Arriving home from a week in New York City was joyful and sad at the same time. It was so wonderful to be back in the country away from the hustle and bustle of the streets of Manhattan, but Vermont greeted me with the yellows and browns that signal the end of summer. Crickets are singing with full force, tomatoes droop heavily from their stems and birds are flying in groups gorging themselves on the fat seeds of honeysuckle bushes. Soon we will forget that summer is ending because we will be launched into the fire and sun of fall.

It was great to see our customers in New York. They brought feedback, new ideas and excitment for the new sayings. I am always surprised at which ones
make the biggest impression. Here are a few of the ones that surprised me:

It is so beautiful up here in Vermont right now it doesn’t seem real. The light is magical and the air is clean. The green trees and meadow grass are intoicating.

Gardening is a passion that is rewarded in my Mountaine Meadow beyond measure. I can’t imagine a more joyous endeavor than putting on my oldest, most comfortable clothes and spending a morning pulling weeds, being bitten my bugs, and generally puttering around my small square of heaven until I can no longer stand upright.

Wow what a hot spell. There are so many people around here who are counting their blessings that they have a camp, or a beach house, or even just knowlege of a good swimming hole to go to on these hot summer days.

We don’t take this weather lightly up here in the north country. No one is allowed to complain about how hot it is without being reprimanded that it will be cold soon enough! In fact there is a unique form of depression that is initiated by the 4th of July holiday. I call it the “Northern Vermont Winter is Around the Corner Blues” because it signals the beginning of the march towards winter.

Oh well, we will all be entranced by summer’s intoxicating beauty and forget what lies ahead. Then suddenly sometime in October, the leaves will suddenly disappear from the trees, and it will be “no more fun and games”. But until that day we shall appreciate every single moment of summer splendor this beautiful state has to offer.
Here are some wonderful sayings that reflect the tender love one has for their summer retreat.

If you’re lucky enough to have a house by the water you’re lucky enough

When you are here you are on shore time

When you are here you are on island time

Near the sea we forget to count the days

Near the lake we forget to count the days

Mountaine Meadows had a pigeon invasion today. Very exciting. It took several people and gloves to encourage one pigeon that she could, in fact, fly back out through the window. It is a good thing that we have so many pairs of gloves around. we use them for unloading the plaques from the kiln. We only use the right hand though, so we have tons of left handed gloves.

Today we used them. I must also credit Yves who made a big impression on the pigeon by marking a path to the window with popcorn. Food wins out every time!

In Vermont summer doesn’t really arrive until July 4th. We can finally put away our sweaters, and it is almost a moral obligation to spend a good chunk of time outside if it isn’t raining. The luckiest Vermonters own a camp on a pond not too far from where they live. Is anyone interested in a customized version of either of these plaque sayings? Email me or comment on the blog.