New England Dreamin'

The fall makes me think of New England and New England in the fall makes me think of Nathaniel Hawthorne.  While I despise The Scarlett Letter--I know, I know... sacrilegious for an English teacher to say--I do love Hawthorne's short stories. My favorites are: "The Birthmark," "Young Goodman Brown," and "Rappaccini's Daughter."  I remember reading these stories for the first time in high school and, afterwards, going for a run at a park by my house.  As I ran through the woods on a perfect autumn day; fallen leaves crunching under my sneakers, a tumbling barn in the distance, thickening woods in front of me, I felt like I had been transported to the Puritan period in New England...

It's always this time of year, and because of these vibrant memories of the woods in New England in the fall, that I miss that place that I grew up most.  While I love New York City, sometimes, on a night like this, when the moon is full in the sky, the air has the tantalizing juxtaposition of soft-warm and cool-chill on its breath, and the colorful transformation of the leaves is just about to break through, I dream New England dreams...

From Martha Stewart 

In the meantime, I'll fantasize about my future garden...How adorable is this store? I want everything!

Happy New England Dreams...