Today is August 31, 2011 and now it's been nearly a week since we celebrated our 5th anniversary. Deciding to stay at home and prepare our own celebratory dinner, Bob made up his shopping list for Cioppino, a wonderful San Francisco fish stew. Did you know that cioppino means 'chip in'? The fishermen, at the end of the day, would make a big pot of fumet (stock) and each would contribute seafood from their day's catch. We'd frozen the shells from our NY Eve lobster dinner, and with the addition of some carcasses from our supermarket fishmonger several days before the 26th Bob prepared the stock, to which he added tomatoes, herbs, etc. We prepared baby octopus as Mario Batali suggested with a wine bottle cork to tenderize, adding it and king crab, extra large fresh shrimp, green mussels and lovely chunks of Striper given us by our neighbor, Bill Mabbitt, an avid fisherman but whose wife doesn't eat it. Bob made a baguette, and I made a very flavorful tomato/herb salad. Along with a bottle of Nero D'Avola wine, we had a lovely meal, ending with my homemade Thyme ice cream served with fresh raspberries.
Yes, we felt the earthquake at our house, each of us thinking the other was doing something to make the house shake, and the dog not knowing which way to run. It was a pretty bizarre sensation. And we had almost virtually no rain or wind from the hurricane. Amazing what being on the other side of a mountain range can do, isn't it?
We've embarked on our vacation plans for 2012, and will soon have to decide between Sciacca, Sicily, Sardinia and Freiburg, Germany. How exciting is that? The young couple from Rome have an apartment in Sicily and are excited about coming here to Virginia and from what we've read and seen about Sciacca, we would have a wonderful time there too. What we don't choose for 2012 may be arranged for 2013. Freiburg is only a short train ride from France and Switzerland, so we'd be able to triple our experience when visiting there. The more we read about HomeForExchange the more excited we become. Scores of people have participated in these house exchanges many, many times and just when you ask "who'd want to come stay out here in the woods?" you read about a couple who are looking to get someplace where they can get away from the crowds. Well; here it is.
Tomorrow Bob (and I) will attend a class on total knee replacement. The effects of the cortisone shot administered earlier in the summer has begun to wear off, so it's good that this surgery has been scheduled. My dislocated shoulder continues to heal, but I'm reminded daily that it isn't yet normal. You don't realize how much movement is made with your shoulders until you do something. Reaching backward; shaking a rug; sweeping a floor, raking. And those are only the obvious ones. But now I can lie on my right side without my shoulder feeling like it's on fire.
Our hens are providing us with all the eggs we'll ever need. One of them seems to be not laying yet. We could isolate who we think it is (lighter colored and small comb and wattle) but it really isn't important. It's not like we need another 7 eggs per week. Last week one of them laid an egg literally twice the size of others and we found it to be a double yolk.
Saku had his yearly exam yesterday and was found to be in good health and weighing 85 lbs. He is a morning dog; in contrast to Rosie who was not, if you can believe that they can be just like humans. He is just crazy and so happy when we are all up, and this morning you'd have thought he'd just had an upper. Romping and running and playing with his sheepskin like a puppy. He's getting better about staying near the house, but then will suddenly decide he needs to take off and disappears. As a result he's getting used to being on the end of a long leash in the yard, keeping watch over everything from the driveway; and soon he'll have to wear his orange 'school crossing guard' vest as the hunting dogs will be out moving bears in the woods.
We have another month to enjoy local fresh picked peaches and nectarines before apple season really takes over, and close to two months to still enjoy home grown tomatoes. As they say, it's still summer here.
10/2/2011
Well, here we are, now two weeks since Bob's surgery which went very well. He's been at home and seen by a home health nurse and physical therapist since 9/23, both of whom will discharge him from their care after he sees Dr. Pereles, his ortho surgeon on Tuesday. Then he will begin outpatient PT, followed by a routine at the Staunton Y which we've recently joined. It is nearly impossible to walk safely out here in the woods what with fallen tree branches and gravel roads. The Y is really nice, recently remodeled and expanded and with everything we need to help us get our bodies back in shape and legs strengthened for being navigating foreign lands. I've been undergoing PT on my right arm and shoulder for nearly a month after asking my doctor just how long it should take for full recovery. It was found that I had impingement syndrome and had I not been treated would soon have had bursitis. Now I'm doing really well with it and, also, on Tuesday will have it evaluated for my own discharge from their care.
For the whole of Sept. we had rain and more rain, 8.5", the 5th wettest Sept. ever. Now for the past few days we've had really cool weather which we don't mind, but enough is enough. It's too cool for the beginning of Oct. in this part of the country. An aside to this weather business. We regularly watch a DC station and the other night just cracked up when the weatherman, telling about the weekend temps said it was going to be cold: at 60 degrees. We've decided this guy has never been to a state that's really cold.
The chickens are doing well, and I've begun to treat them to free range for an hour or so each late afternoon. The first day when I decided they needed to be back in their yard, I walked up to the gate and they all came running behind me; this is the lady that brings them food. Five followed me through the gate; the sixth decided she wasn't done hunting and pecking yet, so for the next 30 minutes or so she alternately scratched and tried to figure out how she was going to get over/under that fence to her sisters. She tried flying over once but the fence at that point was too high and she simply wouldn't go away from sight of the other hens. Finally, as it was getting almost dark, she decided to nest down in the corner of the garage and the coop, actually behind where they spend the night. Their bodies must slow down at nightfall as I was able to work up to her, grab her tail and put her over the wire fence, at which point she promptly went into the coop and onto the roost and they were locked up safely for the night. The next night either she or another one, did much the same thing, except that I was able to grab her earlier and drop her over the fence. Last evening, I walked up to the yard and through the gate followed by six clucking hens. It's very interesting to watch what they do and how they act.
Now, it's time for today's foray into the leaves. Saku stands at the door and watches them, wanting to play but knowing her can't. Yesterday two of them came down onto the deck and that drove him crazy for awhile.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
...look at this... more eggs
Recalling that I'd seen a hen come out from behind the boards a few days earlier, I finally remembered to take a look on Thursday, and what did I find but six eggs in a nest of leaves. I had to move some of the boards to get at them and while doing so, had a hen, presumably the layer, standing at my feet all the while. I also found an egg out in the yard, and this morning another in an indentation in the straw on the floor of the coop. A friend told us that young layers will often drop the egg wherever, and that they eventually get in the groove of using a nest. I continue to love their varying 'voices', insistent in the morning to get out of the coop and whispers at night as they settle in, all six of them toddering on the top rung. Now that I think about it; I wonder if it's the same one who gets the outside perch each night. Except for one who seems to have a longer wattle and higher comb, since they're all the same color it's very difficult to identify individuals. I don't think they'd go for wearing different color ribbons.
Earlier this week and in a funk what with the constant heat and humidity of the summer, I decided to pick up where I'd left off a couple years ago in my reading of A Year in the World by Frances Mayes. When I completed what was a particularly long chapter, I was more depressed than when I started. I was ready to sell everything and move to a Greek island where we would buy only what was required for furnishing a whitewashed house; one with a blue door and roof, with geraniums growing in olive oil cans and a vine covered terrace where we'd eat all our meals outdoors, shop daily for our food and wear gauzy, loose fitting clothing and sandals year-round.
Knowing I had to bring myself out of this funk, I asked Bob to read the chapter so we could talk about it. He wasn't ready to do anything so drastic as I, but the long and short of it is we embarked on planning a month long trip to Europe for sometime in 2012. And, Bob, who gets as much enjoyment out of planning trips as he does going on them, in looking at the cost of lodging and especially car rental in Sicily (our original first destination), stumbled on house exchanges. We are now registered with and will soon have the full description and photos on-line of our home, and will hopefully find someone who wants to visit this part of the USA. As we looked at the site, it became evident that residents of foreign countries don't all want to visit the same places and some are so particular as to say Manhattan (not just NYC). We've also discovered that more Irish want to visit the USA, so we've adjusted our preferred destinations accordingly; but we will also go just about anywhere. If anyone is interested in such arrangements, check out HomeForExchange.com We are finding the prospects very exciting, and who knows where we might end up. But the best part is that if we are successful in this venture, the cost savings will allow us to take a second extended trip in 2012. How great is that for being retired? And our "chicken lady" on being asked of her interest is very excited to serve as our airport chauffeur and resident tour guide. We're hoping another friend with a dog and fenced yard will agree to being Saku's 'camp' during our absences.
Bob worked his Texas smoker BBQ at the fair with the tractor folks every night, and last night we had so much rain they had to cancel the demolition derby. We had just over 4" here in West Augusta, welcomed and badly needed. Now we have sunny skies with some clouds and it's 79 degrees. By the way, the tomato plants are flourishing and we have a couple dozen fruits growing. A neighbor stopped by earlier today with a bag of wild plums and a bunch of beets which we will enjoy in a few days. She's going to bring us more plums and I'll make plum butter and hope it turns out as good as my mom's. I often think about a lunch I had at mom and daddy's on the farm before they moved to Minneapolis; fried blood sausage and her plum butter on homemade bread. Ummmm! I have not had blood sausage since, but we've noticed that "black pudding" as it's called in Europe, is very popular. We expect to find it on menus in Ireland.
Tomorrow I see my opthamologist and Tuesday is my turn for colon screening. Oh joy!
Earlier this week and in a funk what with the constant heat and humidity of the summer, I decided to pick up where I'd left off a couple years ago in my reading of A Year in the World by Frances Mayes. When I completed what was a particularly long chapter, I was more depressed than when I started. I was ready to sell everything and move to a Greek island where we would buy only what was required for furnishing a whitewashed house; one with a blue door and roof, with geraniums growing in olive oil cans and a vine covered terrace where we'd eat all our meals outdoors, shop daily for our food and wear gauzy, loose fitting clothing and sandals year-round.
Knowing I had to bring myself out of this funk, I asked Bob to read the chapter so we could talk about it. He wasn't ready to do anything so drastic as I, but the long and short of it is we embarked on planning a month long trip to Europe for sometime in 2012. And, Bob, who gets as much enjoyment out of planning trips as he does going on them, in looking at the cost of lodging and especially car rental in Sicily (our original first destination), stumbled on house exchanges. We are now registered with and will soon have the full description and photos on-line of our home, and will hopefully find someone who wants to visit this part of the USA. As we looked at the site, it became evident that residents of foreign countries don't all want to visit the same places and some are so particular as to say Manhattan (not just NYC). We've also discovered that more Irish want to visit the USA, so we've adjusted our preferred destinations accordingly; but we will also go just about anywhere. If anyone is interested in such arrangements, check out HomeForExchange.com We are finding the prospects very exciting, and who knows where we might end up. But the best part is that if we are successful in this venture, the cost savings will allow us to take a second extended trip in 2012. How great is that for being retired? And our "chicken lady" on being asked of her interest is very excited to serve as our airport chauffeur and resident tour guide. We're hoping another friend with a dog and fenced yard will agree to being Saku's 'camp' during our absences.
Bob worked his Texas smoker BBQ at the fair with the tractor folks every night, and last night we had so much rain they had to cancel the demolition derby. We had just over 4" here in West Augusta, welcomed and badly needed. Now we have sunny skies with some clouds and it's 79 degrees. By the way, the tomato plants are flourishing and we have a couple dozen fruits growing. A neighbor stopped by earlier today with a bag of wild plums and a bunch of beets which we will enjoy in a few days. She's going to bring us more plums and I'll make plum butter and hope it turns out as good as my mom's. I often think about a lunch I had at mom and daddy's on the farm before they moved to Minneapolis; fried blood sausage and her plum butter on homemade bread. Ummmm! I have not had blood sausage since, but we've noticed that "black pudding" as it's called in Europe, is very popular. We expect to find it on menus in Ireland.
Tomorrow I see my opthamologist and Tuesday is my turn for colon screening. Oh joy!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
We've got eggs!
How exciting; our first egg arrived yesterday morning, and another came this afternoon. If they produce like expected, we'll soon have 6 per day X 7 days; well...you do the math. And a couple days ago we ate the first of our own tomatoes. The plants are now full of fruit, and I decided not to clean out the undergrowth around them as I think it's keeping critters away. We'll see. Actually, we've had two other ripened tomatoes - pear shaped - both of which had some kind of blight on the underside. The chickens loved them; as they do nearly anything brightly colored.
We've been laying low since Manako left. This heat and humidity just wipes me out and I don't appreciate having my face dripping and my hair looking as though I've shampooed and didn't dry it fully. The Oyen curse: face sweating.
Bob is "cooking" at the Augusta County Fair this week for the Churchville Steam Club - that's not the correct name, but they collect and play with old tractors. He smoked pork on Sunday and is doing chicken on site this evening, along with corn on the cob. He called me about an hour ago saying "the noise is driving me nuts." This afternoon they've had motocross (hundreds of 'em) on the nearby track and he said "Alice's husband wears 3 hearing aids; I was ready to ask if I could borrow a couple so I could turn them off." What a sense of humor this man has.
This morning when I got up around 6:15, on going outside I said "this is an August morning." The sky, and it isn't even the sky so much as the air around us was that sort of peachy shade - one I long ago observed as being part of later summer in Minnesota. For me this has always denoted a coming change of seasons, that of summer to fall, one which makes me feel very melancholy as we get into October and as autumn approaches. Those of you in the colder climates must understand that we have summer here until late October, and autumn almost to Christmas.
Next week Bob begins his regime in readying for the full knee replacement on 9/19; i.e., vitamins and exercises. We've both been pleased that the cortisone shot has held up so well and allowed him to enjoy walking about this summer.
We've been laying low since Manako left. This heat and humidity just wipes me out and I don't appreciate having my face dripping and my hair looking as though I've shampooed and didn't dry it fully. The Oyen curse: face sweating.
Bob is "cooking" at the Augusta County Fair this week for the Churchville Steam Club - that's not the correct name, but they collect and play with old tractors. He smoked pork on Sunday and is doing chicken on site this evening, along with corn on the cob. He called me about an hour ago saying "the noise is driving me nuts." This afternoon they've had motocross (hundreds of 'em) on the nearby track and he said "Alice's husband wears 3 hearing aids; I was ready to ask if I could borrow a couple so I could turn them off." What a sense of humor this man has.
This morning when I got up around 6:15, on going outside I said "this is an August morning." The sky, and it isn't even the sky so much as the air around us was that sort of peachy shade - one I long ago observed as being part of later summer in Minnesota. For me this has always denoted a coming change of seasons, that of summer to fall, one which makes me feel very melancholy as we get into October and as autumn approaches. Those of you in the colder climates must understand that we have summer here until late October, and autumn almost to Christmas.
Next week Bob begins his regime in readying for the full knee replacement on 9/19; i.e., vitamins and exercises. We've both been pleased that the cortisone shot has held up so well and allowed him to enjoy walking about this summer.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Well; isn't this what we look forward to all winter?
Sixty-eight degrees with 98% humidity! There is a reason people in the south do things more slowly; Minnesota take a hint. What's so important that you must race about like the world is ending tomorrow?
Hearing that these high temps will continue, and very probably be just like this next summer, Bob and I decided that we should replace the small window AC unit servicing the living/dining/kitchen. The ultimate on-line shopper, he'd already researched what was available where and for how much, so early in the morning yesterday Bob ordered a unit twice the size as what came with the house, with a delivery date 8-10 days hence. Deciding to look at the tracking an hour ago, much to our amazement we found that the AC is enroute to our house today. Coming from Horsham PA, just north of Philly, to our house in just over 24 hours. Can you believe it? He ordered a new phone system a few weeks ago, a little box with four handsets in it and it took 6 days and three different carriers to come from Dallas. Go figure.
The whole end wall of our livingroom, which faces W/NW, is windows extending to the 23 ft. vaulted ceiling. The lower section is comprised of 5 windows 32"x72", plus a door with glass in it. Above these five are three windows of the same size, topped by a shorter window at the very top. Although there are blinds across the bottom, the heat gets very intense during the summer and we'd been trying to determine how to deal with this problem with a solution that 1)we could afford, and 2) would allow us to retain the view across the mountain ranges without opening and closing draperies and more blinds. After much discussion, earlier this week we had the three windows covered with a film that blocks the evil rays and keeps the view. Already we can tell the difference in how much heat is kept out, and now we are really looking forward to having the lower windows done in another week.
So, speaking to cooling and heating, earlier this week our propane gas tank was filled, and much to our surprise and delight, it took much, much less than we expected. Two years ago we had a chimney insert installed and put a wood burning stove in the large fireplace in the livingroom. The non-insulated vaulted ceiling is such a heat loss that after our first winter we knew something must be done or we'd go broke paying for propane. (The man we bought from was the manager of one of the propane companies, so he apparently got huge discounts and didn't care about the cost). Now we have a new energy efficient furnace, an efficient woodburning fireplace (both of which gave us tax breaks) and appliances, including a whole house attic fan that works thanks to brother Dean, to keep us cool and comfortable.
The ortho said what I've been doing with my shoulder appears to be working; i.e. gauging my activities by level of discomfort, and that the X-rays yesterday show it to be in place with no damage to my rotator cuff.
We went to the Verona Farmers' Market yesterday and found some wonderful produce. Last night we had our first real tomato of the season, and with his first bite Bob said "whatever we paid for this, it wasn't enough." You know a tomato is really good when you drink the juice off your salad plate. Early this morning he made ratatouille with findings from the market and our own herb garden. Since it always tastes better the next day, we'll enjoy some with a whole roasted chicken done on the grill rotisserie tomorrow night. We stocked up with lots of good things to eat when it is so hot and you don't want to cook. Life is good.
Hearing that these high temps will continue, and very probably be just like this next summer, Bob and I decided that we should replace the small window AC unit servicing the living/dining/kitchen. The ultimate on-line shopper, he'd already researched what was available where and for how much, so early in the morning yesterday Bob ordered a unit twice the size as what came with the house, with a delivery date 8-10 days hence. Deciding to look at the tracking an hour ago, much to our amazement we found that the AC is enroute to our house today. Coming from Horsham PA, just north of Philly, to our house in just over 24 hours. Can you believe it? He ordered a new phone system a few weeks ago, a little box with four handsets in it and it took 6 days and three different carriers to come from Dallas. Go figure.
The whole end wall of our livingroom, which faces W/NW, is windows extending to the 23 ft. vaulted ceiling. The lower section is comprised of 5 windows 32"x72", plus a door with glass in it. Above these five are three windows of the same size, topped by a shorter window at the very top. Although there are blinds across the bottom, the heat gets very intense during the summer and we'd been trying to determine how to deal with this problem with a solution that 1)we could afford, and 2) would allow us to retain the view across the mountain ranges without opening and closing draperies and more blinds. After much discussion, earlier this week we had the three windows covered with a film that blocks the evil rays and keeps the view. Already we can tell the difference in how much heat is kept out, and now we are really looking forward to having the lower windows done in another week.
So, speaking to cooling and heating, earlier this week our propane gas tank was filled, and much to our surprise and delight, it took much, much less than we expected. Two years ago we had a chimney insert installed and put a wood burning stove in the large fireplace in the livingroom. The non-insulated vaulted ceiling is such a heat loss that after our first winter we knew something must be done or we'd go broke paying for propane. (The man we bought from was the manager of one of the propane companies, so he apparently got huge discounts and didn't care about the cost). Now we have a new energy efficient furnace, an efficient woodburning fireplace (both of which gave us tax breaks) and appliances, including a whole house attic fan that works thanks to brother Dean, to keep us cool and comfortable.
The ortho said what I've been doing with my shoulder appears to be working; i.e. gauging my activities by level of discomfort, and that the X-rays yesterday show it to be in place with no damage to my rotator cuff.
We went to the Verona Farmers' Market yesterday and found some wonderful produce. Last night we had our first real tomato of the season, and with his first bite Bob said "whatever we paid for this, it wasn't enough." You know a tomato is really good when you drink the juice off your salad plate. Early this morning he made ratatouille with findings from the market and our own herb garden. Since it always tastes better the next day, we'll enjoy some with a whole roasted chicken done on the grill rotisserie tomorrow night. We stocked up with lots of good things to eat when it is so hot and you don't want to cook. Life is good.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
It's definitely summer...
Today is July 19, 2011. As we sat out on the deck early this morning with our coffee the temp was 68 it was so still as to be oppressive. At bedtime last night the humidity was 30; this morning it was 86. Now three hours later the sky is still grey and the air heavy, but we've had a little misty rain which has made it seem a bit cooler somehow; but now we have fog as we look into and over the forest surrounding us.
My shoulder dislocation seems to be healing quite well and I see the ortho tomorrow. I wore the shoulder immobilizer for 10 days and have now gone a week without it. It's been okay but I noticed yesterday that my arm and shoulder was feeling the effect of perhaps being a bit too active. I need to be a more cautious for a while yet so I don't cause permanent damage.
A week ago, we and Saku, headed to Lake Pymatuning (Jamestown, PA) and spent several days with brother Dean and his wife, Helen. The drive there is like from Minneapolis to Chicago except that much of the trip is through the mountains of West Virginia and lower PA. We had the most beautiful weather - in the mid to upper 80's and around 90 the whole time, cooling off at night to make sleeping easy. On Wednesday we went into Cleveland where Bob got to experience the Westside Market (it was a good thing we live so far away). We did manage to bring home some veal shanks for Osso Buco which Bob prepared for last night's dinner along with Rissoto Milanese (YUM!), some divine smoked pork chops, and Kielbasa. I've never been especially fond of smoked pork chops, finding them too dry. These, which are cut to order, were lightly smoked and beautifully moist.
Having decided to make up a gift box for our "chicken lady" as thanks for her keeping watch while we were gone, we were all delighted to find that the new Penzey's store in Cleveland is just across the street from the Westside Market. Linda is a prodigious berry picker, and resultant pie baker, so we included a large jar of Vietnamese cinnamon and fresh nutmeg. If you haven't tried Penzey's spices, you are missing out on wonderful products. By the way, did you know that the McCormick of McCormick's spices is the McCormick of farm equipment fame? I didn't until we moved here. That homestead/museum is just a few miles from us at Raphine.
I'm getting off the beaten track. On Thursday, again with a picnic lunch, we went for a tour through Amish country on the Ohio side. We visited the general store in Mesopotamia and ate our lunch in the village park, after which Bob and Dean and Helen walked to the Amish auction taking place a block distant. I'd seen much of this countryside on previous visits over the past 30 years, but had never gone through actual farm neighborhoods where house after house is only of the Amish. We were fortunate to find haying underway with horses pulling young men standing on the rake as they go back and forth through the fields. We also saw children with miniature horses and buggies, many children playing in the yards, the little girls in their light blue dresses and little caps, and all of them barefoot and just like one wants to see children playing; along with women sitting in the shade on porches spending the afternoon visiting. And then there was one standing on a stepladder washing the siding on the house.
On Friday morning Bob and I went into Meadville to pick up a collapsible clothesline at Home Depot to bring home with us. Doesn't everyone buy such items while on a trip? I've not been able to locate one here, and when I saw how Dean had installed theirs, I was more determined than ever to get one. He put the cylinder into which you place the pole, into the deck floor. The perfect solution for us here in VA where the ground is very hard and/or rocky and trying to dig a hole is often futile. What's more, we can put it on the little deck now off our bedroom which is adjacent to the laundry which is in our master bathroom.
Friday noon we packed up a picnic lunch, hammocks (Dean and Helen really know how to enjoy themselves) books and towels and in our swim suits and water shoes, went down to the lake where we spent the whole afternoon. After lunch Dean showed Bob about kayaking and they went out onto the lake for awhile, with Bob returning to say he would never canoe again. I didn't kayak because of my shoulder, although I could have gone out in a double and had someone else paddle; but I was content on shore. Saku loves the water and he was having a great time, plopping down with feet in front and just letting the water run into his mouth. Helen took him, on his leash, out to the end of the docks, he dog-paddling and loving it. Isn't is interesting how dogs seem to know when you're on your way home again? He was excited and anxious for the drive to PA, and quiet for the whole return; of course, he was probably also tired, but he was really good for the whole trip and will accompany us again next summer.
We took an alternate route home, heading east at Morgantown and into Maryland before heading south again at Hancock. The vistas on that stretch are magnificent, and being on a freeway there is far different than one across Iowa or Indiana.
We're still waiting for our first eggs, and are hopeful the chickens begin producing soon. We discovered that it was deer which ate our tomatoes. They, too, can apparently tell when the resident dog is away as they got three more tomatoes while we were away, along with the tops of the romaine, and the tops of some of the hosta. We've been told that this time of the year they are fattening themselves and will eat just about anything they can. We're not big gardeners by any stretch, but it would be fun to produce some things. We'll have to put our heads together and see what solution we can come up with for next year. I have some ideas. In the meantime, our chard is continuing to grow, we will soon have some peppers, and the leeks are looking good. And the herbs are really flourishing.
Next week my friend, Manako Fujiwara, now of Geo. Mason Univ., is coming to visit for a couple days. I do hope it cools off a bit by then. It just occurred to me the other day that I've known her for 18 years; where does time go?
My shoulder dislocation seems to be healing quite well and I see the ortho tomorrow. I wore the shoulder immobilizer for 10 days and have now gone a week without it. It's been okay but I noticed yesterday that my arm and shoulder was feeling the effect of perhaps being a bit too active. I need to be a more cautious for a while yet so I don't cause permanent damage.
A week ago, we and Saku, headed to Lake Pymatuning (Jamestown, PA) and spent several days with brother Dean and his wife, Helen. The drive there is like from Minneapolis to Chicago except that much of the trip is through the mountains of West Virginia and lower PA. We had the most beautiful weather - in the mid to upper 80's and around 90 the whole time, cooling off at night to make sleeping easy. On Wednesday we went into Cleveland where Bob got to experience the Westside Market (it was a good thing we live so far away). We did manage to bring home some veal shanks for Osso Buco which Bob prepared for last night's dinner along with Rissoto Milanese (YUM!), some divine smoked pork chops, and Kielbasa. I've never been especially fond of smoked pork chops, finding them too dry. These, which are cut to order, were lightly smoked and beautifully moist.
Having decided to make up a gift box for our "chicken lady" as thanks for her keeping watch while we were gone, we were all delighted to find that the new Penzey's store in Cleveland is just across the street from the Westside Market. Linda is a prodigious berry picker, and resultant pie baker, so we included a large jar of Vietnamese cinnamon and fresh nutmeg. If you haven't tried Penzey's spices, you are missing out on wonderful products. By the way, did you know that the McCormick of McCormick's spices is the McCormick of farm equipment fame? I didn't until we moved here. That homestead/museum is just a few miles from us at Raphine.
I'm getting off the beaten track. On Thursday, again with a picnic lunch, we went for a tour through Amish country on the Ohio side. We visited the general store in Mesopotamia and ate our lunch in the village park, after which Bob and Dean and Helen walked to the Amish auction taking place a block distant. I'd seen much of this countryside on previous visits over the past 30 years, but had never gone through actual farm neighborhoods where house after house is only of the Amish. We were fortunate to find haying underway with horses pulling young men standing on the rake as they go back and forth through the fields. We also saw children with miniature horses and buggies, many children playing in the yards, the little girls in their light blue dresses and little caps, and all of them barefoot and just like one wants to see children playing; along with women sitting in the shade on porches spending the afternoon visiting. And then there was one standing on a stepladder washing the siding on the house.
On Friday morning Bob and I went into Meadville to pick up a collapsible clothesline at Home Depot to bring home with us. Doesn't everyone buy such items while on a trip? I've not been able to locate one here, and when I saw how Dean had installed theirs, I was more determined than ever to get one. He put the cylinder into which you place the pole, into the deck floor. The perfect solution for us here in VA where the ground is very hard and/or rocky and trying to dig a hole is often futile. What's more, we can put it on the little deck now off our bedroom which is adjacent to the laundry which is in our master bathroom.
Friday noon we packed up a picnic lunch, hammocks (Dean and Helen really know how to enjoy themselves) books and towels and in our swim suits and water shoes, went down to the lake where we spent the whole afternoon. After lunch Dean showed Bob about kayaking and they went out onto the lake for awhile, with Bob returning to say he would never canoe again. I didn't kayak because of my shoulder, although I could have gone out in a double and had someone else paddle; but I was content on shore. Saku loves the water and he was having a great time, plopping down with feet in front and just letting the water run into his mouth. Helen took him, on his leash, out to the end of the docks, he dog-paddling and loving it. Isn't is interesting how dogs seem to know when you're on your way home again? He was excited and anxious for the drive to PA, and quiet for the whole return; of course, he was probably also tired, but he was really good for the whole trip and will accompany us again next summer.
We took an alternate route home, heading east at Morgantown and into Maryland before heading south again at Hancock. The vistas on that stretch are magnificent, and being on a freeway there is far different than one across Iowa or Indiana.
We're still waiting for our first eggs, and are hopeful the chickens begin producing soon. We discovered that it was deer which ate our tomatoes. They, too, can apparently tell when the resident dog is away as they got three more tomatoes while we were away, along with the tops of the romaine, and the tops of some of the hosta. We've been told that this time of the year they are fattening themselves and will eat just about anything they can. We're not big gardeners by any stretch, but it would be fun to produce some things. We'll have to put our heads together and see what solution we can come up with for next year. I have some ideas. In the meantime, our chard is continuing to grow, we will soon have some peppers, and the leeks are looking good. And the herbs are really flourishing.
Next week my friend, Manako Fujiwara, now of Geo. Mason Univ., is coming to visit for a couple days. I do hope it cools off a bit by then. It just occurred to me the other day that I've known her for 18 years; where does time go?
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Does anyone know what eats green tomatoes
but that didn't take all of them? I looked at our plants this a.m. to find the two tomatoes are missing from the first one in the row. Pretty disgusting when they were about to begin ripening.
I wanted/needed to shower this morning, so Bob got a magic marker and before we removed it, outlined the sling parts so he could put it back correctly. Slings are no longer just a piece of fabric on which you rest an arm. They're complicated with laps and folds and meant to hold the shoulder in place; i.e. to keep you from moving around. It's probably a good thing this happened to my right arm since it's forcing me to take it easy. There are moments, however, when I am not quite so ambidextrous. I've been reminded a number of times that it's okay to ask for help and it was nice to have Bob dry me and apply powder to my upper body after the shower. He's stopping at the library on his way home from the ortho's to get a new supply of reading material, so this afternoon will be spent in the prone position. Tomorrow evening I get to drink my gallon of GoLytely which will not have me prone; whoopee.
We had a great rain last night, badly needed all around and our new flower bed is starting to look really good. The temps have been so good this year for corn, with it being more than shoulder high already. Having lived where you hoped for knee high by the 4th of July, seeing crops so far ahead takes getting used to. I still see the hay bales and in my subconscious think that summer is nearly over when it's only just getting started.
Oops! something has the chickens squawking; I'd better check that out. It was a neighbor's cat and I was surprised to see it as cats wandering in the woods around here is not the norm. In fact, the amount of wildlife we see or find evidence of is surprisingly low. Deer, of course; the rare oppossum, raccoons and skunks dead on or near the roadside. We've not seen the bear for two years, although he has visited neighbors who seem to continue feeding birds which attracts the bear.
Well, that's it for a few days. Friday we're going to pick up peaches to bring with us next week when we go to PA, and Friday evening we're going to Buena Vista to listen to gospel music in the park. It should be a great day.
I wanted/needed to shower this morning, so Bob got a magic marker and before we removed it, outlined the sling parts so he could put it back correctly. Slings are no longer just a piece of fabric on which you rest an arm. They're complicated with laps and folds and meant to hold the shoulder in place; i.e. to keep you from moving around. It's probably a good thing this happened to my right arm since it's forcing me to take it easy. There are moments, however, when I am not quite so ambidextrous. I've been reminded a number of times that it's okay to ask for help and it was nice to have Bob dry me and apply powder to my upper body after the shower. He's stopping at the library on his way home from the ortho's to get a new supply of reading material, so this afternoon will be spent in the prone position. Tomorrow evening I get to drink my gallon of GoLytely which will not have me prone; whoopee.
We had a great rain last night, badly needed all around and our new flower bed is starting to look really good. The temps have been so good this year for corn, with it being more than shoulder high already. Having lived where you hoped for knee high by the 4th of July, seeing crops so far ahead takes getting used to. I still see the hay bales and in my subconscious think that summer is nearly over when it's only just getting started.
Oops! something has the chickens squawking; I'd better check that out. It was a neighbor's cat and I was surprised to see it as cats wandering in the woods around here is not the norm. In fact, the amount of wildlife we see or find evidence of is surprisingly low. Deer, of course; the rare oppossum, raccoons and skunks dead on or near the roadside. We've not seen the bear for two years, although he has visited neighbors who seem to continue feeding birds which attracts the bear.
Well, that's it for a few days. Friday we're going to pick up peaches to bring with us next week when we go to PA, and Friday evening we're going to Buena Vista to listen to gospel music in the park. It should be a great day.
Monday, July 4, 2011
My "oh s..." moment
We've been enjoying beautiful summer weather for the past week with temps in the 80's and 90's and low humidity, but today it's been overcast and we had a little rain. I know; you get tired of hearing about how we love the weather here; but how often do you have temps in the high 80's/low 90's w/33% humidity in MN?
One of the first projects Bob saw needing when we arrived was a power wash of the front deck; a 12 x32 elevated deck off the livingroom and visible through the wall of windows. It was really weathered and looked like a bed of splinters. Well; no more! It's no longer grey and while not one to walk on with bare feet, it looks gorgeous and we've actually felt like sitting out there. Since the view from the livingroom and this deck extends beyond three mountain ranges we thought it should have some color; but what plants do you put out in a location which gets intense sun and heat for 8 hours? Everything that would survive was the same color as the foliage. Until I came to Yucca; but not just Yucca; a striped Yucca in cream and green. Water requirements: arid/dry. Perfect, and in the green pots we already had, they are just what it needed. Now I must look into keeping them over winter without putting them into the ground.
I'm typing this with my left hand, having had an ordeal late yesterday that my mom would have said "well, this wasn't on my agenda". I'd gone to check the girls' - our laying hens - water and as I stepped over the board below the gate intended to keep out critters, a gust of wind came through this mini-tunnel, swinging the gate open while I was still hanging onto it. Since I was in the process of movement, there was momentum and try that I did to stay upright, I failed, falling onto the pallet we use as a step on my right knee and catching myself between the pallet and gate with my right arm. Have you ever had a dislocated shoulder? OMG does that hurt! I found myself in a "I've fallen and can't get up" situation and the chickens were no help at all, just standing there looking at me and after discussing it, turned on their little feet and went back to look for bugs. I hadn't hit my head at all, and after a couple of minutes, needing to take the pressure off my right arm, I was able to grasp the far edge of the gate and pull myself to a more upright position. Bob couldn't hear me because the house was closed up but long story short, I eventually got myself into a position where I could stand up and hobbled down to the house where Bob cared for my immediate needs and then we headed for the emergency room. Fortunately, although busy, they weren't so busy that I couldn't be seen almost immediately. They asked for my name, then ordered an xray and put me in a wheelchair with a pillow for my arm. The tech was there soon and after the second xray got me back in the chair and took me to the examination rooms saying "this woman has a dislocated shoulder; she needs a room NOW." By the time they were ready to put me out to readjust the shoulder, I was ready to do something drastic. What bliss that anesthesia brought. Emergency room personnel are truly special people. But it wasn't just them. The xray tech knew of the excruciating pain that accompanies dislocations and he acted accordingly. We were impressed.
Tomorrow Bob sees the ortho surgeon in prep for his knee replacement surgery in Sept. and later in the week I have a visit with the gastroenterologist. Ah, joy!
The fire works have begun at the neighbor's. More joy. I hope your holiday weekend was one of fun and good food. Except for the slight interlude, ours was; including cold southern fried chicken for breakfast this morning. I didn't get to enjoy it so much last night. Yum.
One of the first projects Bob saw needing when we arrived was a power wash of the front deck; a 12 x32 elevated deck off the livingroom and visible through the wall of windows. It was really weathered and looked like a bed of splinters. Well; no more! It's no longer grey and while not one to walk on with bare feet, it looks gorgeous and we've actually felt like sitting out there. Since the view from the livingroom and this deck extends beyond three mountain ranges we thought it should have some color; but what plants do you put out in a location which gets intense sun and heat for 8 hours? Everything that would survive was the same color as the foliage. Until I came to Yucca; but not just Yucca; a striped Yucca in cream and green. Water requirements: arid/dry. Perfect, and in the green pots we already had, they are just what it needed. Now I must look into keeping them over winter without putting them into the ground.
I'm typing this with my left hand, having had an ordeal late yesterday that my mom would have said "well, this wasn't on my agenda". I'd gone to check the girls' - our laying hens - water and as I stepped over the board below the gate intended to keep out critters, a gust of wind came through this mini-tunnel, swinging the gate open while I was still hanging onto it. Since I was in the process of movement, there was momentum and try that I did to stay upright, I failed, falling onto the pallet we use as a step on my right knee and catching myself between the pallet and gate with my right arm. Have you ever had a dislocated shoulder? OMG does that hurt! I found myself in a "I've fallen and can't get up" situation and the chickens were no help at all, just standing there looking at me and after discussing it, turned on their little feet and went back to look for bugs. I hadn't hit my head at all, and after a couple of minutes, needing to take the pressure off my right arm, I was able to grasp the far edge of the gate and pull myself to a more upright position. Bob couldn't hear me because the house was closed up but long story short, I eventually got myself into a position where I could stand up and hobbled down to the house where Bob cared for my immediate needs and then we headed for the emergency room. Fortunately, although busy, they weren't so busy that I couldn't be seen almost immediately. They asked for my name, then ordered an xray and put me in a wheelchair with a pillow for my arm. The tech was there soon and after the second xray got me back in the chair and took me to the examination rooms saying "this woman has a dislocated shoulder; she needs a room NOW." By the time they were ready to put me out to readjust the shoulder, I was ready to do something drastic. What bliss that anesthesia brought. Emergency room personnel are truly special people. But it wasn't just them. The xray tech knew of the excruciating pain that accompanies dislocations and he acted accordingly. We were impressed.
Tomorrow Bob sees the ortho surgeon in prep for his knee replacement surgery in Sept. and later in the week I have a visit with the gastroenterologist. Ah, joy!
The fire works have begun at the neighbor's. More joy. I hope your holiday weekend was one of fun and good food. Except for the slight interlude, ours was; including cold southern fried chicken for breakfast this morning. I didn't get to enjoy it so much last night. Yum.
Monday, June 27, 2011
June 27, 2011
It's my brother Dean's birthday today and I'm thinking he'll spend it relaxing a bit after having had son Jeremy's family there for several days. Yesterday Jeremy and Helen and the kids embarked on their new adventure, a move cross-country to the Seattle area. Another place for Dean and Helen to visit and close to brother Bruce in Centralia.
Last week Bob completed some carpentry projects, and I worked on the bed of iris; and I do mean 'bed'. They'd been allowed to grow for what must be decades leaving a solid mass of bulbs and leaves about 75 ft. square. In that particular location they may as well have been planted in cement and it's truly tedious to get them out. I was also working to clean up around two very large Butterfly bushes which are just now setting flowers and coupled with all the pollen from the adjacent wildflower bed I soon had a terrific headache. So much for those plans.
The new driveway circle bed is looking really great and we can hardly wait for the smaller plants to begin growing, especially the Russian Sage in the middle.
Yesterday we had a fun and sweet couple over for brunch after church. We'd decided to serve fresh-squeezed o.j. and lucked out in finding a bag of Valencias at Wally World. The juice was yummy. We've enjoyed Bobby Flay's Brunch show on the Food Network, and Bob did two dishes, both of which we had already tried out to make certain they'd be good. The first was Apple Pie Oatmeal, a small portion served in a ramekin. It's cooked oatmeal which you layer with previously slightly cooked apple and craisins and then put it under the broiler for a crisp sugar-y top. The "main" course was Poached egg served on a baguette slice (Bob made the baguettes on Saturday). The baguette is grilled, then spread with a goat cheese/honey/black pepper/olive oil/WW vinegar mixture, covered with thinly sliced tomatoes, then the poached egg which you cut and open slightly and a sprinkle of watercress. It calls for microgreen sprouts which in this part of Virginia is as well known as lutefisk. I made a fresh peach cobbler for dessert.
Tomorrow Jack and Anne Hershbell are coming to see our completed projects and the chickens and for lunch. They have a donkey, Marvin, and guinea hens which serve as alarms, but which also wander around and tend to get run over. In a couple weeks we should start getting eggs from our "girls."
The weather has been odd again, and forecasts keep changing. We love the cool nights as it makes for wonderful sleeping weather, but some of the locals think waking to 52 degrees in June is a bit extreme. There's nothing we can do about the weather, so we try to go with the flow.
Until later.........
Last week Bob completed some carpentry projects, and I worked on the bed of iris; and I do mean 'bed'. They'd been allowed to grow for what must be decades leaving a solid mass of bulbs and leaves about 75 ft. square. In that particular location they may as well have been planted in cement and it's truly tedious to get them out. I was also working to clean up around two very large Butterfly bushes which are just now setting flowers and coupled with all the pollen from the adjacent wildflower bed I soon had a terrific headache. So much for those plans.
The new driveway circle bed is looking really great and we can hardly wait for the smaller plants to begin growing, especially the Russian Sage in the middle.
Yesterday we had a fun and sweet couple over for brunch after church. We'd decided to serve fresh-squeezed o.j. and lucked out in finding a bag of Valencias at Wally World. The juice was yummy. We've enjoyed Bobby Flay's Brunch show on the Food Network, and Bob did two dishes, both of which we had already tried out to make certain they'd be good. The first was Apple Pie Oatmeal, a small portion served in a ramekin. It's cooked oatmeal which you layer with previously slightly cooked apple and craisins and then put it under the broiler for a crisp sugar-y top. The "main" course was Poached egg served on a baguette slice (Bob made the baguettes on Saturday). The baguette is grilled, then spread with a goat cheese/honey/black pepper/olive oil/WW vinegar mixture, covered with thinly sliced tomatoes, then the poached egg which you cut and open slightly and a sprinkle of watercress. It calls for microgreen sprouts which in this part of Virginia is as well known as lutefisk. I made a fresh peach cobbler for dessert.
Tomorrow Jack and Anne Hershbell are coming to see our completed projects and the chickens and for lunch. They have a donkey, Marvin, and guinea hens which serve as alarms, but which also wander around and tend to get run over. In a couple weeks we should start getting eggs from our "girls."
The weather has been odd again, and forecasts keep changing. We love the cool nights as it makes for wonderful sleeping weather, but some of the locals think waking to 52 degrees in June is a bit extreme. There's nothing we can do about the weather, so we try to go with the flow.
Until later.........
Sunday, June 19, 2011
This evening Bob said
"next year I'm not going to move a tree on Fathers' Day." I agreed. We had a smallish conifer planted by a previous resident in an awkward location, and a neighbor with a backhoe said she (yes, she) would move it. With our supervision and her manipulation of the machinery, we first got the new hole dug and readied it for the tree. An hour and a half later, and deciding I couldn't watch any longer, the tree roots were finally untangled from the roots of a nearby oak and replanted. It looks wonderful, now at the far end of our large driveway circle which another neighbor has been working on for us. Earlier tonight we had a nice, although brief, rain which will be good for the newly planted perennials.
Tomorrow we'll continue with flower gardening and the removal of nine gazillion lilies of the valley and daffodil leaves. Working on the circle today convinced me that that would be enough to take care of, so the spot closer to the house is going to have only butterfly bushes, a crepe myrtle, some Siberbian iris clumps (would anyone like some? we have about 13 thousand, all growing on top of each other) and a small cutting garden from seeds I scattered two years ago.
It's supposed to be hot and rainy during the coming week. Not our favorite weather, but the nights cool off so beautifully here, and when it's hot we feel no guilt for enjoying happy hour (reading and naps) when it gets hot; actually we don't feel much guilt even if it isn't hot - or raining. That's what retirement is all about, isn't it?
Tomorrow we'll continue with flower gardening and the removal of nine gazillion lilies of the valley and daffodil leaves. Working on the circle today convinced me that that would be enough to take care of, so the spot closer to the house is going to have only butterfly bushes, a crepe myrtle, some Siberbian iris clumps (would anyone like some? we have about 13 thousand, all growing on top of each other) and a small cutting garden from seeds I scattered two years ago.
It's supposed to be hot and rainy during the coming week. Not our favorite weather, but the nights cool off so beautifully here, and when it's hot we feel no guilt for enjoying happy hour (reading and naps) when it gets hot; actually we don't feel much guilt even if it isn't hot - or raining. That's what retirement is all about, isn't it?
Friday, June 17, 2011
Now, after 2-1/2 years in Virginia
we still love our house, the setting and living in the woods. What's changed is that we don't like Staunton so much, finding it to be stuck in the 20th C. - perhaps the mid-80's. The town seems to have added new businesses too quickly when money was available; now wherever you drive there are scores of vacant buildings. The downtown area's quaintness was great when there were truly thriving businesses; now we find that it's only depressing. Shopping here means driving from one area to another, and even then the choices are rather dismal. Being retired we have no need to shop for career-oriented clothing but the choice of JCP, a smallish Belk's and Peebles isn't exactly a shopper's paradise; but perhaps the choices speak to what the natives want.
We enjoy going to Charlottesville for major food buying trips where we can visit Whole Foods, Food of All Nations (tinned mushy peas anyone?) and a wonderful deli called Feast! where we can buy great cheeses and salumi and other items such as vinegars and olive oils. And, of course, a Latino and Asian market side by side where we stock up on items not available at all in Staunton. We've also discovered a couple of eating establishments, but this is something we partake in rarely; why eat out when you can make it better at home. We've been to the Boars Head Inn 3-4 times and have never failed to enjoy the meal.
We're nearly finished now with our second remodel of our kitchen, doing this time what should have been done the first but I guess we just couldn't get our head around the idea of removing a patio door and replacing it with a window. Actually, it's good we waited; now the patio door is in our master bedroom looking out onto a lovely flower garden (or what will soon be lovely). What a huge difference that made. Anyway, we now have a kitchen measuring 12 x 18, with a 6' window above the sink looking out into the woods across our driveway. The difference is simply magical and except for one, we've reused all the cabinetry from the original kitchen. Add to that a 3' x 8' commercial SS island with shelving above, lighting and heat lamp and small sink; a 30" x48" SS worktable next to the 40 yr. old Garland 6 burner/griddle/open broiler/2-oven stove we picked up in Chicago back in January, a breakfast bar we built in the closet under the stairs, and an electric convection oven. And we can't forget the wonderful 3-door, bottom freezer LG refrig.
We moved the laundry room down into our large master bath, and put the wine cooler and "dog" refrigerator behind the door where the stacked W/D used to reside. For those of you who don't know, we make our own dog food: raw gr. beef, chicken livers (supplemented with occasional bear or venison if a neighbor has been hunting) cooked brown rice, garlic, and shredded carrots and fresh broccoli. We've been grieving the loss of Bob's dog Rosie whom we had to put down at the first of April. She was 12 and had beat cancer 4 times; she couldn't win the 5th round. Now we have just Saku, another Giant Schnauzer, who's 3-1/2. He's still a puppy and loves to go down to, and in, the Calfpasture River, some 60-70 feet down the hill from our house.
A month ago Bob drove to Luray and brought home 6 laying hens, so next month we can expect to begin harvesting eggs. The previous owner had a coop so after much discussion and changing of minds, we decided to give it a try. Saku just discovered them out in their yard a couple days ago, and while he barked a little bit, they all lined up along the fence and looked at him. We're enjoying them alot. They have a safe coop to spend the night in and it's fun to see how they come running when they hear us. The first couple nights I went out to bed them down and had to chase them around and pick them up; now when we go out they're in the coop on the roost or huddled into a corner. Does anyone know why they all huddle into a corner?
Tomorrow we're going to Chile's Peach Orchard in Crozet for our first fresh peaches of the season. What a treat that is going to be. And this year we're going to do some canning. Imagine! a husband that wants to can.
Our little herb garden is going really well; we have about 8 tomatoes on our plants; the leeks,peppers, chard, and green onions are growing like crazy - and of course radishes. With the hot weather we've been having, corn is already knee high and there are great hay bales around the countryside. Having lived in Minnesota so long that makes me think that summer is nearing its end, when it's only just getting started.
We enjoy going to Charlottesville for major food buying trips where we can visit Whole Foods, Food of All Nations (tinned mushy peas anyone?) and a wonderful deli called Feast! where we can buy great cheeses and salumi and other items such as vinegars and olive oils. And, of course, a Latino and Asian market side by side where we stock up on items not available at all in Staunton. We've also discovered a couple of eating establishments, but this is something we partake in rarely; why eat out when you can make it better at home. We've been to the Boars Head Inn 3-4 times and have never failed to enjoy the meal.
We're nearly finished now with our second remodel of our kitchen, doing this time what should have been done the first but I guess we just couldn't get our head around the idea of removing a patio door and replacing it with a window. Actually, it's good we waited; now the patio door is in our master bedroom looking out onto a lovely flower garden (or what will soon be lovely). What a huge difference that made. Anyway, we now have a kitchen measuring 12 x 18, with a 6' window above the sink looking out into the woods across our driveway. The difference is simply magical and except for one, we've reused all the cabinetry from the original kitchen. Add to that a 3' x 8' commercial SS island with shelving above, lighting and heat lamp and small sink; a 30" x48" SS worktable next to the 40 yr. old Garland 6 burner/griddle/open broiler/2-oven stove we picked up in Chicago back in January, a breakfast bar we built in the closet under the stairs, and an electric convection oven. And we can't forget the wonderful 3-door, bottom freezer LG refrig.
We moved the laundry room down into our large master bath, and put the wine cooler and "dog" refrigerator behind the door where the stacked W/D used to reside. For those of you who don't know, we make our own dog food: raw gr. beef, chicken livers (supplemented with occasional bear or venison if a neighbor has been hunting) cooked brown rice, garlic, and shredded carrots and fresh broccoli. We've been grieving the loss of Bob's dog Rosie whom we had to put down at the first of April. She was 12 and had beat cancer 4 times; she couldn't win the 5th round. Now we have just Saku, another Giant Schnauzer, who's 3-1/2. He's still a puppy and loves to go down to, and in, the Calfpasture River, some 60-70 feet down the hill from our house.
A month ago Bob drove to Luray and brought home 6 laying hens, so next month we can expect to begin harvesting eggs. The previous owner had a coop so after much discussion and changing of minds, we decided to give it a try. Saku just discovered them out in their yard a couple days ago, and while he barked a little bit, they all lined up along the fence and looked at him. We're enjoying them alot. They have a safe coop to spend the night in and it's fun to see how they come running when they hear us. The first couple nights I went out to bed them down and had to chase them around and pick them up; now when we go out they're in the coop on the roost or huddled into a corner. Does anyone know why they all huddle into a corner?
Tomorrow we're going to Chile's Peach Orchard in Crozet for our first fresh peaches of the season. What a treat that is going to be. And this year we're going to do some canning. Imagine! a husband that wants to can.
Our little herb garden is going really well; we have about 8 tomatoes on our plants; the leeks,peppers, chard, and green onions are growing like crazy - and of course radishes. With the hot weather we've been having, corn is already knee high and there are great hay bales around the countryside. Having lived in Minnesota so long that makes me think that summer is nearing its end, when it's only just getting started.
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