It might be snowing...again...but it is almost ice cream season!

 Yeah, yeah, yeah, blah, blah, blah, it is snowing right now (March 31, 2011 at 7:55pm). 

BUT, we know it will not last for long, AND Ice Cream Season is just around the corner, here in the Quiet Corner!

You must come get some great ice cream here in Putnam and close by from these places:

1) WeLiKit, is close by in Abington. opening Saturday, April 2nd, with spring hours are Mon-Thurs 12 to 7pm, Fri & Sat 12 to 8pm. Like WeLiKit on Facebook. 

 

2) The Farmer's Cow Ice Cream is also outstanding, and it is made locally by local cows (well the cows don't make it, but provide the main ingredient)! Check out the Farmer's Cow website.

3) Right along the River Trail you will find the Quiet Corner Creamery (located at Riverview Landscape Supply, 147 Kennedy Dr, Putnam). They make their own hard ice cream, with flavors like apple pie... 

 

I am a Putnamaniac looking forward to lots of Ice Cream varieties and places to get them!

 

A video clip is worth a thousand words...

I took this video today, overlooking my wonderful Putnam.

It only will get more beautiful every day as time continues to flower us with the many colors of the different seasons.

Enjoy it! It'll take just about 30 seconds, but gives me endless joy. Come visit anytime!

I am a Putnamaniac because it is always just picture perfect beautiful!

Husky Fever Spreading - No need for a doctor, we know the cure!

Medical alert for the Quiet Corner.

New cases are noted in the area every day, especially during the mad month of March.

This not so rare disease throughout the area, known as UConn Huskies basketball fever, persists and continues to grow.

Our ears ring with the Husky Fight Song (click to listen)!

Man, woman, child, middle aged, elderly; no one is immune to the fever.

No need to call the doctor for a cure. We know the cure.


Wins STAT for both the Men and Women in the next tourney games and onward!

 

I am a Putnamaniac with UConn Husky FEVER!

Re-Cupe, Re-Roof, Re-Rake, Re-Sweep, Re-Energize!

Recuperation, Re-Roofing, Re-Raking, Re-Sweeping, Re-Energizing!

Branches are being gathered, fallen trees cut up, wood is getting stacked, sand on the streets and sidewalks is being swept up (enough to make a few beaches of our own), roofs and gutters are being repaired, yards and garden beds are being raked out.

Anything we did before winter, we are now RE-DOING in Putnam and all around New England, after a long, white winter.

Spring is coming, really, and we want to be ready.

We are almost Re-Energized and ready for some warm weather!

Are you ready???? Do you see signs of  things being Re-Done in your neighborhood?

I am a Putnamaniac because we are RE-ENERGIZED for warm weather!

Habitat ReStore ReVisited - finally!

I had missed being able to volunteer at the Putnam Habitat ReStore for the past few months, due to my schedule during that time. I mean, I really missed it!

However, since I was successful in finding an awesome job, perfectly suited to me once again, I am now able to get back in and do some volunteering at the ReStore! (Note to self: keep this new, perfect job forever!).

So I baked a plate of brownies for my Sunday volunteering cohort, Tony, and we got down to work today.

Stuff comes and goes so quickly in the ReStore, it is amazing. If you are in or around our area, stop by once a week. Putnam's hours are Friday & Saturday 9am-3pm, and Sunday 10am-3pm.You never know what you will find!

Right now there are awesome deals on dishwashers, stoves, window air conditioners, tile for walls & floors, lights of all sorts, and furniture galore. A lady today got a small used tv for her bedroom for $10. We tested it out, and it worked perfectly. There are all sorts of construction items for "do it yourselfers".

Conversely, if you are or know a contractor with old cupboards, sinks, etc, to get rid of after doing renovations, the ReStore is a great place to have them donate these things.

Best of all, the monies are used to complete the Habitat of Northeast CT's current builds. A great cause!

I know I can go on and on about this topic, but stop in and talk to one of the volunteers, and you will also become addicted to Habitat for Humanity!

I am a Putnamaniac because I have a Habitat ReStore to volunteer at right in Putnam!

Jury is in. My favorite is the Courthouse in downtown Putnam!

Since I first moved to CT, I have always loved the Courthouse Bar and Grille in downtown Putnam. It is still my favorite place to visit and enjoy a great meal.

The Courthouse gives you a good feeling of being "in court", versus the bad connotations associated with having to go to court.

The Courthouse name their appetizers as "Opening Statements", desserts as "Closing Arguments", and the kiddies' choices as "Juvenile Hall". The menu (entitled The Docket) has a play on words everywhere you look. Enjoying a corny sense of humor, I love to read the Courthouse's menu.

Enjoying a hearty appetite, I love to eat there as well! I bring people with me to the Courthouse whenever I have the opportunity. No complaints! In fact, my uncle, a pretty choosy scallop man, LOVES their scallops. My favorites are definitely the Cold Veggie Wrap or the Veggie Melt. Mmmmm, mmmm, good!

The Courthouse has everything you can think of, and it is all good. Next time you are around, give me a jingle. Let's go to the Courthouse. One of those Veggie Wraps is calling my name!

I am a Putnamaniac because the Courthouse has "Arresting Food and Spirits"!

'Tis maple syrup making time!

This cool scene is on one of my jogging routes:

 

It is a bit more complex than the usual steel or aluminum buckets you see hanging from tapped red maples or sugar maple trees. Check it out...the taps are still there, but are all connected to this one big plastic bucket by a series of tubes. See the sap that has collected in the bottom of the bucket? And, you can actually HEAR the sap gurgling into the bucket. It is amazing! Who ever thought it'd be a good idea to try and get sap out of a tree and make it into something delicious??? Like many things from New England, it was probably the Native Americans who used their Yankee ingenuity to figure this out. It is a lot of work! It takes 10 gallons of sap to create one quart of syrup! Yikes - I would not have the patience, and I would gobble it all up too quickly! 

I found this pretty cool website, How to Make Maple Syrup, even with a little video to watch if you are interested in learning more about making syrup. If you want to make your own syrup, there are instructions for you to do it, too. There are many folks in New England who do it- just like my neighbors up the road.

I am a Putnamaniac because my neighbors make their own maple syrup!