Year of 2007

The following is a consolidated version of our live's in 2007:

January: We started out 2007 by having Trudy out to Phoenix and we had a great time. One detail that we can't forget is the 2 days of freezing temperatures in Phoenix. Our patio was in pristine condition...all the plants were beautifully manicured and many plants had been shown a lot of attention (summer shading, trellising, pruning, etc.) If you know James at all, you know what I mean! :) Well, the freezing temps. hold no mercy for such things. I remember waking up and seeing crispy brown leaves on almost every plant outside. And one other detail I would like to forget, but am reminded of in the following picture: I got a perm this month (I know...what was I thinking)

We returned with Trudy to NC in the middle of January. Due to an unsuccessful attempt at buying land in NC in Aug.'06, James & I began researching ways to farm without actually owning land. We happened across Raft Swamp Farms (mentioned in beginning blogs) and our trip out in Jan. was to meet the owners and to check out the farm. We had a great time and were pretty sure that we wanted to make the move from AZ and try our hand in farming. During our Jan. visit we spent time with James & Trudy, and the picture below is of our visit to Fort Fisher:

We finally decided that we were going to go for the move, which meant we needed to sell our house. In order to get it ready to sell, we spent a lot of time in February & March doing house projects. They seemed to just keep adding up, but by the middle of March we had our house listed. In the midst of all of this, we kept our sanity by many an afternoon in our community garden, which I am happy to say is still being operated by my sister Jessica. (Jess..you have done a fantastic job & I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see this project still going!) Here's some pictures:

April came & went but not without many days cleaning the house (almost everyday...in order to show it to potential buyers). To be honest, it was ridiculous how clean we kept our house & I will never do that again! Although a good portion of that month was stressful, the end of the month brought a much needed break. My good friend, Natalie, & I both have birthdays in April (2 days apart) so we went up to her mom's to celebrate. It was a delight...minus the scare of Aaron's all day hike! We also got an offer on our house at the very end of April. This offer turned out to be the sale of our house and the start of our adventure!

May 18th was our closing date & we planned on driving cross-country starting June 1. Much of this month was taken up by packing, spending precious time w/ friends & family, and soaking in our last days Tempe. James' decided to stay at his job until the end of May, which meant we were homeless for about a week. Natalie & Aaron were so kind to let us stay with them for that time. I will never forget the fun we had! Thanks guys!

We left Phoenix in June, and like I have posted before it was surely bittersweet. We spent several weeks driving & camping along Interstate 40, and we arrived in NC middle of the month. We found a house to rent 1 week later & unpacked our stuff in record time (2 days).

July was spent taking trips out to Raft Swamp Farms, visiting family, & working at the Fresh Market. James stayed in Virginia one week working with the construction crew. When James was gone that week, my sister Katie came out to Aberdeen to visit for a few days. We spent those days sleeping, eating cobbler, laughing, and sleeping some more. Great times! We also visited our favorite place in South Carolina: Brook Green Gardens...fantastic place!

August 3rd we were moving to an entirely different state: Virginia, to live with my Dad. We harvested a lot of veggies that month which I either canned or froze. We also planted our fall garden during the month of August.

September-Another busy month of preserving veggies from the garden & thouroughly enjoying this new pace of life! The weather was fantastic and a much different feel than what we were accustomed to in Phoenix. Jaimee came out for a few days to visit us! At the end of this month, I got Bonnie. What a treat!

Jessica came and visited in October, which was great! It was so nice to have multiple sisters come visit. At this time I was working at the Grooming Salon. We became an aunt/uncle twice this month to Elizabeth & Nash.

November-Started planting our 15 lbs. of garlic & I spent 10 days in Phoenix were I helped Audrey out with the new baby-Nash & got to spend time with the rest of the family and friends. James lost his job this month & I was pissed off for a few days! :) (I'm over it now!)

December-Today's the last day of December. We spent 2 weeks out of this month down in NC visiting family. The remainder of that time we've remained warm by the fire, ate a little too much, and dreamed of the coming year. Who knows what it will hold!

Peace & Blessings in 2008!

3rd Chicken Saga Update

So I know, I might be a little carried away with blogging about unnecessary details, but I thought it imperative that you all should know the latest in the chicken saga.

The day after I blogged about the good news.. (the black hen being alive) a terrible thing happened. James's nurturing thought turned out to be to the black hen's demise. Yes, that's right, that crafty, nasty hawk saw the black hen in her pen and killed her. I know....I could barely believe it! Although, we were so sad and shocked by her death, we were a bit relieved when we saw the white hen stroll up that same day. We didn't make the same mistake of closing her in the pen...and she is still around to enjoy life as she knows it.

So that's it for now...hopefully I won't have to post a 4th update on this drama, but you know you will hear about it if anything does happen!

Holiday Happenings

So...I know, it's been a long time since I last blogged. Sorry! :( But I am back at it. Here's what has been happening in my life for the past few weeks. James & I went down to NC for a week to help his Grandma Hammond. She is 84 years old and lives by herself on a farm. Her farm consists of a house (built by her husband & his brothers), a tiny little guest house (also built by the guys...which housed both of Grandma & Grandpa Hammond's mothers), 2 tobacco barns, a packhouse, a smokehouse (where they used to smoke their ham), and a quaint pond which is stocked with fish. Grandma Hammond is still very much interested in keeping her place up, so we were able to help her mulch with pine straw, wash windows, weed, and do a little cooking! We had a great few days.

We left Grandma's and headed towards the beach, where James's parents live. His Granny Hill is staying there for awhile, as she has some health problems as of late. Anyhow, we pretty much relaxed, ate a lot of food, and discussed life with each other! We had a great time minus the fact that James had a severe headache and fever for a few of those days.

After nursing James back to health, I went back to work at the Grooming Salon this week. I have put in some pretty long days the past few, but I really enjoy working with Susie (the owner) and we get some good laughs out of many of the dogs! The weather has been nice (50's & sunny) but with chilly mornings (got down to 18). I soak up all the sunny days mother nature will provide and am appreciative of the changing seasons.

Speaking of seasons....I hope that you all have a peaceful & joyous season. I wish I were able to see more of my family, but those of you reading know that I love and miss you!

Much love...Holly

Good News!

Yes...there is one piece of good news after the sad story below. We have a living hen! That's right..no, she didn't come back from the dead or reincarnate. The little black hen somehow managed to escape the tragedy today (I think she somehow squeezed out of the pen, since she can't fly, due to clipped wings!) and returned to her coop as night was falling. James noticed her running towards the pen and in sympathy, he coaxed her in the pen with food and refilled her water. Poor thing...what a rough day for her, but we are really thankful she survived. So that's the good news! One saved!

Day of Memorial

Today was a sad day for our hens and rooster; in fact, it was their last. James happened upon the tragedy as he was bringing ashes to the compost heap. He saw a huge red-tailed hawk in the chicken pen...and after the hawk flew off, noticed that the hens were missing and the rooster was on his side. We aren't sure exactly sure what happened, but we think that the hawk had a thing or two to do with it. James & I searched the surrounding fields for evidence of the hens (feathers, blood, etc.), but didn't see anything. Unfortunately, there weren't any witnesses...except the doggies, but they aren't the most reliable! :) So..goodbye to the days of shooing the rooster, feeding the hens, and collecting eggs...what a sad & scary day for the birds....and what a vicious hawk. It's hard to believe he was able to fly off with two decent sized chickens...but I guess we'll never know!

Unneccesary Updates...Part II

Bonnie's new favorite place to hang out is right in front of the wood stove. This particular stove has a fan on it, so it blows hot air out the bottom of the it...where she thinks it's the coziest place to rest!

It seems like she might get a little hot?!

And who do think is mimicking who? :)

Unneccesary Updates

This past week has been taken up by various uninteresting tasks and happenings, but in need of something to post..here are some pictures of a few things:

Sprouting Garlic: James & I planted over 15 lbs. of garlic (around 1,500 cloves) for the spring CSA.

Me and my doll baby!

Being good for the camera...

Wishing I would hurry up!

For the Birds

It's the day after Thanksgiving and we have had a fantastic past few days. Yesterday, we had a tasty meal of ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli, corn casserole, rolls, stuffing, cranberries, and of course pumpkin pie...(well actually squash pie...as winter squash, particularly butternut squash makes an excellent substitute for pumpkin). James & Dad worked outside most of the day and we all sat down at 2:30 for the feast. It was delicious..and the nice thing about a small group is that there are plenty of leftovers!!

So we began today with some ham biscuits (hot out of the oven) and we all got to work. James & Dad decided that they would cut wood for our winter fires...so they spent several hours out in the cold & hauled in 2 truckloads. That should last us awhile! :) I, on the other hand, cleaned house all day...which actually was quite nice considering I haven't had a day to myself in awhile. We reconvined at lunch for some leftovers, coffee, and of course pumpkin pie & whipped cream. What a delight!

Here are some pictures of the place as winter approaches;

And last, but not least, pictures of some birds we have around the place. We all have enjoyed watching them thru the kitchen windows feed. They are hungry little critters....they eat so much seed that James has to replenish the feeders every 2 days...but they are well worth it!

I'm Back

I am back from my trip to AZ, and like many things in life it is bittersweet. I had such a great time while I was there; thanks to all of you for being so generous with your time, food, and love over the past week. I felt right at home...it was really wonderful. The week flew by, but I was able to pretty much accomplish everything on my "must-do" list...except "knitting up a storm"..Everytime Jess & Natalia & I tried to set up a knitting night, we ended up drinking tea or wine, eating tasty treats, and of course chatting (which we all seem to do very well :) But I let that one slip, seen as I can easily knit on my own, but I can't just see my 2 best friends anytime!

When I returned home, James let me know that the construction crew he was working with, had to let him go because they were too slow...not enough work. That was hard news to hear and I am still a little upset how it all went down, but I know I will get over it...and life will be o.k.! So James is helping my dad & I with the tile job...and we'll go from there. Maybe this is the time to start focusing on our CSA and really work on getting customers for the spring. Who knows what life holds...but we will take each day at a time. On a lighter note, the trees around are the most beautiful shades of autumn...in fact when I was flying into Raleigh I smiled (quite big) to myself at the beauty below me. I really love this place and am so happy that we are living here. Until next time...and may each of you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Off to Phoenix!

This blog message is for those friends and family that read my blog and are in Phoenix....here is a "few" must do's while I'm there (for 9 days...yeah!)

1. Give everyone of you hugs and kisses (...well most of you j.k.!)

2. Eat at my favorite restaurant-Haji Baba's.

3. Slurp boba!

4. Ride bikes!

5. Coffee, treats, and chat.

6. Cuddle the new baby, Nash.

7. Play like crazy with Maile & Landon...since I don't get to see them very much :(

8. Knit up a storm (Natalia & Jess..get ready)

9. Garden w/ anyone who has work to be done!

10. Family Dinners

11. Catch up on life sessions with each one of you.

12. Eat more ethnic food...Kate...you up for Pho?

13. Relax

...I'm sure the list will be longer...so if you have anything you would like to add...feel free!

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU ALL! Smooches!

Trent Wagler and the Steel Wheels

Friday night, we headed into the Madhatter for the second night in a row. Thursday night we saw Audrey Auld Mezera (an Australian country singer) and Nina Gerber (an incredible guitarist) perform. The were excellent and we left with 2 of their cds. Friday night, Trent Wagler and the Steel Wheels were performing. They are out of Harrisonburg, VA...and dang were they good! They consider their music "roots", with rock, soul, country, and blues influences. Incredible performers with some really good songs. We left with 2 cds from them too...well worth the money! Here's a link to their website: www.trentwagler.com. Check them out!

Best Friends

So after having our new puppy Bonnie for a month...Dittles's conclusion is "love". They are getting along really well and are super cute together...here's how they spend some of their time!

French Press, Tunes, & Treats

Last week, a new coffee house/cafe opened in our neighboring town of Farmville. We are all really excited about this new business, as there aren't any independently owned coffee shops in the area. So we visited it last Friday evening; They had live music-Jim Waive and the Young Divorcees-an old-school country/bluegrass group. They were really good! Dad came with us and we all enjoyed some great coffee (they only do french press!) and treats while listening to some great tunes. It was such a nice evening and we appreciate that a place like this exists. Believe it or not we get a little lonely here in the country and so it's nice to be able to go into town for some entertainment! Here's the link to the coffee shop www.madhattercoffee.net and the band www.jimwaive.com. On a side note, I got to talking with the owners of the cafe and they are interested in buying local produce (yeah!) and they are saving huge amounts of coffee grounds for our compost pile (another yeah!)

Wild Geese

This poet was first introduced to me by my good friend, Natalie, or as I endearingly call her Natalia. Jamie had this particular poem out on his desk and I recalled seeing a flock of geese flying over the house the other day...probably "heading home again". Enjoy...

Wild Geese

By Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting-
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Too Cute

Elizabeth Rose

Maile & Nash

Colin & Nash

Landie & Mai Mai

Sweet Little Things

Well as most of you know I am aunt to two sweet little ones born last week. Jamie's sister, Julie, had Elizabeth Rose on Thursday the 18th, and Audrey had Nash on Sunday the 21st. They both are precious little treasures...and of course I will post pictures of them real soon. I spoke with Audrey on Sunday and she had decided to have Nash naturally (no epidural, no i.v.)...and it sounds like it was quite the experience! Dang...all I can say is..that is some serious tolerance for pain. Aud...basically I think you are pretty darn amazing! You inspire me... :)

Fall Paradise

Here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Week with Jess

Jess left today to go home to Tempe; we had a great time while she was here. Our week mainly consisted of eating tasty treats, knitting into oblivion, solving the worlds problems, playing with the dogs, afternoon naps, eating some more...basically we had some good times. It really is wonderful to have family come visit; it's a reminder of old times and how special my family is to me. They definetely give light to my world! So for those of you reading who are family, just remember that I think everyone of you are "wonderful people"! :) Seriously though...love you all so much and wish I weren't so far away :( Here's a few pics of this past week!

The Official Registered Name

Because Bonnie is a purebred dog, I can register her with the American Kennel Club (AKC)...so I had to think of an original name to register her under...one that hasn't already been taken. So Dad, Jess, and I came up with the following:

SCHNOOKER P. MAGNUM BONNIFIED

OH DANG!!

Sunday Afternoon of Fishing

Sunday, Jessica came into town. After taking an afternoon nap, we all decided to go down to Don & Janet Benson's 17 acre pond to go fishing. Dad & Jamie set us all up with our fishing rods and we all cast out and waited patiently for the big one. After several unsuccessful attempts of reeling in 2 big catfish, I finally handed over my fishing rod to Jamie for him to handle. Needless to say, Jamie caught several large catfish, along with several brim. Jessica caught two brim as well. We had a tasty fish fry that night and look forward to our next fishing outing!

Ya think I'm obsessed? Naw...she is just too dorbie!

Our New Baby-Bonnie!

We picked up our new baby dog today from Tommy & Susie. She is a lhasa apso, who is only 8 weeks old. They named her Bonnie...which we think we will keep. And I'm sure we will come up with a hundred other nicknames to call her...like the little preciousness! Here's some pics...adorable huh?

Ideas from Jane Short

"God's people wander
in the supermarket
among chemical frozen pies
overprocessed skillet dinners
nutritionless snack foods
soft drinks in throwaway bottles.
Like manna in the wilderness
hold fast
vegetables from
sun-warmed gardens
protein-rich beans
oven-fresh whole-grain breads
home-canned fruit in Mason jars."

Mozzarella

This morning I made mozzarella! Yes...I finally got around to doing it. Yesterday, dad & I went over to Janet & Don Benson's dairy and got 2 gallons of raw milk...and I had previously ordered all the ingrediants I needed to make mozzarella (citric acid, animal rennet, cheese salt, cheese cloth, a thermometer). I followed the recipe from Barbara Kingsolver's book, which comes from the "Cheese Queen"-Ricki Carroll. (http://www.cheesemaking.com/). Here's the final result...delicious..I think it will be used for Pizza Margherita tonight!

Another Glorious Weekend

James & I decided to take a day trip up to Charlottesville today. It's 80 miles NW of where we live and it took us about an hour and fifteen minutes. Last night we researched the different places we wanted to go while we there. So our first destination was the downtown farmers market. We arrived at 9 a.m. to streets of Charlottesville filled with people milling around, some with their animals, other with their young children, looking at a variety of vendors at the market. There were many farmers from the area selling an abundance of beautiful veggies, some meat farmers, artists, coffee roasters, bakers, kettle corn, banjo players...etc. It was one of the best markets I have been to...and we ended up with 8 large bundles of basil (for pesto I will be freezing), 20 lbs. of tomatoes, onions, garlic, kettle corn, and two cups of iced coffee! :) We realized there was much more to see in the downtown area so we hauled our treats to the car. The downtown part of Charlottesville consists of hundreds of stores/shops/restaurants, but it is closed to any vehicles. The streets are paved with red bricks for about a half mile; with flowers and trees lining the street. There are restaurant vendors who have outdoor seating in the middle of the paved street with shades. It is quite a tranquil and relaxing setting! So we visited an incredible bookstore...New Dominion...and found many books to buy. We had to narrow it down to two...a book about Virginia Piedmont area...and another one by a local artist about living simply. (i'll post the title later). The bookstore had complimentary coffee and homemade cookies...let's just say Jamie was in heaven....literally! I had to visit a knit shop..where I became ambitious and decided that I am going to make Jamie a sweater. So I'll keep you posted on the progress...although it could easily take me a year! :) We perused some local art stores and saw some incredible work..which we eyed but realized we had to control every urge to buy things! There was also a wonderful store that sold some Ten Thousand Villages items and part of the store was dedicated to this local nonprofit called Innisfree. It's a community that exists for mentally disabled adults (18-84), and they produce amazing work. Check them out at innisfreevillage.org. Simply amazing! Natalia...I thought of you! Anyhow, that was wonderful! We found out that the town of Charlottesville is ranked 6th in the country for being "green"...which is neat to be close to people like that!
We finished the day by heading up to an apple orchard and picked 20 lbs. of golden delicious to make applesauce & apple pie filling. We really had such a wonderful day and can't wait till our next visit up there....Jess get ready! Peace & love to all...

All Things Pink

This past weekend, Jamie and I drove down to coast of North Carolina to visit his parents and to be one of the hostesses for his sisters baby shower. Trudy (Jamie's mom) and I were the main hostesses for the shower, so we hustled around Friday and Saturday morning preparing for the occasion. We had decided on a baby shower tea party, so I prepared the menu and made all of the food. It turned out beautifully...with only minor glitches. But overall, everyone thought it was amazing and beautiful. Thank you Trudy for all of your help!
Here's some pictures for your enjoyment!

Mom-to-be & me!

The Tea!

The Food!

Sarah having tea!

A Few of My Favorite Things

The first picture is of a passiflora incarnata, or the common name "passion flower". I first came upon this beauty when we lived in Aberdeen, NC, where the plant grew wild; it literally was covering half of the back yard. Fortunately, we transplanted one of the plants into a planter and transferred it to VA with us! Jamie and I had to research this amazing plant and we found out some amazing things. First it is considered an herb. The leaves can be used to make a tea that is used to treat insomnia, hysteria, and epilepsy...and has some uses as a painkiller. After the plant flowers that fantastic bloom, a fruit pod follows. We here that they turn yellow and are quite delicious. Supposedly used in Hawaiian punch, and much like a guava. I can't wait to try it! Anyhow...that might be more information than you cared to know about this plant...but I think it's very fascinating and am so appreciative of the diversity of plants.

I had to post a picture of our up and coming fall garden. We will have more broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, squash, green beans, radishes, mustard, kale, lettuce, carrots, arugula, spinach, dill....to know what to do with! :) Peace..