This month, our road was paved, Bob repaired our refrigerator and harvested the first ginger, Camille went to the State Fair, we celebrated two birthdays, and received a visit from a former house mate.
BIG DEAL
We got super excited when the pavers resurfaced the Moncure Pittsboro road. Our path to town will be smooth for years to come!
After the stripers laid down a temporary yellow line, Bob got out there with a rake and smoothed out the lawn.
The smoother surface means even faster trucks.
OCTOBER EYE-CANDY
A bug-free month for our organically grown roses. Pink Peace and Double Delight responded to cooler weather with aromatic magnificence.
FRIGIDAIRE REPAIR MAN
We began to see water pooling underneath the veggie drawers in our refrigerator, so Bob tackled the problem, armed with a browser, some tools, and a big dose of gumption. The first thing we did was put all the food into coolers. Then, Bob removed and retired the ice maker. We’ve been using ice cube trays for about a year anyway, after realizing the ice maker gave ice a funny taste. That’s one less thing to clog or break.
MR. MAN
No job too daunting, no space too small. Bob took a lot of things apart before he discovered a plugged valve. He had spent days searching self-help articles and videos for possible problems. Even so, he did some shooting in the dark because he was unable to find our refrigerator model.
FINGERS CROSSED
Turned out it was as good as new after two hours of work. Three weeks later, and still no water pooling beneath the veggie drawers. When it happens again in six or seven years, we’ll know exactly which valve to clean out. Way to save the cost of a service call, Bob!
NC STATE FAIR
Camille got a hankering to drive up to Raleigh for the State Fair, and easily talked her friend, Judy, into going along. They had a whopping good time, and saw lots of cool stuff. Check out: NC State Fair 2017
BABY GINGER
Bob began harvesting and processing ginger, so pink and tender, and such a timely tonic for our change-of-season-challenged immune systems.
We freeze the minced ginger in tablespoons, which later get packed in bags for easy storage and use. All of this ginger came from the mother root above the cookie sheet.
SURPRISE!
We joined Anky and Chris, their family and friends to celebrate Chris’s birthday, and were joined via skype by Jason and Haruka from Morocco. See the whole story at: Chris’s 50th Birthday Party
JAY MEETS SPOT SR.
The inimitable Jay Thrasher spent a couple of nights at Trouts Farm. He is one of a handful of people who have had their photo taken with both Spot, and his little brother, Mini Spot. That’s because we met Jay in Ghana when he came to live in the house we shared with Bob’s co-workers.
TAMI’S BIRTHDAY POTLUCK
We celebrated Tami’s birthday with a potluck and two key lime pies from Angelina’s Kitchen, made with limes grown by Screech at The Plant. If you have not had her key lime pie, you must pick up the phone and order one!
CROKINOLE
It’s coming on crokinole season, with the shorter days and cooler temperatures. The kids played before dinner, and the adults played after. That white dust on the board is not what it appears. Bob sprinkles the board with talc specifically made for this game, and one of the players got carried away.
TWEENS
Neighbors and friends, Dimitrius and Noah.
AT WORK
Bob sells wine at a festival, while Camille ambles down the trail at The Plant. Bob has recently thrown in with Fair Game Beverage Company, smoothly navigating a challenging transition, while Camille hangs on to her easy, mostly outdoors, work grooming gardens and grounds. See more of this month’s work photos on: Our Work Environment
ON THE WAY HOME
Bob saw a cloud with a round hole in it on his way home from the wine festival.
ROCKING IT
Young Nolan is into rocks, big time. And he just so happens to live at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.
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THIS MONTH’S QUOTES:
“The opposite of people who drag you down isn’t people who build you up and butter you up. It’s equals who are generous but keep you accountable, true mirrors who reflect back who you are and what you are doing. We keep each other honest, we keep each other good with our feedback, our intolerance of meanness and falsehood, our demands that the people we are with listen, respect, respond—if we are allowed to, if we are free and valued ourselves. There is a democracy of social discourse, in which we are reminded that, as we are beset with desires and fears and feelings, so are others.” – Rebecca Solnit
“The time your friends need you, is when they’re wrong. They don’t need you when they’re right.” – Harper Lee in Go Set a Watchman
“I have come now to realize that hate is just fear worn inside out.” – William Jon Watkins, in “The Tracker”
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