Author: Cara St.Hilaire

earth month

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But I’ll push myself up through the dirt And shake my petals free I’m resolved to being born And so resigned to bravery -Dar Williams, “Spring String” (from The Green World) Some like to have a fresh start on New Year’s Eve, but my fresh start comes in April. April pulls me out of the dark winter with tiny buds of promise. It brings actual earthy smells in the air, rain, dirt, plants, longer days, color, and time spent away from the drudgery of technology. It also brings memories of my time with Anderson as a newborn, which is one of the happiest times of my life. It pulls me out of survival mode and allows me to look forward to simple things, like camping on Memorial Day and playing on the beach and ocean path runs. With Earth Day on the mind, it is also a perfect time for a “check in” with how we are doing from an environmental standpoint. We do a pretty good job, but we can do better. I thought I’d share a few …

wine and roses

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Until last year, I had been a bit of a Valentine’s Day curmudgeon. I don’t feel that way anymore. In fact, I am so overflowing with love that I am thrilled to have one day when I can say “I love you” 25 times a day instead of 10. How could you not say “I love you” 25 times to this? So, the dozen roses my husband and son gave to me do not seem cheesy, as I once may have thought.

reflections and resolutions

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I love waking up first, pouring the first cup of coffee, and feeling the quiet, especially after many loud and busy days. Soon, I’ll be playing with trains, packing for a work trip, and finishing my script for a presentation that I will deliver on Saturday morning in New York.  For now, though, it is so quiet. This past week didn’t just deliver Christmas joy.

orange peach jam

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So, what’s new? Hmmm. 1. My son is potty trained.  Yeah, just kidding.  We’ve determined that he just isn’t quite ready yet.  He can, however, sing the ABC’s with adorable perfection.  This blows my freaking mind. That whole “it goes so fast” thing really is true. 2. I’m a city commuter now.  My car sits in the driveway and I now hop on a bus, then a train, and then I walk the remaining mile and a half.  I even get a ride home from Awesome Husband and we go pick Anderson up together.  After years of a two hour commute home on the hellish Mass Pike, there are just no words.  It is wonderful. 3. I ran my first 10K last weekend in picturesque Concord.  All money raised went to support the Louisa May Alcott Orchard House.

pickled red onions

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Admittedly, I’m obsessed with pickling and canning things lately.  My farmer’s market volunteer gig isn’t helping my cause.   Red onions are in season right now and I keep coming home with them.  They aren’t the worn out, been-stored-too-long versions of onions you see in the grocery store.  The ones I can’t resist are the shiny, fresh, local ones that have such an amazing purple color that I can’t not purchase them. We eat a lot of onions in this house, but these weren’t meant to be cheapened in a sauté pan or diced up into run-of-the-mill potato salad.  These were meant to be on display.

cold cucumber dill soup

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I have quite a collection of cookbooks, even after a recent purge.  I am sortof a cookbook junkie.  I try to make one new thing per week, but that is usually hard to do.  Full time working mommas don’t often have hours to burn in the kitchen. Thank goodness for a husband who recently discovered he also likes to cook because he’s really taken the heavy the last few weeks, which have been nutty for me. This latest recipe is from my beloved Moosewood Cookbook, which is older than I am.

3 miles for 3 years

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Today was my very favorite run called I’m Trying.  I wrote about it last year because it was my first 5k ever.  Take a moment to read the story of how the road race came to be and who it honors.  My reason for trying is, of course, my mother who has been battling cancer for three years now.

crêpes and lavender

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Maybe it was my lavender in bloom?  Or maybe it was knowing that my foodie friend was coming over?  The anticipation of a south end date that same night?  (B&G Oysters by the way – delish!) Or the fact that I absolutely love cooking and tend to want to try new recipes on the weekend? I needed a snack to take to an outing at the beach with friends this past weekend and I didn’t want to just throw a bag of chips in the beach bag, so I made crêpes for the first time.  

Mayfair Farm

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This weekend, we celebrated Father’s Day and my mother’s 60th birthday. Anderson and I went with his grammy and papa to visit a little slice of heaven today: Mayfair Farm in Harrisville, NH.  This sustainable farm has tons of treasures, such as a greenhouse full of veggies, orchards, strawberries (almost ready to pick!), piglets, cows, sheep, and today’s favorite by far: very free range chickens.  By free range, I mean they run wherever they please – as all chickens should.