Here’s what I like this September.

I like Morgan Hill Bookstore in New London. I had to spend an afternoon in a hospital waiting room, and I asked Peggy and Connie for a book suggestion. They recommended one – and it was the best book I had read in a long time. If you haven’t done it lately, patronize your locally owned bookstore IMMEDIATELY.

I like the Kearsarge Cooperative Grocer in New London. I’ve been a longtime believer in organic products – especially when it comes to your face – and I really like the fair trade skin moisturizer and the all natural eye makeup I bought there. My eyes aren’t stinging from ingredients I can’t pronounce! And my skin, if I’d lay off the chocolate they have right there at the check out counter, is surprisingly smooth around my recent chin break out.

I like New London Gallery. Not only are Sonia and Pete two of the nicest people I know, they are talented framers. I had a little unframed watercolor that I picked up in an artists coop a while back. It was already matted, and one of the mats was an odd gray-blue. Sonia and I talked about replacing it, but she found a frame to match it. And what do you know? That watercolor is truly striking. It is hung up by my desk and I look at it every day, and smile.

I like the Hair Station in New London. Donna, one of the owners, cuts my hair and she does a darn good job. But what I really like is that she knows when you want to talk, and when you want to sit there and just veg out. I was so tired last week that I couldn’t form a coherent sentence, and she didn’t make me. I also like the little neck massage she gives you after she washes and conditions your hair.

Congratulations to the Inn at Pleasant Lake for their recent award: the Platinum Plate from the television diner at New England Cable News (NECN). The food critic was impressed with their stunning five-course prix fixe dinner, beautiful setting and superb service and awarded owners Brian and Linda MacKenzie with their  highest restaurant review. The review will air on NECN’s TV Diner with Billy Costa on Saturday, August 1, at 10 AM and 7 PM.

You’ve seen the construction trucks at 52 Newport Road for a while, but now it’s official: the Kearsarge Cooperative Grocer is open in New London. I stopped in on their first day and signed up as a member. I was very excited to receive my coupon book and a flyer with the upcoming August specials. Now I can plan my coop shopping trips to get the most bang for my buck. (Hey, isn’t everyone budget conscious these days?) The grand opening of the Kearsarge Cooperative Grocer is scheduled to coincide with Hospital Days on August 7 to 9. Be sure to stop by for free samples, product giveaways, raffles, and free coffee and produce samples – and look for their 40-foot farm theme float in the parade!

Looking for a keepsake from New Hampshire? Sarah Parker Cave at Gourmet Garden has locally made goods tucked into every nook and cranny of her shop, located on 353 Main Street in New London. Every where you look there are some really lovely things – handmade ornaments, handcrafted soaps, baskets (also locally made) filled with NH products – as well as sweet treats: chocolate that looks like granite, maple sugar candies and fudge. Whether you’re visiting from out of town or lived here all your life, you’ll find something you can’t live without. And now I know the best place in town to get stocking stuffers for everyone in the family!

Women and children: Are you looking to clean out your closet? Back on the Rack is open in New London. It’s a cute little shop located in the white building across the street from Morgan Hill Bookstore. You can drop off your gently used items and get cash (or store credit) for your clothes. I’ve always been a fan of thrift and consignment stores (just ask me about the bag of t-shirts I got for my son for $3), but owner Kate Dulac does something a bit different: pays cash. That’s right – you don’t have to remember to pick up a check. You bring your stuff and you get paid. But give her a little time to get the shop profitable…right now she’s bought so much that she’s only offering store credit. [But take note, shoppers: Kate has some great inventory!] Back on the Rack is open three days a week: Tuesday, Friday and Saturday.

Despite the pouring rain and the lack of an umbrella yesterday, I left the warmth of my car to stop at Springledge Farm in New London. It’s strawberry season. I usually pick my own, but the smell of the berries was intoxicating. My son and I ate the entire box. So I pulled out my jelly jars from last year, did a quick count, and went back down to farm stand and bought three more boxes of berries for $5.99 each. I left them in a big cardboard box so the kids wouldn’t see them (and they would actually make it to the jelly making process).

I got up at 5 a.m. this morning and prepped the fruit. Five cups of strawberry mash – oh, the delicious smell! – was on its way to strawberry jelly. I just finished cleaning the kitchen, and eight jars are sealing now. I have some strawberries left, so I pulled out the rhubarb in my freezer and I think I can squeak out one more batch of jelly.

I didn’t make strawberry jelly last year (somehow missed the season), but I did make raspberry for the first time in a long time. That batch was my favorite – I think over the course of the year I ate three jars by myself. But my blueberry has a solid fan base, so I’m saving the rest of my jars for them. Does anyone know if all this rain will make better berries? (Or will be get caught short if the plants don’t get some sun?)

They are here, there, and everywhere! In fact, there are 27 for you to find and admire. The Gnus of Gnu London are on display from May 30 to October 1. Grab a booklet from one of the participating businesses, get your booklets stamped as you visit the gnus around New London (and this lone gnu in Sunapee), and you’ll get a pin at the Chamber of Commerce. If you become particularly attached to one of them, the gnus will be raffled off in October as a fundraiser for the Kearsarge Community Center. Learn more at www.gnusofgnulondon.org

Where to go for lunch? I hadn’t been to Nonni’s in New London yet, so I asked my mom if she wanted to go. We were big fans of La Dolce Vita, and were sad when it closed. We were trying not to have any predisposed notions when we walked in to our old lunch spot, and anything we might have been thinking was quickly dispelled when we started to eat. The lunch buffet, priced at $9.95, includes an antipasto buffet, which offered a choice of six different salads. I enjoyed the Caesar salad with the oversized croutons. My mom liked the salad with cranberries and almonds. Both had just the right amount of dressing; not too much, not too little. Then the main course arrived, very quickly I might add, which was great – although it did put a temporary stop to our antipasto feeding frenzy. I ordered the fettucine alfredo and my mom ordered the salmon salad. (I am SURE I am getting all the names wrong. I meant to grab a menu on the way out the door but forgot. So you’ll have to deal with my made up names.) I told myself I wasn’t going to eat it all but, of course, I did. I’ll try the dessert menu next time…

I always liked Alison Vernon’s shop, Little Brook Gallery, in the Colonial Pharmacy plaza in New London. Her artwork is so happy and colorful, and seeing walls of it just brought a smile to your face. But she recently had an interior decorator take a look at her spot and a little rearranging has made a big difference. A lighter color on the walls made the artwork pop, pottery pieces by Alison’s cousin Tori Lambert are here and there, and several Oriental rugs scattered on the floor – the overall effect is very inviting. Alison also has plans to update the window display; I’m going to misremember for a bit, but she mentioned two large, hanging portraits that will fill the front window space. Stop by on your New London travels; you’ll also see quite a bit of Alison’s new work as well.