Ann Leary, author of The Good House
Author of The Good House
We had a little snow over the weekend, which was nice as we had just decorated the tree.
I found some photos of our place last year after a snowstorm, so I thought I’d post them to get everyone in the holiday spirit.
Here’s our little tree sprite, Coco, standing on a woodpile:
Today I bought our Christmas tree. I bought a small tree this year, as our lanky six foot fiver is not here to put on the star, but also because we have decided to have everything smaller this Christmas, because of the economy and everything. Denis was flying back from Chicago – the final leg of his book tour and Dev was at school. So I picked out the tree myself, and felt a little sad watching the excited little ones choosing their trees with their families. Kids were jumping up and down, they were so thrilled about Christmas!
I was just visiting my friend Fran Keilty at the Hickory Stick Bookshop here in Washington Depot, CT and we discussed, once again, how difficult it is for the independently owned businesses like the Hickory Stick and another favorite of mine, the Bank Street Book Nook, owned by my friend Janet Ryan in New Milford, to compete with the major chain retailers.
I know I spend a lot of time on this blog griping about country life, but in all honesty I love where I live. Today, I had to go into the city, and on the way home I was feeling very melancholy (because I’m perverse and deranged, nobody as blessed and lucky as me should ever be sad but there you have it) but as soon as I reached this bridge, I felt better, as I always do.
I spent the day holed up in my office and made the mistake, once again, of working until it was dark. It just gets dark so early now. I hate going up to our horse barn to feed the beasts at night because the barn is so dimly lit and I keep seeing mice flitting about. One ran up the wall of a stall that I was leaning against the other night! I have to get a new barn cat.
It wasn’t completely dark when I got up there tonight and I was able to get this shot of the sunset.
My daughter Devin and I are in Boston this morning. We drove Jack to school here, yesterday. We did some Christmas shopping and had dinner with my mother, sister and niece and we stayed overnight in a beautiful hotel room with this view of the Public Gardens:
Sorry, the window and rain make everything a bit blurry.
I told Devin that I remembered when they built this hotel. She asked if I thought, then, that I would ever stay here. I said that I never thought, then, that I’d be able to afford to eat here. But here we are!
