New England's Narrow Road

My Winter Owl

Photos have been sitting in my camera all winter, but I finally downloaded them and managed to get them a bit organized. This barred owl was a regular visitor to my backyard. He had a favorite branch where I’d watch him sit for hours, but one day he perched up on this post. If he caught me moving around in the house he’d stare right at me with those dark eyes. He sure is beautiful. I know that they are common where I live, but I enjoyed it when he’d keep me company while I worked at my desk.

I’m not a good wildlife photographer at all, but this photo came out pretty good. I don’t see him any longer now that Spring is here, but I do hear the cry, which is very distinctive. I suspect there are many living in the woods around here.

Lately a red cardinal has been showing up late in the evening to pick through the dirt for who knows what. And I suddenly realized it’s May, and I need to hang my hummingbird feeder. Funny how the time just sneaks up on us.

My thoughts have been on gardening and putting up my mini deck-greenhouse. I also ordered another fabric pot to fill and plant in again this year which will expand the planting areas in my small backyard garden space. But birds are a big part of gardening and I want them around to help control the bugs. Owls are welcome too to keep the mouse population down. This year I had very few mice in my basement – that I heard / saw anyway. So we all have to work together – owls included.

Eating Healthy in Peterborough New Hampshire

seal of the town of peterborough — Peterborough, NH

One of the things I enjoy about living in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire is the emphasis on buying local. Eating healthy and organic, while supporting local farms is easy to do. The quaint and picturesque community of Peterborough has farmers markets all summer long, and an indoor farmers market at the Community Center in winter. There are two health food / organic stores that I know of which sell local and organic produce and meat. Maggie’s Market on Main Street and the Green Grocer on Union Street are the ones I visit. The Green Grocer has tables with various items to purchase for lunch.

Going out to eat is another way to support the locals. Although I don’t get out much and have only eaten at a couple of places in Peterborough, restaurants tend to advertise that what they cook was purchased from farms nearby. I loved that the Bantam Grill listed all the local places that supply their food right on a chalkboard. By the way, they have delicious food and are right on the main road, Route 202 (Jaffrey Rd.), in the plaza.

Harlows is an interesting and cozy place to eat. I’ve only been in there once, but looking at their online menu, I see some yummy sounding sandwiches (Avacado Bliss) and meals, loaded with good veggies- don’t know if they are local. There is a little stage in the back where they feature a variety of live bands and music in the evening. It’s a popular place.

Much of the produce that is local comes from Rosaly’s Garden and Farm Stand. I’ve been there once, at the end of summer, or maybe it was mid summer. There is a long row of hydrangea bushes at one end of the garden, which grabbed my attention. It was beautiful. Here’s what the website says, “Rosaly’s is one of the largest Certified Organic Farms in New Hampshire and is the oldest certified organic farm in the state.” I see that she offers “pick your own” blueberries and raspberries, and sells herbs (also pick your own if you want) as well as flowers and vegetables.

And right after I wrote this post I bought some eggs at Roy’s Market that had a flyer inside. They (the eggs) came from Oxbow Farm, and the flyer mentioned that The Bagel Mill uses Oxbow eggs on their sandwiches.

There is no excuse for not being healthy eater, if you live in or near Peterborough!

The Freeze is Coming

frozen lake ice skating — The Freeze is Coming

I hear that the freeze is coming and it is bringing us some winter white. So far we have gotten off easy up here in New Hampshire. Today (December 6th) it is a balmy 42 and rainy as I type this. But tonight the freezing cold that has caused havoc all over the country is arriving along with a few inches of snow. It will be our first snowfall, other that the little dustings we’ve had here and there, which melted right away.
I’m bringing in the firewood and getting ready to run the wood stove quite a bit in the coming days.

The picture I am showing here is my son skating on Gregg Lake a number of years ago. After being transplanted from Florida, he could take the snow as a youngster, and even enjoyed it, but now that he is an older teen, he stays in his room with the heat on and tells me daily that he wants to go back and live in Florida!

We are only getting a few inches of snow (so they say) and I know my son will gladly get up early and help with the shoveling. Uh huh. Let the games begin.

Love My Wood Stove

This Jotul is one of the smaller wood stoves made by the company and it fits nicely in my living room and is able to keep it plenty warm.
This summer I replaced the gaskets on the door and around the glass for a tight seal. I didn’t realize the extra work of having two gaskets, but I love having the glass front to watch the fire.
My old stove was in the basement and it didn’t matter since I couldn’t watch the fire anyway.
Replacing the rope around the openings was not a bad job and I watched a video first to get some tips. My son was visiting over the summer and he did the door gasket, then I did the glass one later on.

Having a tight gasket fit is needed to burn wood and control the fire. Closing the dampers won’t work well if air gets in around the seals.

If you need to replace your gaskets, look for size info on the paperwork that came with the stove. The black glue is easier to use if you knead the tube first, and spraying the rope before you add it will help it stick better. Just a couple of tips I learned.