I've visited this old abandoned house before on my blog. It's haunting. The windows gape openly or are boarded up. The wood siding is peeling away and faded to interesting variations of the color it once was.

They say that for people, the eyes are the windows to the soul. So if the windows on a house are its eyes, what do they say about the soul of this house? That once it used to be loved? That once a child might have played and slept in the room with the peeling ceiling? That it heard laughter reverberate from its walls?

Or was it always just an empty shell?

 Photos taken at Long Pond Ironworks, West Milford, New Jersey

 Linked in to Madge's Rurality Blog Hop

Our dinner party was a huge success. The food was wonderful, the guests all got along and had a great time and everything went according to plan. 

The day of the party was a little strange because it snowed most of the afternoon. Big, fluffy flakes that mostly evaporated as soon as they hit the ground but did in fact manage to pile up enough to leave the branches and grassy areas coated with white. At least it didn't stick to the roads. I didn't take any photos because, well, frankly I'm tired of taking white photos and showing them here on the blog. And I'm certain you are getting tired of me prattling on and on about our weather as well.

The temperatures haven't varied very much since last month. Yesterday it barely got above freezing! Our nighttime temperatures are still dipping down in to the 20's. As I type this entry this morning at 8:30 it's only 24. I am tired of wearing jackets and gloves and layering my tops two deep. Tired of lugging firewood up the stairs (our stash for this year is running dangerously low).

Today we are expecting more snow--this time leading to one or two inches, then some ice, then rain. I hope this year's spring is really sweet and pleasant to make up for its late start. At least I sure hope so. If it ever does get here that is!

I am tired of pointing my camera at the colors of gray, white and brown. I'd much rather point it towards blue and green.

(photo: Doorway to … Spring?)

Thanks to all who came, either in person or vicariously.

Preparations are being made. The plates and glasses sit on the sideboard awaiting the setting of the table.

The wine is waiting to be opened.

The dinner party will start soon. Did you get an invitation?

Linked in to Weekly Top Shot

Ah, March. If there ever was a month that couldn't make up its mind, March is it. So far it's given us a few glorious spring-like days, but yesterday it gave us snow flurries and brutally cold cold wind. Downright nasty. Looking back on my blog in past years, entries show up with maple tree buds bursting and neighborly crocus blooming. I think I saw the neighbors' crocus up the other day as I drove past but they were closed up tight due to gray skies. My maple trees show no signs of wanting to bust out all over but I did see about ten robins the other day in my yard. One day they weren't there; the next they were!

March is capricious, that's for sure.

I was surprised and quite pleased by all the visitors brought to my blog by joining in the Rurality Blog Hop this week. My poor little blog hasn't seen that many comments in years. Maybe never! So if you are stopping by again on a return visit, thank you for your kind words the other day.

We are hosting a dinner party tomorrow night for six people plus us. We used to entertain quite a bit but don't so much anymore. Mostly because of the rowdy dogs but quite possibly they were just an excuse. We've done this particular dinner once before and it was a great hit with our guests. We are having cassoulet that we ordered in a "kit" from D'Artagnan in the Hudson Valley who are known for their French goods, most particularly duck products.

Our kit arrived on Wednesday with all the main ingredients that we need: haricot tarbais (large white beans), ventreche (a kind of pancetta), duck leg confit, duck and armagnac sausage, french garlic sausage, duck and veal demi-glace, and of course, duck fat.

Let's just hope that we don't have to change out dining tables like we did the last time. (Last time I was putting the extra leaf in our antique table when the table leg broke. We had to call on our neighbor, who was also coming to our dinner, to help us get our other table up from the basement. What a ta-do!)

Today will be spent grocery shopping and cleaning the house in preparation, so I best get on with it and stop blabbing!

(photo: Shadows at Long Pond when the sky was a strange color: blue!)