Country Life B&B-Wendy and Richard

Spintall

2011-11-26T16:57:00.000-08:00

You may wonder what that word is - it is a new season I witnessed today - Sp(ring)(w)int(er)(f)all. While mowing for the third "last time" I mowed through several patches of snow and then, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but forsythia and johnny jump-ups in bloom! How can all those things be happening at the same time? And the temperature was 56 degrees in late November in upstate NY.

While it was this warm, I put up the outside Christmas lights to be turned on at a later date. Cannot believe Christmas is just a month away.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a Christmas with family and friends.

The Wonders of Lake George

2011-10-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

A Quote from Thomas Jefferson in a letter written to his daughter in 1791
"Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw...formed by a contour of mountains into a basin thirty-five miles long and from two to four miles broad...finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal and the mountain sides covered with rich groves of thuja, silver fir, white pine, aspen and paper birch down to the water edge...here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony...An abundance of speckled trout, salmon trout, bass, and other fish with which it is stored, have added to our amusements the sport of taking them.....

Follow the admiration of Thomas Jefferson and come to Country Life B&B for a visit with day trips to Lake George.

The British are Coming!!

2011-10-09T06:54:00.001-07:00

We have had four sets of wonderful guests from England lately and each and every one has added to the richness of our lives. One of the men leaving today was actually one of the four finalists to be in the Soyuz program. (Spaceship) However, money ran out and he never made it.

The people just before them travelled the world and had a home in Florida to go to for English winters! They were taking the Queen Mary home directly after leaving our house - from NYC harbor to Southhampton, where my family and I landed in 1948 so my father could be the Operations Officer of the Berlin end of the Airlift.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

We do hope that all of our past and future guests had little or no inconvenience from this huurricane. We were fine here, but all of our guests left a day early and one cancelled a four day booking on Friday morning. One couple did not show up at all and we did not know it until morning.

The gardens and trees survived here but our creek was raging and overflowing. Richard took a video of it and the sound was loud and it was wonderful to see. The bridge over the creek was unharmed as were the tree swing and the deck.

We spend most of Sunday watching videos about ancient Rome or reading. It was a wonderful relaxing day for us.

The racing season will be over a week from today and we can catch a breather. It is an exciting time here in Saratoga - so much to do and see.

Heat Wave

2011-07-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Havin' a heat wave, a tropical heat wave - anybody remember that song or am I giving away my age??? Lordy it is hot, but we are staying cool inside with the AC. I do feel sorry for my gardens though - they are having a rough time.

July has been a busy month and we are loving it and looking forward to the racing season which starts tomorrow. A very exciting 6 weeks ahead.

Hope to get back here before too long, but I can't promise.

Mama and twins

2011-06-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

Early this morning, as we returned from the gym, we saw a doe in the tall grass near our Saratoga B&B. She crouched down, so we figured she must have a fawn nearby. Sure enough, as we passed the end of the grass, there she was with twins. One was nursing. I wish I had had my camera. She was so beautiful. Oddly enough, one of the fawns was the first to run, followed by the doe and the other fawn.

It is beautiful here today, and my garden beckons. Out I go.

Garden fence

2011-06-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

Today the fence around my vegetable and strawberry garden was finished - the swinging gate was the final touch. I hope that I have finally foiled the rabbits, moles and voles: we don't get deer or squirrels here. The last bit, tomorrow, will be the black netting across the top to keep out the birds.

We just love the warm days and cool nights, but that too will pass!! Hot August weather, which we had in May, will return. No problem. I will work in the gardens anyway.

Speaking of gardens, they are gorgeous right now, the iris in full bloom and the Sweet William too. We have a grandson named William, and he is sweet.

Fawn

2011-05-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

I don't think there is anything more precious than a new fawn and its mother. Last night we were coming home from a party and saw a brand new fawn and its mother walking on our road. I did not want to frighten them, so I stopped the car and turned off the lights, hoping they would leave before someone came up behind me and hit us. The mother took off, but the baby stayed. Suddenly a car did come up behind us, saw us at the last minute, went around and then saw the fawn and avoided it as well!!! Then the mother came back and both went into the woods. A happy ending, but I was not sure that it would turn out that way.

Except for thunderstorms at night, the rain has finally stopped, though it is predicted each day this week - So far it has missed us. Our flower gardens are flourishing and so are the vegetables.

Rain, rain, go away

2011-05-21T05:12:00.000-07:00

And then the rains came- non stop - the flowers love it, but so do the weeds!!. Trouble is, I can't seem to get out between the drops. Perhaps, today, when it is supposed to be cloudy, but only intermittent showers.

We have very interesting guests this weekend at our Saratoga B&B - they are all beekeepers and are here for classes. The talk around the table is animated and they are sharing stories and horror stories about beekeeping.

Mother Fox

2011-04-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday right after breakfast I saw a dark spot in our otherwise green field. I thought it was a groundhog, but after getting the binoculars, I discovered it was a female fox and her six kits - She was standing up nursing. I quickly got my camera and with the telephoto lens was able to get a couple of pictures. They are not good ones, but ok for Richard and me to look at. We have not seen a fox since the first year we lived here, 12 years ago so it was expecially delightful - we just kept watching, but she took off when I opened the door - I guess she could see me or hear me.

Windy weather

2011-03-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

With time to garden, I want so much to do the spring clean-up before our guests arrive on Saturday, but the past three days have been too windy - as fast as I rake the leaves blow back into the beds. I had no idea that so many leaves covered the gardens - but they do help insulate the plants. I did make headway at the entry door, so not all is lost. Now that I have had a taste of getting my fingers dirty in the very cold soil, I want to be outside every day that I can. I love to garden. Our new stove, refrigerator and microwave oven are here - only the fridge has been installed. The rest tonight. Maybe I can use the excuse of no cooking access to get a night out!!! Still have the toaster oven, so I think we will just hunker down here. Learned something new from a guest who was using the micro - it had lost power-took 12 minutes to cook a potato!! So I went on-line, and sure enough, they do lose power and mine was from 1984. The new one should be a lot better and more efficient. I can't wait to get it hooked up. That is all for now. Will start washing windows instead of gardening and listen to my books on CD . I have an i-Pod that I take with me to the gym, the garden and while washing windows.

tiny signs of spring

2011-03-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

The snow is finally gone and we can see the tulips and daffodils pushng up through the soil. There are signs of spring everywhere. The birds are chirping loudly and eating the seed as fast as we can get it into the feeders.

We have the Model A Woody Wagon ready to give our guests from Geneva, Switzerland a ride - the little 6 year old can hardly wait. Our B&B is so close to Saratoga Springs that the guests have taken the little boy to the Children's Museum there. It is a wonderful place for kids of all ages.

Tonight we are going to the opening of an art exhibit in nearby Schuylerville and last night we saw "Our Town" in the other direction in Cambridge. There is so much to do in this area. We are very happy here.

Time to run into Greenwich.

It is not over yet!!

2011-03-07T07:20:00.000-08:00

As we sit here watching the snow coming down hard, having been kept awake in the night by "loud" snow, as my niece calls it, we wonder if it will ever end?

Although it is beautiful again, the new fluffy stuff covering the old brown, hard as a rock stuff, we are tired of shoveling and hiring the plow. This year we have been plowed more than the last 5 years combined. Even our Jeep did not want to go through some of the drifts across the driveway.

We had a day, yesterday, when we actually saw grass - I wonder if the snowdrops came up, but that part of the garden is still covered in piles of snow. We think the bulbs love being kept warm all winter, so there is a very positive side to all this.

More later- going to help Richard shovel the walkway to our Saratoga Bed and Breakfast.

When will it end

2011-02-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

Finally I was able to get outside and trim back my raspberry bushes so that I can have raspberries next summer to serve my guests at my Saratoga B&B.

We had guests this week from just a bit north of here for a getaway weekend - they thought the two nights for $115 was a great deal and our Greenwich B&B will continue that price until the end of April, except for holidays and special events. Saratoga Springs is planning many nice activities for the rest of the winter and into spring. Dance Flurry is Washington's birthday weekend.

It is going to turn colder on Saturday and there is a chance of snow - when will the grass show through? I wonder if the snowdrops ever came up and are hiding out under all the snow.

Possum

2011-01-23T15:59:00.000-08:00

Richard and I were watching TV last night when we heard a lot of noise in the garage - we thought it was our guests throwing away garbage, but it kept going on. I went out to check and the garage was a mess - bottles all over, garbage spilled and gardening things turned over. I finally saw a small possum on the wood pile. I quickly opened the overhead door and shut the door to the house.

All was quiet so we figured the little guy went out. In the morning I went back into the garage to clean up and while leaning over one of the recycle bins, I looked into a large cornflakes box and all curled up and probably alseep was that little guy. I picked up the box and put it out in a snowbank. Later in the morning Richard took it to the barn, still in the box where our little pet could stay warm and sleep.

Snow fall

2011-01-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful day - friends are snow shoeing and cross country skiing on our property at www.countrylifebb.com. We are hoping to get to Saratoga or Lake George in the next couple of days to take some pictures of the snow and the lake.

We have some couples coming up from nearby New York City this weekend. Hope the snow lasts until then. I guess it should as it is only 4 degrees here today - 3 below last evening when we got home from seeing "Black Swan" we both liked it very much.

Finally recovered from our Christmas trip to Italy and am all fired up to greet new guests in 2011. As much as we loved being away, home is still the best.

Home from the holidays

2011-01-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

We cannot even begin to tell you how wonderful it was to be in Venice, Verona (for Christmas), Florence and southern Italy, Calabria for my special birthday and for New Year's Eve. Other than 6 days of rain, everything was perfect, especially being with dear friends (and our first b&b guests from 1982) who have retired from London to an idyllic spot overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. They even drove us to Sicily one day - fabulous. Took over 350 pictures and most are quite nice.

First flurry

2010-12-03T12:20:00.000-08:00

Today we saw our first snow flurry after pouring rain Wednesday and flood watches yesterday. I guess winter is almost here, albeit not officially.

We are getting ready for our trip to Italy for Christmas. We are happy that we have some long term guests who will be staying over the holidays and will water our plants and keep the home fires burning.

We will be dining out in Saratoga for restaurant week, which started today - $18.19 for a three course dinner or $9.09 for a three course lunch. We are going to try a couple of restaurants that we have wanted to go to, but just have not.

Still taking yoga and going to the gym - we are taking a jump rope to Italy so that we can keep up the exercise - do you think it will ever leave the suitcase? I am not at all sure.

Will give a full report on our trip when we return next year.

Thanksgiving Wishes

2010-11-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big day - the gardens have been put to "bed", most of the tools have been cleaned and oiled and the fall plants have been planted. Perhaps it is time to reflect and give thanks for all that we have to be grateful for and for our friends and family.

We are going to a wonderful restaurant that specializes in turkey dinners, though they do serve other things as well. Last year was our first time there and we had a totally delicious meal.

We wish all guests, past and future, a most Happy Thanksgiving.

Fall has Fallen

2010-10-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

We are now past peak here, but it is still beautiful.
Richard found a quote we both love -"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower" by Albert Camus. How true that is. Every season is wonderful, for different reasons.

We are getting ready for a dinner party tonight - two couples who have not met, but the two women share an interest in renaissance art - one teaches, the other is a very fine artist. She paints Icons and they are absolutely gorgeous.

Fall Foliage coming Fast

2010-09-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

The fall season is coming very early this year. It is already gorgeous around here and we have weekends open for guest viewing.

Our trip to Sturbridge in the 1929 Model A was perfect in every way. The car performed without a hitch, the weather was glorious, our B&B in Woodstock, Ct was outstanding and the restaurant where we had dinner was probably the best we have been to in many, many years.

We are having several trees taken down right now to open up our glorious views even more. So come take a look.

cutest little girl and our Model A

2010-08-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a five year old girl (and her parents) arrived in the afternoon. She got out of the car and came up to me and started talking. Not a shy bone in her body. A little later, while I was gardening, she came over and said "I did some deadheading for you. It will make the flowers bloom again" I could not believe my ears. She is just precious. Her name is Hayden and she can come back here any time. Oh, her parents are really nice as well!!

Only two weekend left for racing season and then I guess Richard and I will take a bit of a rest. We are going away in our Model A on September 17 and 18 to Sturbridge Mass for the New England meet. There will be about 200 Model A's there and it is wonderful to see our friends from the Long Island Model A club, to which we still belong.

Will fill you in on it later!!

Tuxedos by the creek

2010-08-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we hosted two couples who were traveling together. The men were performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra, singing the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's 9th. They were dressed in their tuxedos and had a bit of time for a glass if wine on the deck by the waterfalls. Richard and I and the two wives were all dressed up in our shorts/tee shirts. Wish I had thought of my camera. How incongruous we must have looked.

However, the wine tasted good to all of us, no matter how we were dressed!!

Little Lost Dog

2010-08-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago a small, injured beagle turned up at our door. We called everyone in the neighborhood, to no avail. One of our guests , a true animal lover, slept in his car with the beagle all night to keep him quiet and warm. The next morning animal control came to pick him up. I had already made him scrambled eggs, cottage cheese and bacon. He was very hungry poor thing. I hope they find a good home for him.

Giddy-up

2010-07-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful bunch of guests for opening weekend at the track. Two couples from Canada (two brothers and their wives) and a couple from South Jersey-she is Officer in the State Police and he owns and operates two sport clothes shops. We also had a professional ballet dancer and her husband who is an actor and playwrite. None of them won big at the track, but they all had a great time.

Yesterday we went to Williamstown, Ma. to an art gallery showing work of a friend of ours. We met another couple and had lunch at an Indian restaurant. No dinner last night for either of us.

Today is the last full day I have with no guests until August 16, so I am in the garden where I love to be. Right now I am taking a glass of water break and writing this.

Garden Tour

2010-07-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

We had a magnificent day for the garden tour yesterday - no humidity and plenty of sun. A delicious brunch with friends first to start the day and then home for the tour. We had a nice showing and I hope the Easton Historical Society made money.

This weekend the horse racing season starts and we are all geared up and ready to go.

Garden Tour

2010-07-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it has been over two weeks since I sat down to write ,but it is our busy season, so I am forgiven, right? Also, the garden tour is this Sunday and between terribly hot weather and a full house, I have not had a lot of time to spend in the garden this past week. It amazes me how many weeds can grow in less than a week. But I guess I have to go with whatever I can do and hope for the best. I have been spending 5 - 8 hours a day out side for the past two months, so all the gardens have had some love and attention.

In my "spare" time I am reading "The Candy bombers" about the Berlin airlift and Hal Halverson who dropped candy to the German children in little parachutes he fashioned out of handkerchiefs. My father was the operations officer of the Berlin end of the Airlift and we lived in Berlin for two and a half years back in 1949. I recognize so many of the names, many who actually came to our house for parties.

Nature

2010-06-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

"All good things are wild and free"=Henry David Thoreau. We truly love Thoreau's writings and try to live up to his thoughts with nature. Another one we love is "In the wilderness is the preservation of the world" Nice thought, don't you think.?

Wedding Morning Surprise

2010-06-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last night we were to host a couple who had been married earlier in the day. The groom's mother came over just before the wedding, dressed in her "Mother of the Groom" dress, to put a gift on the bed. She said the couple would be in about 10:30 or 11.

This morning, two other couples came down a bit early, and were already at the table, when I heard the bride and groom come down the stairs. I looked up to meet and greet them, and lo and behold, it was the mother of the groom, still in her wedding finery. I said "are you checking up on the kids? and she said, no, they wanted to party all night so she and her husband stayed here and were joining us for breakfast. There he was in his Tux, minus the jacket and tie! There was a lot of fun conversation around the table about the wedding and the "surprise".

Disaster in the Kitchen

2010-06-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning, with 6 hungry guests about to come down for breakfast, I preheated my oven, or so I thought, and an hour before breakfast, opened the oven door to put in the casserole-it was ICE cold. Nothing I did could make it go on.-So I called a neighbor and took the liquid casserole to his house. We made extra coffee, biscotti were already made and with about a 10 minute delay, I served breakfast. The car trip to the neighbor's house, up and down steep hills, was a bit messy, but all in all, breakfast was delicious and the guests were very understanding. Today, with only two guests, I am using my taoster oven. The part for the large oven will be in on Monday and we will be back in business!!!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-28T10:05:00.001-07:00

We are expecting a beautiful weekend and have guests to care for as well. The first are due to arrive in 30 minutes.

Both of our ride-on mowers died this week so Richard is buying a new one and we will get the others repaired so that we will always have a back-up. He does not want to mow all these acres with the hand mower!! Wonder why not at age 81.

The asparagus is going to seed faster than I can pick it, but that is because I would rather dead head all the iris. They are gorgeous this year and I am marking them with plastic markers because they need dividing-I hope guests will want them, but certainly the people coming for the garden tour in July will.

Back to the garden.

From Yosemite with love

2010-05-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a vacation to San Francisco and Yosemite-If I did not love it here and having our B&B I would move to SF in a heartbeat-what a wonderful city. Yosemite was gorgeous and the waterfalls falling at their fullest. We hiked 8 miles to the giant sequoias as the road was still closed due to snow.

While we were gone we had a group staying here who were attending a bee conference nearby. B&B guests are the best-they left the rooms and kitchen so neat. It was a pleasure to come home to.

I am way behind in the garden, but spent 8 hours out there today. My hand is a bit tired today, but the doctor signed off on me last week, so I guess I can do whatever I need to get the gardens ready for the tour on July 18th.

Spring

2010-03-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

The first day of spring was gorgeous-and the crocuses are blooming as are the snowdrops! But today, is freezing, actually 25 degrees and though sunny it is too cold to garden. I am glad I got some of the clean-up done last week.

We started the wood sove up yesterday in anticipation of the drop in temperature and we are glad that we did. It is toasty warm in the family room.

Meaningful quote

2010-03-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

"Every man dies, but not every man truly lives" William Wallace. Wallace was one of the ancient kings of Scotland.

Thumb

2010-02-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

The cast is off and I am about to leave for Physical Therapy-but we are having a nice snow storm and Richard will have to drive me. I don't do well in snow.

The pain I am experiencing is normal for the type of surgery I had, but I functioned much better with the cast-I have no range of motion in my wrist right now and it hurts with every tiny move, while the cast kept it immobile. I will have to be diligent with my PT at home.

Expecting a full house starting tomorrow and we are looking forward to it. We had wonderful repeat guests and 4 new guests for President's weekend and that was so much fun. We sat around in the evening and had drinks and cheese and crackers, compliments of the repeat guests and really got to know the new guests. We went out to dinner with our "old" friends one night and one night the guest made delicious chili. This is what B&B is all about.

My purple cast

2010-02-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Got your interest didn't I? On Jan 9th I had hand surgery on a severly arthritic thumb-a bone was shaved off and a tendon from near my elbow was pulled down and wrapped around the injured bone and muscle. When this gorgeous purple (my favorite color) cast comes off on February 15, and after a few sessions in physical therapy I should be as good as new-or so my doctor says.

Been a bit rough typing and trying to cut vegetables and undoing caps, but mostly I can function. Oh, can't properly dry my hair or use the curling iron so I have been looking a bit messy, but other than that I am doing well. Some pain, but that is to be expected. The worse part was developing vertigo-that was awful, but is 99% better now.

Back to work now-yes, does that ever stop???

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas is over and it was wonderful. On my birthday, the 29th, we had 8 for a simple dinner, but on Sunday the 3rd we will have 28 for a "before and after" party, just hors d'oeuvres and desserts-that is my idea of heaven.

Then, when I get my bathroom scale fixed, I will weigh myself-now it says I weigh 101 and that is about 40 pounds light!!! I love it though. So, in reality, I won't be able to tell how much I gained over the holidays-yippee!!

It is snowing right now and so lovely-we are not going out tonight so it does not matter to us. The big blizzard is supposed to pass us by, only dumping about 2 inches on us. Just enough to be beautiful.

Happy New Year to you all. Talk to you next year.

Christmas is almost here

2009-12-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

Can't believe my last blog was a month ago. We has just tagged our tree. Well it is set up and beautiful in our front hallway. We can see it from both our dining /family room and the parlor. We love the new spot for the tree!!

Our plan to drive to NYC in our 1929 Model A has been cancelled. Richard finally realized that it would be too dangerous after a close call the other day in it. So my annual birthday party on the 29th which was moved to Jan 3, will still remain on the 3rd. Not quite the same, but will be fun anyway. Richard makes eggnog from his mother's recipe and it is out of this world. I can't wait to drink some.

That huge snowstorm that blanketed the East coast missed us-and I can't say I am sad about that. We can get out and don't have to shovel first!! It missed both of my sister's too, one in Connecticut and one in Vermont. But our kids in NYC and LI got it.

Probably the last communication you will get from me before Christmas, so Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all.

Holiday activities

2009-11-18T14:59:00.000-08:00

We are gearing up for the holidays-as are all of you. We tagged our tree yesterday and are going to put it in a different spot in the house this year. It was very warm yesterday, so we did our outside lights-to be turned on in early December. At least my fingers didn't freeze this year. I am getting smarter in my old age.

We have filled numerous bird feeders and they empty out almost daily. It is so much fun to watch the birds from the dining room window.

Grandma Moses' birthplace is just a short walk from our house and her grandson, Will, is painting in her style. His studio is less than 20 minutes from here and it is a very interesting spot to visit. A great diner is across the street for a lunch or early dinner.

Winter has come

2009-11-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

We are expecting our first snow tonight-just a dusting, but snow nonetheless. I guess all that firewood will finally be put to good use. We will have our first fire tomorrow to welcome our guests from Paris back to our B&B. Richard and I stacked three cords of wood in the past three days-it was fun to do-but the final mess has to be raked and put in a container for kindling-that is the worse part.

We also made lots of apple sauce from our apple trees-got a hint from a guest to do it in the crock pot. Worked so much faster, but not as much quantity. Sure is good though-we serve it all winter long when fresh fruit is not in such abundance.

Just got home from a party and Richard is watching the World Series. It is an exciting game so far. I had a laundry to do and some emails to answer and now I am relaxing writing this blog.

Going to visit my sister in Connecticut this weekend-our other sister is coming with me as a surprise. We don't often get all three of us together and I can't wait. We have two parties to go to and one of them is sort of dressy-that is always a challange-as my life on this farm does not warrent dressy clothes. It will be fun to dress up.

Fall has Fallen!!

2009-10-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

I don't believe it has been almost a month since I posted a blog-I am very remiss. But, we have had a busy fall with guests, gardening and gathering wood for the stove.

Fall is already past peak and we have had several hard frosts-my gorgeous dahlias, with which I decorate the breakfast plates have turned black, been dug up and are in storage in the basement. There are plenty to give away, so if anyone reads this, and is in the area, I am happy to share.

We finally stacked wood in the garage-now we are really ready for winter. Haven't fired up the wood stove yet-it is only mid-October after all, but we are prepared to do so if need be.

We have three couples here right now, one from Rhode Island, one from Turkey and one from England. Breakfast this morning was fascinating with everyone wanting to know a bit about the other country (state) and conversation was lively.

The couple from Rhode Island are shape note singers, www.fasola.org. Check it out to see what it is. I had not heard this singing except one time and it was with a chorale. The English couple and Richard and I went to hear the singing-there were 121 people from around the states singing a cappella, and it was gorgeous. There was also a pot luck lunch but we did not stay for that.

Hope to be back here before a month has passed.

stacking wood

2009-09-20T16:50:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that winter is not far away. We spent several hours today stacking wood, splitting some and sawing some, for the wood stove. Probably we will fire it up earlier this year-it was 37 degrees last night!!! In September no less-how can this be?

I am checking out my closet to put away summer clothes and I see that I have not worn many of of them and have gotten my fall things out of the attic several weeks earlier than ever before.

Doing the fall cleanup in the garden in September is odd, but the leaves are falling and the glads need to be dug. So far the dahlias are gorgeous and will decorate the breakfast plates until the first frost. Then I have to dig them as well.

It's Over

2009-09-13T04:43:00.000-07:00

Racing season is over and we are back to a normal flow of guests-mostly weekends.

I managed to sneak off last Tuesday to visit my sister and grand niece in Connecticut for two days. It was very relaxing and fun. We went to the free table at the recycle center and got a wonderful play house for Christina. After spending two hours scrubbing it (did I say "relaxing") we set it up on Laurie's deck and all three of us got inside so that Christina could "cook" dinner for us on the little stove. It was adorable (and a bit cramped!)

Now the apples are turning red and I am gearing up to make applesauce to freeze for our winter guests.

More Poetry

2009-09-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

From a guest and from Richard about the little Chinese girl killed in Maine by Hurricane Bill

CRUEL SEA (by our guest)

A little flower from China
Swallowed by the sea
Once again we wonder
How cruel can nature be

By Richard

The little girl from China,
For whom a bell did toll.
The whirling waves did take her life
The Lord now has her soul.

Racing season

2009-08-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

There is only one week left to the thoroughbred horse racing season. It is kind of sad in a way-the B&B business drops off, the excitement in Saratoga quiets down, and Richard and I have only each other to look at!!

We have had such wonderful guests here-one couple will be here a total of 12 days when they leave the day after Labor Day. They are terrific and we will miss them. They actually drove up from Florida, with stops at family and friends along the way. We also had another couple here just for the weekend and they, too, drove all the way from Florida.

One of our guests who left this morning does tree climbing for New York City. He saw our weeping birch and told us it really needed trimming. He offered to do it for us-wish I had taken before and after pictures. The "after" is gorgeous. What a difference it made for that tree. It looks very happy now.

Guest's Poetry

2009-08-24T17:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a guest who not only can write poetry, but went swimming in our swimming hole 6 times in 2 days!! I told him we have lived here 11 years and I have not been in, BUT, today I did-and it was wonderful-refreshing after several hours in the garden weeding, picking blueberries and dead heading.

The poetry below was written about the swimming hole.

NATURE'S DRILL

Gravel cycled in the rock
By water from the hill
Slowly, slowly round and round
Goes Mother Nature's drill.

MOTHER NATURE

How long did Mother take
To drill these holes in rock?
If only we could read the dial
On Mother Nature's clock.

Washington County Fair

2009-08-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

It does not seem possible that a year has passed since the last Washington County Fair which takes place starting next week. It is located between Greenwich and Saratoga Springs and gets wonderful attendance from the entire area, including Lake George.

The fair and Saratoga Horse racing happening during the same week is exciting, something for everyone for sure. Famlies with children will go to the races one day and to the fair another-vastly different experiences for everyone.

It has been really hot here the past three days, but we can't complain, even though we do. It is still cool in the evening and sleeping is a joy. Our guests told us this morning that the stars were so bright last night and so numerous-they could not believe it. They don't come from nice fresh air like we have here.

Felling Trees

2009-08-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Today is the day to fell two 90 foot trees that have been blocking our view a bit more each year. One is down now and the other is being worked on by my 80 year young hubby.

I can't wait to have dinner and look out over our new view.

Too bad it is not good fire wood-but dragging it across the stream and through the wetlands would be tedious anyway. So it is just as well.

And they are off!!

2009-07-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

Racing season started yesterday and even with major rain late in the day, it was a success-better than last year both in attendance and revenue.

And the storm last night was terrific-I thought we would end up in Kansas!! But the house is solid and we stayed right here. I am so glad, because the gardens are gorgeous and Saratoga is thrilling.

Visions of Birthday's past

2009-07-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well the big birthday parties are over and the friends have departed-mixed in with them were some wonderful guests and our friends and guests enjoyed meeting each other at the breakfast table.

On Wednesday the 29th, horse racing season starts and we are all geared up! It will be a busy season for us and we are looking forward to it.

All too soon the summer will be over-but we are enjoying and warm days and cool nights-maybe we won't have to turn on the AC's all summer!!

Birthday weekend

2009-07-17T17:43:00.001-07:00

This weekend we celebrate Richard's 80th birthday-no one believes he is that old-he is very active and spry.

Sunday we are having the kids and grand kids here for dinner and Monday (the actual birthday) we are having friends who lived on either side of us on Long Island and another friend who was originally a B&B guest many years ago. She is now a wonderful friend, who is returning to India in November and we will miss her. One of the couples now lives near Boston and the other lives in Cincinnati. He does not know they are coming and I am so excited for the surprise.

Light Show

2009-07-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

At one a.m. I was awakened by the most ferocious rain and lightening I had ever witnessed. It was both frightening and gorgeous. The rain was pelting in the house and I had to run around and close windows, mop up rugs and furniture and then dry my hair, which got soaked.

This morning I saw that all the Annabelle Hydrangeas were toppled over-broken mid stem-and so were the Hollyhocks-it was a sad day for this gardener. But a more glorious day could not be imagined-cool, low humidity and sunny-I worked in the garden most of the day.

So after having wine with guests, we all decided to go for pizza-We just finished and it was so much fun to talk to our guests and really get to know them.

Picking Fruit

2009-07-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

Why oh why do the raspberries and the blueberries have to be ripe at almost the same time? Seems like I spent a long time picking raspberries today and when I walked by the blueberries there were some beautiful plump ones of them too. So our guests will have freshly picked fruit for their breakfast tommorow.

Deer for our Anniversary

2009-07-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Today is our 38th Anniversary and we had a lovely surprise. Tonight, for the first time, we saw a deer on our groomed property. Of course we have seen them in the fields for the past 11 years, but never right outside our door-nibling on the plum tree! Well, to tell the truth, I am not sure I loved that part, but she was a beautiful creature none the less.

Ride in the Rain

2009-06-27T04:47:00.000-07:00

It was pouring rain, but our guests really wanted to ride in the Model A convertible-so, we took them for a ride-we all laughed and tried to wipe the rain out of our eyes. Boy, does rain ever sting at 30 miles per hour! We all got drenched, but it was fun. What we do for our guests!!

Small Fox

2009-06-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

While eating dinner last night, a small fox wandered by the window. It had eyes only for the gold finches on the feeder and when they flew away, the fox ambled off. It was a beautiful creature. The last time we saw a fox on the property was at least five years ago. Just hope they don't like flowers!

Mini-getaway

2009-06-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

We just got home from Vermont where we went to our nephew's wedding in Stowe and stayed overnight at a lovely B&B (what else) in Hyde Park. The rain prediction was wrong and the day was cloudy but very nice. The wedding was gorgeous on the grounds of friends with gorgeous views.

What a wonderful way to spend a weekend.

Small World times two

2009-06-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

Some might say it is just coincidence-but I call it a small world. We had a couple here two weeks ago with a gorgeous Harley. My sister and her husband have a harley as well, so I emailed them both so they could meet for coffee. They live near each other in Connecticut. Turns out they met at Mount Greylock in Massachusetts last fall. Now they are going to meet and go riding.

Another story is this. We had a guest from Japan 15 years ago-he contacted us two weeks ago out of the blue. We also had a guest from Peru many years ago-he and his wife now live in Japan-AND they have met!!.

New York City Ballet and strawberries

2009-06-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

The ballet is coming. 20 performances in July. The schedule was just released and it is a great one. If you are a ballet lover, as we are, then come for a visit.

Our spring gardens are at their best this year. I have been working in them a great deal.

Heard that mothballs keep rabbits, deer and voles away from flowers-so I put some around. Also put some in the strawberry patch. Dont ever do that! The gorgeous berries have a funky taste-not like moth balls, but not edible either. And it was a bumper crop this year. Hate to throw them all away, but have to. Can't think of any other reason they would taste so terrible.

Baltimore Oriole

2009-06-11T04:06:00.000-07:00

Finally we have seen this beautiful bird-although not on the special feeder I bought for him. He seems to be satisfied with the local food-mandarin oranges and grape jelly don't strike his fancy.

The finches are gobbling up the niger seed-and so are the mourning doves!! How they get on those feeders and eat is something to watch.

Balloon Fest

2009-06-04T16:59:00.000-07:00

We are full of hot air-literally-the balloon fest is this weekend. There are so many things to do, but watching the early morning flights of so many multi-colored balloons is awesome. Of course there is food, and many other activities as well.

Americade-Lake George

2009-06-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

The Americade motocycle event is in Lake George this week. About 60,000 cycles will be in the area and it is wonderful to see them in groups. Occasionally we can hear their wonderful roar off in the distance.

We usually have one or two of the riders and wives stay here. We hope to get some of them this year-they are such a diverse group of people with that common bond. Sort of like the Model A club that we belong to.

Today we took down a very large dead branch from our cottonwood tree. First we tried to do it with a chain saw, but the angle was terrible and Richard was not able to go any higher on the ladder, so he resorted to a hand saw and I had a rope tied around the branch so I could pull it away from him. Tree removal experts we are not, but we did it and had fun together.

Rain , wonderful rain

2009-05-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

Finally we have rain and so far over two inches. The flowers, vegetables and trees are so happy and so are we. Two days to do other things besides mow and garden.

We took a day trip to visit our daughter and son-in -law in Gilboa ( almost three hours west and south of here) and we had a wonderful day-they fed us royally-in fact we ate from 1:15 to 5:45 almost without stopping. At least I did not have to cook dinner when we got home at 9!

new guests

2009-05-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know-new guests for a B&B is a bit redundant-However, these new guests are coming all the way from Lithuania. Their daughter was just graduated from a private school in New Hampshire and is entering Skidmore. How exciting for her and for us to meet them.

Lithuania just elected its first female president-good for them.

The hammock is ready

2009-05-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

We just receivecd a new hammock and it is hanging between two trees in the shade and by a long flower bed.

The older hammock is now down by the waterfall, on the bridge.

It will be hard to choose which one to relax in and read, sleep or just talk with your partner.

hidden lilac

2009-05-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

We just found the most beautiful lilac tree hidden on our property in the woods. We are thinking of getting a tree spade, digging it up and planting it where we and our guests can enjoy it. Of course we have to wait until it is dormant, but we have to save our pennies (or dollars!) anyway.

wonderful friend

2009-05-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

The nicest thing just happened-I did a little favor for a friend and she just gave me a beautiful pair of earrings that she made. Jackie is a wonderful jewelry designer and creator- http://www.jacquelinesjewelry.com/ . Take a look at her site-it is terrific.

Richard and I and some friends are going to have dinner at the Cambridge Hotel and check out the new chef. Afterwards we are going to Hubbard Hall for a cabaret starring Kevin Maguire.

Rainy Day

2009-05-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today has been wonderful for the plants-many of which I just planted, like the parsley, tomatoes and cucumbers and geraniums. But I would love to be outside-instead I spent today cleaning and getting ready for a busy weekend. Tomorrow I will go out and putter.

Farmers Markets

2009-05-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend brings the opening of local farmers markets. They are such fun-each week a new flower or vegetable arrives or a new vendor with soaps, baked goods, jewelry or a miriad of other crafts.

I love to get the first spinach and lettuce (mine are not ready yet-though when I uncovered the mulch 6 weeks ago there was green spinach which we have been eating right along)

Home again

2009-05-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

After three days visiting my sister and having a large garage sale, I am back home to gardening and other neglected opportunities. We had such fun doing the sale, but it is a lot of work and she has all the leftovers to take to her church fair.

A wonderful bookstore near us has re-opened after the long winter. It is called Owl Pen-they do not have a website, but if you are looking for a special book Edie will find it for you. The number there is 518-692-7039. Or, if you visit us, we will give you directions to this wonderful old barn housing thousands of categorized books-old and new.

Fresh Asparagus

2009-05-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just went out to the asparagus bed and I could not believe my eyes. Probably 100 wonderful stalks are ready to be snapped off. So tonight we will have roasted asparagus with fresh mozarella cheese and buttered panko crumbs, along with the London Broil with horseradish sauce. Yummy.

On the way to Lake George this morning our guests saw a gaggle of geese, a wild turkey family and some deer. They live in Manhattan and don't get much chance to witness this wildlife. New York City boasts a different sort of wild life.

The other guests who left this morning had spent two days at the Washington County Antique Fair. He collects antique postcards, pictures and writing paper. She loves painted furniture. He had more success than she!!

If you love fresh asparagus, reserve soon and we will create a special breakfast including it. We will get fresh brown eggs from our neighbor to make an asparagus omelet.

Americade

2009-05-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

Just got our first reservation for Americade-hope that we hear from our 'regulars" soon. They have become great friends and we do look forward to seeing them again. It does not seem possible that it is only a month away.

Hyde Collection

2009-04-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful early afternoon at the Hyde Collection-.The current special exhibit is "Old Masters from the Sparling collection" Wow-what an exhibit. It was a beautiful drive up there and Glens Falls has some great restaurants as well. www.hydecollection.com.

Bicyclists take note

2009-04-29T09:33:00.000-07:00

On April 18 and 19 there were 1800 bike racers from all over the world participating in the Tour of the Battenkill. This year was a two day event, Sunday was for the pros-126 mile ride through so of the most beautiful country side many of them had ever seen. www.tourofthebattenkill.

While the bicyclists are now gone, the wonderful roads are still here, and we have the maps for the shorter routes. Bring your bikes, lock them in the garage when not in use and enjoy our glorious country side.

Bird Watching

2009-04-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

We are having so much fun watching birds-ever since one of our guests counted 54 varieties we have been much more diligent-with watching and feeding.

Right now there are nests and baby birds all over-I am trying to trim back several shrubs and the noise I hear if I get too near the nest does not even sound like a bird!! More like screaming meemies!! I have some pretty funny looking shrubs-I don't want to upset the mothers.

Model A

2009-04-28T05:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was so beautiful we went for a ride in our Model A Ford. We love to drive through covered bridges-the sound is terrific. There are quiet a few covered bridges within driving distance of our B&B.

Artists reception

2009-04-26T04:57:00.000-07:00

Last evening we went to the reception of Mark Tougias, artist, www.marktougias.com. His work is so gorgeous. His handling of lighting and subject matter actually can take your breath away. Our friends bought a painting. Guess Mark was happy we brought them along.

Afterwards we went to a concert of Steve Marking-baritone. What a voice, but even better, his accompanist was Lincoln Mayorga-famous in the Hollywood arena. What a thrill to actually see him-we hear him on PBS all the time.

Summer weather

2009-04-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

We are going to have a record breaker today=89 degrees in April!!! But it is beautiful-our first mowing of the season and the tractors are getting the fields ready for planting.

Did you know that cows can detect odors up to five miles away? I just learned that today along with the fact that the age of a cow can be determined by counting the rings on it's horns-kind of like a tree!

guests on new deck

2009-04-24T07:37:00.001-07:00

We took our first guests to see the new deck this morning-the sun was out, birds all over and Mike is a "birder". He had his camera, binoculars and spotting scope with him. He is a serious photographer and spent an hour down by the falls taking pictures and watching birds.

deck by the waterfall

2009-04-23T11:12:00.000-07:00

We just came in from putting the final touches on the deck by the waterfall-lugging heavy rocks to make a step up to the deck was backbreaking-but we love the results.

We hope our guests will enjoy a glass of wine or a picnic there starting in a couple of weeks.

Bees Please

2009-04-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

The lovers of bees are coming May 1 and 2-there is an apiary lecture and class right here in Greenwich.

country life b&b

2009-04-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

My first blog and I am having fun. We own a beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Greenwich NY very near Saratoga Springs. Our website is http://www.countrylifebb.com/. Right now we have two couples here, one is a Paintball store owner and his lovely partner who is at Yale studying to do autopsies. They met taking ballroom dancing classes.

The other couple is here for their third wedding anniversary-he is a pharmacist and she works with him. That is how they met.

We never lack for interesting guests with wonderful stories to tell