So now, the challenge is to use a walker in a house that’s not set up for it. We’ve battened down (or removed rugs), rearranged furniture, etc. But lots of little things crop up.

Still  no weight bearing on the right foot, so there are lots of things she just can’t do, or are much harder than they normally are. So there’s an attitude adjustment, as well. I’m not sure if my experience being “differently abled” is of any help. But she’s sharp enough to figure out workarounds for most things.

The biggest problem is for someone used to doing for herself to stop & ask for help. And we’ve had a couple go-rounds on that topic.

But we’re both coming to terms with it (the magic words seem to be- this is for 2 wks out of your whole life!) And I’ve got a big shopping list for tomorrow, to do some quantity cooking that can easily be heated. No prepared foods- some things just aren’t negotiable.

Mom is doing really well with her walker & wheelchair, and even learning to do steps. Still no weight on the right leg; one of the fractures is in a weird place, so the surgeon is being conservative.

This Tues, they’re having a home evaluation (the Occupational therapist) and bringing mom along, so it’ll be the first time she’s been home since Nov 17. Even just a short visit will do her good. They’ll tell me what equipment & modifications she’ll need, and then I’ll get busy rounding it up. Then a “safe discharge” meeting, and we can actually set a date. I keep mis-speaking & calling it “safe release.”

After the comments we made about the food (honestly, you wouldn’t believe what they serve sick people!) I’m sure they’ll expedite things

Considering how independent Mom is, and how much she enjoys quiet, she’s done really well at the convelescent hospital. But she’s really looking forward to getting home.

Sophia the cat came through her spaying well, and is also eager for a safe release. But she’ll stay in the kitchen until she’s ready to play with the big girls.

Thank goodness Mom doesn’t sit by the window and yowl like Sophia does, but I’m sure there are times she wants to.

I’ve been waiting for the migrating robins to swing by, and it looks like today’s the day. The trees are full of them, and when the frost melt, the lawn will be full of them. They really are quite deafening. I guess they do this each winter.

That’s it for now…

The funniest thing I saw this week was my horoscope, from Free Will Astrology:

“People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home,” wrote philosopher Dagobert D. Runes. Your assignment, Virgo, should you choose to accept it, is to refute that assertion. In other words, I’m inviting you to travel to all of your usual haunts and treat everything that happens there with the attitude of a first-time visitor. Just assume that the familiar people and places in your life have stimulating gifts to give and lessons to impart. Remember, though, they can’t do that to the fullest unless you expect them to.

OK….

News:

1) Mom’s gained another 2#. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, except that she started at 88 & is now pushing 100. She looks great, and when else can you compliment someone on gaining weight? She’s looking (and says) she’s feeling a lot better. Tonight she discussed all the ways she could have used the same ingredients to make a much better & healthier meal, so you know she’s mending.

2) Almost all the paperwork for the B&B license is in. Everyone is really doing their best to make this happen. Big health inspection is Tues AM. Cross your fingers, light a candle… this WILL happen. I have a bottle of prosecco chilling & ready to sneak into the facility.

3) The rock band turned out to be 6 very nice young people who called me ma’am and didn’t stick tape on anything or steal or break anything at all. Ghost Child shot a video here today, based on a book called House of Leaves. If this has anything to do with a haunted house, please do not tell me. Even more, do not tell my mother.

That’s it for now…. Thank you all for the supportive messages, calls & wishes. I’m relaying them to Mom so she knows just how many people are rooting for her.

Iris in March

I haven’t been on the farm this early in the season before. The snow is hiding out in shady places, but the woods are dry and last year’s leaves rustle as I walk through them. I’m able to see the “bones” of the farm for the first time; most of the year dense underbrush hides the nuances of the terrain.But today I was out taking a walk in the sunshine and inspecting places that would have taken a machete to find last summer. Tom (the tenant) had all three border collies working the sheep, a pair of cardinals was nest-hunting and the iris are starting to bloom. I even found a thinking log up in the woods. (I’m quite fond of thinking on sunny logs and rocks.) Here are some pix of the farm today.

What was I thinking about? Well, I can’t lay claim to any deep thoughts. Mainly “Why didn’t I come out here earlier?” and “I wonder how long it will really take to drive across the whole country?” and “Do I want to go to Yogaville to re-certify in laughter yoga?” (Yes, I actually was a certified laughter yoga instructor. That was your laugh for today. Don’t you feel better now?)

I was planning to go down to Yogaville anyway. It’s an ashram founded by Swami Satchidananda, who was the founder of Integral Yoga & a major force in bringing yoga to the US. And Balika, my massage therapist, friend & one of the most wonderful ppl currently on the planet, did her yoga training there.

So there just happens to be a laughter yoga training this wkend. One more of those strange synchronicities that rule my life.

After lots of angst & drama, resolution on a couple scores-

1. I have decent health insurance, that even covers pre-existing conditions, and I can actually afford it! Virginia can be my home base, although I still plan to be mostly nomadic. (And yes, I still believe strongly that we need a national single-payer system. I would not wish these last few months of uncertainty on anyone.)
2. We finally got rain, after a REALLY long dry spell. We could use some more, but at least it’s a start.

So, thanks to all who have been so supportive thru all my whining & moaning. I appreciate all the hand-holding (& patience!) Once again, things do have a way of working out.

And now I’m going to take a nap…

George Bowers Grocery, Staunton, VA

Staunton (that’s “Stan-ton,” not “Stawn-ton”) Virginia takes pride in its blend of reverence for the old, with modern twists. Like the trolley car buses that minimize downtown traffic, while allowing easy access to landmarks and shops.

Not far from Downtown , New Town Staunton is also experiencing a renaissance. As old mansions and homes are being restored, so are some of the storefronts that served their original owners.

One of these is the George Bowers Grocery, originally founded in 1881. It’s been reclaimed to service by a young duo- Brian Wiedemann and Katie McCaskey- who stock the shelves with a variety of wines/beers, including many from Virginia and locally produced foodstuffs. They also grow some of  the produce they sell, in a rented city lot a few blocks away at Lush Farms.

Katie says that while they aren’t a one-stop shopping experience, the neighborhood has been very supportive of their efforts. And why not, when each item is carefully selected by the owners, who cultivate relationships with both their suppliers and patrons, and serve as a knowledgeable link between them.

In Downtown Staunton, there is another neighborhood grocery, with a slightly different slant. Cranberry’s is a natural foods grocery and deli (with juice bar, and gluten-free choices.) Like George Bowers, the accent is on local, and healthy.

While neighborhood groceries may not supplant the supermarket chains, the idea of a local grocery as a link, more accessible than a once or twice a week farmers market, and a gathering place for the neighborhood, may be an idea whose time has come- again.

Gabalot Gardens

Well, I’ve been clearing out a couple beds for fall crops, in between peeling & freezing peaches. So decided that today I’d go get some stuff to plant in them. Fall things, like broccoli, spinach, radishes… the usual suspects.

So first I went to Southern States & messed around for a while. I did get some seeds there- lettuce, daikon radishes, etc. Also got lots of mouse & ant killer. (Whole ‘nother story…)

Then I headed for a little nursery the mater had told me about- Gabalot. As warned, Janet DOES talk a lot. But unlike many people, she actually imparts a lot of info. She’s “only” been running Gabalot Gardens for 16 years, and says she’s still learning.

Many of her seeds are heirloom (non-hybrid, which means you can save your own seed for next year) which is exactly what we’re up to here @ Mt Pleasant. Her two main suppliers are Landreth Seeds in Pennsylvania, which she also sells in bulk and Renee’s Garden.

I got some gorgeous broccoli & brussel sprouts seedlings, and then some things to dress up the planters a bit. But also got rainbow chard seeds, b/c I like them so much. (For those of you in PT, check the window boxes of the Silverwater Cafe. Those are Bright Lights chard)

What’s really exciting is that I asked her about whether she starts seeds for others in her fancy greenhouse. Not only does she, she has an interesting way that she does it. If you buy seed & send or take it to her to plant, you tell her how many plants you want. She keeps the rest of the seeds & gets the income from selling those seedlings. That’s it.

I don’t know if other greenhouses do that, but it sounds wonderful to me. Growing seedlings is really pretty labor & equipment intensive (My lettuce seedlings were a total failure… I was hardening them off & a thunderstorm hit & washed them all out. Starting over…)

Anyway, a very fun & productive day… and a new friend.

1. I’ve learned a whole lot about gardening. Weird stuff that’s not in books- like to not plant hot peppers w/sweet peppers.
2. I can tell the difference between a sweet potato vine and a weed
3. Ditto potato bugs and lady bugs
4. Praying mantii mantises ( thanks, Brad!) BITE. They’re not all cute like Zorak
5. I can make yogurt & granola
6. Know how to freeze green beans & raspberries
7. Can make juice in a steam juicer
8. Can make myself understood (kinda) in Spanish & can kinda understand what’s going on.
9. Have quite a collection of pink shirts, most of which cost less than $2
10. Can name 3 places where I can get a double Americano in less that 20 minutes. But have to get out of the car.
11. Started taking yoga- like it a lot
12. Flea marketeers fear me
13. Can shelve books, check them out & also do the dreaded vacation check-0ut.
14. Am the most wired person in Shenandoah County (both senses.)
15. Can eat out for years on my story of getting new tires in Maurertown (pronounced- Maurytown.)
16. Know how to hang clothes on a line.
17. Know that oriental carpets can only be vacuumed every 10 days.
18. I may have a career in killing those spider-things w/the webs that feel like hair. Ugh! Ugh! I want them all DEAD. I am on a mission!
19. Know that they don’t know what to do ’bout hippies @ Food Lion. They sell recyclable bags, but aren’t quite sure what to do if someone actually uses one for the 2nd time. Especially if they’re wearing clogs. Not sure whether to call me ma’am or call 911.
20. Know that if I say “slippah chayah” instead of slipper chair, my mama will slap me upside the haid. That is not why she sent me to Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. (Strange, but true.)
21. Know that they are serious about drinking & driving here. 1/2 the natives have to drive the other 1/2 around, b/c they’ve lost their licenses. I want to be the 1/2 in the driver’s seat, thank you.
22. Realize that I may never spell the word license correctly the first time.
23. Yes, I can make a wicked garlicky hummus. I have personally evicted all the vampires in Shenandoah County.

Namaste!

Where did this come from? And why?

Cross my heart, we did not buy this! So why is it in the house?

Well, b/c the mater was attempting to corner the VA market in brass candlesticks. After negotiating $10 for 14 of them, she saw more in a basket. It was near the end of the day, so the gal said, “Give me a dollar, and take the whole thing.”

So, after having spent a good 10 hrs stopping at one sale after another, eating weird Chinese food at a mall, and sundaes @ a frozen kustard stand, we unpacked, and the little hussy had included all kinds of weird, unsalable things in the basket. Of which Ms Chicken is prime exhibit #1. Do you want to hear about the chipped statuette of a person of unresolved gender preference? Or perhaps the bookend depicting equine/canine inappropriate behavior?

What I’d like to know is:

1. Who came up with these ideas?
2. Who bought them in the first place?
3. How the heck do we get rid of them?

At any rate, we did get a whole lot of good stuff. Brass candlesticks, natch. A parisian dress pour moi. Several books we hadn’t read. Lots of canisters for all the bizarre non-flour flour substitiutes the gluten-intolerant require.

And three copies of a CD by an obsure Bluegrass band. WTF?

Next stop, Rio Mall… but first a quick trip to the dump, in the dead of night.

Star Tannery Carnival

So, last night’s entertainment was to go to Star Tannery, for the annual Firefighters’ Carnival & BBQ. Star Tannery is a little town up in the mountains, where the mater has owned property for over 20 yrs.

Star Tannery is one of those little places that almost nob0dy knows about, except the ppl that live there. And those people love it w/a passion. The same creek (Cedar Creek) that runs thru the farm here, starts up there.

Star Tannery has had various industries since the Civil War, & has a tradition of both parents being employed. First a tannery (duh) for the hides that made shoes for Star Shoes of Baltimore, MD. Then chicken farms to supply food for WWII, then clothing factories. Now, it’s kind of forgotten, except by folks who’ve struggled by for several generations (and newcomers, who’ve had 2nd homes there, from DC).

Anyway Star Tannery has a volunteer firefighters dept that is run by (mostly men) who are passionate about their community. And each summer, they have a carnival, parade & bbq. People from Star Tannery, and ppl who love Star Tannery come together & have a real old-fashioned “big time.”

I’d kind of expected a carnival w/rinky-dink ferris wheel & all that… but no! This was the real thing. A dime toss, hosted by Debbie, where odd cups & shot glasses were stacked. And pay a dollar to dunk Bobby in the tank. Or buy a pie or cake from Jack, the mutual insurance guy.

And REALLY good bbq chicken, cooked by local people, with baked beans & “almost” homemade ice cream from the local place.

And yup, a creek ran thru it. Just a good time, with good people, and good food.