New England's Narrow Road

An Afternoon at The Peterborough Farmer’s Market

cat in sink — Enough Lounging Around… Get to The Farmer’s Market

I wish I had a picture of the Peterborough (NH) Farmer’s Market, but I don’t. Instead I decided to show a picture of my cat lounging in the sink with a message to get out and support the local farmers.

It was a beautiful, sunny and coolish, day yesterday which was perfect for strolling the market. My neighbor had called me and mentioned going so we traveled there together. I am somewhat of a regular, but she hadn’t been. She wanted some goat milk soap, and I knew just the person to buy it from! One of my favorite venders is Rebecca of Holland Homestead farm. I first got to know her when I saw her plumeria scented soap and she mentioned that she had sold a bunch of it as wedding favors. Since I run a beach / tropical wedding site, we got to talking about that idea. I purchased some of the plumeria soap with good intentions of writing about it on my Sandpiper Wedding site, which I have still not done (sorry Rebecca!). But I still plan to do it!

Anyway, she sells awesome granola, and the super fresh eggs (the yolks are so yellow), and other lovely things, but most of all she is friendly and fun to talk with. I wanted to treat myself to a piece of her goat milk fudge, but she didn’t have any with her. She sells her things online too so check out the Holland Homestead site.

I came across a vender who knits the most beautiful sweaters. I hadn’t seen her at the market before yesterday, but I don’t go every week. Her business is Buddy Sweaters, and the photos at the website don’t do those garments justice. In person, they are absolutely lovely. The long, coat sweaters were my favorite, and the children’s things were very sweet. As someone who only knits scarves, I truly appreciated all the work that goes into her craft. And the fine yarns she uses would make any of the garments costly, what with all the skeins she must go through, plus the time it takes to create any one item. That must be taken into consideration when looking at the prices. And plus you’ll have a one of a kind, unique, handmade fashion accessory!

Another of my favorite stands sells garlic, onions, and delicious greens, among other things. Yesterday he didn’t have any greens, but I bought a container of his homemade hummus. I picked up some chard instead at another vender’s area.

I came across a jewelry maker, who looked familiar. I knew I had seen her at another time and as I was saying that to her, she said, “Yes, I see you are wearing my earrings” and sure enough, I was. Find her online at Good Gaud Designs.

Then we met Sue Henley at her calligraphy table, where she had hand-written quotes on cards and stationery. We got to talking about her wedding calligraphy and I had to mention her here in case any locals (to Keene and the Peterborough area) are interested. You can contact her through the NH made site: at Calligraphy Write From the Heart.

I also bought a loaf of cinnamon bread, and regularly I purchase coffee beans from Parker House Coffee, which is located in Greenfield. Everything is delicious and fresh, and I always enjoy my myself, even if I go alone.

The Peterborough farmer’s market is open year round and sets up on the lawn outside the Community Center on Elm Street (right off Rt.202 after the lights in Peterborough, but before the Shaws / CVS). In October they move indoors. If the weather is especially bad in summer, they will cancel. I went by one Wednesday when it was raining and no one was there. Apparently they can’t use the inside facility in case of bad weather. But according to Rebecca, that doesn’t happen often.

I fully believe in supporting the local farmers and growers, and any of the Farmer’s Markets give all of us the perfect opportunity to do so.

What Does Your Life Path Look Like?

rocky trail through the woods — rocky mountain path

Without getting too depressing here, this rocky trail photo resembles my life path. And notice it goes up a steep hill, with no end in sight.

So what does your life path look like? Do you ever stop and wonder if you had the chance to choose, way back when, would you have continued on, or not. Most people would say, yes. Life is hard, but it’s worth it (as the song goes).

Maybe your life is more like an easy-to-navigate, country road. Flat, straight and peaceful. We all have our ups and downs and normal sadness in life, but for many, those things are just temporary bumps, and then it’s back to the good stuff. Moving on, accomplishing goals, and doing well.

May your path be interesting and manageable at the least. And never give up. If you are breathing, you have a purpose, although it may be hidden from view. A cure for that disease may be just around the corner. A financial windfall could surprise the heck out of you. And there still may be love in your future. No one knows where their path leads, so keep walking. The journey will end one day, and today I am thankful for that.

Back to School – One More Time

Since 1982 I have been doing the “back to school” thing- yes, for 32 years. At first it was exciting. As a parent of young children, back then, it was fun and scary to see them go off to their first day. I used to take first day of school photos of the kids all dressed in their new clothes. I would bake them a special cake or surprise to celebrate. Each year we’d head to Target or Walmart to buy all those school year supplies.

As time went on, I began to dread school. My 3 boys were not the best students. Their grades did not reflect their abilities, and keeping track of what they needed to do, when they tried their best to hide it from me, was a full time job. Helping with homework was a daily nightmare as well. My husband worked shift work and was no help. While I made supper (after a day at my job), I juggled keeping the baby quiet while answering math questions.
I attended the teacher conferences, and ran the kids back and forth to all their extracurricular activities. I picked them up from the buss stop, and got up early to see them off each day. I lost time at work when they stayed home sick, and sat at all their practices for whatever sport they played.

My children are spaced out in age so when my first son was in elementary school, I had a baby. When those two were in school, I had a baby girl. And when my daughter was in 5th grade, one son was in middle school and the other one had already flunked out of high school. (He went on to get his GED and is now a very successful man). Guess what? I had another baby. This one was not at all planned, and so I began again. When I discovered that I was pregnant the most depressing thought was doing school all over again! In 2003 he had his first day of school, and boy was I over it.

Now my youngest son is starting his junior year of high school. Two years to go. I am not involved with the school. In fact I have as little as possible to do with any of it. I try to keep my son on track and spout the benefits of good grades to deaf ears. I’m used to it. I know that he can still do fine in life even with bad grades. There are more important things.

So here we go again. Yay.

Viewing Mt. Monadnock From the Air

Recently I went to Florida to visit my son and on the plane ride home, my other son and I got this great view of Mt. Monadnock. Luckily, my son had the camera handy as he had been taking photos during the flight, and he snapped this one.

Mt. Monadnock is recognizable above the other mountains we saw, as it has a large stone top. Anyone who has ever climbed it, will know all about those rocks!

I went straight back to work once I was home, only to discover that my laptop would not cooperate. The keys on the left side would not work, which meant I didn’t have the “a” to use! Can’t do much without that! So I bought a new computer. It was time anyway. My laptop is about 6 years old. Now I have a lot to get used to.

Fortunately I could figure out how to create the image for this post. It’s also my new banner image.