My First "How-To" Gardening Video

A few months ago, I was asked if I would do a series of gardening videos for SheKnows.com

I was happy to do it and enjoyed the entire process.

I talked about the filming experience that I wrote about earlier.  You can check it out here if you like: "Filming How-To Videos"

Last week, I received word that some of the videos are now live, with the others soon to follow.

Here is the video I filmed on "How to Plant a Herb Container".  I hope you enjoy it :-)

Road Trip: New Friends

This was the last full day of our Northeast road trip.

We spent the night at a wonderful bed & breakfast, called the Willard Street Inn

Each road trip that we have gone on, we splurge for one night and stay at a fun bed & breakfast.  (Our other nights have been spent at Hampton Inn's across the Northeast and we really like them as well).

This house was built in 1881 and was the home of a Vermont senator (I forget his name).

It was beautiful inside...

The breakfast room overlooked the gardens...

There was also fresh-baked Parker cookies and fresh lemonade...

The staff was fabulous and even carried our luggage up three flights of stairs to our room.

This is the view from our window that overlooks Lake Champlain...

Before we left Burlington, VT for New Hampshire, we had to eat our breakfast first...

I had strawberry-banana pancakes, applewood smoked bacon and fresh fruit.  It was delicious!

Before leaving, I took pictures of the garden...

Bachelor's Button

Allium

White Dicentra

Yellow Bearded Iris

Iris

Don't you just want to sit in the garden?

After we left our bed and breakfast, we headed for Sugar Creek Maple Farm in Woodstock, VT.

On our way, we passed by many picturesque farms.

It was fun traveling the road through the green mountains and see what was around the corner...

We arrived at the farm and were greeted by some new friends...

At first, I thought this little goat wanted to be friends, but I think he really was hungry...
 

Thankfully, there was some goat food for me to feed them.

After we visited with the goats, our attention was drawn to this adorable little calf...
 

She was so friendly...
 

And she like to lick our arms.  Her tongue was a little rough, but she was so sweet!

 

Quite honestly, meeting her was the highlight of our entire day :-)

After we visited with the animals, we saw a trail leading to a little chapel on the farm.

 

Inside was a pulpit that had an old Bible open to 1st Psalms.

They had pictures of the beautiful weddings that they have here sometimes.

We passed a post with little signs on it.  As I looked closer, I saw that it showed the annual amount of snow that they have received in different years.

It is hard to believe that so much snow can fall in one place.


Now, it was time to see where they made the cheese and maple syrup...

We passed by one of the draft horses that they use to haul the sap from maple trees in early spring.  I said "Hi", but he mostly ignored me.


Because this is a working farm, when we entered the building, we saw them wrapping the cheese in foil and then dipping it in wax.

Because they package their cheeses this way, it can remain unrefrigerated for a few days.  

We were invited to taste the different varieties of cheese.  They were delicious, but I narrowed it down to three - Vermont Light, Mellow Cheddar and Cheddar Sage.  I know my husband will enjoy them as much as I will.


Then we tasted the different grades of maple syrup.  Did you know that there are different grades?  It's not that one is better then the other - but they are different colors and are harvested at different times.


I chose a 16 oz. container of 'Fancy' maple syrup and I was able to fit into my suitcase.
I think I will make french toast later this week :-)

We left the farm and continued our journey to New Hampshire.

I wish that I could say that we explored New Hampshire and did some shopping, but we decided not to because....

It started to rain very hard and continued the entire day.

We did however, find a yarn store and bought some yarn for future projects.

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THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US FOR OUR ROAD TRIP ADVENTURE.

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING HOME AND SEEING MY HUSBAND, KIDS AND TOBEY (MY LITTLE DOG).

Road Trip: World's Best French Fries, Ice Cream & Apple Cider

Yesterday was a day we devoted to food in Vermont.

One of the many fun things to do on a road trip is to sample the local fare.

Of course, my mother and I are happy to participate in this.

We had heard that Al's Famous French Fries had the world's best fries, so we decided to try them for ourselves...

They sell them by the quart, but we decided to settle for 1 cup of fries each.  This was our lunch.

We then headed up the road to our next destination.

Guess where this path leads to?

In our pursuit to taste the local fare, we felt it was our responsibility to visit Ben & Jerry's factory.

Have you ever wondered what the most popular flavors are?

We both decided to try 'Bonnaroo Buzz' which is coffee and malt ice cream mixed with whiskey caramel and chocolate toffee pieces that were huge.

Our verdict?

Delicious!!!

Now, it was time for our next destination...

 Cold Hollow Cider Mill

We learned how apple cider was made and then we sampled some for ourselves.

Then we noticed the apple cider donuts...

They even ship their donuts straight to your address.

Believe it or not, we didn't buy any.

We were too full after eating french fries, ice cream and apple cider.

Just in case you thought all we did was eat yesterday, we did squeeze some other activities in...

We visited the village of Waitsfield and found some great shopping.

We crossed the covered bridge that was built in 1833.

Then we stopped by a shop, owned by a very wonderful, unique and eccentric woman.

As we entered the store, we saw her painting some of the items that she sold.

She took us around the shop personally and showed us the hand-painted Christmas ornaments.

She had all kinds of ornaments, but her favorite were those of the local birds that she made.

I must admit that when I first saw them, I wasn't crazy about them.  But after spending some time with her and hearing her passion, I couldn't wait to buy one.

She signed the back and boxed it so nicely.  I will always remember her wonderful smile and my visit to her store whenever I hang it from our Christmas tree.

While visiting with her, we noticed the shop cat...

I think that 'shop cats' give a store more personality.

We learned that this cat's name was "Maude" and she had an interesting story...

She was found at the doorstep of the store a few years ago on December 26th on a morning when it was -13 degrees.

The cat was not doing well and the owner posted notices around town about the cat to see if the owner could be found.

However, no one came forward and after $256 in vet bills, she decided the cat belonged to the store.

"Maude" made herself at home, sitting on top of the painted bird ornaments.

She was really a very beautiful and friendly cat.

As we left the store, the owner sat outside on the porch and bade us "goodbye".

We spent our evening walking up and down Burlington's Church Avenue and all it's restaurants and shops.

We had a fabulous day!

Road Trip: American History, Garden Rooms and Sprinkles

We are nearing the end of our road trip and are having a fabulous time!

Here is summary of what we did yesterday....

We visited the place where the Women's Rights movement began in Seneca Falls, New York.

It is a national park and the tour and displays were very interesting.  It is hard to believe that women didn't have the right to vote 100 years ago.

In the nearby town of Auburn, NY - we visited the grave of Harriet Tubman.

 Harriet was a former slave who founded the Underground Railroad and led many slaves to their freedom. 

Shopping was then in order.  The town of Skaneateles fit the bill perfectly.  Unique shops and historical buildings lined the main street.

This store is a must see for any 'francophile'.

Some of the stores backed out onto the lake.

 

In one of the many containers of flowers along the street, I saw these pansies.  Look carefully, and you can see that their edges are ruffled.  I haven't seen this kind before.  Have you?

In one of the shops I entered, I saw a 'garden room'.

 

Needless to say, I headed straight for the back without looking at what was being sold in the front of the store.

They had one of my favorite gardening books "Carrots Love Tomatoes".  It is a must-have for those who want to grow vegetables.

It was 90 degrees, but the lake and countryside were beautiful.

We then traveled further to our next destination in upstate New York.

On the way, we traveled through many small towns and came upon a ice-cream stand.

I have discovered that ice-cream is hugely popular in the Northeast.  Everywhere you go, there are independent ice-cream stands all over.

I also found out that putting sprinkles over vanilla ice cream is common.  I tried it and loved it!

We have two more full days of our trip.

Will share more later!