Welcome back...!

The western veranda of Miss Edith Morton Chase's cottage at Topsmead was one of the favorite spots of Miss Edith, Mary Burrall and Lucy Burrall.  As the days would grow longer towards the longest day of the summer solstice in June, they would relax on the veranda at the end of the day with their favorite cocktails and watch the sun set.  More than likely, their cocktail of choice would be daiquiris.  Should they feel like having their drinks refreshed, there was always the discreet call button on the inside wall of the veranda to summon the butler.  The ladies did like their cocktails!

The western veranda is also one of my favorite spots.  Many an early morning, I go over to sit in one of the veranda's Adirondack chairs to enjoy my coffee and perhaps a scone or croissant from one of the Litchfield bakeries.  (My current fave scone is cherry almond.)

We on the Topsmead docent house tour team also have a fondness for that western veranda.  We have been known to gather there after the last house tour of the season to drink a toast of gratitude to the spirit of Miss Edith for her donation of this very special place to the people of CT for their enjoyment.  Of course, our cocktail of choice is always a daiquiri.

The other day, as we were arranging the ivy pots in the many holders on the veranda's tree of life, I realized that the veranda is someone else's favorite spot, too--actually several someones.  Those someones return year after year to raise their families in nests constructed of mud and straw that amazingly cling to the veranda's ceiling beams. As soon as they arrive for the summer, they are adamant that the veranda belongs to them.

Despite their bossiness about owning the veranda and their constant pooping on the slate floor and the furniture below their nests, I cut them some slack and welcome them back.  Their forked tail feathers and rusty orange vests are absolutely elegant.  Sitting on the backs of the Adirondack chairs, they are quite adorable.  When they fly out of their nests into the air to tell us how upset they are at us for interrupting their family nest time, their signature acrobatic aerials are most entertaining.  Best of all, during their swooping and dipping and swirling about, they are voraciously gobbling up insects, some as many as 850 a day!  Yes, they eat on the fly.

If you haven't met the veranda barn swallows yet, do go introduce yourself and welcome them back.

Margaret Hunt
Blogmistress