Thoughtful musings on various topics by interesting people at Blithewold
A Year in Review: Faves of 2016
February is a wonderful month for planning. It’s chilly outside, but warm in the Potting Shed and greenhouse where we hunker down for the winter. The greenhouses are stuffed full with plants and our brains are … Read more.
February 1917 – Preparation for War
February 3, 1917, had dawned cold and miserable in Boston. The thermometer hovered around zero and there was a biting wind. It was a day to stay home. Bessie McKee and her companion Estelle Clements … Read more.
Downtime at Blithewold?
The decorations have all been taken down, the Christmas trees are back in the basement, and the rooms at Blithewold look bare and forlorn, with only odd bits of leaves and glitter on the floor … Read more.
Wreath Season
I love the festive decorations that appear in December. A pretty evergreen wreath on the front door is a classic welcome during the holiday season. In preparation for our wreath classes last week, Gail and … Read more.
Happy Birthday, Augustus
Now that our Christmas and New Year’s celebrations have slipped into the past, we want to pause to honor our founder, Augustus Van Wickle, who was born on January 4, 1856. In January of 1883 … Read more.
A Very Merry Christmas
Blithewold has thrown open its doors for the Christmas season, bringing the excitement of the season to all its visitors. After you have toured the elegantly decorated Mansion, soaking up the festive atmosphere within … Read more.
Pretty Leaves to Christmas Trees
The past couple of weeks Gail and I have had our attention divided between fall garden cleanup and Christmas decorating. Despite the drought this past summer, the trees have still managed to show a good … Read more.
November is brilliant
The colors are turning here in a spectacular way. With every twist of the path I spy a new favorite plant to photograph. Gail and I can’t stop taking pictures of all the gorgeous trees … Read more.
Arthur Lamora
Arthur Lamora was Marjorie Lyon’s grounds man and chauffeur from around 1950 until she died in 1976. He lived in the north end cottage apartment of the garage complex with his wife, Evelyn. Arthur … Read more.
A little bit of everything
From T-shirts to winter coats – was it really just last week that we had temperatures into the 80s? This week has been quite the change. I had to pull out my winter work gear … Read more.