It's All About the Garden

Belated Happy 4th of July (from Eunice and me)

It has been a wonderful week, with great friends dropping by, lots of spinning to do, big projects nearing completion and a little time on the road for a change. At last I have my car back, after it spent a couple of months helping out the SO because his vehicles were all terminal!

The fruits (or, rather, vegetables) of labor

I've spent a good many satisfying hours out in the little garden this past week or so and loved every minute of it. If I had to chose between spinning and gardening....well... Have I fooled you with the picture of the lovely squash, cukes and peppers? This is the mountain, remember, and we had a heavy frost on May 17 this year. So my garden really looks like this....

Time in a garden....

We do have some lovely heirloom tomato plants, and there are little tomatoes on almost all of them. All green so far. I planted broccoli and brussel sprouts before we went on vacation and they're showing signs of growing now, after I weeded and weeded the rows. June is not a good time for a gardener to go on vacation. My only harvest, though, is some lovely lettuce from the two different types I planted and I've been living on salads for a couple of weeks. On Wednesday I weeded and weeded, mulched and mulched, and planted half-runner beans, sweet corn and a row of marigolds. I also lugged some big pots out to the garden and planted nasturtiums and marigolds in them.

Keeping company by the garden

It was such a love day. I brought Lily out to stay with me while I worked, and she settled down under the big spruce tree to watch. Frequent breaks sitting with her and reading with a glass of iced sweet tea made the day even more pleasant. The breezes were lovely and made working out in the garden a pleasure.

Pea blossoms

We put some little fences up for the peas and there are a few little pods growing along with the blooms. So it won't be long until we have some peas. The rows are quite short so I may have to save them up over the summer for one meal!

Crisp garden lettuce

The cool breezes and wetter weather have been great for my lettuce and I almost hate to pick the pretty leaves. So not going to let it waste, though, if I can help it. The big pot belonged to my grandmother, my father's mother, and I set it up on a big concrete block. Every garden needs a focal point, huh?

Greenberry House at the farmer's market

And the lovely squash and stuff in the picture above? The product of a real farmer's labor, Wayne Kirkpatrick in Stuart. "Below the mountain" the season starts a good bit earlier than it does in Meadows of Dan. I went down early on Friday morning to participate in the Patrick County Farmers Market, which is open every Friday morning during the season. I was there before seven but farmers were already setting up and customers were coming in very soon after.


Mary Jo and Charlie Leet

This week's market was something of a special event, and several farmers and artisans were set up, along with some fantastic musicians. It made for a lovely start to a busy weekend. There were more beautiful vegetables than I can post pictures of here, but more are in my Flickr album.

Daylily at Farmers Market

One thing I loved about the farmers market was that some things were food for the soul as well as to nurture the body. Several farmers had cut flowers for sale and there were daylily plants available as well. Just looking at all of the beautiful products was a pleasure...every piece seemed polished and buffed for display with care.

I bought red potatoes, some lovely small squash, some beautiful purple onions and some tiny black potatoes as an experiment to saute in olive oil and garlic. And lovely Mary Jo gave me an ENORMOUS bag of green beans, Blue Lake, that I'll eat fresh and also freeze the rest.

Speaking of markets, it looks as though the Crafts in the Meadows festival was a great success yesterday. It has been raining all day today (good for the garden but not great for festival vendors) so I'm not sure how they are fareing. It has been pretty busy at the shop today so hopefully the crafters and authors are getting visitors. Last night we enjoyed fireworks and music at Christopher's Pizza, just down the road. The next big festival here in Meadows of Dan is the Folk Fair, on August 8. Sounds like some good things are planned!

Buy Local!

Fresh strawberries!

There's a Strawberry Festival in Stuart, Virginia, on Saturday.  Bet you can find some of these there, too!

Anticipation

Of Late Summer's Sweet Harvest


And Looking Forward to Fall


Watching for a Share of Mama's Lunch


Joyful Hope Springs Eternal!

Another Week Went...ZIP!

Tuesday Night Dinner


Clouds are gathering here today; I thought they said it would be sunny! We had some terrific storms this week and lots of rain to make the corn maze grow. I've been busy getting flyers and advertising ready for the Meadows of Dan Folk Fair, which is next weekend. Yikes!

Tuesday Night Dinner was here at the shop and our theme was Eat Local. Everyone didn a great job; Kym made wonderful veggie things from fresh from her dad's garden, Trinity made beef turnovers and an awesome berry cobbler from fresh picked blackberries and blueberries. My little contribution was fresh eggs and potato salad, both from right down the road.


Janie's hibiscus

I'm babysitting. Poor Janie is missing some gorgeous blooms!

Tuesday Night Dinner Got a Little Crazy

Wonderful meal!

Dinner at Trinity and Josh's place included absolutely wonderful grilled and sauced steak bits, a truly delightful pasta and shrimp dish with pesto (I think), awesome dip stuff with chips, really amazing muffins by Kym (she's becoming an expert with the muffin pan) sweet potato soup, bread and strawberries and cake for dessert.


Boop Girls!

Then things got really fun. Trinity's theme for the evening was "first date" so we dressed up like '50s date night. Or as close an approximation as we could get. Trinity did a Patrick County version:


Mountain Gothic

More crazy pictures here and here!

Where Have I Been, You Ask....

or maybe not, as the case may be. But I've really been doing more than sitting around in torn stockings knitting the never-ending Trekking sock. Seems like every time I turn around, there's a meeting to be attended, a web page to be updated, a friend to enjoy time with or a fantastic meal to be eaten. From the picture it looks like I should be doing a good bit less of the last!


Elegant Grilled Chicken Salad

But speaking of wonderful meals, yesterday was top of the line as I went off to Chateau Morrisette for a lovely day with the Virginia Fiber Folk from Ravelry. "Stitching with the dogs" was a smashing success despite a foggy, drearly day. Ten knitters and two crocheters (me and Mary!) made it to the lovely restaurant at the winery for a lively day of visiting, eating, knitting and just enjoying pleasant surroundings with congenial folk!



Liz did a wonderful job of putting everything together, and decided to bring door prizes so everyone had something great to take along home (she was nice enough to include me in this as well; it was fun to give away a crochet hook to Mary and a fancy knitting counter to Kimberly. She also had a commemorative T-shirt made up for us that I'll treasure along with the memories. There was a lot of knitting done along with the chatting and eating, so I think we all felt that we accomplished a great deal. The minute most of the ladies sat down they whipped out their needles and hooks.

After lunch and a leisurely time knitting, most of the group headed over to the winery for a tour and some wine tasting. I went back to the shop to handle a few things and talk with one of my vendors before the knitters came down, but we had another nice visit while they were here. It was a full and lovely day. I know Liz blogged about the event and I'm sure I'll find some other accounts of stitching at the winery.



Lately I sort of feel like the towel that Lily and TJ are playing with, pulled in a lot of different directions! But things are settling down now, I think. The shop is open for regular hours now, from 10 AM to 6 PM on Thursday thru Monday. I've been working a lot on other web sites this winter, but will probably concentrate on my own for the shop and getting some vendor products on-line. I just put up a big shipment of knitting needles, circulars, bamboo and metal (the wretched people backordered almost all of the lovely Rosewood) and vendors are sending in some beautiful yarns that are going fast.

We have a new bookstore opening in Meadows of Dan next weekend; I'll try to sneak over and take some pictures when they unlock the doors. And sister-in-law Sue opened up her shop this week. She's going to be very busy with the shop while Sammy and the Lonesome River Band are off touring in Japan!

Monday Night Dinner

Turkey basted in apple butter and bar-b-que sauce, broccoli and tortollini, lovely crusty bread, figs for a Valentine's treat, avocado and almond chilled soup, guacamole and for desert chocolate cake! Next week it's at Mom's for Wendell's famous homemade spagetti sauce!

Luxury!

Lazy Day of Luxury

Waht to do on a rainy afternoon, after a delightful trip with friends into town? My choice was curling up in my cozy sitting room with good books, a purring cat, a contented spaniel at my feet and a cool yogurt shake. The rain pounded the windows and roof and the wind blew, but we were happy in our little corner. It's the little things that make me happy; an old tin tray, a book loaned by a friend and the closeness of the animals.

Today the sun is bright and I'm listening to old Paul Simon while I work. Already customers are wandering in out of the sunshine and it should be a nice day. I spent the last week doing a complete overhaul of Mountain Meadow Farm and Craft Market's web site. Check it out when you get the chance; I think it turned out beautifully!


After Dinner Gardening

Sister-in-law Sue gave me ripe avocados from California on Sunday, and I had to hurry and do something with them on Monday. Since I was going to Danville, Monday night dinner took place without me but I went ahead and made soup and guacamole for next week and froze them.

When I was a teenager I loved having plants and did a lot of experimenting with growing things from seed. A neighbor of a friend (we called her "Grandma Yeatts" even though she was no relation) gave us cuttings from her vast collection and seeds from a very, very hot ornamental pepper that we kept going for years. I found a book, After Dinner Gardening in a used book store not long after I got my first driver's licence and Judy and I spent half our time rescuing vegetable seeds from our mothers. Avocados, however, were rarely on the dinner table so we bought the fruit ourselves to obtain the pits just fo planting. Neither of us at the time knew anything about avocados, and I had barely heard of guacamole. We threw away the fruit and kept the pit!

I abandoned my horticultural efforts over the years, ,but when I saw the pits resting in the avocado peels I couldn't resist potting them up. They're nestled by the window in the corner of my sitting room, and we'll see if I get an avocado tree before long.

Sandwich Party

This is really not my fault. I can't help it if I'm surrounded with wonderful cooks who like to get together so I can enjoy marvelous food every Monday. Nor can I help it that it's the holiday season, and lots more wonderful things will be coming my way. And I really can't help it that JAG and Elsa decided to throw an on-line sandwich party this weekend.

I really intended to go get ingredients and put together something, but after seeing the chip butty and ham-and-mac-and-cheese, not to mention other wonderful concoctions, I realized I was outclassed and so opted out in favor of a local delicacy.


Hungry Hillbilly Sub Sandwich

This is a Hungry Hillbilly. Made with care by Charley so I could take the perfect photo, this stately sandwich is comprised of turkey, ham, American cheese (of course),bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. I usually skip the tomato, except for when they are in season locally, and I generally have the lovely girls at Poor Farmer's Market, where this sandwich is created, add onion. This sandwich is probably better heated, but I like it fine cold.


Perfect meal

There is some debate among the natives as to the perfect accompaniment to a Hungry Hillbilly. I generally go for Lay's Sour Cream and Onion potato chips, while others prefer BBQ or even Salt and Vinegar. Today I chose Frito's Original Corn chips, because Dad had some last night and I've been wanting them ever since. Liquid refreshment is also varied, with everything from Bud Light (but not at the store), white or red wine and bottled water enjoyed with the sub. Carbonation is generally preferred; I like a good old Diet Dr. Pepper. And I have to read my current book while I'm enjoying my meal.

So now I'm going to go enjoy my sandwich, since blogging the same has taken longer than eating it will!

Cold Week in Meadows of Dan!

First Snow!

It's hard to see in the photo but we did have some snow yesterday; two showers of it that didn't amount to anything. It was pretty as it fell, though, and fun to take an early morning walk. This morning it was clear and cold, cold, cold, with a biting wind. The moon and the stars were so crisp and close in the sky.


We is CUTE!

We had a newcomer to our Monday night dinner this week. "Beast" is the new puppy that belongs to Trinity and Josh. I can see the beastliness, myself. The little guy was all snuggles, a little scared at first but he soon calmed down and he and Bentley, Kym's fine dog, spent the evening entertaining us and playing. Banjo, Kym's tidy little black and white tuxedo cat, had to show off with all the attention that the dogs were getting and paraded around, finally settling to purr in my lap!


The theme was Cuban

I can't tell you the names of the dishes but everything was marvelous! An amazing chicken recipe from Kym along with yucca and a black bean-rice-and-banana wonder. I'm not fond of cooked bananas but Kym can make anything wonderful. Trinity made some great dips and a sort of stuffed beef with cheese pastry thing that was splendid!

The rest of the week has been lovely, if not exciting. Favorite cousin and I spent a morning together, which was nice, and then on my day off I sheared rabbits and straightened the house a bit. This really cold weather makes the rabbit chores a little harder, with frozen water bottles. The rabbits seem to much prefer the cooler weather, otherwise! It's a cozy time to curl up in my big chair after chores and knit, read and crochet.


No, you can't have it back, Mama!

Lily likes to lay at my feet and she takes more than her fair share of whatever lap rug I drape over me!

Did Y'all Miss Me?

I've been down with my usual fall allergies. Somehow I just don't feel creative when I'm sneezing and coughing all over the place!


Monday Night Dinner!

In spite of my ills, lots has been going on around here. I had another lovely day out at Chateau Morrisette, for the Pet Adoption event sponsored by the winery and put on by some local humane societies. Lots of delightful dogs and cats found new homes despite a windy start to the day. It turned out to be beautiful, though, and everyone had lots of fun with the animals.

Awhile back my friend Kym suggested we get together once a week and have dinner, so we have been gathering every Monday night since. Two more friends joined in right away and we've been having a lot of fun. Kym and Trinity cook; I bring a salad. They are so creative: we've had Mexican, home-cooking, a cook-out with spooky tales in the dark, Cajun and Chinese. Next week it's Greek!

FO:


Windy City Scarf

The Windy City Scarf is done! I call it Windy in the Country but I might go to the city sometime. I really enjoyed doing this simple pattern and I think I learned a lot. One thing I did figure out was that knitting can really be much faster than I used to think! I made a few errors but at least I can see them. I think I'll try a hat for my next knitting project.


Finished Felted Crocheted Bag

I always said I'd never be interested in one of those little music players, but I received one as a premium on one of my business accounts awhile back. I've had a bit of fun with it. My playlist isn't as interesting as JAG'sm though. I'm so old-fashioned, I'm afraid! I put together this little bag to keep it in. The bag that came with the thing was too little and all the wires and stuff kept tangling up with the bag's lanyards. I might decorate this one a bit more or, knowing me, put it somewhere after the novelty wears off, music player inside!