Garden Magic Lentil Window The concept of the Garden Magic Lentil Window revolves around the creation of a magical and enchanted garden using the power of lentils. Lentils, which are small edible legumes, are known for their nutritional value and versatility in culinary dishes. However, in this unique concept, lentils are used in a completely different way – to create a magical window into a garden. The Garden Magic Lentil Window is created by layering a variety of lentils on a transparent surface, such as glass or plastic. The lentils are carefully arranged to form intricate patterns and designs, resembling a vibrant garden. The different colors and sizes of the lentils add depth and dimension to the design, making it visually pleasing and appealing.
The Vermont Character: Coffin Windows
One of my favorite pieces of Obscure Vermont is a mixture of architectural vernacular, and good old fashioned Yankee Ingenuity.
Do you see the diagonally tilted window placed in the gable end of this old farmhouse with its long edge parallel to the roof? A lot of people, Vermonters or flatlanders, seem to be flummoxed about these peculiarly slanted windows. That’s because their orientational existence isn’t found in any other states (though someone did tell me that they think they saw one somewhere in New Hampshire not too long ago.) To add a bit more rapturous froth to the isolated mystery, our Vermont parlance labels them “coffin windows”, or sometimes “witch windows”, depending on who you are I guess. Growing up, my mother would always point them out as “coffin windows” whenever we would take a trip out of suburban Chittenden County to more rural parts of the state, where older structures far outnumbered the new. I wasn’t introduced to “witch windows” until much later.
The e tymology behind the monikers vary, and can’t really be traced back to a materialized point of origin.
Going alphabetically – it’s said these are called coffin windows because if a family member died upstairs, it was far easier to maneuver the needed coffin out the window and slide it down the roof as opposed to figuring out just how to haul it down a steep and narrow Vermont farmhouse staircase. And trust me, some of them are very steep and narrow to a point of over-cautiousness when walking up or down one – enough for me to sympathize with anyone who would groan at the prospect of dragging anything up or down them.
The name witch window gets a bit more on the superstitious side. It’s said that an old belief was that a witch couldn’t enter your dwelling through a crooked window or opening. A similar superstition that comes to mind is how the ancient Chinese thought bad spirits traveled in straight lines, so their architecture took on steeply peaked rooflines.
I know old Vermonters were a superstitious bunch. Our collective state history and folklore include such grim things as incriminating real people accused of Vampirism, or desecrating the graves of dead people accused of postmortem vampirism (our most famous Vampire execution was a man named Corwin, whose remains still loam underneath Woodstock’s boat shaped town green).
But witches? There isn’t much known on how scared Vermonters were of witches, leaving this as intriguing speculation. However, I was able to dig up a small number of succinct accounts in old state newspapers around the late 1700s and early 1800s of various Vermonters who locals suspected were witches, but in reality were probably nothing more than eccentrics living in a more narrow-minded time. One article amusingly reported that a Stowe woman was blamed for making several farmers’ milk cows run dry.
A more practical theory and probably the most likely of the three, was that these windows were a creative solution to let light into the cramped spaces upstairs. Gables didn’t often leave rooms for traditional sized windows and poor farmers didn’t want to spend the money on drafty dormers or getting a custom window made – which was a costly purchase many families couldn’t afford. They also enabled fresh air and ventilation to keep the house inhabitable. Though there are far more scolding environments than Vermont, our summers do get pretty humid, and the upper floors of an old house easily turn into ovens.
Further down the line, these windows adopted yet another sobriquet with less dour and more civic pride; Vermont Windows. Though I haven’t heard that term nearly as much as the afore-referenced other two.
In a world that loves things to fall into human-made symmetry, who knew that a window installed at a tilt could conjure up so many declaratory ideologies.
It seems that these windows have a bit of cool fanfare behind them, apart from your blogger. Some cool individual even made an Instagram account dedicated to them!
Route 100 in South Duxbury Found one in this abandoned farmhouse I was exploring. East Calais Calais Calais South Woodbury village South Woodbury village South Woodbury village South Woodbury village Peacham Turkey Hill in Northfield. Warren village Warren Village Cornwall DOUBLE coffin/witch windows in Stowe! I guess these folks didn’t want to take any chances just in case a pesky witch decided to curse them.
Any of you folks know of a coffin window near you? Let me know! I love road tripping around Vermont, and I always make excuses to shunpike somewhere!
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Of Witches and Widows
With Halloween coming up Monday, we thought now would be a great time to talk about two architectural features with appropriate names for the holiday. Both features are common in the Northeast, with one most popular inland and the other a common site on the coasts. Here is the interesting history behind each features name.
The first feature is the witch window, which due to its popularity in the state is also known as a Vermont window. The witch window is a double-hung window that is placed in a gable-end wall and rotated so that it aligns with the roof pitch. This allows the window to fit between the narrow space of two adjoining roof lines. While this may look like an act of whimsy on the part of the home designer, it served the purpose of providing light and ventilation to upper floors in 19th century homes. Today, although no longer necessary, it is still found in new construction in the region.
The interior room with the witch window also has low windows in the knee wall.
Today, to provide more light (and space) to an upper floor room, we may use dormer windows or skylights. However, skylights were not practical in centuries past and dormer windows also required difficult modifications to the roof that tended to cause heating loss and leaks. The witch window was a great solution to this problem, keeping a full-size window in the wall where it is easiest to accommodate. The use of a regular window here, rather than a specialized one for the space, is in the tradition of Yankee thriftiness. The name “witch window” probably came from the superstition that witches cannot fly through an angled window.
A widow’s walk on a coastal home.
Moving to the coast, both in New England and the rest of the Atlantic seaboard, we find an interesting feature called a widow’s walk. This structure is usually a railing-enclosed platform at the top of the roof, also common in 19th century homes. The name is said to originate from the wives of sailors, who would look out to the ocean futilely awaiting their husband’s return to port. In other regions, they may be called captain’s walks, as they were found on the homes of more successful captains and merchants.
Enclosed widow’s walks are popular in colder regions.
In reality, widow’s walks were just a common feature of Italianate architecture. This style became very popular in the second half of the 19th century, at the peak of the age of sail. As such, it can even be found on some inland homes of the period as well and is still a somewhat popular feature in coastal regions. In colder areas, and enclosed widow’s watch may be preferred to the open variety.
Although well inland, the Foxstead Farm also features an enclosed widow’s walk.
If none of your windows are tilted, we hope you protect them from witches this Halloween. Whatever region you live in, we’d be thrilled to build you a timber frame home incorporating unique and interesting features. Please contact us today to get started with your home.
The Curious History Of Vermont’s Witch Windows
Some people call them Vermont windows after the state where they’re most commonly found. Others refer to them as sideways windows, lazy windows, or coffin windows. But their most common moniker, witch windows, is the best of all.
While it can be called many things, a witch window nearly always looks the same. It’s a rectangular, double-hung sash window at the gable-end wall of a house, tilted 45 degrees so its long end runs parallel to the roof slope.
When you see a witch window, you might just think that the person who installed it was a little tipsy at the time. In a world where windows are nearly always hung straight and parallel with the horizon, it’s disorienting to see one installed at an angle. Turns out that there’s a good explanation for them — as well as a number of really fun theories about why these windows exist in the first place!
The different colors and sizes of the lentils add depth and dimension to the design, making it visually pleasing and appealing. Once the lentils are arranged, the Garden Magic Lentil Window is placed against a light source, such as a window or a lamp. When the light shines through the lentils, it creates a mesmerizing display of colors and patterns, resembling a mystical and enchanting garden.
Why Were They Built?
The most common explanation behind the witch window is that it was designed as a protection against witches. People believed that witches could not fly their broomsticks through tilted windows. While charming, this theory has a number of holes in it. For starters, homes typically only have one witch window — and many standard ones. While a witch’s attempt to enter a home might be thwarted by a tilted window, there’s nothing stopping one from entering through any of the other normal windows in the house. And, as Harry Potter fans can attest, not only can witches easily manipulate their flying to pass through any kind of opening, they’re also clever and inventive. No slanted window would deter them!
Of course, New England doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to understanding the nuances of witchcraft, so it’s entirely possible that people once sincerely believed a witch window offered them protection.
Another theory that’s along the spooky lines is that the windows are actually coffin windows. In olden days, when farmhouses had tight, narrow staircases. The argument goes something like this: It was much easier to remove a deceased family member’s body for burial by sliding the coffin through the tilted upstairs window than trying to maneuver it down the stairs.
Alas, it’s hard to say if it’s any easier to handle a coffin on a slanted roofline than it is to make your way down steep stairs with one. Moreover, during the days in which wakes were held in private homes, bodies would be carried downstairs to the coffin waiting in the parlor. A coffin itself would never go upstairs or leave through the window.
That leaves us with explanations that are much more pragmatic. In the 19th century, farmhouses often began quite small and expanded in size as families grew and farms prospered. There were many benefits to adding a small window to a second story extension, including ventilation and releasing hot air during the summer. However, there weren’t often many places to put them and chilly dormer windows were an unpopular choice.
That left homeowners with the small wall space at the gable end of the house. Given that custom-designed windows were both rare and expensive, selecting a standard rectangular window and installing it at an angle may have made for an odd look but it was a frugal, practical choice. If it doubled as a witch deterrent, that was all the better!
The play of light and shadow enhances the visual appeal of the Garden Magic Lentil Window, making it a captivating and decorative piece. Apart from its visual display, the Garden Magic Lentil Window also serves as a source of inspiration and relaxation. The intricate design and vibrant colors of the lentils create a calming and meditative effect, allowing individuals to escape into the beauty of nature. The Garden Magic Lentil Window can be placed in various settings such as homes, offices, or meditation spaces, bringing a touch of tranquility and serenity. In addition to its aesthetic value, the Garden Magic Lentil Window also has practical benefits. Lentils are known for their ability to absorb and retain moisture, making them an ideal medium for indoor gardening. By misting the lentils lightly with water, individuals can create a microclimate within the Garden Magic Lentil Window, promoting the growth of small plants, herbs, or moss. This allows individuals to enjoy the benefits of gardening even in confined spaces. The Garden Magic Lentil Window is a creative and innovative concept that blends art, nature, and practicality. It adds a unique touch to any space, creating a magical and enchanting atmosphere. Whether used as a decorative piece or as a platform for indoor gardening, the Garden Magic Lentil Window is sure to captivate and inspire all who encounter it..
Reviews for "Gardening Magic: Growing Lentils in a Glass Window"
1. Sarah - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with the "Gardne magic lentil window". The story felt disjointed and confusing, with characters that were difficult to connect with. Additionally, the writing style was quite bland and lacked any sort of creativity or imagination. Overall, I found the book to be a dull and forgettable read.
2. Mike - 1/5 - I can honestly say that "Gardne magic lentil window" is one of the worst books I have ever read. The plot was nonsensical and the characters were poorly developed, making it impossible to feel invested in the story. The writing itself was sloppy and filled with grammatical errors, which only added to the overall unenjoyable reading experience. I would not recommend this book to anyone.
3. Emma - 2/5 - I had high hopes for "Gardne magic lentil window" but was left disappointed. The pacing of the story was incredibly slow and there was a lack of meaningful conflict that made it difficult to stay engaged. The dialogue also felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to connect with the characters. While the concept had potential, the execution fell flat and left me wanting more. Overall, it was a mediocre read at best.