Spring has sprung in our neighborhood, bringing with it home grown deliciousness, our annual neighborhood Trail Crawl and another energizing edition of the Spring Shakori Hills Grassroots Music Festival. To our delight Emily, Amy and Molly joined us at the festival, Trail Crawl was nourishing and unforgettable, we never ran out of asparagus all month and Camille took a little wander up to the Shenandoah to hang out with Stephanie.
BABY BLUE AND THE FARM CREW
Baby Blue was a welcome sight at the plant because it meant that Tami was back in town.
With the arrival of Spring, the farm crew decided to get serious and escort a small herd of deer off the farm. So off we went to flush and chase seven white tailed deer off the farm.
BAD DAY FOR THE DEER, GOOD DAY FOR THE DEEP FREEZE
It was all over in seconds. The deer flushed and scattered far and wide. Then someone reported they had gone out the gate on the other side of the property. We walked up there and found a doe who had missed the gate and mistook the honeysuckle covered fence for cover. She must have crashed into it and broken her neck and was dead in minutes. It didn’t take long to decide the best course of action was to make venison out of the mishap. This would be akin to making lemonade out of lemons.
ASPARAGUS AND MORELS
Here’s what we know about Spring – it’s full of deliciousness! Edible Earthscapes kept us in tender asparagus shoots for weeks, tomatoes from Screech Owl Greenhouses, arugula from our garden and morels and winecaps from the back yard. Yum! More groovy food and garden photos at Homegrown Food
TRAIL CRAWL
One of our favorite annual events wherein thirty or so neighbors walk the trails from one house to another noshing on great food, chewing over tall tales and negotiating obstacles. See all the fun on: Trail Crawl 2014
PEAR BLOSSOMS AND CONTAINER GARDENING
The promise of Spring blooms in our yard in many wonderful ways. For more fun pictures, go to: Spring Exuberance
OIL SAMPLES
Bob had his work cut out for him, testing all these oil samples from the fryer at Angelina’s Kitchen. He’s been working on a Virgin Oils Project, taking daily samples from the deep fryer at Angelina’s Kitchen.
BIOCHAR
Jason and Malcolm joined Bob for an experimental firing of a biochar stove and watched as the chimney melted from the intense heat.
POTLUCK
Another fine monthly potluck featuring another fine chocolate beet cake with a nice mix of old friends and new.
HARUKA’s BIRTHDAY
This month we had potluck on both a full moon AND Haruka’s birthday. She made a wish and blew the candles out and then we all ate cake and ice cream. Some traditions never get old.
SPOT GETS TO HANG WITH FAMILY!
Emily, Tyler and Steven flew in from Colorado, much to Spot’s delight. Molly, Shane and Amy also drove in so we had a full house.
SHAKORI!!!
Our second favorite Spring event is this great little music festival which can be described as a mini-Woodstock. Having our daughters here made it all that much more fun! Read all about it at: Spring Shakori 2014
FROG IN THE POND
The little frog we left behind in 2012 has gotten quite grown up. Four goldfish remained in the pond and someone added a deer skull to the landscape while we were gone, too.
BETTY
Camille drove north to the Shenandoah to spend a week with Stephanie and stopped to visit Betty Armentrout on the way there. They talked about everything, even Easter Island. That’s when Betty asked if Camille had noticed her stone man outside. Since it had been raining at the time, Camille had not. So outside they went and sure enough, there under clearing skies was the stone man who indeed much resembled one of those Easter Island heads.
WRITER’s HAVEN
In case you wonder what it looks like to write a book, here’s a glimpse into the process. Thanks to Camille’s lovely hosts Stephanie, Andrea and Ed, a week spent writing was more like a party than work. The key to success lies in the breaks; the outings, food and animal adventures. More details on our week at and away from the desk on: Writer’s Haven
PHOTO OP AT THE APPLE ORCHARD
Another writing day, another diversion. There’s no better excuse for visiting a pretty place than to bring a couple of cameras and click away. See the difference between two photographer’s eyes at: Shenandoah Orchard
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THIS MONTH’s QUOTES:
“Tellers of stories with ink on paper, not that they matter any more, have been either swoopers or bashers. Swoopers write a story quickly, higgledy-piggledy, crinkum-crankum, any which way. Then they go over it again painstakingly, fixing everything that is just plain awful or doesn’t work. Bashers go one sentence at a time, getting it exactly right before they go on to the next one. When they’re done they’re done.” – Kurt Vonnegut from Timequake
“My lifelong goal is to sort out the difference between “need” and “want.” My practices change over time, but the goal is consistent: to learn to live a happy, useful life on this earth without using up an unnecessary share of its goods.” – Barbara Kingsolver
“The movements which work revolutions in the world are born out of the dreams and visions in a peasant’s heart on the hillside. For them the earth is not exploitable ground but the living mother.” – James Joyce
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