Where Is Spring?

Fear Not! It will be back! As I spend this snowy day with The Mitch doing wedding errands and long term preparations for our 2011 extravaganza, I think of the lovely spring we are having - minus the white hiccup - and share some pictures I took Monday during an East Charlotte neighborhood walk.

MitchaRachia Insider Wedding Tidbit - the budding trees of a Vermont spring exemplify the color scheme of our wedding.

How MitchaRachia Celebrate Easter

Usually, Easter is celebrated by attending a decadent Vermont brunch and this year we narrowed down the options to The Village Porch in Rochester, J. Morgan's at Capitol Plaza in Montpelier, Norma's Restaurant at Topnotch Resort in Stowe, or G's Restaurant at The Sheraton in Burlington.

However, the gorgeous, sunny weather that blessed Vermont that weekend changed plans around a bit. We spent Saturday waterfall hunting - always a favorite Vermont Vibes activity. We visited the East Middlebury Gorge first and were amazed to find three college students jumping into the April 3rd in Vermont water. Ah, to be young - no, forget that! I was never one for cold water jumping at any age.


Then we vibed down to Texas Falls and the Falls of Lana only to learn they were stilled closed from flood damage a few years ago. The nerve! We did manage to walk a bit of the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail where I interpreted in a very "Anne" voice to the point that The Mitch actually ran away.

We did swing by the reliable Moss Glen Falls where we snapped a few pictures like everyone else, but as you can see, we captured some orbs!





Saturday night we finally made our way to the Bluebird Tavern and enjoyed a warm patio dinner with good friends and the live music of the Vermont goddess of song, Myra Flynn. The Bluebird Tavern was worth the wait and I have never seen such a groovy selection of drinks!

Sunday was a glorious Charlotte Farmhouse day. Being believers of metaphysics, energy, and nature, The Mitch and I do not celebrate Easter in a traditional sense, but I do enjoy the giving thanks to spring, bunnies, eggs, and daffodils. Especially since spring is the season of my existence! We relaxed, enjoyed our beautiful yard, and I made a spectacular dinner in our newly rearranged dining room. I cleared out the freezer of the remaining frozen veggies from last year's harvest, combined that with an eclectic mix of canned items still hanging out on the shelf and some Vermont ham and made a three course brunch of our own! And I was able to use the very first fresh herbs of the season. The Mitch claimed it was a party in his mouth which is the highest culinary compliment I get!

A Friend to Tea

I love tea. This probably stems from my mom and I's post homework weeknight chats when I was in high school when she would bring me tea and we would gossip about all sorts of things. My dad didn't really like the gossiping and I think my mom might feel guilty about it sometimes. However, I have realized how very important those chats were. They were the only time mom didn't hound me about things moms hound about. Instead we were girlish and giggly - just what you are supposed to be when having tea. Giggles caused by the simplicity on a friendship and a conversation, without the need for wine.

My delights in the thrills of tea also are steeped in Anne of Green Gables tradition and now that I am re-reading the entire series as a 34 year old, I am realizing just how much of an impact that Anne-girl has had on my life. In fact, I plan to shut down the Vermont PR office early today so I can frolic alone in the bountiful mirages of a budding spring.

There is nothing more special between friends than sharing the sanctity of kindred spirits and the always sought after bosom buddy; so on a sunny day in mid-February, I did just that...

Skipping work like a true manifestor of my destiny to be able to put aside the grind for when the truly important things in life present themselves, I vibed off to my fellow kindred spirit's farmhouse in Northern Vermont and we had tea. And we watched all eight hours of Anne of Green Gables and Avonlea.

We began with a tea spread which was complete with nice napkins, dainty finger pastries, a tea pot and fun cups, candles, rocks and crystals, fresh flowers, lady fans...




Half of the day we watched, cried, ate naughty little treats, and drank delicious tea from of dried spearmint, peppermint, and chamomile from my garden last year. We also decided I was Anne and Christine was Diana, determined we most definitely are bosom friends, and Christine (aka Diana) shared a lock of her fine, black dreads - sigh....

Of course I forgot to mention the day started with Christine's nub tailed little kitten climbing to the roof of their barn, walking the ridgepole, and then falling to the ground where he bounced up, quite proud of himself. Christine was in hysterics. I was in total amusement as it was, well, so Anne!

The second part of the day we completed watching Anne and enjoyed sushi and some more tea - tea and sushi also do create quite the spread!




I have a few blogs in my queue to write and was sparked to get to this one when I saw a Yankee Magazine Teahouse article written by another blogger who writes all about tea! Check out the Tea Pages Blog - http://teapages.blogspot.com.

PS - To Katrina of the Tea Pages Blog and other tea enthusiasts who enjoy Vermont Vibing - please check out the Harmony English Tea Room at Brandon Music! Perhaps it can be considered to be in the tea anthology!