Spring Sprang Sprung

Since Bub started preschool in the fall, someone in our house is sick every other week. So it seems. First, patient zero goes down, usually Bub. Then, G goes down. Then, Steve succumbs. It’s only a matter of time before my body caves.

However, the last week of April, I was the only one in the family that got sick. And, whatever I got was a doozy. This virus felt like covid. I was feverish (102), congested, had intense brain fog, and lost my sense of taste and smell. My teeth even hurt. Except, it wasn’t covid (confirmed by a negative covid test) and it lasted for much longer than my covid experience a few years ago.

I was down for the count. Ten days of being out-of-commission. It was the longest I recall ever being sick and the sickest I’ve ever felt. Poor Steve had to take care of the kids as I lay motionless on the living room floor, trying to help but being absolutely no use to anyone.

I knew this was par for the course for introducing my first kid to school and school germs. But damn, no one prepared me for how hard it would be to take care of kids and simultaneously recover from an illness. And work. During a week that was already challenging with no nanny and no family support.

Somehow, I got through it with my marriage still intact, my kids alive, and still employed.

As soon as I started feeling more like myself, I was eager to get out of the house. I made plans for us to visit Little Ducky Flower Farm in Barrington, IL. A delightful organic farm where we could pick our own flowers and see some sheep. The weather was beautifully warm and it was wonderful to feel the sun on my skin. We capped our afternoon with dinner at Farmhouse on North, where Bub ate his weight in mac n’ cheese.

This outing was my reminder that life gets better.

I’m alive!

Finding the best blooms

Sitting in grass for the first time

He had to bring Iggy

Giving his sister a tiny tulip he picked for her

Fresh cut flowers bring me such joy

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Oh, Carmel. How do I love thee.

Let me count the ways…

I love the ocean views.

I love that the entire village is walkable.

I love that the cottages have names instead of numbers.

I love how dog-friendly it is.

I love that it’s only a two-hour drive from the city.

If I had $3 million lying around, I would buy a home here in a heartbeat. Carmel is the epitome of “cute” and “quaint”. I think I say “how cute” at least a hundred times when I’m visiting.

Dare I say it, I love Carmel more than Napa. The wine culture can be found here as well. There are wine bars, extensive wine lists, and specialty wine shops every few feet. But, I get the ocean when I come to Carmel and that has made all the difference.

Where to stay

Carmel is a touristy town and there are adorable inns throughout. There aren’t many Airbnb options (I’m assuming so as not to take business away from the long-standing inns here). Most inns offer breakfast and are dog-friendly. Carmel is the #1 dog friendly town in the US after all.

Where to Eat

Cottage for breakfast

Carmel Bakery for a sandwich (built in 1899, they’re the oldest running retail business in town)

Stationæry for a salad (their homemade chai is good too)

Patisserie Boissiere for a sweet treat

Mission Ranch for an awesome view

There are plenty of delicious places to eat, not only in Carmel but in nearby Monterey and Seaside. I haven’t had a bad meal in the area yet!

what to see

Carmel Beach is one of my favorite places because it’s huge and filled with happy, frolicky dogs. It’s truly a dog’s paradise. We love going straight to the beach when we arrive, tiring our pup out first, and then walking around town.

17 Mile Drive and Pebble Beach are cool to see at least once. We paid an entry fee at one of the gates ($10 cash) but there’s probably a way to get onto the drive for free. We just haven’t found it yet. The drive takes you along the coast, which is scenic for sure, and there are plenty of lookout points to stop at. You also get to see the famous Pebble Beach and the Equestrian Center.

The Carmel Mission Basilica Museum is beautiful to see and walking distance from Mission Ranch. It has a $10 entrance fee.

Ocean Avenue is the what I’d consider Main Street in Carmel. It’s filled with little shops and restaurants. It’s where you’ll find Carmel Bakery. Once you’ve seen Ocean Avenue, you can explore the side streets, like Lincoln and Dolores, and the charming courtyards and secret passageways sprinkled all over downtown.

Rosshill Farm, Galway

I groggily opened my eyes from a nap. The sun was shining in through the front car window. I was sitting in the passenger seat of our rental car, on a random gravel road, in the Irish countryside. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was leaving Rathbaun Farm and wishing I could hold a fuzzy lamb in my arms.

I heard footsteps walking towards the car. "I'm looking for another farm with lambs," Steve said as he got back in the driver's seat. "Rosshill Farm should be close. It came up on my search for nearby farms."

We took a couple more turns before driving up to what looked like a family farm. We followed the driveway to the back of the farmhouse and parked. "This looks like a private farm. We should go. I don't want to get arrested." I told Steve as we contemplated whether to get out of the car. 

"I'll at least see if they know of a farm we can go to," he said as he opened his door. Before he could step out, we saw a woman looking out at us from the house.

"Can I help you?" she asked. Steve walked up to her and asked whether she knew of farms we could visit. As they spoke, a pickup truck and trailer pulled up in the driveway. A tall man got out and walked towards them.

I sat in the car and watched them talk. I could see them all laughing. A few minutes later, Steve motioned for me to get out and join them.

"I don't have sheep or lambs, but I have horses and foals you can see," the man explained. "I'm Eamonn Hogan, and this is Rosshill Farm."

"Oh my gosh, yes! I would love that! Thank you so much!" I said excitedly. I reached into the car for my camera. "Is it okay if I take some pictures?"

"You can take as many pictures as you'd like," Mr. Hogan smiled.

We walked to the main stable. Three stunning stallions poked their heads out. Mr. Hogan told us that the farm bred Thoroughbred racehorses.

Let me pause for a moment and say that I've been obsessed with horses ever since I was a little girl. Like many little girls, I dreamed of riding horses, read every book I could about horses, and drew pictures of horses in my Lisa Frank notebooks. I read all the books in the "Thoroughbred" book series and wanted to be a jockey until I found out they had to weigh 100 pounds. I weighed well over 100 pounds by the fifth grade.

After visiting with the stallions, Mr. Hogan showed us another barn where a mare and her newborn foal were quietly resting. 

Outside the second barn was a beautiful pasture where four more mares and foals were grazing. "These foals are a few months old, born between late April and June," Mr. Hogan said.

I was amazed at how close they allowed me to get to them. I was able to stand about a foot away and snap some shots. The foals laid in the field as I approached, not even flinching. There was something very calming about being in that pasture with them.

When we walked back to the car, Mr. Hogan's daughters had just come home from hurling practice.

"What's hurling?" Steve and I asked.

"It's akin to American baseball," Mr. Hogan explained.

"What's American baseball?" the little girls asked, confused looks on their faces. We explained American baseball, football, and hockey. They, in turn, described hurling and Gaelic football.

Mrs. Hogan invited us into the house for coffee and the girls introduced us to Tayto crisps. Steve asked the girls about school, and we learned that kids in Ireland could either attend a Gaelic-centric school system or an English school system that taught Gaelic courses. We were loving every moment with the Hogan family. We had stumbled upon their home and in return, got to experience Irish culture and hospitality in a way tourist sites never could have provided.

As we were leaving, the girls gifted me a new bag of Tayto crisps and then showed me their new litter of kittens. "Could this place be any more idyllic?" I thought. I want to build a home just like this one someday.

The Hogans could not have been more hospitable and kind. They welcomed us strangers into their home after we showed up looking for lambs. We'll remember this afternoon fondly forever.