Old Virginia

 Back in the Shenandoah Valley; this is where hubby and I grew up— met in grade 4, co-editors of the school newspaper and good friends. 

Daughter Kate is enjoying being with us, though she has work to do daily via computer.

 We’re staying with friends who have young kids but I found time to pop in to Belle Grove plantation. The Hites moved in in the late 1700s and added to the house. Mrs. Hite was a daughter of President Madison. 

Belle Grove is a fav spot for history and beauty and connects me to my childhood.

The garden is divided into cut flowers, dye plants, fruits, culinary herbs, and medicinal herbs.

I saw the above and couldn’t identify it there but I believe it’s Rue. Does anyone use this today? It has a wonderful scent.

The photo above, though common in appearance, is especially poignant. This is the area the slaves would have inhabited. Archeological digging is young yet but there is plenty undiscovered; the sloped area would have been where sweepings from the cabins went. 

There is evidence that the Hites purchased veggies and eggs from the slaves who farmed before and after hard days of work at the main house. 

This field may have recreated quarters in the future to expand a fuller picture of life at Belle Grove. I hope so. 

Happy Trails

We’re across the Canadian/American border and are making our way (slowly) to NC with the rv and elderdog. 

Grateful to get our second vax in New Hampshire, we limped into our rv site in Brattleboro, Vt. Exhausted. We set up and did what every true camper does- ordered the local pizza.

 Today we had a bit more energy and we took turns sitting with Lucy or climbing up to the tower in the town. Built by people with mental struggles during the 19th century as a “healing project” by the “asylum.” The asylum was more progressive for the day, but an untold number of people took their lives by jumping from this tower, hence it was locked.

I said a prayer for those who built, died at, or visited the tower; a prayer for the mental struggles with which so many of us struggle.

After stopping to buy some exorbitantly priced cheese from a tourist spot, we hightailed it back to the campground for a rest and a read:

 

I’m really enjoying the book by Elizabeth Miller of Parris House Wool. 

Her writing captures her life and lifestyle in an old home in Maine. 

Recipes and rug hooking included.

 

And tomorrow, oh! day of days!, we get to see our daughter in person for the first time in 19 months!!!

Poor dear will be sick of us by the time we pull up in NC. Ah well.

It’s too hot to hook, so I’m not sorry I left my gear behind; but I know my hands will be twitching to create something before long...

Happy Quilt

Yard saling with friends yesterday I scored this quilt for $20. It’s gone thru two long soaks in Oxi stain remover and gentle washes and clothesline sun sanitizing!!

 

Isn’t she a beauty? And hand stitched. I can feel the love. She has a good home now.

I walked Willie Nelson thru the woods until we couldn’t stand the skeeters any longer. Aren’t the paths lovely and wide?

Though I’m slimming I couldn’t resist trying a new and super simple cheesecake recipe I found on The Blind Pig and Acorn blog. Adding raspberries and strawberries with honey to the top made it extra decadent and it got rave reviews at our dinner party!

Buy it make a graham cracker pie crust. 

Then mix well together the following:

8 oz cream cheese, one can of sweetened condensed milk, and 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice.

Pour into crust and refrigerate until firm. 

(A great tip from the blog is to bake your store bought crust a little. I put mine in oven for 5 minutes on 350.)

Happy Memorial Day weekend!!!!

Victoria Day Weekend

The second funeral during the covid period...  I dislike most funerals but this one was a tad more celebratory of a life well lived. The tough part of both is that people can’t comfort each other physically AND many cannot attend because of spread. Neither funeral was from the virus however.

I’m close to done with my antique replica:

I’m not overjoyed with it, but I like the hidden birds.

My next rug is drawn and ready; it will be a tavern sign for my bro-in-law’s billiards room. 

Their house is huge and his man room is sacred space for him.

My son celebrates  his “champagne birthday” this year:

31 in the 31st.

We never called it that, have you heard of it?

I do recall the old custom for Sweet 16 females: a pink corsage with a netting holding sugar lumps attached. 

Anyone remember  that one?

Well, I’m well and truly addicted to online auctions and marketplace now. I couldn’t resist this sweet old wood container...

And joy of joys! The woods are full of trillium.

Well, mosquitos and trillium, but dog and I were forced to walk faster, which is a positive.

We searched for mayflowers but I saw none at all. A bit strange, but it’s a weird sort of year.

It’s Victoria Day weekend here in Canada.

Waiting for vacation plans to be okayed...

An extra long one with a slow rv drive down the coast to my family in NC. 

Seeing our kids takes priority and we’re still trying to work that out.

And there’s a big box from The Wool Studio waiting at my folks’ house. Bonus!

May your weekend be blessed with absorbing all God’s goodness around you: whether you’re in a bad place or a good one.

Weekend Escape

Very little beats a weekend away to a quiet peninsula in New Brunswick with ones pals.

The home is an old country house with wide wooden floorboards, iron bed frames, and the squeak of a mouse in the walls.

We walked, we ate, we laughed, sat in front of a roaring fireplace, petted horse, watched deer, looked at pottery picked up treasures at the end of driveways...

Isn’t it beautiful?

We located a waterfalls walk too...

Sandy is the animal whisperer.

Lisa is trying out an antique rocking chair in the middle of the road. Discarded trash became her treasure. A beautiful piece with nothing wrong with it!

The only prob with the whole weekend was that it was too short.

Our little area of the province is ramping up with a variant so another lockdown may be in our near future.

This afternoon a friend and I will hook and also tune in to a live video with the Ontario hooking store of Sande Gunning. We’ll shop while she shows us her wares.

A shadowy snap of my antique recreation which I’m struggling to love.

May JOY find its way into your day

Lighter Things

Our rug hooking community here had an unexpected death and two more on their way in hospital. Not covid. I’m grieving. Grieving is especially difficult when it feels like depression which I wrestle with. ♥️

So I will post a couple spirit lifting events. My former client and now plain old friend had her 82nd birthday yesterday. Two of us brought her cake and chicken salad lunch. Here she is:

She is also deaf AND blind. A former librarian and a lover of gardening and dirty jokes. Just seeing this pic uplifts me. 

On kijiji this week (our version of Craig’s List) there were two hooked rugs for $20 TOTAL.

Photos at top: Butterflies and Flowers, Horse and Buggy.

 I contacted the woman right away and gave her $25. Both rugs went into the deep freeze, both underwent some repairs where strips had come out, and both are on fb marketplace now, at a modest $65 and $75.

Another lovely thing: Friday my girlfriends in my covid “bubble” are going to a country cottage an hour away to spend the weekend. Wine, walks, laughter, prayer time and tears will be part (as always!)

One of our five has a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Well, that seems to be shadowing me this week but doesn’t it shadow is every day of our lives? 

Enough! 

May the beauty of life sing to me and to you today!

 

Thursday Catch Up

I purchased this twin sized quilt for $15 from our local thrift. I like the wonky spots too. Currently it’s soaking in some oxi and mild detergent. Tomorrow I’ll hang it on the line outside.

Maybe a first quilt for someone. 😀

I’ve also been hooking on my antique repro and 

perhaps liking it a smidge more. 

Our rug hooking guild continues to zoom every Tuesday. There are talks of meeting outdoors with distance between, once temps rise. 

In Atlantic Canada this may be a while.

My daughter finished her Master’s in Library Science. 

She wants to be an archivist. 

Here she is with our son yesterday.

They both live in Montreal but have to be careful about visits.

Our son is a PhD student- a hard thing to swing in this  time. Some of his peers opted to keep their masters and

dropped out. 

                 

This weekend we’ll have friends from our

Covid bubble over for supper (ham noodle casserole and peanut butter pie) and I’ve reserved a spot to view a fibre exhibit at our local university.

May you feel JOY as you create !