It's really hard to summarize oneself for the general public. I mean, really, what does the public want to know about me? Am I married? Yes. Do I have children. Yes, three, and they're all grown thank God. (By that I mean parenting is HARD. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but I'm really glad our offspring have all reached adulthood.) Do I have pets? Yup. Two dogs. Since the kids are all grown, you'll read more about my dogs than my kids. Because that's what happens when you get old like me. I have three grand kids, too, so you'll read about them as well. But the dogs live with me and, when I am desperate for blog topics, they usually help me out.
Mother Nature has been teasing us with little outbursts of Spring.
Belle is enjoying herself more than it seems.
While yesterday would have been a nice day to ride, we had some things on our to-do list than needed doing.
And today’s weather is supposed to be even better. So we decided to get the chores out of the way on Saturday, leaving Sunday wide open for FUN.
The first big thing on the to-do list was de-winterizing the WV Place. Mike had decided to shut off the heat and water for the winter, hoping to avoid another ugly, very inconvenient, and costly freezing of the pipes incident.
Notice I said “hoping to”? Apparently, enough water lingered in the shower valve that it froze, causing the shower valve to fail. So, when he turned the water back on, the shower wouldn’t turn off. Crap. Not a huge deal, just another inconvenience.
We also had to move a dresser from the VA house to the WV Place. If it hadn’t been for that, we would have taken the bikes. Alas, taking the truck meant the dogs could join us.
It was a real treat for them, they LOVE the WV Place.
Happy Dogs
Can you tell that they’re happy? K, aka The Huntress, was so obsessed with whatever critter was cowering in the woodpile that I literally had to drag her away to get her to come home. Crazy mutt.
While Spring appears to really be settling in here in VA, it’s just barely starting to make an appearance near the WV Place, which is about 100 miles northwest of here and at a somewhat higher elevation. We thought for sure some of the Redbud and Dogwood trees would be in bloom. We thought wrong.
I did see some evidence of Spring.
Tiny Little Wildflower
I can’t remember what those flowers are called. They’re only two to three inches tall, with blooms about half an inch across. They may be tiny, but at least it’s evidence that Spring is on its way, albeit very slowly.
Still Standing
It’s always a relief to see the WV Place surviving without out us.
I can’t remember whether or not I told y’all we had not one, but TWO signed contracts on the place last year. Signed, as in we thought it was a done deal. Buyer number one had some sort of family emergency. The second buyer had “buyer’s remorse.” We could not believe that was their actual excuse. Bastards.
So it’s still on the market. Sigh.
Hunting Fun
The dogs did seem to enjoy the brief visit. Even if K spent almost the entire time glued to the woodpile.
At least it was a pretty day for a drive. I even spotted a barn quilt along the way.
Barn Quilt in Pleasantdale, West Virginia
I know that’s a crappy picture. I thought for sure we’d spot others, since Hampshire County now has a barn quilt trail. It would have been helpful had I remembered before we left. Then I would’ve been equipped with a map. They’re not as easy to find as one would think. And cell coverage is so painfully slow in those parts, that trying to use my phone to locate them was frustrating me more than it was worth.
That was our Saturday.
Imagine my chagrin this morning when I looked at my weather app to see this crazy-weird report. There was a frost advisory, current temp was 36 degress (F), with a forecast for a high temperature of 70 degrees.
That’s Spring for you.
Now, I need to go plan a route for today’s ride. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday.
Judging by what I’ve been hearing and reading on-line, I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only person who felt consumed by darkness as winter waned. It was the most prolonged shift of seasons EVER. Or at least it felt that way. Winter dragged on and on, then on some more. We didn’t get nearly as much snow here in Virginia as folks living in the northeast, but the weather was miserable enough That I felt closed in. Caged.
Bird in a Cage
I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel, but I wasn’t feeling it. I thought about past trips, tossed ideas around for future journeys, read about others’ travels, looked at pictures, watched old videos, bought maps, etc. I did not, however, make any plans.
Hubby, Mike, is embarking on a pretty significant adventure of his own this year. Our usual travel companions are unable to travel as they’re pouring capital into rehabbing a house. So I’m free to plan my own adventure. I’m itching to plan my own adventure, truly. But the possibilities have overwhelmed me.
It’s like being really hungry and going to one of those 24-hour diners with a 32-page menu of food choices. All I really want to do is eat, like NOW, but there’re so many choices that it’s downright distracting.
Caged Bird
A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
can seldom see through his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.”
― Maya Angelou, The Complete Collected Poems
Don’t worry, I’m well enough equipped with ideas. And a decision is close.
New Maps
The arrival of Spring has helped. And I do have a weekend excursion or two planned.
Neighbor’s Tree
I’m tempted to just do a pack-some-clothes-and-go trip, but half of the fun is in the planning. Plus, I don’t want to miss anything important while I am out and about.
Hopefully, I’ll have a plan soon.
I know I’ll be going solo. I’m 95% sure I’ll be taking the bike. There’s a pretty good chance it’ll happen mid- to late-June. I may or may not get to use my new maps on this trip, but I’m 80% sure I’ll be headed south. How far south is the question.
I still haven’t been to Louisiana, Alabama, or Mississippi, so that’s a pretty appealing option. Except those places get pretty hot in June.
I have a bunch of LOVEworks still to see in Virginia, but staying within my home state just feels kind of lame.
There’re parts of West Virginia I have yet to explore.
A lighthouse I missed in far northeastern Maine.
Michigan’s UP is appealing, too.
I want to see more of northeastern Pennsylvania and New York, but I’ll probably meet up with Hubby there along the final leg of his journey.
I could ride into Canada. (Adding another country to the mix lends weight to the “adventure.”)
I really want to visit Breaks Interstate Park on the Virginia/Kentucky border.
I could go to the beach! (Hubby hates the beach.) But the terrain near the Atlantic Coast is flatter than flat. Not to mention crowded.
See what I mean?!? This is why we’re almost a third of the way into April and I still have no set plans.
I’m tempted to write my top choices on paper to be drawn blindly from a hat. Really.
How would you decide? Logic? Or should I use the hat trick?
Scenes like this always remind me how lucky we are to live where we do.
A pack of motorcycles parked on Main Street.
It’s a fabulous place for motorcyclists. Really.
From the center of town, if one is traveling north, south, or west, you’d reach winding, rural roads in mere minutes. In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
A stone’s throw from Skyline Drive.
We’re literally within a 35-mile ride of the northernmost entrance (#2 on the map) to Skyline Drive and the Thornton Gap entrance (#3 on the map).
Although the Drive is one of those bucket list roads for motorcyclists, it’s not the best road in the area. The foothills between here and the mountains are webbed with winding, undulating ribbons of smooth asphalt.
Oh, and it’s just about a 90-mile drive to the northern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I’m not bragging, I’m just sayin’…
The people are pretty awesome, too. I wish we’d moved here YEARS ago. Sigh…
On a lighter note, Hubby sent me a video link this morning. I’ve embedded the video below.
The subject line of his e-mail was, “The way I feel sometimes.”
I’m a lover of words. I always have been and I probably always will be.
Recently, in one of my on-line groups, when one of the members — Tony — described a motorcycle ride he’d enjoyed with a friend, he said said they’d “had a bimble down to [destination]…”
Bimble?
When I asked Tony what it meant, he said his motorcycle instructor had used that word to describe going out for a ride on the motorbike. Tony is from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Those Brits sure know how to have fun with words.
How can you help but like “bimble”? It’s such a fun little word. Going for a bimble. Bimble about. Feel like a little bimble? Let’s go bimbling. LOL.
Anyway… Hubby and I went for a little bimble yesterday, which just happened to be Easter. The sky was clear and blue and temps were in the low- to mid-60s (F). Perfect riding weather, if you ask me.
Screen shot of the Easter bimble route.
It felt quite good to get out riding. So good, in fact, that I couldn’t be bothered to stop for pictures. Sorry. Sort of.
Hubby was testing a new tracker app. Each one of the blue flags is 10 minutes apart. If you open the map on the Web site, you can click on each flag to get the exact location.
It was lovely, really. We were only gone for a couple of hours, and didn’t cover a huge distance, but it felt GOOD.
When we got home, I took the girls, and my camera, for a little stroll around town.
Window at Designs by Teresa
Daffodils on the lawn of the Warren Green building.
Adorableness at Little Pincushion Studio
Forsythia
You know Spring has really arrived when the Forsythia starts blooming.
Forsythia on the lawn of a county office building.
Didn’t I tell you the sky was clear and blue?
I just love Warrenton’s Old Courthouse.
More Forsythia
Art of Linda Hendrickson at Framecraft.
We could have ridden longer and further, except Hubby had really wanted to smoke something yesterday. By something, I mean a pork shoulder/butt. And that means we ended the day with a delicious pulled pork dinner, accompanied by yummy french fries from Five Guys (a brilliant and quick cheat).
Easter just isn’t the same without the kids and grand kids around. But we made the best of it. I hope you and your family had a nice holiday, too.
Those of you who know me well know that I lean toward a somewhat primitive, country-style decor. By primitive, I mean folk art-type stuff, with dark, muted colors on pieces that are a bit old, rustic and/or rough. I have some antiques mixed in, too, but simple stuff. Fancy doesn’t “fit” in my house.
Although I’m not a huge shopper, I do enjoy a good country store. And I REALLY enjoy country stores that also sell antiques and local, hand-crafted merchandise. Which is why I was so delighted to discover this place a year or so ago, only about 15 minutes from my house in Calverton.
Country Corner Woodworking & Antiques in Calverton, Virginia
I stumbled across this adorable little store while looking for another antique shop I’d seen advertised. Country Corner Woodworking & Antiques is owned by Amy and Butch Beard. I’ve met Amy, a very nice lady who is usually running the place, but haven’t met Butch, who does a lot of the woodworking.
I dropped in on my way to the farm last weekend, hoping to find a gift for a friend. I haven’t taken pictures before because it’s usually full of people. Since I was the only customer that day, I asked Amy if she’d mind my grabbing some photos so I could share this little treasure of a place with you folks.
If you’re a local, or coming to visit for a bit, and want to see this place, I’d be more than happy to take you. Of course, you can go all by yourself, if you prefer, or with some other friend/family member.
Welcoming Entrance
The Beard’s shop is very much like the country stores in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In fact, they get a good bit of merchandise from Amish wholesalers in and around Lancaster.
Pie Safe
Butch makes a lot of stuff, too. My favorite piece that day was this gorgeous pie safe, fashioned from recycled oak fence boards. Isn’t that wood gorgeous? The inside was my favorite part.
Aged Wood
I just love how you can tell that the wood has some age to it.
Here’s another cabinet he made, using an old shutter for the door.
Jelly Cabinet
The bead-board on the inside is a nice touch, too.
Jelly Cabinet
There’s quite a variety of country merchandise and other hand-made local goods. And there are antiques, too.
I wanted that Smokey sign.
Hand-painted Saw Blades
Interesting Knob Hangers
Great mix of old and new.
Great vintage gas pumps.
Antique oak hutch.
Cool old stove.
Another hutch thingy (I forget what these are really called).
Not loving these colors, but I like the piece.
Some of the cute, newer stuff.
More new country merchandise.
Three happy bunnies.
Porch
I actually ended up buying a couple of gifts. I’m determined to thin-out the amount of stuff I own, so have been in “non-acquisition mode” for a while now.
I spent the bulk of the day on Sunday going through my basement craft/storage/painting space, reorganizing and getting rid of some unwanted stuff. I made good progress, but still have quite a bit to do before it’s fully organized.
Part of the problem is that I have a bunch of stuff in the storage room that needs to go, too. Then maybe some of the treasures I want to keep can be moved into that area.
It’s a very slow process. I don’t want a bunch of stuff sitting around, gathering dust, but I don’t like to throw stuff away.
One day, I’ll finish down there, then I’ll be able to show you what a craft room is supposed to look like. As opposed to the disheveled mess you’d see if you went downstairs right now.
Sadly, this is the “after.”
I took a couple bags of trash to the curb yesterday AND my car is full of items to be donated.
See what I mean? Imagine how bad it looked before. LOL.
And that’s why it’s best if I just avoid cute country stores, auctions, and the like. At least until I finish getting my space into tip-top shape.
It was a lovely, sunny Spring Sunday here in the Virginia Piedmont. By afternoon, temperatures were in the mid- to upper-50s, but it felt warmer in the sun. I had to do a bit of shopping and, since I knew I’d be heading southeast, I decided to stop and visit Walnut Hill Farm at Elm Springs.
The farm is owned and operated by Jeff and Ginny Adams. Jeff sells meat at the Warrenton Farmers’ Market, which is where we met. I see him sort of regularly during the market season, and we usually chat a bit. He speaks often of his wife, Ginny, who I’d never met until today.
Finally, during today’s visit, I had the pleasure of meeting Ginny. She’s just as nice as I always thought she’d be, and obviously enjoys her animals. She was kind enough to introduce me to a bunch of her animal friends today, much to my delight. 🙂
AND, get this, she re-introduced me to one very handsome guy.
Charlie!
Cute little Charlie isn’t so little any more. But he’s just as beautiful. (I sure wish I had hair that color!)
L-R, Mt. Vernon retirees Kit (Mule) and Nellie (Belgian Mare).
Kit being nosy.
L-R, Kate, Kit, and Nellie
After visiting with Kit and Nellie for a bit, I moseyed to the next pasture to have a look over the fence at the sheep.
Curious Sheep
They were all looking right back at me.
Then, Ginny said we could go INTO the pasture. Squee!
As soon as we stepped through the gate, a funny thing happened. All of the sheep in the pasture came running over. Literally.
The Greeting Committee
“Look at them all running over,” I said with a delighted giggle.
“That’s because they don’t know who you are,” Ginny explained, “or they think maybe you’re going to feed them.”
“Who are you and what are you doing in our pasture?”
This little one was particularly curious.
Its friends were curious, too.
From there we headed over to the cow pasture. We spotted this courting couple along the way.
Tom turkey strutting his stuff.
Turkey Hen
American Milking Devon Bull
Y’all know there are different breeds of cattle, right? American Milking Devons are on the smallish side. The big, full-grown AMDs only weigh about 1,000 pounds each.
While Ginny and I stood quietly in the pasture chatting, the herd of American Milking Devon cattle watched us closely. I was struck by how much that bull’s head resembles a bison.
Charlie, having been bottle-fed as a youngster, is more social than the others.
Cows really are curious critters. 🙂
“Hey, who are you?”
Ina was Jeff and Ginny’s first cow.
Another curious youngster.
Ginny thinks this one may be pregnant.
This one circled around behind us for a closer look.
Impressive horns on that ram, eh?
A nursing lamb.
L-R, Chip and Dale, the resident oxen.
Look at that sweet face on Chip!
Chip and Dale, the farm’s oxen, are of the Milking Shorthorn breed. Both weigh in excess of 2,000 pounds each.
They’re very gentle. Chip loves having his chin scratched.
Ginny scratching Chip’s chin.
I was able to scratch his chin, too. I just had to keep an eye on those horns. His head is almost as long as my torso, and if he swung his head around quickly, I could get speared. Not impaled, mind you, but those horns would hurt if they made contact with the wrong spot.
A big ole pig sow.
As we approached the pasture housing Chip and Dale, Ginny remarked that there’d been a pig escape. There were at least two very large sows running around. VERY large.
I’m a tall girl, and I’m pretty sure the backs of those pigs came up at least to my hip.
I may be a city girl, but I read a lot, and I know pigs can be quite mean, so we both kept wary eyes on them.
That enclosure also held more sheep. And there was a noisy flock of geese — it’s mating season — up behind the house.
Ginny and I chatted about farm life and critters the whole time we strolled. She explained how the sheep, once they start dropping lambs, adopt a “grass is always greener” mentality and tend to wander far and wide across the pasture in search of newly emerging grass shoots. Which is why most of that herd was on the far side of the pasture.
We eventually made our way back to the shop. In addition to attending various Farmers’ Markets throughout the area, the couple also maintains a farm store on their property, with freezers full of packaged meat.
Just as Ginny and I approached the shop, a couple of cars pulled in. These folks were regular customers, and were greeted warmly by name. There were several small children among the new arrivals, so Ginny went and got the newest bottle lamb.
This youngun had been discovered in the middle of the pasture less than a week prior, only partially cleaned off. They have no idea which sheep birthed the lamb. It’s possible that it was one of a set of twins. They’ll be bottle-feeding it for quite some time. It seems to be doing well, so far.
Bottle Baby (BB)
Ginny introduced BB to the children.
Ginny was giving the kids a scaled down biology lesson.
BB has the sweetest face.
BB is obviously quite content with Mama Ginny.
While the animals are cute, farm life is rife with harsh realities. Like this abandoned lamb, which, if it hadn’t been discovered when it was, could easily have died.
Ginny said she won’t name the lamb until it’s a least a week old. In the past, after she’d named several younger lambs only to have them die for one reason or another, she’d decided naming should wait.
It’s easy to romanticize farm life. Just look at all of those beautiful animals! But farm life is hard work. They have to feed and care for the animals and the 38-acre piece of land with its myriad fences, animal shelters, the pond, etc.
They rarely get days off. And they both work other jobs, too, to make ends meet.
If you’re a local and have never tried meat from Walnut Hill Farm at Elm Springs, you should. Jeff and/or one of his helpers will be at the Saturday market in Old Town Warrenton with massive coolers full of meat. The bulk chorizo is my favorite, but I also like their link sausages, too, which are available in pork and lamb varieties. I also like to experiment with new stuff on occasion. This time, I bought some lamb kabob meat, too, which I am quite anxious to try.
Address: 449 Kellogg Mill Road, Falmouth, VA 22406
Phone: (540) 752-2909
And if you are nowhere near Virginia, find another local farmer to support. Not only will you find an alternate source for good, fresh, healthier food, you may just make a new friend or two in the process.
