And just like that, the snow has melted, daffodil bulbs are poking through the saturated soil, and we are firmly back in mud season here in New England. My plan to take a month off from writing during the overwhelm of the holidays turned into a months-long break that was instead largely spent staving off winter blues with lots of socializing, day trips, and house projects. I adore winter, but it’s also easy to find myself in a grey-weather-induced fog in the midst of January and February. Sometimes, I think the winter bucket list is the most important one to abide by, acting as both guide and encourager when we feel far too inclined to just stay cozy inside our home. When the post-holiday blues start to set in, I begin filling up my calendar with activities from the list—something I couldn’t recommend more. I’m grateful to say that this winter’s list is almost completely checked off. Here’s what I’ve been up to.

A Winter Bucket List Check-In
What I’ve checked off thus far:
-Go cut a tree at our local tree farm for the holidays. It was another successful year of finding The Perfect Fir.
-Attend a Swedish Saint Lucia celebration in Hartford with our friends Margaret & Raghib. Youngsters with wildly good voices sang and danced, candles cast a glow around the historic gothic-style church, and the cardamom buns had me looking for a box to sneak some out in.
-Host a NYE celebration at our home with friends.
-Go on a New Year’s Day hike in our town.
-Go back to Salem and Marblehead, MA, to enjoy them in the off-season and see them dusted with snow. It was our first time visiting Salem in the winter (January) and I can’t recommend it enough, as we it felt like we had it all to ourselves. More on Marblehead below.
-Visit the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford for the first time. I seriously can’t believe we waited so long to visit this incredibly historic museum that has long displayed art by the likes of Dali, Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Donatello, and numerous other rockstar artists, as well as millennia-old artifacts from various ancient cultures. I have thoughts and opinions regarding the history of museum acquisitions, but can’t say that, as a potter, I didn’t absolutely love seeing Ancient Egyptian and Ming Dynasty pottery.
-Take a day trip to Vermont for Valentine’s week and peruse the picturesque towns of Woodstock, Grafton, and Chester. We oohed and aahed over historic houses & beautiful farms, explored antique stores, sipped cocktails at the gorgeous Au Comptoir cocktail bar in Woodstock, and finished the day with a fireside dinner at a lovely pink Victorian house known as The Village Inn.
-Visit the shops on Pratt Street, which is Hartford’s most well-known historic and charming street. After the shops, we slurped up ramen on an incredibly cold day, and I can’t think of a better way to have capped off the evening.
-Attend Margaret & Raghib’s 1920s murder mystery party in their very fitting 1920s home in West Hartford. Everyone dressed in period finery, there were classic cocktails, and there was even a fake blood-covered cake impaled with a knife.
-Complete the next phase of our kitchen renovation. 1980s laminate countertops were switched out for butcherblock, I installed a classic subway tile backsplash, and the bottom cabinets received a couple of coats of a gorgeous dark green called Evergreen Boughs.

What’s left:
-The next phase (phase 3?) of our kitchen renovation, which will include ripping out our outdated upper cabinets and installing open shelving.
-Going back to Manhattan (this Sunday!) in order to visit the Met for the first time, undoubtedly snack frequently from its several cafes, and enjoy a lovely dinner before jumping back on the train.

I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to this winter.

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What I’ve Been Reading
–A Place in the World by Frances Mayes (Mayes is my favorite author, so I’m not surprised that I voraciously made my way through this relatively new memoir of both travel and home, and how we often blend the two.)
–North Woods by Daniel Mason (Part historical fiction, part natural history, and focuses on the narrative of a property [and primarily a house] in western Massachusetts over the centuries. I really enjoyed this rather profound novel wherein this beloved property is the main character and readers get to experience the lives of all who inhabited it from the 1600s forward. It oozes New England, and yet, is a story which could take place in many regions. There are even a few ghosts.)
–Almost French by Sarah Turnbull (A travel memoir about the Australian author’s experiences moving to and living in Paris in the early 1990s. I appreciate her candor in the retellings of acclimating to a new culture, committing social gaffs, and living in a not-so-chic part of the city.)
–A Valley in Italy by Lisa St. Aubin de Teran (A memoir about the British author’s time renovating an old villa in a small Umbrian town with her family, during which time their fellow villagers become their family as well.)
–The Book Club Hotel by Sarah Morgan (A very cozy read about three middle-aged women who spend a week at a charming, snow-covered Vermont inn in order to spend time together and chat about books. It’s set during December, but this was a comforting grey-season January read for me.)
–The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear (Part historical fiction, part war mystery, about a woman’s experiences growing up in Belgium during the First World War and then being heavily involved in the Second World War.)

What I’ve Been Listening To
–The Mel Robbins Podcast (I’m always up for more self-care and self-improvement advice.)
-My Happy Mix on Spotify has really been helping me when I start feeling the winter blues.

What I’ve Been Watching
–Faraway (A 2023 film about a woman living in Germany who inherits her mother’s house on a Croation island and moves there. The international cast is great, the dialogue is funny, and—no surprise here—the setting is stunning.)
–Hampstead (Yet another film wherein Diane Keaton’s style is fabulous. I enjoyed this glimpse into Hampstead Heath, London, and this narrative about both preserving what’s meaningful and knowing when it’s time to move on.)
–Made in Italy (I seriously can’t believe how low this Liam Neeson film is flying under the radar. He and his son [both his character’s son and quite literally Liam Neeson’s son] fly back to Tuscany after years away due to tragedy to finally fix up their crumbling villa. It’s a lovely story full of symbolism and lessons in what we all know is a beautiful place.)
–Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones (I could watch this docuseries over and over, and not even primarily because of all the health information it includes, but mostly because I absolutely love learning about other cultures and what makes them go. These Blue Zone locations [places like Sardinia, Okinawa, and Costa Rica) are either naturally beautiful or innovative, the food looks delicious, and almost everyone is drinking red wine.)

Where I’ve Found Awe Lately
-On our recent day trip to Marblehead. When we arrived and parked in view of the sea, we realized we’d arrived at low tide and quickly made our way through the maze of old houses, scarves wrapped around our faces in the 17 Fahrenheit weather, and hobbled along the stone-covered tidal causeway leading to an island we’ve long wanted to explore but were often cut off from by the swollen sea. As if seeing some of my favorite eighteenth-century houses bedecked in snow hadn’t already thrilled my winter-loving heart, the views of those rock-laden shores holding onto the remains of their snow left me in awe with their simple beauty. I completely forgot how cold it was and, if not for the tide rising once again, I felt as if I could have remained on that little island for the rest of the day.
-In all the glorious snow we’ve had this winter, and in the rather short season of ponds and lakes being frozen over, inviting hardy New Englanders to bring their lawn chairs out onto them.
-In those first warm and sunny days of March, when you couldn’t resist going outside if you tried, and in using those sublime days to get back out onto our local bike trail. Side note: I awkwardly pedaled past a couple of older women on the trail and, since it was obvious I wasn’t the steadiest of cyclists, mentioned to them that I’m still learning to ride well. They thought the fact that a 33 year old woman had only recently learned to ride a bike was the coolest thing they’d ever heard and proceeded to cheer me on as I continued with The World’s Slowest Bike Ride.
-In taking less photos and documenting less. This may sound strange, especially for someone writing a blog post, but I’ve noticed that I’ve felt much less compelled to document my days this winter, and I think that’s largely due to being more present during outings, socializing, etc. At times, I’ve looked back and wished I’d snapped a photo of something, while also being glad I was fully in that moment. I’m hoping to strike more of a balance as time moves forward.

Tell me what you’ve been reading, listening to, eating, sipping, enjoying, etc. I’d love to hear how this winter has treated you.

Off to start spring seeds (both literally & figuratively),
Lara