power for 2 days this week.

Yes, this is going to be an exciting place to live and I am up for the challenge. It is a great weekend to test some of the inclement weather that we will be experiencing when we live here full time. Rich was surprised that we are spending New Years up here.

We also met Laurie who is one of our closest neighbors. We took over our check for 7.8% of the snow plowing. They calculate it on our far down Phelps Lane your driveway is. She served as the treasurer for the snow plowing.

We also heard some of the neighbor relations. I guess we are pretty ignorant at this point, so will invite all of them to our New Year's party and sit back and observe.

Saturday morning, a non-Phelps Lane neighbor arrived walking down our driveway with a shovel. Could he shovel our pond, so his kids can skate on it? Sure. Now we need to buy ice skates so we can skate as well. It was pretty funny, that he arrived with the shovel. I think he would have shoveled it, even without asking us.

So, yes we are up for the wind, and drifts, and snow and fire. We also got connected to the internet this weekend.

What we bring up to Coniston

Last night, as I was falling asleep, Rod was packing a box of books to take with us this weekend to Coniston. He has already taken several boxes up there.

Walking around at work it got me to think about what I want to bring up there and leave. Unfinished knitting projects. To get them out of the way? NO! To make room for more unfinished projects? NO!! Because at Coniston, I have more time and might finish them with less distractions around.

I first thought of bringing up some of my stashes e.g. yarn, fabric, craft books. However, if I start splitting those, then I might need something in MA that is in VT and visa versa.

So I might start bringing up projects, put in bags of unfinished knitting projects and then start finishing them up there.

It is interesting to think about what we want to take and leave up there, and what we want to keep around us the majority of the time.

New Recipe - Carmelized Onion Risotto Pie

We are in Vermont for the weekend and have friends coming to visit. I made an onion pie recently and in surfing the web I found another recipe for onion pie that I wanted to try. I just finished making it, all ready for the oven and Coniston smells really wonderful right now. Onions, cheese, wine. I really love trying new recipes and this is the prefect place to try new ones because it is so relaxing. It reminded me of when I first started cooking in my first house and inviting people over. I always made spaghetti and when Charles remarked on that I branched out the the next time he came to visit. I made spaghetti pit. I thought that was different enough from regular spaghetti. So now I am on onion pies.

At work on Friday we were standing around talking about cooking. We decided to share our favorite recipes to add a bit of inspiration to our meals. I do sometimes get stuck and cannot figure out what to make for dinner. It would be so easy to open my notebook of recipes but sometimes there is nothing there I want to make. However, this week I made 2 recipes from there that I have never made, a cheese soup from Peg and a lentil soup from Marilin.

So far today, I have left the house twice, to take Qammi out and to go see if there was lots of smoke coming out of the chimney. It is almost noon and the other things I have done today are:

• make 2 cups of coffee
• bath
• Knit my new project which I love
• reading
• stoking the fire
• sitting on the couch
• listen to Car Talk and Wait Wait Don't tell me

I am pretty spoiled I must admit to have this wonderful place to relax in. It brings out the best in me and is a wonderful recharging place.

I think the pie will be a success. It certainly smells and looks good. It might become another page in my recipe notebook for inspiration when I cannot think of something to make for dinner.

Retiring to Vermont - Yes I have spent a full winter there

With the purchase of Coniston in Vermont more than a few people have asked "But, have you spent a full winter there yet?". I looked at the first few people with a questioning look, like "What do you mean have I spent a full winter there yet?" I think even my lovely husband has said "But we have not spent a winter there yet". In conversation with my friend Cindy we talked about the fact that some people retire to Florida or North Carolina and some people retire to Vermont. It is a very good thing that we are wired differently otherwise we would all be retiring to the same place and be on top of each other.

So yes, I have spent 22 years of my life living in a wintry climate, Colorado and Vermont. I love the snow, I love being snowed in, and blizzards. It might explain why at the first blizzard I get out in the car and drive in it. I took both of my kids out snow driving when they first got their licenses, so they would know how to drive in the snow. So that part of Vermont is clear, I love snow and driving in it, and yes I have spent 22 years in that kind of climate.

Now on to mud season. This morning I was thinking about it and kids love mud. They love to walk in it, get really dirty and squishy. Well maybe not all kids, but this kid does. As long as you can clean up and have the right boots mud season is tolerable. We looked at Coniston for the first time in March, during mud season. We could not even see the driveway for the mud, and we will made an offer a few days later. So, I don't mind mud season, because it ends and then the glorious spring and summer and fall arrive.

As long as we have heat, and layers, and snow shoes, and wood stoves and our Channel 1 then yes, I can spend a winter there.

It is a very good thing that we are all different. I would never be as excited about a sandy beach as a snow bank. If they could only invent a way to play golf in the snow then it would be paradise, this "Vermont in Winter" thing.

Lining up my knitting projects

It is like clockwork, when the temperatures dip, I start lining up my knitting projects for the winter. I am nearly done with a sweater that I started last December. It is a jacket in garter stitch with some green yarn that BEL gave me for Christmas last year. For a long time, this project was stalled because the cast on is a really weird, but this weekend, on the car trip to Vermont I broke through. It is nearly done, but that does not mean that it might not sit unfinished for months.

I have wanted to knit wool slippers for Coniston and have been thinking about a Lopi yarn pattern for slippers. Tonight I browsed through my binder of sock patterns, found the Lopi pattern and off I go. I am obsessive so I will probably be knitting a few pairs of these over the next month or so. After all, guests at Coniston during the winter need their own pair of knitted slippers, n'est ce pas?

After that, I want to knit myself another Jaegar jacket and Judy has been making a pattern of a basket weave sweater that I want to use.

It is winter, and the projects are lining up.

Channel 1 - what is it?

Our friend Dave was at Coniston this summer for a week, and at the end of the week he dubbed our front windows, Channel 1. The name has stuck. We don't have a TV in Vermont so instead we watch our 3 front windows, or Channel 1. This morning, I got up at 7am fully intending to go back to bed, but the sun was about to rise, so instead, I watched that on Channel 1. It took about 30 minutes until I could actually see the sun, but the faint light behind Mount Mansfield, and then the orange, turning to REALLY orange and then the sun was unbelievable. I now understand what the prior owner meant about the sun rises over Mount Mansfield. It is pretty pathetic that I have not see the sun rise yet, except as a digital image on Rod's camera.

Channel 1 changes, and you cannot click to get the "show" that you want. I have been waiting since August for the deer to come back. The wild turkeys did not show up on Channel 1 but they did run around the back of the house for Rod's sisters when they were here, all 9 of them.

I know when we live here full time that we will have a TV, but for now we have Channel 1 and this is exactly what we need for our relaxation when we are up here.

The leaves are still turning, the summer folks have gone home, the full-timers are getting ready for winter and some where in between summer folks and full-timers is where we are; "Watching Channel 1"

Cobwebs

I have been thinking a lot about cobwebs lately. Why? Because there are a lot around. Coniston has a lot of cobwebs and coz we leave Lexington most weekends, the cobwebs there grow as well. The clincher for me though was the cobweb in the bathroom at church this morning. "I am not going to clean that one up too!" I said to myself as I sat there. (BTW, I did clean up the one which was a yard long connecting our ceiling fan to the ceiling after Rod pointed that one out!)

This reinforced my opinion about cleaning which is: Why bother, it is just going to get dirty again! I guess some could judge that I am not a very good housekeeper if there are so many cobwebs around.

Cobwebs are not only bad however. This summer at Coniston there was the most beautiful one on the outside of our round window, with dew on it. We turned just one light on and took some pictures of it, because it was so beautiful. Cobwebs also collect bugs for me, so I don't have to chase them around and catch them. They are kind of like bats who collect the mosquitos.

Someone this summer said cobwebs are the sign of a healthy house, so let's leave it at that, we have too very healthy houses and the church bathroom is pretty healthy too.

"Sisters Weekend"

Last weekend was Sisters weekend at Coniston. This idea came from Sara who gets together with her sisters and sisters-in-law regularly. This was our third time getting together and it was perfect. Of course, we missed those who could not be there for a variety of reasons.

What did we do? Talked, walked, feed each other, sat around in our PJs, rubbed each others feet, watched "channel 1", sat in "channel 1", admired rainbows, read the Sunday paper, biked to the Grand Isle ferry, fed the stove, got the stove started etc.

It really was a wonderful time and one that will be remembered. It was a great weekend to have before my business trip to California. Tomorrow I fly back to Burlington to spend another wonderful weekend at Coniston. It is Applefest at South Hero this weekend.

"Sisters" are pretty special.

Path of Least Resistance

Today I volunteered to drive and get lunch in the pouring rain. Pulling into the driveway of the sub shop, I could either park right in front of the store or park in a quieter part of the parking lot and get wetter. I chose the quieter part of the parking lot. That is when the topic of this blog came to me but I really have no idea where it is going.

I find myself taking the path of least resistance as I get older. Someone cut me off today and I just let them do it. I wasn't even really angry, I just figured they needed to be somewhere sooner than I did. On Waltham Street tonight, a moron stopped IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET and put her blinkers on. I did not even honk at her. What was she thinking? The guy in back of me pulled around me and the pulled around her and then honked at her. At least I hope he was honking at her. It did not even occur to me to honk at her.

Maybe it is time to move to Vermont. When we are up there I have to consciously drive slower and not be so impatient. There are a lot of reasons in the news lately to move to our retreat in Vermont and get away from the chaos. Is that the path of least resistance? No that is the path to sanity I think.

It still feels like vacation

As we drove up last night to Coniston, it still feels like we are going on vacation whenever we come up here. The last 2 weeks, have been very busy with the SISTERS visit from England. That is why there have not been any posts. We spent 5 days with them here over Labor day, on vacation. It was great to share with them our new place.

Each time we visit Vermont I practice and try on living here. I know when the time is right we will live here full time. I still like a visitor and we have not really gotten to know the neighbors. It is not like Lexington where we plugged into a community through the school.

Tomorrow we are going to the Burlington Vermont UU church. Beginning of the church year and all, and we hope to plug into that as our community.

While we are on vacation, the Lexington house is suffering from lack of attention on the weekends, and Coniston got a really good cleaning today with a couple of months of accumulated cobs webs. Someone told me that cob webs are the sign of a healthy house. We have a very healthy house up here.

When it stops feeling like vacation, I guess we will be living here full time. Until then, we have a lot more vacation than every before.

Process or Product?

I love this question and it comes up all the time in life.

This weekend we played some Settlers (surprise, surprise), and it got me thinking about why I play the game. I know there are a ton of you out there who will violently disagree with this next statement BUT I play Settlers for the process first, and then the product WINNING, second. I love to set up the game, or watch Chris set up the game, I love the initial placements, I love to watch strategies unfold during the game. AND I love to be behind and figure out a strategy to win.

Why do I knit? Mostly, I knit for the meditation and the keep my fingers busy and mind quiet reasons. I have a stack of knitted products that are sitting in my sewing room waiting to be given away. Some of them have been there for decades. I love it when a sweater that I have been working on fits really really well, BUT I also love the knitting time too. Judy just finished a sweater similar to one I knit. We bought the yarn together 2-3 years ago. Yes, I cannot wait to see the 2 of us together wearing our matching sweaters, and in that case, it was a beautiful yarn and I really loved the process of knitting it. The whole time I was knitting it, I knew the sleeves might not be perfect, but I kept knitting because I love the feel of yarn. I love this sweater, and I loved knitting this sweater over several years.

Biking: When I get on my bike, and the pedal makes those first rotations, I get into the groove. As I bike down Phelps Lane and the wind starts blowing through my helmet, hair and clothing I am really enjoying the process of biking. OF COURSE, I love the end product of 8-10 miles on the bike, but this weekend with our guests, it was the sauntering on the bike, the conversations, the admiring of gardens, and the wind blowing across us on the causeway, (that this weekend will have a bike ferry running across the inlet so we can bike to Burlington) that were the most enjoyable.

Wait Wait, our destination yesterday was the lake and a swim, so is that product or process. The lawyers and engineers among you may find a flaw in my original statement. OKAY go ahead.

Quilting: Of course I love the final product, but I love choosing the fabrics and patterns, shopping in my stash, matching the thread, hearing the machine assemble the pieces and the final hand sewing of the binding.

NELS: This summer, and this week are the first time in 4 years that the first week in August in not spent on the Cape at NELS. I am definitely missing it, and going through my memories of 4 years there. The ultimate question of NELS is: "Do we need to focus on process or product?" and the answer is both, but people have preferences. Conflicts arise out of those preferences and the magic of NELS erupts. You have to experience this to believe it.

OKAY, enough Monday morning pondering (PROCESS) and off to get some work done (PRODUCT) . . .

Swimming in Lake Champlain and games

I grew up spending summers on Lake Champlain. In 1964, Mom and Dad bought Gardiner Island with my grandparents and Aunt and Uncle. We owned the island from 1964-1976. Only 12 years, but summers = swimming in the Lake and playing games.

This Saturday, with friends and family we biked, got really hot, rode to a beach and swam in the Lake. I know some people love salt water, and the Cape BUT not me. We were talking this weekend that it is a good thing that some people retire to the Cape or Florida and some people retire to Vermont. Otherwise, we would all be in the same place. We can visit other places, but my heart is in Vermont.

For me, as a I slog through the week, what I will be anticipating is another swim in the Lake. I could have staying there for hours, and in fact tried to get a group to go for a midnight swim. Circumstances happened which prevented the midnight swim, but I suspect that there will be one this summer.

Playing games is the other summer activity which defined and continues to define my summer. For hours we would play card games, and board games. This filled in the time, when we were water logged, or it was not swimming weather. It is fitting then that Saturday included 2 VERY good Settlers games and a few more converts, I think.

Works for Now - Monday morning commute

Today was the trial of coming down from VT on Monday morning. It worked in many ways.

1. We spent one more night there and watched, in the dark, from our living room, an amazing lightening storm for a couple of hours in the Green Mountains. July 4th early for us.
2. We watched the sunrise over the Green Mountains
3. I am a lark, so getting up at 5am is not a stretch. My owl husband slept until Woodstock.
4. I found an NPR station all the way, between South Hero and Boston (3 different ones).
5. There was no traffic on Route 3 or Route 128 at 9:20 and I got to work in time for my first meeting at 10am.

I am sure the list is longer, but my time to type has ended.

Short and Long Goals on the Minuteman Bike Path

Yesterday on the bike path, I came across this thought. Some days I can set a very long goal for myself and know that I will have no trouble accomplishing it. For instance, today it is to the Bedford end and back. Other days I need little tiny milestones/goals. For instance, to Bedford Street, and then to Dow Ave, and then to Bedford Street again.

I was trying to figure this out last night as I was in the middle of a "little tiny milestones" bike ride. I always worry that I will get a flat and be stuck, and BTW, I have never gotten a flat, so this is just needless worry. When I am time constrained, I do the little tiny goals

I think some of this is that my iPod is broken, and that is such a nice distraction and makes me feel like I can ride forever, because the music will never stop.

So it is like life; isn't it all like life. Yesterday my little tiny goals were to get a birthday card, check out the pay tool, and remember to ask Esther to sign the 3 new hires in on Monday. And my long term goals for yesterday were to continue progress on virtual work project, get ready for all of the calibrations that are coming up, and patiently wait until I can get up to Coniston.

Vermont here we come . . .

OKAY, the excitement in our house is unbelievable lately. We drive up on Thursday night to go to our closing on Friday.

Both Rod and I are so ready to move there permanently that I wonder if we can condense the time period. In the meantime, we are going to spend every spare weekend minute up there.

I have been riding my bike every night up and down the bike path, getting myself in shape to ride the Burlington bike path, we have packed 20 boxes to take up there, we are planning which weekend to take the beds and couches up, bought new silverware, etc.

Some key questions around milestones will be:

• When will we be there enough to buy sheep and chickens?
• Will this be our Thanksgiving / Christmas house?
• Where is Rod's tree house going to be?
• What yarn and fabric stash should "live" in Vermont (already made the decision to bring my Featherweight up there)?
• Should I have 2 piles of books that I am reading, one in Vermont, one in Lexington?

Oh, the never ending questions??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Why Coniston?

It is unbelievable to me how connected Rod and I are on some things, and how disconnected on others.

I proposed a few weeks back, that we name our house in South Hero. I always love driving on Long Point and seeing on the name's of the camps. Gardiner Island was where we spent summers from 1964-1976 on Lake Champlain.

So after a few minutes, I said "How about Coniston?" to which he replied "That is what I was thinking."

He ordered a Vermont slate sign for the house already, which we don't own until Friday. I don't believe in jinxes . . .

Coniston is the name of the street that his house was on growing up in Heworth. It is also the name of one of the lakes in the Lake District.

It just fits!!!!!

Planting Petunias

So for a few years I have planted petunias. I am not a green thumb at all in fact I am a brown thumb. Plants die as soon as they reach our threshold. Once we were given a plant as a thank you from church and we tripped with it coming up our front stairs.

But, despite all of that, I buy petunias and plant them. Yes, I am an extreme sentimentalist. Mom always called me Petunia. I don't know where the nickname came from, and in fact don't even know if she is the one who started it, but when she was really affectionate with me, it was Petunia she used. Why did she call Ted, SAM? Why do I call Bethany, Bee or BEES?

So I bought them yesterday, along with some PINK geraniums, and they are sitting on our front patio, in the rain waiting to be planted. Sue is an artist, and when I told her the story about Mom, she painted me a picture of a single petunia. Should I take that picture to Coniston (The name of our house in South Hero, and material for a later post), or leave it here?

When I walk into the house, all summer, I see the petunias and they remind me of MOM.

This year, I picked out purple and pink varieties. They are a really cool range of colors.

Happy Spring!!!!!! Happy Petunias!!!!!!