First week without office work hasn't been boring...

Phew! What a "week off work" this has been!! Thank goodness I was not wearing my CJP hat in addition to all the other happenings of the week. That was a definite relief AND I'm glad that all the weeks coming up will not be quite as full as this past one was. 

To mark the start of my work break, we planned a Tangly Woods outing and the 8 of us took off for a day of fun together Monday morning. First stop was Storybook Trail. We had hoped to take Tala way back in September around her birthday, but had to cancel due to bad weather. That was the first leg of our journey and the only one that Jason led the way on. I think it might have also be the only leg of our trip that we did not take some kind of detour/circuitous route (this must be mentioned since my dear father, who was the leader of our caravan for the rest of the day, will never ever let Jason and I forget the time we took 222S rather than 222N and almost ended up in the wrong state). 

Back to Storybook Trail - it's such a great place for bike riding for our kiddos, who don't have much by way of straight and flat areas to ride at our home. We had only brought bikes for the three girls but at one point it appeared that someone was having a little tricycle envy!

When Terah was up high on a rock, Grandma took the opportunity to take off on Terah's trike. It was definitely a highlight of my day watching Terah take off after my mom.

Terah was happy to hitch a ride for awhile. It seems my mom is getting a year younger each year rather than the other way around - maybe it's keeping up with these growing grandchildren!

When bellies were starting to rumble and we had gone back and forth on the trail a few times, we headed on our way. We enjoyed a yummy picnic at the Camp Roosevelt Recreation area in George Washington National Forest. I was in the lead car with my parents and Terah, where Terah kept wondering aloud if we would EVER get there. We did go "around the block" once before arriving. It was a lovely spot, but didn't seem to be used that often based on the layer we needed to sweep off the picnic tables. We lingered there for some frisbee play, snoozing and several rounds of Rook. We were grateful for the cloud cover that kept an otherwise warm day comfortable.

We continued our drive up Fort Valley and stopped for a short hike to Woodstock Tower where you supposedly could see the 7 bends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. We'll have to come back in winter when the leaves aren't on the trees, as we only got glimpses of parts of 3. But that hike was notable in that it was only time any of us have been in range of the cicadas. I know for some the novelty might be wearing off, but I was glad to hear and see them!

As we explored around, we enjoyed the blooming mountain laurel and snacked on serviceberries, the very first black raspberries and wild sweet cherries. It was a feast for the eyes and taste buds!

Our final stop of the day was Seven Bends State Park, which I'd say is a "park in progress." We were laughing by the time we arrived because the GPS took us through about "seven bends" in a housing development before we arrived. We were welcomed by a peacock, which was the biggest feature to date. It's clear that when the little trees grow up, it will be a lovely picnic area right near the river. It was also clear by this point in the day that our youngest was about done with our adventures. The sun had peaked out from behind the clouds and it was toasty. We sat by the river for just a few minutes and Terah was ready to go. It's nothing like an impatient child to nix any chance of a meditative relaxed moment! 

It was really fun to be out and about together and away from the many farm projects that are always in front of us when we are at home. The positive memories of that day away have been pretty profoundly affected by what we found when we arrived home. It wasn't long before Jason found the first chicken carcass. In the unfolding 24 hours or so, the extent of the loss became clear. During the 8 hours or so that we vacated Tangly Woods, it appears that a family of foxes took full advantage of the absence of humans. We'll never know an exact count, but it appears they took about two dozen chickens, gutting the compost coop of Massanutten hens and getting several birds from most of the other free range coops. We found a handful of carcasses, meaning they were on a killing spree but then couldn't carry them all back to their den. While I am very aware that I should not conflate us taking a break and this loss, emotionally it's been hard to not have moments where the thought "we can never go away..." dominates. It meant some fast chicken shuffling to make it manageable to keep all the chickens in for awhile. I don't think they "understand" why they have literally been cooped up all week, but it seemed the only wise thing to do. Last evening was the first time we let them range for a bit before dark when we were sure we could be outside the whole time. I've never seen such happy chickens, scarfing grass and clover as fast as they could!

Well, let's not end on that sad note! Much more could be said on that, but here are some other snippets from our week:

As Covid numbers remain low (our areas 7-day average of late has been 0!), we have been enjoying some additional social engagements INSIDE! One of the best parts of this has been a resurgence of play dates for the girls with their cousin Ivy and aunt Emily. Most weeks they come to us on Wednesdays and the girls go to them on Fridays. Now that the weather is hot AND we are getting summer thunderstorms pretty often, having the option for playing indoors has been a big hit! They come home with stories of riding unicorns and magic carpets, playing space or restaurant or jungle or hospital or hide-and-seek, and all kinds of other fun.

This week we also did something in our home that we have not done for over 15 months! We had fully vaccinated friends in our home for a meal around our table and needed to add one of our extra tables to make room. I had not pulled our tables apart to add extra seats for well over a year. It felt strange and familiar and so very good! We felt like we needed to have some kind of ceremony as dear friends crossed the threshold of our indoor home space.

The other little outing this week was just yesterday when, after a full day of gardening, we went out for ice cream. Sadly I was working hard to eat my delicious java chip ice cream fast enough before it melted all over me that I completely forgot to even take a picture. So this crew were good sports trying to re-enact it with red hot poker ice cream cones!

In other, completely unrelated news, sometimes chickens lay eggs that are very different in size. 

And, back to the aforementioned full gardening day, it was our last big summer planting push. With the barley and crimson clover harvested, it was time to get the PA Dutch and Delicata squash patches seeded, the red flour corn, the remainder of Kali's popcorn and the bronze flint corn planted. Also, since the squirrels claimed our strawberry patch as their own, we bailed on that season too and got the brown beans planted in several of our small strawberry beds as we prepare for the next year's cycle.

When we aren't busy planting, there is plenty of harvesting and weeding to keep every moment filled that we wish to fill. The weeding feels particularly daunting these days as things are growing so fast with the inches of rain we have gotten recently. We've got lots of helping hands, and we are thankful for that.

And the lush growth is not just in weeds. We are savoring an abundance of lettuce, garlic scapes, teas of all kinds, collards, many different fresh herbs, lambsquarters AND the first peas!!

And berry season is a comin' with currants, gooseberries, black and red raspberries just getting started.

To end, a very quick update on our yearslong attempt to get giant orange poppies to flourish at Tangly Woods. The seeds from a neighbor that we thought would net us giant poppies are delighting us with sweet delicate pink and red poppies. Beautiful and decidedly not what we were aiming for. So the search continues...

P.s. I was just about to have Jason review this post when his parents arrived! We are so happy to have Grandma and Grandpa Benner here for a few days (their first visit to our home since pre-Covid). And when I sat back down to post this, I realized I had forgotten a rather major part of this week. I guess it is partly because I don't have any photos of it and partly because I'm still processing many parts of the experience. But it is definitely worth nothing that I kick-started my birth doula certification process this week by engaging in a 3 day long zoom training. So that train has left the station!! Not sure where it will take me, but I'm ready for the ride!

Anniversary of Nora's death, complete with CJP's 25+1 anniversary, a wedding AND a concert!

Friday, June 4 marked 13 years since Nora's death. It also happened to be the day that CJP's weekend of 25+1 anniversary online events started, the day that dear friends were getting married, and the day that other dear friends were performing their first LIVE outdoor concert since before Covid. So we knew that the times for reflecting and being present with memories might need to spread out over the course of several days and/or sprinkled throughout. And that was very much how the weekend unfolded...

I felt really grateful that Jason and I were able to start what would end up being a very full day with a hike up to Hensley's Pond just the two of us. The clouds in the sky were putting on a dramatic show that morning! One of the predominant emotions I have experienced the last few days as I've reflected on our journey with Nora and all the years since, is gratitude for the way that Jason and I have journeyed together, and that we shared this loss in ways that brought us closer together. That has been a gift that keeps on giving. 

When we arrived home, we took a few minutes to visit Nora's garden and savor what's blooming. I also pulled enough weeds to get a nest of ants angry and get bit a number of times. Jason, who was content to just be in her garden, left without any ant bites. Sigh!

For the rest of the morning, I attended the opening and first keynote of CJP's anniversary celebration while Jason did the weekly errands and the girls did their chicken and duck chores. CJP's 25th was postponed last year due to Covid and so the planning team revamped the celebration to be all virtual! In many ways the timing of having a few days to reflect on my own journey with CJP was very timely. And thinking about Nora and CJP go hand in hand pretty well. The only place she spent much time other than our home and medical establishments was CJP. And many of the things I cherish so much about CJP - the depth of connections with others and the value of relationships - was never more apparent to me than during our time with Nora.

We missed some of the afternoon events so we could head to the JMU arboretum for a wedding! The rain had cleared and it was a beautiful afternoon for an outdoor wedding. It was wonderful to see two people we love dearly surrounded by family and friends to celebrate the love they share.

There was a little time between the wedding and the concert, so we took a little explore through the arboretum. Alida wanted to go find the swinging bridge and Terah was sure she would not want to walk on it. We were sure that once she did, we would not get her off it. 

Guess who was right?

As we headed to the car, Terah said, "Mommy, when you are on your CJP break, can you drive me here so I can run on the bridge?" It sounds like another visit to the arboretum is in our future. Maybe complete with Chipotle burritos?! 

We ended our day enjoying great music by Clymer and Kurtz! By the time we were headed home, I was SO tired! It was more people than we had been around for 15 or so months. 

I'm really glad the rest of the weekend has not continued at Friday's pace or with crowds of humans. Last evening, we took time to watch Nora's memorial all together, which brought a flood of memories accompanied by tears. Seeing all the people gathered, I was reminded of so many who surrounded us during that time - providing meals, caring for Kali, hosting us and providing a home away from home, spending the days after Nora's death with us as we wandered around trying to make sense of our very changed world, praying for us, visiting us in our home when we weren't able to be out and about, helping us navigate all the medical information coming at us, and the list goes on and on...

And now here we are at Sunday. A monumental day on a number of fronts!

This morning at 10:30 a.m., I signed onto my last work event until August! 

And around 12:30 p.m., with the whole family counting down, I closed out of my work email. I think the three happiest people in the world about me taking a break from CJP this summer, are the three gals pictures in the background here!

Soon after closing my email, Kali and I took off for the Red Cross. I wasn't sure how much of my butterflies this morning were attributed to me trying to think if there was anything I was forgetting to do yet on the CJP-front and just generally what a big thing this is for me OR if it was that both Kali and I were going to try to donate blood in Nora's honor (and we've both had our shared of troubles doing so)...

As expected my first finger stuck had my hemoglobin too low to donate. Bummer! But a second stick on the other hand netted 12.6 (one tenth above the lower threshold)! Phew, passed the first hurdle! By the time I got in the chair, Kali was already wrapping up. Yay!

And they found a vein on me too!!

We were both pretty thrilled and relieved!

We arrived home to the smell of chocolate throughout the house! Alida, with Jason's help (and Terah's licking the spatulas), had made brownie pie with "happy break" written in sprinkles to celebrate me taking off my CJP hat for a spell! And it's about time to break into those as Terah just piped up "When are we ever going to have the ice cream and brownie..." So I think it's time to put this computer away for the evening and turn my attention to the people nearest and dearest to me!

p.s. Speaking of those nearest and dearest, a quick news flash on bedtime routines. Our 10 year old has been putting our 5 year old to sleep often in the last number of weeks. It is so sweet to overhear Alida singing lullabies to Terah. Then everything gets quiet and Alida appears at our door with very sleepy eyes and a very satisfied grin. And then she normally weasels her way in between me and Jason and thus starts her favorite night time activity: being, as she says, "difficult" and working hard to not get kicked out of our bed...

May days with gardens and people!

I knew I was stretching the time between posts pretty far, when an email from my mom this morning included, "I'm waiting patiently for a new blog! (Hint. Hint.)" It was already on my "wish list" for this Sunday, and it is going to be a double header... We'll start with a newsy one including a smattering of updates that I'd like to have a spot in this year's "scrapbook!"

What is happening in the gardens is not nearly as changed from 2020 to 2021 as what is happening in other realms of our life. We are SLOWLY starting to reengage in person with other humans. It is both a strange feeling, a good feeling, a "are we doing something wrong" feeling, a welcome feeling, etc... Honestly, my oddest feelings in that realm came this week when a work colleague came out for a hike and a meeting in person. She had never been in our home before, so had only seen little snippets via zoom. We sat side by side with our computers and dove in. I had two very odd moments. The first came when we were both working in our database system. That is normally when my zoom jams up and freezes. I had the thought that I hoped we wouldn't freeze, followed by the realization that even if the databases froze we could still keep talking to each other. Later in the meeting, I was wanting to get a link from me to her and again had the automatic thought of "I'll just drop it in the chat..." Yes, it will take some adjusting!

On a recent chicken feed run (so grateful to my dad for so often being willing to do the run to Stuart's Draft for feed - we are really plowing through it these days!!), the girls went along to be able to enjoy visiting with their great great Aunt Eleanor. 

On the way home they cashed in a coupon for Smiley's Ice Cream. Kali knows I love their mocha chip ice cream so arrived home with the bottom of her cone for me (it was mocha chip cream by that point, but I was still touched by her thoughtfulness, and eager to go back for the frozen variation soon!).

We have not just enjoyed a few more people visits, we also had a puppy play date recently when another work colleague of mine came out for a walk with me. As always, her dog Henri came along to walk, but she also brought along her new addition, Annie, to play with Tala and the girls. 

The reason Kali is mostly pictured with the dogs, is that Alida and Terah are still very nervous around dogs. But I think Annie could be great for them if they get to play with her as she grows. By the end of that one playdate, here's what was happening:

We have made a lot of treks to Hensley's Pond and back during Covid. It's been such a welcome spot for distanced walks and picnics. It's been lovely, as the weather warms and more of those around us are fully vaccinated, to be able to continue such times with others unmasked! And to feel more comfortable sharing food again. Recently we enjoyed two hikes with family and friends, including a picnic and some fishing on the one.

But we aren't just going for walks and picnics and such. Because it's spring/summer at Tangly Woods and things are growing (or not as much as we'd like) and so there is planting, watering, weeding, mulching, more planting, troubleshooting critter damage, harvesting, etc...

Since the squirrels have laid claim on our little strawberry patch, a carload of us from T.W. went to Woods Edge Farm on their first day of you-pick and came home with over 55lbs of strawberries. YUM!

We froze some whole, some sliced, made jam, and ate MANY fresh. Some of us were more helpful than others! Yes, we do have a little monkey in our midst!

...oh, and we introduced Tala to strawberry shortcake. It didn't last long!

Most of the summer gardens are in - with winter squashes and corn ready to plant this upcoming week now that the barley has been harvested. We've had to replant some sweet potatoes where voles have come up and helped themselves to the little plants. All that was left in the spot was the entrance to their tunnel. We have also reseeded some cantaloupe and okra hills - probably thanks to slugs. 

The potatoes are hilled (thanks to Jason's hard work!), mulched and the black beans are planted with them. Much of the mulching took place on a rainy day, and we just happily worked in the rain (well, some of us did...). It may become a yearly tradition, as I am pretty sure potato patch mulching was in the rain last year too. We have been so grateful, even for the 1/10 rain shower here and there. The sprinkler is working hard to keep things watered these days. Thankfully most things are out of the zone of needing a daily watering.

It's starting to be the time of year where there is an abundance of green things to bring in to eat fresh! This blurry picture shows my quick grab this morning before breakfast: lambsquarter to sauté with garlic scapes, oh so many garlic scapes for cooking and fresh pestos, the first round of parsley for pesto, and lettuce. 

I also dried my first round of oregano this past week.

Grandma and Grandpa arrived back from WV this week and coinciding with that was seeing a lot less of Terah and Alida! When the options are to come out and garden with us or play upstairs, it's not normally a hard decision. And they generally just tend to migrate up there often. I'll realize it's gotten quiet and I don't know where they are and I go upstairs to look. When I enter Mom and Dad's place, there is no sight of them, but my parents normally have a look on their faces that gives them away. They don't even hear me coming on the stairs, but as soon as either of the girls hear my footsteps (which they apparently have an uncanny ability to do), they vanish. 

Lest anyone think baby chicks are a thing of the past, the hatching is not over yet! The girls no longer come running when the first chick hatches in the incubator. With more hatching every week or two, the freshness and excitement has worn off. But they are still mighty cute!

Well, before the kiddos realize it is just Jason napping in here and I'm on the computer, I better crank out the second blogpost for today!