Rainbow Sweets

Drive to Marshfield, Vermont and visit this establishment:Marshfield is a small Vermont town (not much bigger than Jericho Center) which, to my knowledge, is known for nothing more than being one more town to travel through when crossing the state on Route 2. Get off the Interstate in Montpelier, roll through East Montpelier, slow down into Plainfield, slow again for Marshfield, head for Danville and St.J - just check marks on the map as we head to points East.

Passing through Marshfield, we'd notice the bright pink sign outside of this dive-looking place: RAINBOW SWEETS CAFE AND BAKERY. It looked cheesy, and we had no intention of stopping there when it was only a few more minutes to a convenience store or Dunkin Donuts to get some 'real' food. (Just like passing the House of Tang in Montpelier - every time, I have to poke fun at a restaurant named that. No chance of me eating there!)

A while ago, there were some magazine articles about this Rainbow Sweets place. Articles and reviews that positively glowed about the gastronomic delights created in this joint. Articles and reviews that were so well written that even NorthernDaddy took note. It was official: the funky place with the blazing pink sign was on our radar.

Still, it took two years and many trips along Route 2 for NorthernMommy to finally coerce NorthernDaddy to pull off the road. (You see, she'd tried to take Grammy there for Mother's Day, but they were closed. I felt bad for her, so I agreed to stop.)

The reviews were right.

The instant you step inside, you are transported to an earlier era - one where the shopkeeper engages each client in conversation and dramatically details the offerings for the day. Constant patter as more customers enter - everyone is welcomed and immersed into the show. A show it is, too! We picked up on the theatrics immediately (yeah, we're jaded and cynical), but chose to relax, engage, and enjoy the experience.

And enjoy it we did. The atmosphere is contagiously fun. Almost all of the people that came in while we were there took the same approach as we did - slow down and enjoy the show. Some people came in the door and couldn't shake their "I've been stuck behind a slow-moving RV for too long - I need coffee and a quick donut - let's get going" attitudes. They totally missed this gem of a place - and I'd credit that as their loss.

Should I mention the food? Maybe - since that's why we went? The food is quite good. NorthernDaddy considers himself a connoisseur of pastries and sweets - and has the physique to show for his years of exploration in bakeries. Most of what has come to be defined as 'good' in our modern society is overly sweet and processed. The items that I sampled were more of a fairly bland (but not 'bad' bland) base of pastry under an exquisite (yes, I just used the word exquisite. If you've got a problem with that, we can step out back and settle things...) topping. The first item I had was - well I don't remember what it was called - a sort of biscuit (think pie crust taste and texture) topped with strawberries and a sort of caramel syrup or something. I don't know! I stopped taking notes after the first bite. The second item was the specialty - "the thing we're known for" - again, a type of biscuit pastry under creme-filled balls of pastry. (Look, it's late; it's been a long day; and my description isn't doing this thing justice. Do yourself a favor: open a new tab in your browser and Google 'St. Honore' pastry.) The only real disturbing thing about this dish is that the owner/chef kept referring to it as 'Johnny Depp's balls on a plate' or 'Johnny Depp on a plate' - neither of which was encouraging to my appetite..... There was a ------------ (we'll just pretend that I remember what he called it....you'd think I'd remember after eating FOUR of them, but...) that was a dough made of cottage cheese, sugar, and a small bit of flour - and filled with apricot preserves. Off-the-charts-good! NorthernToddler loved that item!

As we made our way out the door (fleeing obesity and death-by-pastry), we carried a bag full of the apricot thingies and a fresh loaf of Italian bread.

We would absolutely recommend this place to everyone! It's not as novel as the gas station-turned-surfer dude restaurant that we recently ate at (fun place, wasn't it Grandma and Poppa?! Where in the **** is our food?!), but the food is wonderful and the entertainment value is off the charts.

Our real reason for driving clear across the state was a cook-out that Grandpa Frank was having. NorthernToddler will travel far for free food! Bonus for little man was a slide. Not just any slide, but a slide in a made-for-me toddler size. NorthernToddler spent a solid forty-five minutes climbing up the ladder, sliding down, and repeating as soon as he saw this thing! I guess he likes his slide!

NorthernDaddy Has An Identity Crisis

As a home owner, suburban homesteader, and fledgling 'farmer' - damn chickens (and probably soon, darn rabbits), there are quite a few times that I need a truck. From carrying full sheets of plywood and drywall to hauling lawn equipment and garden fencing, and even to picking up supplies from the farm store - there are definitely times that I need a truck.

Now, I used to have a very nice truck. My Toyota Tacoma was the perfect truck for me: good-looking, capable four wheel drive, small enough to get fair gas mileage and fit in my garage while still big enough to carry anything I needed to, and I loved that truck. Unfortunately, the frame was defective and Toyota Motor Corp. was nice enough to purchase it back for a little more than what I paid for it (essentially, I got free use of the truck for five years!). Also unfortunately, my wife decreed that she was next in line to get a new vehicle. Since I know that she was right, and I'm just smart enough to keep myself from a severe beating, the money did go towards getting her a nice used vehicle (side note: hey, JC - you guys got every other option, why not the heated seats? That woulda come in handy up here in VT!). She got the new car, I inherited her old car.

That is where my identity crisis comes in: I am not a car guy. I learned to drive in a full-size Chevy van. I've owned two Jeep CJ-7 s. I used to have my Tacoma. I like vehicles that are off the ground and provide visibility. I prefer vehicles that have purpose - work trucks and 4x4 s. I firmly believe that what a man drives is a reflection of who he is and what he does.

Following that theory, think about what my current vehicle says about me.... Not the most manly, I-have-a-purpose vehicle on the road, now is it?!

I have to make my trips to Lowes and Home Depot in this thing. At least there, I can park with all of the other people in wuss cars who are there buying the things they need to complete the latest project that they've seen on HGTV.

But not at the feed store.

I've had need to visit farm stores/feed stores several times in the last few days. Rolling across the gravel parking lots with my tiny tires wobbling all over the place and squeaking to a stop in the shadow of some rancher's 1ton pickup makes me feel.....inadequate. Nothing screams 'city-boy' quite so well as a Chevy Prizm. Makes me want to slink away behind the cattle troughs and hide. It also makes me mad - I'm being judged by the car that I drive. Assumptions are made that I'm a stranger to this world of agriculture; that I'm intruding on the hallowed grounds of the good ol' boy; that I know nothing. Well, there are many things I'm getting into about which I know little, but I will man up, admit it, and ask for help. And if you appear to know your s***, I will listen to your advice and thank you for your help. Don't judge me by merely looking at my vehicle - you don't know the circumstances behind why I'm driving that econo-box. You don't know that I work as hard as you - if not harder - most days. (While we're making assumptions here, judging by that pristine John Deere cap and the un-scuffed boots you're wearing, you don't work all that much anyway.) Back off and let the nice man behind the counter answer my question.

Before I get too far into a rant about judging others by the cars that they drive, let me flip it back onto myself and say that while I need a truck to carry things, I also want a truck because of the image that a proper truck conveys. So, yes, I'm saying to judge me by what I drive....but wait until I'm driving a truck to make that judgement! For my self-image, a truck represents the ability to get things done - to do it myself - to not get stuck in the snow - it shows that I'm "manly". Okay, yeah, that's stupid - there are manly men out there driving around in Geo Metros, but you wouldn't guess it by our culture. In the US, small car = useless man.

So, if I feel that way, why don't I just go buy a truck? Well, the car is paid for, and I won't go into debt to buy a vehicle ever again. We're working on being debt-free, so there isn't any money to go towards a truck fund yet. Possibly by next year there will be some cash saved to buy a proper truck. The other issue is that I have to find the right truck. It has to have the proper character - an old truck, or a farm truck beater, or an old Jeep - something that reflects who I think I am. It also has to have more room than this:

That's a single 3 cubic foot bale of bedding. It's a single bale because the two bales I wanted would not fit. There's only enough room in that trunk for the one bale and a box with jumper cables and road flares (when you drive a Prizm, those are standard items!) The back seat was crowded with NorthernToddler's carseat and two tomato cages. I need more room!

I have managed to carry some interesting cargo in this vehicle: I've filled the trunk with enough salvaged wood to build a large workbench. I managed to snake a 3' x 4' piece of 5/16" steel plate into the back seat (that sucker had to weigh more than 150lbs, and tried to bust out my windows, too!). Gas cans for the mowers, building materials for the house, and even dirty cloth diapers to the laundry (never again! - the interior is ruined forever after weekly diaper runs for a year!) - all things that I've carried in this car. Even so, when I roll into the feed store, it only takes a small container kept in the glovebox to store my self-esteem while I have my identity crisis.

Chick Day 2010 - Finally Arrived!

Our chicks came in. Go to Cari's blog to see more: http://haphazardlysustainable.blogspot.com/

Take Your Kid Fishing

Northern Toddler is the proud owner of a new fishing rod. Toddler-sized, simple to use spin-cast reel, and stylish (Lightning from the movie CARS). Note that it is also a bright red and yellow - bright colors are important when it comes to retrieving fishing rods tossed into the water. (Don't laugh: NorthernDaddy got a shiny new fishing rod after his daddy cast his fishing rod into the reservoir!) (yes, Dad, I know it was an accident caused by the handle coming off....but you did throw in the lake!)

Northern Toddler spent some time in the kitchen learning how to cast and picked it up pretty quickly - "So I just push this button and swing this stick?" His practice session was abruptly cut short when the other occupants of the kitchen became targets for our 'Master Angler'.

It was warm and sunny today, so Northern Toddler got a chance to unleash his inner Bill Dance on a real body of water.

Northern Toddler caught a grand total of ZERO fish on his first trip out, while NorthernDaddy caught two smallmouth bass - just to kinda show the little guy what the purpose of a fishing rod might be. (Levi's low catch rate might have something to do with his fishing with a casting plug - no hook! You think we're crazy?!--He's only had the rod for a day, and only about thirty minutes worth of practice - we're not handing out the hooks just yet!)
Possibly the best part - other than NorthernToddler having a blast - is that he spent the whole walk back and the ride home telling about how his Daddy caught two fish. And holding his hands as far apart as possible to show that they were that big! (We're already working on using that to Daddy's advantage: when Daddy catches a fish, it's this big....when a Grandpa catches a fish, it was that tiny!)

Chick Day 2010!

Today is Friday. It has been a very long week. Both NorthernMommy and NorthernDaddy are fried. Northern Toddler kicked the week off with days off from work for both of us - right as our work schedules exploded. For him, it's nothing more than his umpteenth ear infection. For us, it's yet another obstacle to getting our work done on time. We both made it to the end of the week and got everything done, but just barely. Our only glimmer of hope, our little spark of encouragement was that our little, fluffy, ball-of-fuzz baby chicks would be coming home with us on Friday afternoon.
That's supposed to be a picture of our cute little chicks in the box they came home in. Or, as Northern Toddler told the man at the store, "Put my #$@% chickens in the box!". Apparently, the chicken shop (or hatchery, or whatever it's called) had a bunch of Buff Orp roosters hatch out this week instead of hens, so our box stays empty for another week.
Not a really big deal for NorthernDaddy - we'll get our chickens whenever.
Kind of a bummer for NorthernMommy - she wants chickens NOW!
NorthernToddler is quite perturbed. Everyone else walked out of the Depot with their box of chicks.....there are tons of them inside....why are we leaving with an empty box?! (Normally, I'm all about 'being there' for my son, but I am so glad that I was stuck at work and not in the car on that ride home!) NorthernMommy said that for the entire ride home, all she heard was, "CHIX IN BOX? CHIX IN BOX! CHIX IN BOX, NOW!!!"
So, we leave you, our dear readers, to wait with us until next week - when it will once again be Chick Day 2010.

(Grandma - watch out: you arrive on Chick Day. We cannot guarantee that NB/T will acknowledge your arrival....might want to practice 'cheep'-ing like a little chicken so that you can get his attention!)

Big Truck Day 2010

Big Truck Day 2010

Cold weather? Check. Rain? Check. Big trucks? Um....hold on, lemme look over behind that giant pink cement mixer.....Check!

So, the weather wasn't as nice as it could have been, but at least it wasn't snowing (which it has been all day today. Think about that: it's May 9, 2010 - we should be enjoying warm, sunny weather, and it is still snowing. We're daydreaming about possibly becoming the SouthFloridaBaby clan....I bet it's warm there! NorthernToddler is obsessed with school buses. Absolutely loves them. (He obviously hasn't spent a lot of time riding them to and from a school!) He explored this bus several times. Here he is checking out the fit of the seats.
Hey! Somebody just hit my head with their snowplow!

The only thing we're going to say about the very large piece of equipment pictured below is that, on the drive home, I said something about the giant snowthrower from the airport, and NorthernMommy replied that she didn't recall seeing a snowthrower.....(just how do you miss seeing that?!)

NorthernToddler gets some seat time in an off-road forklift.

No photo, but NorthernToddler went into a Bouncy House for the very first time ever! It wasn't any little bouncy house, either. This thing was huge - it had a two-story slide in it! There were so many kids inside making this thing bounce (I tried to find another word besides 'bounce', but none of them work - it's a bouncy house, after all!) that NorthernMommy had to accompany little man into the melee. After getting tossed from end to end of this thing, they finally made it up the ladder and down the slide. He likes bouncy houses!

The other weird thing was seeing the DJ (sorry - 'radio personality') that was doing the remote broadcast calling his segment in on his phone. We started outside to head home, and saw this guy talking into his cell phone, and could hear that what he was saying into the phone was also coming out of the radio behind us.....kinda odd! Turns out that he calls into the station, the engineer there patches him into the 'on-air' feed, he says his bit, and that's it! Odd to see in action....



And to cap off our Big Truck Day review, a final picture of NorthernToddler. (Cutest little tyke in the world, ain't he?!)

Random Photos

Today is Big Truck Day! While we're waiting for the event to open, here are some totally random and jumbled pictures.

Below, NB/T enjoys the fact that the 17" of snow from last week is gone and practices his T-Ball swing. (He's so good that we're now calling him 'Hammer' in reference to his batting ability.)(Or maybe just in reference to his tendency to bash anything in sight when he is handed a bat!) Better play deep in the outfield - it'll go that far....


Lump? What lump?

Lest any of our dear readers begin to think that we're abusing poor NB/T, he sustained this injury when he slipped while sprinting into the kitchen (don't stand between this kid and the food when it's dinner time!). He slipped and fell flat onto his melon; and got this nice goose-egg in the process. Strange how a flat section of floor is what causes injury when he's normally climbing dangerous things and jumping out of airplanes (you just wait - he'll do it if we let him!) and engaging in all kinds of risky behavior.

Shortly after calming down from the hit to the head, this is Levi after we told him it was bath time. At first glance, it appears that he is smiling and waving around some drumsticks or something, right? Well, look closer. He's actually holding the knives from his kitchen set and doing his kung-fu/karate routine. He had no intention of going to his bath, and was prepared to defend his position to the death! (Luckily, they are only wooden knives and he's only three feet tall - so the situation was resolved with only minor casualties!)