What's Growing On...

The majority has been planted...Big yahoo! More seeds will go in for succession planting of lettuce, cilantro, parsley, summer squash and cucumbers. Still would like to get some more cutting flowers in, but need to find room. We are already reaping the benefits with some of the mostly lovely broccoli I have ever tasted...So tender. Chapin wants to go up ever day a few times a day to pick more to eat. Salads are a staple now and something we very much enjoy. Now with Jon not focusing on school the help is super handing.

Rain has brought in many weeds and some hardship with washing some items away. By the way, the man living area of the farm frame house (our home and yard) is at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and gradually slopes.  So our garden is on a slight slope. Not ideal, but we have been trying to work with it.  We need to spend more time engineer some of the drainage issues.  

Of course, more updates on the garden will come throughout the summer. 

Graduation~Birthday Treats...

The other weeekend we gathered with a great community of friends to celebrate Jon's graduation and my birthday which both fell on May 15th. Our neighbor Anne, who is known for her amazing desserts, brought dessert…Two of them at that! One was a strawberry rhubarb tart the other lemon mousse angel food cake. Defiantly, the highlight of the evening!  We have great friend in VA...Thanks friends! 

What a view...

What a view from the top of the mountain.  We try to get up to Bears Den, part of the Appalachian Trail behind our house, here and there for a picnic supper and always come back saying we need to do it more.  We do!  Our mountain souls need to be reminded that we really do live in the mountains.  Nice way to spend my birthday.

It's Official!

It is official...May 15th, 2010 Jonathan Michael Turkel graduated with a Master of Business Administration with a focus in Sustainability from Green Mountain College.  We are very proud of you and all your hard work.  Congratulations!

Happy Mother's Day...

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.”~ Thich Nhat Han

Thank you Moms (Robin and Jeanne) for being ever present in our lives.  You have allowed us to grow and blossom and now we can share that with our family.   We love you~

Busy Bee's

The bee's are busy this spring and so are we.  Much to be done to spring clean, titivate and grow our food.  With Chapin and I outside, Jon is inside or at the office finishing up his Capstone Project (master project.)  The end is in site with a deadline to turn in the project on Tuesday, May 4th and present on the 5th.  Then he is done.  After two years of study and hard work he will complete his master degree and will be more available to help titivate (his favorite thing to do,) also!

Walking on Saturday we paid a visit to our friend Walter who has a huge organic garden one neighbor up the mountain.  He and his wife are in their 80's and are completing inspiring.  His garden is amazing.  Thankfully he supplied us with a bounty of lettuce for the week, while ours gets prepared to harvest sometime next week.   Thank you Walter...Thank you Ladies.

Chapin and I also worked on cleaning the porch with soap and water.   Chapin set up a car wash and had a blast.  We were able to paint and old table found in a shed to eat some meals out on the porch, while the weather so nice.  

Chapin and I were able to spend time in the hot weather (90's today) planting more seeds.  Some new things that should be fun including, mache (corn salad), different varieties of radishes, Five Color Silverbeet (beautiful five color swiss chard, ) and some new musclun.   Thank you Mom for the Silverbeet.  Chapin planted it and calls it "Grandma's treat."

Spring is truly amazing for all the plants look so beautiful...Starting to blossom and bloom.