The Prep Work is the Hardest

~ my love hate relationship with the beautiful thistle ~

Before starting on the day, I wanted to ask a favor for a blog friend. Patrice, she of Everyday Ruralty and Chats on the Farmhouse Porch, wants to take a course on Nutritional Psychology Coaching. Along with being a wife, mother and farmer alongside her husband, Patrice is also a chef. She's learned the hard way about food allergies, in her video she states one of their daughters could only eat five foods! Patrice is asking folks to "like" her video, click here for her post and, if you're so inclined, please vote/like Patrice's video. It's for a scholarship to take the course. Thanks!

~ Primary Route 91 ~

I've been calling Duchess Dairy for days but to no avail...until this morning around 8:30 when they answered the telephone. I told them I needed cream in order to demonstrate churning at the Tazewell County Fair and they said, "Sure, not a problem. We milk on Mondays and Thursdays so today is good." By "milk" they meant they put milk in jugs for retail sales. There's no easy way to get to Rural Retreat from where I live...a week ago Friday, I-77 was shut down due to a tractor trailer catching fire in the tunnel so I decided to go the back way. Route 91 is the only primary dirt road in the Commonwealth of VA. As you can see, it's narrow although two vehicles may, very carefully, pass each other. When it's a big truck with a 24 foot livestock trailer, I just pull over and sit very still and quietly and give them the total right of way. We also don't waste a lot of tax dollars on such nonsense as guard rails. -grin-

Thistle Cove Farm, 3.3 miles away 

Kudzu is Very Invasive and is taking over the world, tree by tree. When the blooms are open, they smell exactly like grape juice. Some enterprising folks are making beautiful baskets from kudzu and I applaud them! 

A little over the top of our portion of the Clinch Mountain Range and here is Dogpatch. Don't even ask if it's available for rent because there's no electricity, toilet, running water or much of anything. It is a sweet little cabin though and the folks that own it, at times, still stay there. 

~ beautiful stone wall, generations old ~

~ cute mailbox design ~

~ perhaps part of a plane? ~

Some time back Little Tumbling was named one of the top ten trout streams in the USA. 

Part of my journey took me on both Saltville Highway and Possum Hollow Road, over in Smythe County, our next door neighbor. 

This lovely 360+ acre farm in Rich Valley is going to be auctioned off, regardless of price, August 23rd by Albert Burney. I've read their website information and it bothers me they're saying "Blue Ridge Mountains". I hear that a lot from folks who live around here and it's simply not true. While it's true the Blue Ridge Mountains lie in the Appalachian chain, it is not true the Appalachian chain is the Blue Ridge Mountains. It bothers me because it's the "you ain't from around here" and "we'uns just as good as anybody else" mentality. If you believe you're as good as everyone else, you don't have to beat others over the head, just go do the best you can. Many years ago, during church youth service a young man proclaimed, "I'm going to go to XXXU and prove it doesn't matter we're from Appalachia, we're just as good as anybody else!" After the service, I whispered to him, "No one cares where you're from, they care what kind of man you are, and by the way, that university you're headed to...it's in Appalachia too." I'm not sure but I think he's still shaking his head over my comments. At any rate, this property is breathtaking! The homestead sits on a little peninsula and the North Fork Holston River meanders by in a U formation. But hey! what do you expect boys from Huntsville, 'bama to know anyway? "You'uns ain't from around here r ye?" -grin-

My drive took me by Hungry Mother State Park (twice) where it's said generations ago, some Anglo settlements were destroyed on the New River, south of the park, and Molly Marley and her young child were some of the survivors taken to the the raiders base. Molly and her child escaped but she, eventually collapsed, and her child was found but could only say the words "hungry mother". The search party found Molly where she'd fallen and died; the mountain where she was found is called Molly's Knob and the creek is Hungry Mother Creek.

After more than two hours of driving, I arrived at Duchess Dairy Products, in Rural Retreat, where only milk from Jersey cows are bottled. Aunt Bonnie, Daddy's oldest sister, had a Jersey and a Guernsey cow that she milked twice a day then churned a few times a week to make butter, buttermilk and cottage cheese. She taught me how to do all of that and then she gave me her churn which had come from her mother and, possibly, her mother before. Aunt Bonnie knew out of all the children, nieces and nephews, I was the only one who would ever keep the tradition alive and I do proudly. Some in my family think I've a screw loose but I love keeping the old ways alive and, when the butter is ready, they love eating it. 

~ the Duchess men ~

It really does make a difference when Jersey cows are milk vs. Holstein. Jersey milk has a butterfat content of around 34% while Holstein is around 9-12%. Jersey milk has 17% more calcium, is higher in protein and has a 20% smaller footprint than her black and white cousin. A Jersey will take 32% less water and 11% less land to produce cheese from her milk and, if you're ever able to do a taste test, you'll find the Jersey milk is superior in flavor as well and their disposition is calm and gentle, the perfect milk cow for someone starting out.

It took another two plus hours to drive home and yes, I am exhausted! Part of the way over and all the way home, I drove Rt. 16 which is nothing but two lanes of switchbacks, U's which make for beautiful scenery but my poor hands are aching from gripping the steering wheel! 

Now you see why it takes me for.ev.er. to do almost everything once I leave the farm. There's no easy way to get from here to most anywhere else and it takes hours to get the most menial errands accomplished. Still and all, I love my farm and the surrounding valleys. Appalachian is the home of my heart (until I get to heaven anyway), my roots go deep and wide and I've never lived anywhere I've been happier. Yes, I am sorry to say good-bye (when that time comes) but it's time to move forward. Like I told Dave the other day, "Just because I'm moving on doesn't mean I'm forgetting you." (I'm not sure but if I could put that to country music, I could make a small fortune!)

Blessings ~ safe trip across those mountains ~ Jersey cows ~ Holstein cows ~ Duchess Dairy ~ Appalachia ~

Chatting with Patrice

~ I miss my sheep! ~

I'm exhausted. I'm beyond tired. I'm cranky, whiny, grumpy and want to run away from home. Dare you ask why? I'm keeping Mary's children, a labor of love, but trust me on this...no one has enough money to pay me for this job. No one. Not even Warren Buffet or Bill Gates. N.O. O.N.E. Get my drift? Am I clear? Tomorrow will be the end of the second week. The SECOND week. Of the summer. They aren't bad children but they are 10, 11 and 13 and I am 61. God help us all. Me especially. There's not enough booze in this house. Heck. There's probably not enough booze in this world. You know what I'm doing every afternoon after I deliver them to their mother? I come home and chop thistles with my stirrup hoe. I'm not sure what that means. Heck. I'm not sure I want to know. There might be some deep, dark thoughts, way beneath the surface...don't go there. Prayer helps but it's impossible to pray as much as I need to pray. I have to eat and sleep sometime. O Lord. Did I mention it's only week two? 

Maybe it's the boxes and boxes and boxes and boxes...you get the drift...of packed stuff goods belongings stacked in the metal building or upstairs hall or in the bedrooms or...everywhere...that reminds me this season of life is drawing to an end. That's a good thing but it doesn't mean it's an easy thing. For you who've still got your spouse to snug up against tonight, you don't understand. You can't understand and you may thank God for it but for those of us whose husbands have gone Home, it's tough. Linda Sue has found Michael and I rejoice with both of them at their happiness. I'm also envious even though I don't want a spouse; I want to move. Rainey knows what it's like; she's been struggling as well and we send each other little notes, keep each other tucked in prayer. It's still dang hard, tough as nails and something we wouldn't wish on someone we didn't like. I told Rainy, "Yes, God takes care of us, all of us, but it's not the same as having someone with skin on." Fortunately, she didn't think I was being sarcastic or sacrilegious; unfortunately, she understands. Even though I'm ready to go, I'm not homesick and still love my life. Mostly.

There's been a lot of interest in the farm but no offers...yet. See number five below.  Patrice, Everyday Ruralty, hosts Chats on the Farmhouse Porch, Number 144 and I'm playing along. Yeah, it was yesterday but I'm feeling real blessed I remembered at all, much less late. For small mercies, make us me grateful, dear Lord.

1. Do you like lemonade? I think this is what she means although she said lemon-aid; different sides of the same coin, perhaps? Yes, I like lemonade when it's freshly made with real lemons and simple syrup. I detest that fake powdered stuff and don't much like flavored lemonade. I mean, if you want to drink raspberry flavored something, why not just make raspberry flavored something? 

2. How many place settings of silverware could you come up with? Personally, I like paper goods especially since I've been keeping three children. Paper plates, paper napkins towels, paper cups. Over the years, I've saved a few hundred thousand million a whole lot of trees and planted my fair share. If I want to use paper this summer, I'm dang going to use paper. 
Oh wait. There was a question. 
Well, there's the dozen silver place settings, the dozen silver plate place settings, the dozen bone handled place settings, the eight place settings of everyday stuff (minus the odd spoon or knife that's missing) and then the odd mix of utensils that have been collected over the decades. Don't get me started on dishes...Dave's mother had 50 years worth of dishes, Dave and his first wife had 25 years, I had 25 years...I am grateful to Stephanie that she packed up most of that stuff. By the time I get to unpack, it'll all be new again.

3. Have you ever been to a party in a barn? Yep and spend every Christmas Eve in the barn talking to the animals. 

4. Do you wear nail polish? Maybe 2 or 3 times a year but it's such a bother, you know? My idea of a manicure is a pair of nail clippers. For what a manicure costs, I can buy all kinds of lovely books, chocolate or special treats. I see an expen$ive manicure on some woman and think...uh huh. And you wonder why you don't have any money? 

5. Please finish this sentence...I wish I could...SELL AND MOVE. NOW. SOON. NOW.

What I'm going to do is take a shower, put on a nightgown, grab a book and escape into fiction. Tomorrow is going to come too soon and like a freight train...unstoppable.

Blessings ~ I'm able to help ~ cold, clear, sweet tap water ~ thistle chopping ~

Chatting at the Sky...

My contribution to Vicki's Grow Your Blog party is here with two giveaways.

Patrice at Everyday Ruralty is chatting again, number 126, and so is Wendell although I think he's all about the carrots. I like Patrice's Chats and she's a neighbor in northern VA. It's been said crazy people talk to themselves which I think is hogwash! I talk to myself but, mostly, I talk to God and, when outside in the pastures or barns, I tend to glance up and talk to Him as if He's standing there, only taller. Do people think I'm crazy? Does it matter? Should I care? (see number 1) Frankly, God is a much better listener than most humans I know and the results are, generally, a lot better as well.

Her questions, my answers and then a farm catch-up.

1. Do you worry about what other people think? Dave used to tell me, "Sandra, I wish you cared, just a little bit, about what people think of you." And I would reply, "Dave, there are people whom I respect that I care, enormously, what they think of me. The others...not so much." I spent wasted too much time as a younger woman, being fearful of what people thought of me. As long as I can lay my head on my pillow at night and know I'm straight with God, what difference do it make what others say? One of these days, they're going to have to stand before the Almighty and account for their wicked words, as are we all.

2. Do you own a sewing machine? Many, p'raps a dozen ranging from a Singer Treadle to a German circa 1860's hand crank in the casket to Featherweights to Kenmore's...remember Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland? He was using a hand crank but not sure what model. When Dave and I went to London in 2010, I found the German sewing machine at a charity shop; Dave just looked at me and said, "Yes, we'll ship it home".  What a great husband!

3. Tell us about someone interesting in your life. My life is too small now to know anyone interesting. When I lived in NYC I met Paul McCartney and some of the SNL crew...that was way back in the day. Gee, come to think of it, I've not met anyone interesting in a very long while! In 1997, I was an extra in Country Justice, re-released as Family Justice, starring George C. Scott and filmed here in Tazewell County. Mr. Scott was an outstanding gentleman and lived in Dave's cousins' house while he was here filming.

4. Did you watch the Super Bowl? Nope, no television service. 

5. What's the best dinner you had last week? Last week is a foreign country and the borders are now closed. I had pork tenderloin and roasted vegs for supper tonight and am doing good to remember that. Oh, and had a Killians Stout to wash it all down and, while it's not as good as a Guinness, it's still acceptable.

~ roasted pork tenderloin and vegs ~

We've had several days of above freezing temps and it's both a blessing and a gift! I haven't had to break ice since Friday and my aching back (and pulled back muscle) is grateful...as are my arms and hands. We've had some rain, much need and appreciated, and the ground is soft and muddy. This is the time of year the pastures look like a demo derby has taken place. 

Using an umbrella swift and a yarn ball winder, I wound some red wool yarn to knit Mary a hat. Look here to see how it's done in real time and, if you look closely at my photo, you can see Gypsy who was enormously interested in the entire process; Sadie...not so much. 

~ sheep and guinea ~

It's a peaceful kingdom around here...see the guinea amongst the sheep? The other one has wandered around the back side of the hay bale so s/he can nestle in and get warm. Dave and I always strived to make sure everyone got along; disagreements allowed but not to the point where someone is injured. Most of my week has been boring...thank you, God! Last week about killed me.

I cleaned out the refrigerator and was amazed at how long some of those jars have been hiding in the back. Does that happen to you? Do you have jars of "stuff" that would have qualified as a science project a decade ago? Really, you don't? Hmmm, I find it strange I'm the only one...

Are you sure?

Now I'm amazed at how much empty space is in my refrigerator!

The phone just rang and...I lied. It was another person asking for Sandra, pretending like we're best buds, and wanting to sell me a warranty for my car. So, I lied. I told her I'd sold the car...stunned silence..."you sold it"? Silence from me, no need to lie twice, doncha know? (grin) Then, "Thank you very much" and I'm now hoping my contact information is struck from their list. I've told them, time and time and time and time again...not interested. This time I just lied. How would you have handled it?

The best thing to happen this week was Kinsley Nicole was born 2/2/14 and is 8 pounds 14 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Proud Daddy Dustin and Mama April are both peacocks and the rest of our family is beaming as well. Dustin is the youngest son of my beloved Sistah, Stephanie, and this baby is the first born in our immediate family since Dustin was born a few decades ago. Kinsley, of English origin, means "King's Meadow" and Nicole, of French origin, means "people of Victory". In our family, there are preacher's of the Gospel on both sides, so this baby has a rich heritage. 

Blessings ~ my peaceful kingdom ~ Kinsley Nicole ~ April ~ Dustin ~

My Five Answers...and more...

~ two sentinels ~

Patrice, over at Everyday Ruralty, hosts Chats on the Farmhouse Porch; today is number 82. Here are today's questions and my answers. 

1. Is there a room in your house you'd like to redecorate or remodel? The living room and hall need painting; that's being planned for spring. 

2. Did you watch the Oscars? A few minutes because my sister called and wanted me to see a beautiful black woman in a ravishing blue gown. Apparently, this woman had cancer and her sister was a match for bone marrow; the woman was stunning and, please God, is doing well. Then Sistah and I talked for a few minutes while various people walked across the screen...we saw Adele and....that's all I remember. I'm not a big fan of Oscar or whatever that music thing that was on recently...come to think of it, I'm not a television fan at all. I'll tape anything I want to watch and that's for two reasons...I see exactly what I want to see and can fast forward through any racy parts and the commercials. For me, that's a win/win.

3. How many pairs of blue jeans do you own? I have no idea but my favorite pair of denims is a pair of black jeans.

4. What was your favorite toy as a child? A black and white stuff panda and I still have it although it's a trifle worse for wear. I hated dolls and am sure that broke Mom's heart; I could never understand the thrill of dolls. Actually, I still don't understand but I do remember my first phone number - MI40273 and GrandDaddy and GrandMother's phone number was three longs and a short. 

5. If you could visit a country in Europe, what would you choose? It's not in Europe, but I choose Mongolia. Dave and I traveled quite a bit and saw a lot of Europe; loved traveling with Dave. Nothing else cemented our marriage and friendship like travel. When you're in a foreign country, can't speak or read the language and have no one else except each other...you learn trust in a deeper, more meaningful way than day to day living could ever teach you. Unless, of course, there's terminal illness involved and that's a story for another time.

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." ~ Albert Einstein ~

Today's Miracles ~ good memories ~ excellent Bible study today ~ county library ~ tolerance, going and coming ~ my warm and cozy home ~