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 delicious. We are fortunate to have plenty of maple syrup, but this infused sweet stuff is special – it would be delectable in a chicken dish, and enhance a cocktail such as a Dark and Stormy or Moscow Mule. My squash soup in the autumn will be extra delicious, infused with this new gem. Furthermore, pancakes and French toast taste better -

One of the most rewarding parts of readying Squabetty for guests is making little vases of flowers to spread around the house. I prefer wild flowers, but supplement from my cutting garden, perennials and wild flowers around my house. As the neighbors are readying for work in the morning, I’m wandering around in my mud boots, searching for blooms. Maybe you’ll see someone driving slowly along dirt roads here in the north country, looking out along the roadsides. It might be

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...

5.5.17 There’s this time between seasons, when there seems to be a lull – it seems nothing is happening; a void between what was and what will come. But the signs of spring and the farewell to winter continue to be undeniable: trout lilies, bellwort, trillium and dutchman’s breeches litter the forest floor. While Squabetty is a special place any season of the year, the spring holds ripe the promises of summer. There’s excitement in the air as my siblings and I look more clos

4.16.17 It’s been a week since snow fell, and happily melted. Spring-like daytime temperatures and longer days have finally given way to...

3. 27.17 We survived the dumping of Winter Storm Stella two weeks ago – about 30 inches; and the cold and continued snowy weather since then. Spring is nowhere in sight here in the North Country! Despite the whims of Mother Nature, this weekend was Vermont Maple Open House Weekend, an annual event when sugarhouse across the state open their doors to share their operations and samples of sweet treats, even when it’s too cold and the sap is not running! I headed up to Runamok

3.18.17 It’s cold up here in Vermont recently – today a high of 7 degrees with a wind chill advisory for 25 below. The chickadees and...

Welcome to our new website and weekly blog. Today, the temperatures are in the 50s for a second day in a row, meaning the sap is running...