northeast – New England's Narrow Road

Saying Good-Bye to New England

I grew up in New England. I moved back for eleven years, and recently I moved away again. I started this blog to share my adventures in the northeastern US, but alas, I didn’t have many fun adventures.

I moved 5 times, and dealt with a lot of unexpected difficulties during my time in the north. I only stayed as long as I did to see my son graduate from high school.

The truth was that I was too poor to do much of anything while I lived in New Hampshire. I could hike – which is free – but I had no friends living near me. My daughter and I used to hike, but then she got sick. (She is better now.) She also works a regular, full-time job, like many people, and was busy on her days off. I don’t like to hike alone.

Picking blueberries along Gregg Lake was also one of my yearly traditions. I moved too soon to enjoy that this year.

I work from home, so my hours are flexible, but there was little reason to take time off. I would have loved to vacation on a lake each summer and have the kids join me. We did that once in the 11 years and it was wonderful.

I love New England, but it has become a place for the wealthy to live. Or at least the ones who are wealthier than me. I certainly enjoyed my summer gardening and the fresh, clean air that is always available. But I did not appreciate the unpredictable winters and heating oil bills. Taking care of a house all by myself had become quite a chore as well.

When things are not working, they must change. So I made the change. I no longer live in my beloved northeast, so writing a blog about the area makes little sense. Now it’s time to get back to living life instead of watching everyone else live it.

My focus will now be on my Florida blog: Seashells by Millhill. Pop on over there if you care to read more of my posts.

Where Would You Take Your Kids in NH?

Cog railroad and mountains — Cog Railway cars at the top of Mt. Washington, NH.

I am working on an article at the Wizzley site where I occasionally write and there is a new contest coming up with the theme: “Things to Do With Kids”… and I chose “in New Hampshire”.

I have not lived here very long, and most of those years were not the type of years I could spend vacationing and taking my kids places. I plan to include the science centers – and a few of them I’ve actually been to, Ruggles Mine, lake cruises, hiking and the Cog railway, but if any readers know of any great places to take kids in NH, please let me know.

(This is my photo taken this summer. And to think we almost didn’t ride the Cog because of the threat of bad weather! Look at that view!)

I Found The Snow

Last month I was asking where all the snow was, but I can tell you now that I have found it. For the fourth time in a little over a week the kids are missing school. My son is so sad, I’m sure he will be crying all day – NOT. But I might be… just kidding. No time to cry – must shovel!
We are not setting any records (except maybe the one for the most snow in the month of January) and usually get a bunch of snow where I live, but we are just getting it all at once.

So this morning when I went out to shovel out the bird eating stations and took a few photos. I think we are likely to get around 6 inches today. My car is in the shop so I won’t have to clean that off! Nice..! Of course I will have to pay the bill to have my brakes fixed.

If you are in New England, I hope you are enjoying the white stuff and are getting ready for that arctic chill coming this weekend when the temps will be well below zero.

I hate when the snow is as high as the deck. It makes getting it off much more difficult. As you can see, I will have a bunch to shovel once that roof lets go. And that is some heavy stuff.
The cat caught a blue jay the other day and I think he must have done so while hiding in one of the snow paths that lead to the bird feeding areas. The other cat, Fontana, mostly stays inside.

can in snow — Richie hoping to make a kill

It Must Be May in New Hampshire

Generally, I love where I live in south-western New Hampshire. But at the end of April and all through the month of May the black flies are plentiful and annoying.

I pretty much write off the entire month of May as lovely weather to look at from the safety of indoors. It’s a shame that just as the sun begins to get warm and the days are longer and everyone wants to be in the yard doing something, these little bugs make life miserable.

You would think it’s no big deal. They are just tiny flying bugs. I lived in Florida for 27 years and believe me I saw some nasty, awful creatures down there, but nothing was as horrendous as these flies.

They buzz your head and fly into your ears. Wearing long sleeves and a hat helps some, but they crawl up under the hat and into the sleeves and gloves, etc. and BITE! The bites are itchy, but not right away. In fact you can’t really tell they are biting until later.

That’s when the welts begin to appear with a horrible itch. My bitten ear is swollen and red and I have a lump the size of a quarter on my arm.

Hence, the net. When we first moved to NH, we saw people wearing nets over their heads in Spring … and laughed at them! Now, it is how I dress to do any type of yard work this time of year. Even so, I am not safe outside for long. Inevitably I end up with a new welt someplace.

The photo is a self portrait from last year. I took it of my reflection in the slider.

Happy Spring! (And don’t come to New Hampshire in May).