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Traveling with Arlene, Concord, MA

I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.
Louisa May Alcott

Arlene and I took a ride to Concord.

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This is Orchard House

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And came to the home of Louisa May Alcott, and her family

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As you walk to the entrance, around to the left you come across The School of Philosophy.

The Alcotts, and their neighbors the Emersons. practiced. believed in Transcendentalism.

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We didn’t go in here. The site wasn’t part of the tour.  These structures are very old and certainly need work.

Coming along to the entrance of the house, is a sign, showing the Little Women Garden. Each sister had

her own little patch to plant her flowers. They liked to pretend elves lived there. Later in the season I’m sure

it’s lovely. It’s still too early for blooms here.

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We were not allowed to take pictures inside her home.  I thought the museum store would have pictures or postcards.

They did, however there were only a couple, of views.  The most of the items were, her books, and writings on

Transcendentalism.

Her bedroom and writing desk.Scan04172015073215_001

They had wooden shadow boxes, showing some lovely miniatures.  We were allowed to take these pictures, before the tour.

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A photograph of Louisa May

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The plaque showing the home is, on the National Register.

It was a lovely visit. We learned a lot, about her family. The father, was a teacher, and made sure his daughters

kept journals.  Also that educating girls was just NOT done.  He had a more progressive view. All children should

receive and education.  Which had him fired from many positions.  Therefore they were quite poor. It wasn’t until

Louisa’s books were published and sold. They were able to pay their friend Emerson, for the house. And live, with an

income.

This is all part of the Minute Man National Historical Park.  Very close to this house is The Wayside. The Alcotts also lived there before they moved to their nearby home.  Actually it was lived in by three American Literary figures: Louisa May Alcott, Margaret Sidney and Nathaniel Hawthorne.  You really get a great feeling of history in this area.  This is The Wayside. It was under repairs, and won’t open till May. So we were unable to visit.

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We then went to lunch in West Concord center. There were some monuments dedicated to those who fought and died, in the Revolutionary War. We didn’t get to visit those sites. As the traffic home would be a problem. We plan on returning, in a few weeks.

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September has been busy

September
 
Now Autumn’s golden stories behold,
with fruit each tree is crowned,
peaches in suits of red or gold,
each twig bows toward the ground.
Farmer’s Almanac 2007
 
 
I’ve been absent a while. During my
leave:
 
 
 
The shortened days.. woke  marigolds,
 
 
 
brought blooms to the wild onions, and color to Sedum’s Autumn Joy,
 
 
Easter Lilies blew their trumpets,
 
 
 the orphaned pumpkin put on her color of fire.
 
 
and I made mittens inside.
 

Suspense Saturday

   
On a whim, in May,  I sent our 8 yr. old granddaughter some Trixie Belden books,
for the summer.  I had forgotten all about them till they visited us in July. 
 Sydney was carrying one of the books, in her little backpack. 
Her mother told me how she never heard of Trixie Belden. She wished she
had known when she was growing up.
 
When the books arrived Sydney put them in her “to read” stack
and there they sat. Then one night before bed Sydney picked,
up one of the books. She was given permission to read for a
 half hour and then at 8 lights OUT..
It was 11 O’clock and her Mom noticed a light,
 under the door, to her room. She went in and found
Sydney engrossed in her first Belden mystery, The Secret of the Mansion.
 
Unlike Nancy Drew, Trixe is younger, lives at home, has two brothers
 and both parents. Her adventures are in her hometown named Sleepyside.
She meets her good friend Honey Wheeler when she moves into
The Manor House that is next to Crab Apple Farm, where Trixie lives.
 
 
I was in the 4th grade when I checked out of the library my first
 Trixie Belden book. We girls had been reading Nancy Drew,
and now were swapping our Belden books. My friend Kathy was in the same
class as me but lived a distance, too far for a bike ride.
 But we often traded books. THEN one summer Kathy moved into
 a house a street away from me. They bought the McNulty’s house,
it was huge. old gabled house with tree house in the back.
 We spent our whole summer in that tree house, reading
Trixie Belden. And a Nancy Drew when we could find one we had yet read.
 We used to pretend Kathy’s house was The Manor House and wander into
 the hot dusty attic looking for clues. I was Nancy Drew and
she was Trixie Belden.
 
 
 
It’s a wonderful series for any young miss, in the 4th, 5th or 6th grade.
 My daughter in law explained that Sydney had a problem with Nancy Drew.
One of the books was too scary for her and she didn’t want to
continue reading. However the Belden books were totally different,
 and still held a mystery.