Sarah's Books - Used & Rare

Thanksgiving morning, after eight-plus inches of snow fell the day before, there I was, letting the white stuff spill over into my boot-tops while attempting to find the garden. I was determined to add something fresh and grown on our own acre to the meal, and I knew those chives were just the thing! But where were they?

Right around here somewhere! I just know it! Ryan and I were chuckling uncontrollably... caption: Intrepid Maine Woman Successfully Extends Growing Season on Saltwater Farm.

There they are - it's been such a sunny warm fall around here that until this sudden big snow, they were enjoying another rampant growth spurt.

I picked a few handfuls in a rough-and-ready manner. This particular chive plant was a gift from a plantsman I know and love, and they are the sweetest, most onion-y chives I've ever tasted. They also seed themselves like crazy, so if anyone needs or wants any chives, for god's sake come visit this spring and I will dig you a clump. I used them with some sour cream as a dip for crudités. Along with my parents, my beloved aunt and uncle from Vermont joined us for dinner. Favorite appetizer: devils on horseback (bacon wrapped around prunes, baked in the oven - little bundles of sweet and salty wickedness). Favorite side dish: my aunt brought a traditional dish from her family Thanksgivings past, pears and parsnips, so delicious together.

After their lovely visit, onward to Christmas. This is also my birthday season (my middle name is Noël) and I so look forward to this introspective time of resetting priorities, reading long books, painting large paintings, and quietly celebrating the change of season. Winter is home, to me, and the real turning of my year. This past Sunday, we ventured once again out to the back acre, this time to a grove of balsams in the woods. Boots, coats, gloves, a handsaw, and a short walk through chickadee-laden underbrush, and there was our tree. It just barely fits in the living room. White lights or colored lights? We went with colored again this year, for their cheerfulness. While decorating, Ryan caught me in motion:

We always go outside and see what the lights look like from there. Isn't that one of the joys of this time of year - seeing all that warmth and magic coziness in your very own home, and in the homes of your neighbors? Hodge was wary at first but soon settled into his favorite spot:

From our home to yours, we wish you holidays of quietude, peace, and plenty. With a dash of hilarity now and again for good measure.