What a Year, What a Month, What a Week!

Hello, Suburban Farmgirl Friends! It’s officially “spring” now, and as the seasons change, I am reflecting on what a year it’s been…what a month it’s been…and what a WEEK it’s been! 

Since my last post just a month ago, so much has happened. In my neck of the woods, we have experienced two seasons’ weather, celebrated my birthday and Easter, and in just one week, we had sleet, snow, sun and 75 degrees, two Earthquakes and the Eclipse! How fast time flies, and things can change!

First off, congratulations to the winner of my drawing from last month’s blog post, Debbie. I hope you enjoy all the goodies heading your way!

As I write this, today marks one year to the day since our sweet chihuahua passed away at 15 years old (maybe older, we were never quite sure, as he was a rescue).

At only five pounds, he made up for his small stature with tons of personality. We have had pets “cross the rainbow bridge” before, but losing Pip was especially hard. Maybe it was because he was so small and delicate, or maybe because he was part of my daughter’s childhood. He was so deeply loved! His paws definitely left prints on our hearts, and we still feel his absence. I read recently that many companies are now adopting “pet bereavement”  policies for their employees, with a recent study finding that most of us who own pets consider them family. I think that’s wonderful! Our pets definitely are family!

On a happier note, the pup we adopted from our favorite rescue in fall of 2022 settled in well and stepped up to being the “baby” of the family! My daughter bought him an Easter basket this year from a local vet. Rescues really appreciate love and being spoiled! He was so happy, he “sang”!

It is said that if you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a moment and it will change. That certainly has rung true recently. It seems like we have had a year of continuous rain. We’ve had so many cold, wet, rainy and overcast days in Connecticut the last year, that I was feeling a bit salty – wondering why everyone was getting so excited over an Eclipse, when it seems like it’s already always so dark!

Then, we started feeling warm days and sunnier weather with blooms starting to show. One morning last week, we woke up to beautiful, perfect spring weather. 

Then, we had sleet and snow. 

A day or so later, it was up to 75 degrees! It felt like summer! My little pup and I were so happy to hit our favorite walking trails. He looked like the King of the World as we took a break from our exercise. 

By Friday, it was back to more seasonal weather, still pretty nice but not quite so warm. That morning, my daughter was home and in the back room enjoying a late morning cup of coffee. I was just finishing putting up the Easter decor. I keep my vintage glass bunnies in a curio cabinet, since they’re so delicate. Just as I was placing them in the cabinet, I heard what sounded like a very large dump truck go by the house, but then the sound did not pass, feeling like it was coming closer, like a rolling wave. 

Suddenly, the shelves of the curio rattled, the light fixture swung side to side, and the entire house shook with the sound of rattling glass! It took a minute for the shaking to subside, and it scared us all as we tried to register what had just happened. Thankfully, nothing was broken. 

We learned later that we experienced a 4.8 earthquake, something of that magnitude we don’t normally feel here in New England, felt from New Jersey and up. It was interesting that my chickens refused to come out of the coop that morning; I assumed they had heard a hawk or other predator. As soon as the quake subsided, they marched out of the coop, business as usual. A second quake of magnitude 4.0 (with a different epicenter, so it was not considered an aftershock) occurred at 6 PM, but none of us felt that one. Still, it was some excitement, though my West Coast friends were amused at how shaken we were, (wink wink).

That Monday, the big, historical Eclipse was to occur.

Our family was all home together, so we made an event out of the day! My daughter bought us all Eclipse glasses, I made us a playlist of eclipse-themed music, and my husband fired up the backyard firepit, the first time this year. 

Our dogs seemed normal except for our little one who was more clingy than usual. Still, we left them inside for the day, just to be safe.

Outside, we roasted Smørrebrød, a tradition from Denmark – hot dogs wrapped in bread dough, roasted over a fire, and for dessert, old fashioned s’mores! We had not done that in years!

As the eclipse began, the birds stopped chirping, and the sunlight dimmed.

All was quiet except for one lone wild turkey strolling through the woods. We only went inside to check on our dogs, and to watch the live coverage of the eclipse in Texas and Maine. 

A neighbor up the street gave my daughter a special filter for taking pics of the eclipse using a phone, as he had extras. We had so much fun outside, watching the eclipse change, and took some really amazing photos. 

We were in the path of 91 percent totality (even though in our photos it looks dark), so the afternoon light only got “dusky”, as opposed to areas of total darkness. I can’t remember when we last enjoyed such a relaxing day outside by the fire, and it was a memorable day at our house.

In all, the eclipse was wonderful to witness. There is so much currently dividing so many, and it was nice to see us all excited, together. It was also nice to see everyone “look up”  from their phones for a change! 

Life’s definitely been exciting, as of late. I’m also looking forward to warmer temperatures.

I’m also looking forward to all the good things that come with the warmer season’s arrival in New England – things such as gardening, farm stands, farmers markets and fairs. Inside, my seeds are started, ready for another season of fresh vegetables, straight from the garden. Outside, everyday something more pops alive with blooms, and we see more and more green – promises of another spring and summer! What a year it’s been!

Thanks for popping by the blog today! Hope you are enjoying your spring. Leave me a comment and let me know how things are going in your neck of the woods!