Are you variegated? I am! Especially when I visit the Variegated Foliage Nursery in Eastford, CT!

Today, ahhhhhh.... the middle of a long holiday weekend.

All should be good, right?

Um... not so much.

I did get up and jog, then had to go grocery shopping... then came home and started cooking for the week. A few hours later,way more than my 15 minute happy limit in the kitchen, I took up the task of making homemade horseradish for my husband. I love this guy I married, but really I do not enjoy all the cooking.... I am very happy with a bag of frozen veggies every night of the week. He loves to eat.

So..... I peeled all the horseradish - kind of like peeling the bark off a tree, then cut it into chunks, put it into the food processor with vinegar and sugar, turned it on, where it promptly squirted all over the counter, walls, cabinets. STINKY! STICKY! YUCK!

What the heck am I doing?????????

After I cleaned up that disaster, transferred everything into the blender and made the horseradish, we hopped in the car and headed out to the Variegated Foliage Nursery in Eastford. I needed to pick up a donation for the upcoming Tastes of the Valley, The Last Green Valley's biggest fundraiser of the year.

As soon as I stepped foot on the property I felt serenity. Under the trees, you hear gently music tinkling in the air. You see gorgeous sights. You wonder how long did it take to make this place what it is. Then... you meet the owner, Mr. Stan Megos. He is the most charming, soft spoken and knowledgeable man you will meet. He has a bazillion varieties of a bazillion things, and he can inform you about them all better than google could ever do.

Mr. Megos picked out 5 outstanding plants to donate to the Tastes of the Valley. I am bidding! I want them all!!! I know my momma will love the newest variety of mouse ears hosta.... and every other plant is as awesome!

There is also a new path that meanders down to the stream, where picnic tables welcome you to come sit and stay for a while. Maybe a little lunch or a smooch with your love.

Two concerts were held at the Variegated Foliage Nursery in the past few weeks, and hopefully another is pending. Keep your eye on the Variegated website to see if the hopeful Saturday, September 13, 2014 concert will come to fruition!

I went a little crazy with the picture taking - I could not help myself. You can see them all on my facebook page here if you are my friend. 

Be SURE to go to Eastford and this great nursery! If you do not go, you are missing out on a great visit.

I am a Putnamaniac that loves to visit the Variegated Foliage Nursery in Eastford CT!

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My first kayak adventure was a success, thanks to some great friends - and guides!

Can you believe that I have never gone kayaking .... before ... today?

It seems like every other human being on the planet has paddled at least once, and some of them very often.

Thanks to 2 awesome friends, LyAnn & Ken, I got to not only go kayaking for the first time, but also got some nice lessons about the ins and outs of paddling. They even had an extra kayak for me to use!

We hit the West Thompson dam area and headed up the Quinebaug River.

It could not have been a more perfect day if we had designed it ourselves. Sunny, mild, bright blue sky with some decorative clouds. A million turtles smiled in the sun as we paddled by, birds twittered and dragonflies filled themselves with the water bugs.

We even saw a green heron!

Perfect.

Certainly my river guides made my first kayak trip outstanding, but I never imagined that it would be such a wonderful adventure! Now I know why so many people are addicted to their watercraft! 

You can find places to paddle in The Last Green Valley, 35-towns in Eastern CT and South Central MA by clicking on this interactive map. Check the "paddle" box at the bottom and you shall see where you can paddle til your heart's content. 

I am a Putnamaniac that loved my first time in the seat of a kayak!

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Hummers in full force - I think I heard one humming Barry Manilow tonight!

Holy hummingbird Mother Nature!

These little, fast beauties are gearing up for their annual fall migration to points south of New England, as far as Central America.

With that being said, they are filling their gas tanks, much like we fill our gas tanks in our vehicles for a road trip.

Tonight I saw quite a few while I was out in the yard during the late afternoon and early evening. They were enjoying the tall canna plants, with red flowers ablaze. There were also a few visiting the regular bird feeder. One in fact stopped right over my head as I was digging. It took me a moment to recognize the sound of his wings - I thought for sure I was hearing some far off syncopated beat.... sort of like Barry Manilow's Copacabana!

I swear that I could see another bazillion more hummingbirds every day before I die and still be very excited every single time!

This picture is taken by a friend of mine, a talented photog, Mr. Ben Salisbury.

You can find out lots of cool facts about hummingbirds, and all sorts of birds for that matter, on the Cornell website.

How do you feel about the small and mighty hummers? They are quite a story, aren't they?

I am a Putnamaniac that loves to see the hummingbirds humming around my yard and over my head!

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Am I breaking the Putnam River Trail walking rules? Perhaps!

Walking in the early morning along Putnam's River Trail with my BFF is a great way to start a day.

Stretching your legs, focusing your eyeballs and mind on a new day, catching up with each others family details, planning upcoming fun times together, picking up litter as we find it on occasion even in Putnam, laughing, and solving the world's problems... now that is a great way to start a day.

I've taken notice lately that I seem to breaking some sort of Putnam early morning River Trail walking rules.

How, you might wonder....

It appears that there is a strict female height rule, thankfully not strictly enforced before 6am.

I come to this conclusion as I am a good 5'8". My BFF, Kat is 5' next to nothing. She moves those short legs rather quickly.

We pass a three - foursome of another group of 5' next to nothings. They also scoot along swiftly on those little shorties.

Stop by and see for yourself some early morning on Putnam's River Trail! If not here, then just get out and walk anywhere! It does a body and mind good!

I am a Putnamaniac that just may be breaking the early morning River Trail walking rules!

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We want a pitcher and other fun rhymes from childhood!

Scene 1, Act 1:
Setting: The Best House in Putnamania
Timeframe: late summer evening, crickets chirping loudly outside, Red Sox floundering badly, game on the tv

Me, washing dishes: "We want a pitcher..."

Hubby, reading the newspaper chimes in for the second portion of this ever popular childish chant: "Not a belly itcher..."

Both of us in unison, laughing hysterically: "hahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

Sometimes the most stupid things can be so much fun!

Do you remember any other childhood rhymes?

Like "Comet, it makes your teeth turn green....Comet, it tastes like gasoline.... Comet, it makes you vomit, so try some Comet and vomit today!"

I am a Putnamaniac that thinks you should spend at least a few moments every day being a kid again!

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The James L. Goodwin Conservation Center offers tons of programs and tons of things to do on your own, too!

Have you ever been to the Goodwin Conservation Center / Forest area located off Route 6 in Hampton, CT?

If not, why the heck not??

It is such a gorgeous place that offers many organized programs as well as plenty of room to roam on your own.

You can sign up to be on their mailing list so you will be alerted about all of their upcoming programs - year round. It is well worth it, and they are not overbearing in contacting you. Being kept up to date without having to search anywhere at all for what is going on at Goodwin is a great feature.

To subscribe to their email list:
Send an email to imailsrv@list.state.ct.us
In the email, leave the subject line blank and in the body of the message type:
Subscribe DEP-Goodwin YourFirstName YourLastName

Goodwin is very close by if you live in Northeast CT or even close by in MA and RI.

So, what are you waiting for? Hop on your bike or load the family into the family truckster and head over to the Goodwin Conservation Center and Forest!

Did I mention that this is all for FREE?!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves to go to visit Goodwin whether for one of their great programs, hikes, or just by myself!

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A positively productive day!

I had a positive day!

It was productive!

It might not be the type of day that everyone might love, but I did!

(You can tell I loved it if you notice all the exclamation point punctuations used above).

Graced by a day off, unexpected and discovered just a few days ago, I sprung out of bed bright and early (well, ok, maybe it was cloudy and early), and got to work.

Yard! Garden! Cooked and preserved! Cleaned! Laundry! Jogged! Emails! Filing! Bill paying!

(Note that I am still excited by the continuing exclamation marks).

Nothing glamorous, but a chance to catch up and spend some time with yourself is priceless once in a while!

Do you agree? Days like this actually recharge my batteries although I go long and strong all day. I am revitalized since I am back in my comfort zone of complete cleanliness and orderliness.

I hope that you all find the time once in a while to do just what it is that makes you tick and makes you use exclamation points!!!!!

I am a Putnamaniac that loves a positively productive day!

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