Start humming now...sleigh bells ring, are you listening, in the lane, snow is glistening, a beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland...
Happy New Year everyone! Yes, as I type this, it is snowing, with scarcely a visibility to speak of. It is hard to believe that just yesterday, there was a brilliant sunny, blue sky with temperatures in the high 20's (which seems warm when the sun is shining!). I pleasantly walked down Main St. in Brattleboro yesterday, being greeted by and greeting friends along the way. Today is a different story however, so I am snuggled in my layers of clothing, enjoying the view from inside, while I sip my morning Mocha Joe's coffee. I don't have to leave the Inn if I don't want to today!!!
Winter started right on time, with about a foot of snow that fell around mid December, making it a white Christmas. The inn was festively decked out! The guests made the most of the snow, sledding at Living Memorial Park (the best sledding hill I have ever sledded on; the park also has a T-Bar for those wanting to alpine ski and snowboard), ice skating at the park and taking sleigh rides at local farms. As well, we have two pairs of snow shoes that we allow guests to use and they tromp around right in the adjacent meadow. Cannot get better than that. Once everyone has had their fun in the snow, they are welcomed back at the inn for hot mulled cider, tea and home made cookies. We had quite the assortment of cookies over the holidays!
There are several events coming up here in the Brattleboro area in the next several months that you may wish to take advantage of.

Winter Carnival-February 20 - March 1, 2009

Harris Hill Ski Jumping Tournament- 85th Annual Event! This is the only 90 meter ski jump in New England! This year's Competition will be held February 14 & 15, 2009.

Also, go to the Brattlboro Chamber of Commerce site and check out the other arts events including Gallery Walk every first Friday of the month, theater, and musical events.

Winter is a lovely time of the year, and we would like to extend our invitation to see how truly great our town and area are during the winter months! Come for a relaxing stay at the Meadowlark Inn! See you soon!
Posted by Lucia and Debbie, Innkeepers at 7:19 AM

Thanksgiving Greetings from the Meadowlark Inn! This is the one holiday we close to spend time with our families and we are filled with gratitude for all those who have been guests here at the Meadowlark Inn these past 7 years! It has been so very amazing meeting so many wonderful people from all over the world and some close to home. We want you to know how truly thankful we are for your business. We wish you very happy holidays however you celebrate and hope this little newsletter finds you happy and healthy! This year for a little extra fun we have erected an 18 foot Souix Style Tipi and plan to have our neices and nephews sleep out there. Enduring design it is actually quite warm with the liner in place! They will be grilling a Turkey and making Indian Pudding for dessert! We hope to have a drum ceremony with homemade instruments and learn more about the Native Americans that lived in our neighborhoods- (the kids are coming from Connecticut, New Hampshire and Massachussetts)!

We also want to let you know about some upcoming events in Brattleboro you may not want to miss. Please reserve early as the rooms usually sell out!

Holly Days- Festive first weekend in December- starts with the Treelighting Ceremony in Pliny Park and the monthly first Friday night Gallery Walk. Merchants in our unique shops offer discounts to help you find just the right gifts at a very special price! A great way to get into the Holiday Spirit!

Winter Carnival-February 20 - March 1, 2009 Each year, the entire town of Brattleboro comes together for Winter Carnival. There will be music, karaoke, ice fishing derby, a queen's pageant, pancake breakfast, ice skating show, sleigh rides, $1 movies, petting zoo, country western jamboree, and more! To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the carnival, there will be fireworks and the return of the Snow Ball, a semi-formal dance that was once an annual carnival tradition.

Harris Hill Ski Jumping Tournament- 85th Annual Event! This is the only 90 meter ski jump in New England! This years Competition will be held February 14 & 15, 2009, a United States Ski Association (USSA) sanctioned event, where we will host the world's best ski jumpers on the recently completely renovated jump. Watch the jumpers soar overhead then come back to the Inn and sit by the fire with your sweetie & some warm apple cider! We still have Jacuzzi Rooms available...

The hills are alive with the sound of music!

We are in the thick of summer now, breakfast plates laden with garden abundance. Green, green grass from all of the rain and now glorious sunny weather. Two chamber music festivals that draw world class musicians from all over the globe happen every July and August right near Brattleboro, Marlboro Music Festival at Marlboro College and the Yellow Barn Festival in Putney. The night before last we had the privilege to attend Yellow Barn and the program was again phenomenal! The middle piece was the Sonata for Piano and Violin in C minor, Op.30, No. 2 by Beethoven played brilliantly by both the pianist Julio Elizade and Kathrin ten Hagen from Germany who plays a master violin from the 1640's. It was heavenly and so passionately done. We hope to get to a Marlboro concert this weekend. With the Music comes some of our most wonderful guests, repeat guests who come to hear great music every summer. Some of them have been coming for the 7 years we have been here now and it gives us great joy to welcome them back. Time certainly goes by too quickly!!

The Great Escape!

Oh yes, these bovine beauties, with their big, brown, soft boiled eyes staring up at you so innocently are our neighbors in the adjacent field to the inn. Last night these girls stealthily opened the gate at Chuck's house (the neighbor up from us) and freely roamed his yard, taking a garden tour! Chuck's daughter Lee Ann was visiting and as she looked out back after doing the evening dishes, two big brown eyes stared back at her! Imagine her surprise. The girls were out back, out front and in the garage!! 18 of them! Lee Ann gave us a call, then came down. We quickly called the farmer, who lives 20 miles from here, and said he would be right down with some help! We then got several big flood flashlights and started our way back to Chuck's. Lee Ann said they headed into the woods, so I called "c'mon c'mon c'mon" and lo and behold the heifers came running to us. Now mind you, it was pitch black out, with alot of cloud cover and the big beautiful full moon that was out the other night was hidden from view! We herded them up by the gate, where Chuck was standing in the field saying "good girls, yeah what good girls"! Lee Ann ran into the house and brought out fresh corn on the cob to lure them into the meadow. No such luck! Then she came back with Kashi Whole Grain Cereal...wouldn't budge, just kept circling around, taking time to smell the roses. Then she tried cantaloupe. Each of us took turns in the meadow, calling and cadjoling. Deb hung by the end of the yard to prevent them going down Chuck's long driveway towards the dirt road. FINALLY, one got close enough to the gate, sniffed and headed in, followed by 9 more! Now, to get the remaining 8 cantankerous, very large cows in the field! Just when we were getting closer to corralling them, the farmers arrived! They circled 'round them and plyed them with grain, which they were not used to either...they finally all came throught the gate and then gave us a big stare! What a sight! They had their antics for the night and enjoyed every second of it! They bedded down right where they were, having sweet dreams about their great escape!
Ah, life is never boring at the Meadowlark Inn!

June in Vermont

You cannot get greener than this! June is a wonderful time of the year here in Vermont, with our many perennials in full bloom, the green, green grass and the green mountains beyond! The rivers are full from the winter melt and spring rains. Clear blue skies in daytime and millions of stars in the nightime sky! Our 12 organic raised beds for vegetables and a circular herb bed has already been providing us with edible flowers and herbs and mesclun greens, spinach, radishes and broccoli for our eating pleasure. We have planted everything we can, including 27 tomato plants, including many heirloom varieties, potatoes, peas, successive plantings of different bush beans, and successive plantings of mixed greens so that we can have fresh greens all season long. We use what we grow in our breakfast menus, and in the food that we cater, and use local eggs and cheeses as well. When we are overflowing in produce, we might just send you home with a bagful if you are interested! Our perennials that are in bloom right now are bleeding heart, peonies, many varieties of the Japanese Iris, Siberian Iris, Wild Indigo (Baptisia), Veronica, Shasta Daisy, Oriental Popppy and the Stella D'Oro lillies are getting ready to pop! This is a fun time to work in the garden, surrounded by all of this beauty!
The Heifer Stroll last weekend was a huge success (60,000 strong), with meetings about sustainable farming in the days preceeding the parade of the 100 bovine beauties (followed by the dancing "moodoo" scoopers dressed in boving costume) down Main St. The heifers were accompanied by marching bands, antique tractors, gymnasts and a colorful cast of others! Following the parade on the town green there were cooking demonstrations, food tastings, mooing and milking contests and the crowning of Miss VerMOOnt! A good time was had by all! But if you missed the stroll, just come and stay with us at the Meadowlark Inn, and watch the twenty heifers in the adjacent field to us stroll on by! We welcome you to come, we will have fresh lemonade and homemade cookies when you get here! See you soon!

Heifer Stroll

We are only five weekends away from a wonderful event - The Strolling of the Heifers. The newborn cows from all the surrounding farms are the center of attention and actually head the parade. Following the cows all decked out in flower wreaths is a stream of vintage and modern tractors. A real celebration of the rural way of life here and something you will never forget- is always held the first full weekend in June! This is actually a three day event with festivities, local food and interesting conferences -this year the highlight is ‘Live Green’ Theme of 7th Annual Strolling of the Heifers Parade & Festival; "How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Help Protect Planet ". Live music, fabulous art and lots of activities (and free ice cream) for the young and not so young. Wear your overalls!

...check out the website http://www.strollingoftheheifers.com/event/index.php

Time Away

We just returned from the ocean! We took some time off and visited some B & B's on the Cape...neat to have someone make us breakfast and make our bed- (well we actually made the bed most days to keep in practice)! We did alot of walking along the ocean shore and just listened to the waves. We found sea glass and shells and took it all in.
We came home to STILL find snow on the ground and huge mounds remain from coming off the roof. BUT bulbs are popping up out of the ground and I am getting hopeful. The forsythia bushes are yellowing up too!
But for you ski and boarding enthusiasts, Mt. Snow has no official closing date yet for this spring!
With over 14 feet of natural snowfall coupled with the vast amounts of snow produced by the fan guns there, there is a healthy base layer on the mountain and why Mt. Snow has decided to set no official closing date.
So come to southern Vermont, have a great spring ski day and rest your weary heads at the Meadowlark Inn.
Cheers!