It never ceases to amaze me when this huge world we live in, with billions of people, that serendipity still happens. A couple were married at Squabetty last September. They booked almost two years ago. There was the normal back and forth emails as the date approached. About a week before the wedding the groom asked us if we happened to be related to Mary McLane, who lived in Acton, Mass. Indeed, we were: she was our aunt who lived in a co-housing community in the late 1990s

One aspect of owning land is being a good steward of that gift. We have had a forestry plan for as long as I can remember, making sure we were taking care of the tract for the health of the flora and fauna. For me, this land is my church. I often hug the trees and speak quiet thanks as I walk the trails and bushwack through the woods. I thank the animals for sharing their home with us. I feel honored and blessed. When the Emerald Ash Borer was found in Michigan in 2002, it wa

Of all the times of year, I love being at Squabetty in the autumn the best. Of course it brings back fond memories of falls past:...

The night before my wedding at Squabetty, we had a square dance, as was an annual tradition in our family, in the barn. My parents hired...

Part 3 (of 3).  We bought Squabetty in 1931 with no intention of moving in then. The house was not habitable. We came quite often from...

Part 2 (of 4)  We took the night train from Grand Central to Essex Junction, where the Shannons met us, 5:30 am, en route - this trip or...

So this is how we came to Vermont. Part 1 (of 4): (written by Virginia S. Deane, our aunt, in 1987) After spending the summers of 1926-28...

Prologue to Part 1 of 4 (to come in the next 4 weeks), written on 1/27/24: We have to be thankful to the Shannons' Boarding House which...

One of the most interesting pieces of design about Squabetty is our lazy window.  Growing up as kids, we thought it was just so cool that...

One of the first things I check when we open the house up in the spring is the anemometer (wind gauge). High winds are a fact of life on...

The last of our guests have gone. The closing is upon us. While we put the final touches on shutting her up for the winter, the lady bugs...

Being in a mountain area, even if we are in the northeast, makes us aware (not wary) of landslides. The most famous one occurred in 1887...

We have high wind advisories here in Vermont today and tomorrow, with winds 20-30 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. It makes for rough...

Sometimes the fun projects we do over the summer are driven by our aging selves and trying to make life a little easier for us. The fun...

As the weather seesaws between warm and rainy, or bitter cold and snowy, I dream of days to come. We are under mounds of snow, and yet,...

Squabetty – what’s in a name. Most people who visit Squabetty want to know how the place got its name. Our mother documented the naming...

When my siblings come to Squabetty each year, it’s a time of intensity – projects we have been talking about and planning since the...

​Runamok Maple, the company which taps the trees on Squabetty land, has created a new flavor- ginger root infused maple syrup, which is...

One of the most rewarding parts of readying Squabetty for guests is making little vases of flowers to spread around the house. I prefer...

I have been neglectful in keeping up this blog. For this I apologize. It’s summer, which means more time at Squabetty. I spend a lot of...