Rambling House

Soon I will be leaving Ireland and heading home to Maine. Lots of work waiting for me. I know the greenhouse needs to be opened up and the benches cleared off for all the flats to be sown. I must admit, that coming to Ireland where the fields are already greening up and many plants are already in blossom, has inspired me for all that awaits.
Here in Ireland, I have been visiting with friends and sharing in some of their old but continued traditions. Wednesday evening we went to visit our friends the Piggotts, twin brothers who live high up in the hills and host a Rambling house once a week. A rambling house is an old time tradition here in Ireland, it is a gathering of neighbors and friends who come together in the evening to tell stories, talk about the days events, and play music and dance. The brothers have been hosting a rambling house once a week at their farm, for over 20 years. They are 84 years old and continue to meet with fellow neighbors to sit by the glowing hearth and share stories and music. The night we went, there were seven of us and four who played the accordion. I brought some walnut currant scones to share and we had the most amazing time listening to the music and hearing some old Irish tales. A broom dance was preformed and young Jack O’Malley accompanied a few songs playing the spoons. At twelve years of age, he is already an accomplished accordion player.
The evening was truly a treat and it is always an honor to spend time with such fine people. These are the things that keep me coming back. The people, the landscape, and the farming traditions, also remind me of my own rural community back home. I am blessed to live in a place that also celebrates simple living and old time traditions.