Blessings of a Simple Life

Sitting in the den listening to the slow steady clip clop of an Amish horse pulling it's buggy as it made it's way to the intersection of our small village, made me acutely aware of the blessings of a simple life.

I really like it here. It's a wonderful blessing to be able to call this place home.

No, there is no shopping. But that's why we have the internet isn't it?

We certainly have beauty here. Farms and mountains, streams and the raging St. Lawrence, historic homes but no skyscrappers. Wonderful music; music theater, opera, symphony, bands. We have four universities and we have churches. We still have neighborhoods and friends who look out for each other. People who we see almost everyday and new people we're meeting each week now at our B&B.

The Amish, who are quite industrious to say the least, bringing their quilts, aprons, homemade baskets into town almost everyday in the summer. If you want to purchase their picnic tables, chairs, adirondack chairs, gazebos or cabins, you must go out to one of their homes where all of the carpentry is done. Plus you can also purchase baked goods, produce and eggs while out and about.

In the summer here, between May and October, we have a wonderful farmers market down on the village square. This is the time of year when we have corn on the cob almost every night. There is now electricity in the square so that local meat producers can bring their home grown, non steroid injected cuts of meat. I've come upon a farm that has the most wonderful bacon. It's the only thing I serve at Litengard. And free range chicken and their eggs are so different from mass produced food we're so accustomed to getting in the grocery store.

I've been on this sustaining local farmers kick now for a couple of years. It's so beneficial in so many ways.





After a very busy four days of guests, I made my way, with the dogs, to see Elizabeth. They were happily reunited. This is a picture of her living room in the apartment. Very cute and very big. The bedroom is huge. The kitchen is small. Doesn't anyone cook anymore? We did a lot of organization, throwing away of boxes, bringing stuff back to the Suburban to cart back home. hanging of pictures and moving of furniture. We have to wait till Dad comes to hang some of the larger pictures and mirrors. No one can hang pictures better my hubby. Armed with all the right tools, including a level, pencil for mathematical figurings (no eyeballing for him mind you) and the correct weighted picture hangers, nothing comes off the wall when he's done hanging it.

Anyway, the apartment and the area are so cute. There is definately a revitalization of that area now. The Cheesecake Factory is just one block away from the apartment building and i think tapas are all the rage now. There is a really cute restaurant called the Double Wide which is an old Texaco gas station. Looks so cute and I understand they have great food there. When we go back, that's where we're headed. The other way, within walking distance, like a block, are blocks of fantastic stores. Hope that's not a problem. And there are plenty of dogs! The natives told us they are opening a dog park, right in that area, in November.



Look at these beauties!! Someone told me we couldn't grow eggplant up here. Hey, there are plenty more just like these two out in the garden at 44. These babies are going for eggplant parmasean tonight! Ethan's home and he loves it. Plus the pounds of beans that I keep harvesting everyday. I think this must have been the perfect year for green beans.




Ethan has never been one for the garden but when he got home today and saw all the tomatoes a collinder came out and he was out there gathering all sorts of tomatoes. I'm sending him back to the city with a big basket full for all his co workers. Rob had brought a big basket full to the hospital last week plus a steady stream going over to his mom and brother. The heirlooms have been a lot of fun. My personal favoites are the purplish Paul Robeson and the pink Mortgage Lifter. Camp of Joy are wonderfully sweet cherry tomatoes. Anyway, after his interest in the tomatoes, I thought perhaps he would like to harvest the potatoes. And he did! I may make a farmer out of him yet!!