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It’s high season for Jen’s ever-expanding collection of peonies. These are the most fragrant of all. A surprising contribution to the beauty of spring flowers: fava beans, whose flowers look like irises. Jen looks after them all.

Today we watched Rhinebeck’s quintessential Memorial Day parade from the Lawsons’ front porch. We had Jen’s parents, Erica and Geoff visiting for the weekend, and the Scherrs happened to have rented a house for the weekend about fifteen minutes from us. We felt slightly sheepish about inviting ourselves over to the Lawsons and bringing eleven […]

Jen is her own harbinger of spring, braving a wet, 40 degree day to get the beans started. This weekend we saw Ring-necked Ducks (f/k/a Lesser Scaups) diving in the pond, Herman the bachelor muskrat giving himself a bath nearby, a coyote skulking around the backyard, and a raccoon in the Hoeners’ driveway.

Jen corageously determined that the pond was frozen solid, which made sense given the single-digit temperatures we’ve had over the past few days. While it might be a good day for skating, it’s also a good day for a fire.

We had a small but festive Christmas, with just Jen’s folks visiting. Sarah presented Daisy with her stocking, stuffed with a bully stick and a dried fish skin. It’s hard to say which smelled worse. As is her custom, Sarah made crafts for everyone. She embroider these flowers for Rinda, crocheted coasters for Lew and […]

Here are Jen and Sarah, ready for the holidays after the hanging of the ornaments. Sarah is on-trend with this ugly Christmas sweater from her pal Ainsley.

Today is the day to drop off culinary entries for the Dutchess County Fair. Jen, the defending champion in the marmalade category, entered four categories of jam. We are hopeful for a successful defense of her title. This weekend we had a visit from Lauren Ballback, Babysitter Emeritus to Sarah, and now counsel to the […]

Jen gathered a handful of pin cherries on our walk today. Last night we had a surprise visit from Erica and Geoff, on their way from Maine back to Brooklyn, so Daisy is in especially high spirits.

Jen’s garden is not something that just “happens.”

Last night we had dinner at the Kaimal-Lawsons, our first indoor social visit in over a year. The girls celebrated having completed the SATs, which were administered in the Rhinebeck High School gym. Today we celebrate Mother’s Day in traditional style, with breakfast in bed followed by driving Sarah hither and yon to various horse-related […]