Wolfie and Bisou are exquisitely exhausted after their stay at the Halfling B&B, which is wonderful, since I am exquisitely exhausted after our trip to Montana too.
My eyes are having to adjust to the contrast in the two landscapes. In Montana, and especially Yellowstone, everything is vertical and spiky. The mountains and the pine trees all point to the sky. In Vermont, while things are not exactly horizontal, the mountains are low and rounded, and so are the trees, which, shrouded in their summer foliage, seem to be without trunks or branches. The intense green of les verts monts needs some getting used to as well.
While I was gone, the annual June explosion took place around our house. The chicken shed has disappeared under an avalanche of roses, which need to be deadheaded, as do the peonies and the lavender. The lilacs need pruning. The espaliered apricot needs further espaliering. The rampaging mint and chamomile need to be brought under control. The suckers growing at the base of the apple trees need to be decapitated. Wolfie needs to be brushed. And the broccoli and the chard and the peas and the kale and the zucchini need to be picked and processed and frozen. The last of the spinach needs to be dealt with and replaced with beans right away, or it will be too late.
And I need to hold a tiny funeral for the three lavender plants that didn't make it through the mild winter because there wasn't enough snow to cover their sensitive Mediterranean feet.
My Great Cities of the World
1 week ago
Isn't it nice to come home and find that you have been missed?
ReplyDeleteIy sounds like you have your work cut out for you and that you really didn't have time for a vacation. They do dound like awfully fun chores to do, they just sound like a lot of them. The landscape does sound to my liking. Too bad about the lavender plants. xox
ReplyDeleteExactly--fun chores, but too many of them!
DeleteWhen I leave on vacation the opposite problem sets in, drought. Plants shrivel. The rain will be regular until we head out for a week or two, and then it stops and temperatures rise.
ReplyDeleteLike your dogs, our dog (Bain) enjoys his B&B so much he is exhausted on our return. It's due to his responsibilities there as top dog. The dogs are all together (3-12 dogs), take two long walks a day with the B&B owner, and sleep in her bedroom. Bain has a lot to manage.
John, it must be a breed characteristic. What you say about Bain at the B&B is exactly what Wolfie's B&B owner tells me about him. He feels responsible, and knows no rest.
ReplyDeleteEven if I didn't love any of the text (I did love it, but the thought of it all exhausted me), I would still love this post for the title. Post Vacation Stress Disorder. Brilliant!
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