When looking back at this past month, it all feels like a bit of a blur – a blur filled with a lot of travel around New England, a lot of good food, and a lot of attempts to manifest Spring’s arrival amid frigid days and snow flurries – but a blur nonetheless. And now that I’m preparing to recap March 2026 in its entirety and looking ahead to April – I’m left a little stunned that we’ve nearly reached the end of it already!
But proper respects must be paid, because this month had plenty of beautiful moments and memories that will stay with me long after the flowers have finished blooming for the season, and I want to revisit all of them!
I had started March relatively quietly, sharing some end-of-Winter ensembles and Saint Patrick’s Day-inspired recipes before I began preparing for my boyfriend’s arrival at the beginning of the month. Troy was coming to stay with me for a little over a week, not only so we could spend some time together, but so that we could begin the process of cleaning up/out his childhood home since it’s going on the market soon. When the process was taking a little longer than originally planned, we had fully prepared for him to extend his stay for an extra few days to make sure things were done correctly…
… What we hadn’t prepared for, however, were the ongoing staffing issues with TSA at airports around the country and the substantial spike in gas/fuel prices grinding travel to a crawl and ultimately a halt – and as I write this, my beloved is still here at my apartment listening to me type away in the early hours of the morning. I know he has to go back out to the West Coast eventually, but I’m in no rush for him to leave. I love having him here!
We’ve made good use of the extra time we’ve had together this month – from visiting the Berkshire Bulb Show, checking out a historic abandoned inn with an equally historic cemetery, to celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day together right here in the Pioneer Valley – it’s been a blast.
One of our most recent adventures together involved another day trip up to Vermont, this time to Quechee Gorge for a mid-afternoon hike down to the water on one of the sunnier days we were allowed by Mother Nature, followed by visiting nearby Woodstock for some shopping, some ice cream (since it was Maple Weekend – and I may or may not have had a maple waffle sundae that changed my life) and a quick sit by the fire at the historic Woodstock Inn before it was time to make our way back home.
And – on a whim while driving through Springfield, Vermont on our way back – I stopped at the historic Hartness House to show the exterior to Troy. He’d known that I’d spent a lot of my childhood there with my parents, and he’d also known that when I’d last visited a few years ago during the pandemic – it was closed up and appeared to have been abandoned. He’d never seen it in person, but I thought he’d like to.
So when we pulled in to find the inn not only open, but brightly lit with it’s tavern visibly bustling with activity – we were elated! As it turns out, the inn had been sold to new owners during the pandemic, who spent so much time, money and poured so much love into restoring Hartness House to it’s former glory (and then some!) It looked absolutely beautiful both inside and out.
We were approached by the most kind staff member, Nina, the Sales & Events Manager who spotted us in the Main Hall and offered assistance. When I explained why we’d stopped there, and my own family’s ties to the property that meant a great deal to me growing up, she wasted no time in giving us a tour, not only of the redone portions of the common areas, but of the underwound tunnels that lead into James Hartness’ homemade – and still functioning! – telescope, which I hadn’t seen in person since I was around eight years old!
The underground area also houses one of the most incredible museums, and I was and am still so grateful for Nina’s hospitality and knowledge during our impromptu tour. It meant the world to me, and Troy was absolutely fascinated by all of it, too. It was such an unexpected adventure that made my March even more wonderful!
But now it’s time to start looking ahead to April and the things I’ve got lined up throughout it. There’s plenty of back-to-back birthdays to celebrate, and Easter, of course – but there are also flower shows, garden events, more time outdoors and plenty of more travel in and around New England to get ready for.
I’m hoping Troy gets to experience a little more of it with me before he heads home – but I’m just so grateful for the extra time we got together in March. It truly was a month to remember, for sure.
See you all again in April! Here’s hoping it’s just as magical!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 