Farmers Market in Darien Now Open & Features Homemade Sweets from Whistle Stop Bakery!

Despite the overcast skies, people were shopping today at the Farmers Market in Darien.  You can find the market on Mechanic St., just behind the Fire Department on Post Road.  The Whistle Stop Bakery, located in Ridgefield CT, had set up a stand and Lolly Turner, the owner, was there to answer any questions and help customers sample her pies.  The Strawberry Rubarb Pie was outstanding and is prepared using only fresh ingrediants.  If you are in Ridgefield this week I suggest picking one up for Mothers Day.  It would make a great gift for Mom.  Also available were homemade Chicken Pot Pies, which Lolly makes herself when she isn't enjoying long hikes on Block Island.

Super Moon Coming to Connecticut this Weekend!

The "Super Moon" can be seen in Connecticut this weekend due to a rare occurance of a full moon happening at the same time as the moon's perigee, or the time in its orbit it is the closest to the earth.

It will happen at about 11:35PM on Saturday according to weather.com.

The moon will be 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from our planet, and appear unusually large.

A perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual.

Indeed, contrary to some reports circulating the Internet, perigee Moons do not trigger natural disasters. The "super moon" of March 1983, for instance, passed without incident. And an almost-super Moon in Dec. 2008 also proved harmless.

According to weather.com, the best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On March 19th, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.

And not only does the moon's perigee coincide with full moon this month, but this perigee will be the nearest to Earth of any this year, as the distance of the moon's close approach varies by about 3 percent, according to meteorologist Joe Rao, SPACE.com's skywatching columnist. This happens because the moon's orbit is not perfectly circular.

This month's full moon is due to be about 16 percent brighter than average. In contrast, later this year on Nov. 28, the full moon will coincide with apogee, the moon's farthest approach, offering a particularly small and dim full moon.

Though the unusual appearance of this month's full moon may be surprising to some, there's no reason for alarm, scientists warn. The slight distance difference isn't enough to cause any earthquakes or extreme tidal effects, experts say.

Weather.com reports the time to get the best effect is just after it rises or before it sets, when it is close to the horizon. There, you can catch a view of the moon behind buildings or trees, an effect which produces an optical illusion, making the moon seem even larger than it really is.

Fascinators – Getting Ready for Kentucky Derby

by Olga Adler

In preparation for Kentucky Derby parties I have been researching new hats and fascinators to share with you. I’m not a big fan of hats as they tend to ruin my hairdo (not that my do’s are so elaborate but I have fine hair and giving it any volume is a long and laborious process).

Fascinators, on the other hand, are such a light, easy and inexpensive way to update an outfit! Since I gave up on hats (other than a beach hat with a gigantic rim, which I wear religiously), I have bought 3 fascinators recently all in planning for fun summer events. You can see one of them above – I wore it to a charity event to benefit Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut last Saturday. I like that one especially since it simply clips to your hair. How easy is that?

Here are some pretty fascinators on clips and headbands that are perfect for Kentucky Derby party or any other dressy summer event. All of the hats you see here can be purchased at Nordstrom.

*Olga Adler is the author of “Private Retreats – Public Statements. Distinctive Interiors of Fairfield County” – a coffee table book published in 2011. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and in designer show houses. She is one of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens “Designers You Should Know” and East Coast HOME + DESIGN “Designers We Love” She is a recipient of Fairfield County Business Journal 2010 ”40 Under 40″ Award. Learn more about Olga here.

Want to know what you treasures are worth? You can find out at Ridgefield 50th Outdoor Antique Market

There will be an appraiser at Ridgefield's 50th Anniversary Outdoor Antique Market - so if you have some antiques and don’t know the value of them, this is an ideal opportunity to get your “treasures” appraised!

On May 5th in addition to the wide variety of antique dealers set up on the outside lawns, the food and drink booths, the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, we will be offering appraisals. Appraiser, Jay St. Mark Ph.D., will be located inside the mansion from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. doing $5.00 verbal appraisals. He will not be doing jewelry. Mr. St. Mark is a published author and has addressed historical societies and done many appraisal clinics throughout Connecticut. He previously participated in the Antiques Market as a dealer under the management of Russell Carrell.

Also inside the historic mansion there will be dealers offering textiles and jewelry both on the main floor and up the formal staircase. A barbershop quartet will be singing outside on the wraparound porch. Admission to all of these attractions is $7 – children 12 and under are admitted free.