Day Hike With Addie

Addie has been talking about taking a nature hike. She convinced me that we should not be putting this off. So we packed our gear and drove about 25 miles to Little River State Park. She wanted to do the Dalley historic trail. 

We pulled over just before the entrance to the park and the trails. It was so very beautiful and peaceful.

There was just one boat on the water. I was wishing that I could have been out on that boat.

We parked near the entrance. Addie pointed out the trail we would take.

This trail would take us through an area that was settled by farmers in the 1800's. It is now forested, but there is evidence that people lived and worked here many years ago. The trail itself was once the main road through this area. There is one house, built in the 19th century, that is still standing.

The Goodell family lived here.

A vehicle bridge over a gully, not far from the home.

 

The trek was uphill. 


We stopped along the way for snacks and water that we brought with us.                          
This is a view from the trail.



We continued on.

There were short trails off to the side of the Dalley trail. Addie checked the map to see our progress.

I enjoyed seeing wildflowers and berries and even a butterfly along the way.

Seeing the stone walls along the trail, and even cellar holes and some rusted farm implements, it was not hard to imagine that people once lived here, farming, logging, even maple sugaring. 

We passed a few family cemetery plots. The engraving on many of the stones is still clearly legible.

Here's another view of the trail ahead of us.

This is a great park for hiking and also learning some history along the way. Having taken the loop, next time we plan to explore more of the side trails. 

Thanks to Addie for planning this day hike.

Happy hiking! 

The Flower Farm

Geo, Lucy, and I took a drive to Marshfield, Vermont, to visit the Vermont Flower Farm.

The Vermont Flower Farm

There are about five acres of  daylilies, hostas, and some astilbe that are grown here. Very impressive.

I was happy to wander through the field taking photos. I never saw so many varieties of daylilies.

 

Thank you, Geo and Lucy, for another beautiful day exploring Vermont.

Potluck, a Flood, and Antique Farm Tools

Addie invited me to go to Waterbury Center for a talk sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council and the Waterbury Historical Society. The topic was about farming inventions in Vermont, and the event included a potluck dinner. It was a perfect summer evening for a drive, so, “Why not, let’s go.”

The meeting was held in an 1830’s church. As we drove up, I saw the potluck was happening on the front lawn. 

I placed my three bean salad next to two other bean salads, then went to find a table. We happened to sit with two veterans of World War II.They were from Waterbury Center, grew up in Waterbury Center, graduated from the same school in Waterbury Center, and are still living there.

One of the veterans told us how his family of six survived the Vermont Flood of 1927! Well, I’ve heard of this flood, and seen pictures of the flood, but never spoke with anyone who actually experienced it. He recalled how he and his brother were stacking wood when the waters were rising. His Dad waited until the last minute before evacuating the family. He said, "we left with nothing more than the clothes on our backs.” They ended up losing their home and all their possessions to the flood.  From then on, they moved from place to place for somewhere to live.

After our potluck meal and dessert of ice cream and brownies (three different kinds), it was time for the talk. We slowly made our way inside to the sanctuary of the church. 

I noticed this sign. The congregation is apparently very small, but still active.

Paul Wood, our speaker for the evening, has collected some 3,000 antique farm tools. He focused on inventions especially from the 19^th century.

Individual farmers came up with inventions to make dairy and maple sugaring work more efficient. If the new tools worked, they were shared with neighbors, and if the tools were really good, they were often patented and produced for use throughout the U.S. and even  the world. 

Paul Wood

I learned a lot about how butter was processed years ago. We saw different devices for separating the cream from the milk, churning the cream into butter, pressing (printing) the butter, and cutting butter into blocks for wrapping. Here Addie is examining a cream separator. This was really heavy.

Here's a butter press and paper used for wrapping.

The product needed to be chilled and the equipment carefully cleaned after each use to keep bacteria count down. Scales of different sizes - many more inventions - were needed for each step of the process for buying/selling the milk, cream, butter. 

Here Mr. Wood was telling us about the process of pressing cheese.

I was impressed how labor intensive these jobs were for farmers and anyone working in large scale dairy production.

This was an evening of history from beginning to end - meeting at an historic church, talking with the World War II vets, and learning about old-time farming methods and tools.

Thank you, Addie, for recommending this event!

Pearl of Great Price

The Gospel reading in church for this Sunday was about finding the “pearl of great price.” The deacon at Mass shared about the pearl being the Kingdom of God, and where we might go to find this Kingdom.

Perhaps we could find it in the Holy Land where Jesus lived, he said, or maybe in Rome where so many Catholics go on pilgrimage. Or maybe in India or in other places where dedicated people serve the poor. We’d certainly hope to find the Kingdom of God there. Where else might we go to find the God’s Kingdom here on earth?

The deacon went on to say that the Kingdom is really a whole lot closer than we may realize. The Kingdom of God is already among us. And Isn’t it just like our God to hide the Kingdom in plain sight? We can find the Kingdom exactly where we are, in our families, in our homes, in our daily lives.

How much are we willing to give for that “pearl” in all our relationships and endeavors? The merchant in the Gospel parable was willing to sell all. And by selling all he had, he ended up richer than he had been before.

I’ve heard this Gospel reading so many times before, but each time it calls me to pause and reflect on what it is I truly value, what I am willing to sacrifice for what I value, and how I can find and more fully enter into the Kingdom of God.

My meditation for the week.

Fifty-two

There are fifty-two state parks in Vermont. Geo tells me we've been to eight of them.

A few days ago we visited one that was new to us - Waterbury Center State Park. We weren't exactly sure how to get there, so along the way we asked directions. 

The guy said to us, "Go past the cows and at the dip in the road, take a left. If you see the Cider Mill, you've gone too far."

Well, we never did see the cows, but a left "at the dip" took us to the park. We'll definitely go again.

Eight parks down, forty-four to go!

If you have found me here, please do check out my newest blog: Resolutions. Thank you!

Garden Update

See this?  My eggplant garden.

Right ~  NO EGGPLANT!

Here are the guilty culprits:

They've also munched away on other veggies and flowers in the garden!

On a positive note, my three bags of potatoes are doing very well.

And I've learned our local bunnies don't care much for swiss chard and beets. A few random onions are growing between the plants.

The acorn squash looks healthy.

There are some carrots hiding under the squash - undiscovered as yet by the bunnies.

The recent rain and now the warm weather are just what the garden needs.

Next year ~ bigger and better. AND a chicken wire fence.

And maybe an eggplant patch ~ just for the bunnies!

Applesauce, Cheddar Cookies, and Lemon Mousse

We were invited to two potluck parties this week. I wanted to bring something unique, but easy, easy, easy and quick to prepare.

1) Homemade chunky applesauce. Peel the apples and simmer with a splash of water (I was out of apple cider), cinnamon, and sugar. Done.

2) Lemon Mousse. 2 Cups whipped topping to 1 Cup lemon curd.  Blend together, garnish with blueberries. Done.

3) Cheddar Cheese Cookies. Mix thoroughly by hand 2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 1/4 Cups flour, 1/2 Cup melted butter (and optional dash of cayenne pepper or paprika). Form into ~ 42 one inch balls. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 400 degree F. for ~ 15 minutes. Done.

Here are the cookies ready to chill.

And now they're ready to pop into the oven. (Depending on the heat of the oven and the baking pans, the cookies could take up to 20 minutes before they are well set.)

And now they are ready to eat! They are called "cookies," but they are more of an appetizer. I store them in the refrigerator.

My food prep is done. Time to party!