Sunday, December 16, 2012

Turkel Season Greetings...


Happy Holidays
 

May peace and love fill you…

May joy and gratitude be abundant…

May the magic of the season be rich…

Love Turi, Jon & Chapin

 

 

 

 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Christmas Time is Coming...

The joys of the holiday season...Creating traditions, growing, loving and caring!  We are filled with joy and love.  Hope you are too! 
 
 
 
 
 


The joys of the holiday season...Creating traditions, growing, loving and caring!  We are filled with joy and love.  Hope you are too!
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Monday, December 3, 2012

PEACE

 
Creation from I made yesterday at our Annual Wreath Making at Bonnie Jacobs.  Getting more creative year after year.  Love the idea of filling our world with "peace" each day, especially through the holidays.  Peace be with you...Today & always!!!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Grateful Thanksgiving...

Bill, Turi, and a barley visible Chapin in the backseat of the bug, returning from a hike at the old Virginia National Golf Course property.
Chapin tucked in blaze tree
It was a great Thanksgiving holiday spent with Bill and Jeanne Turkel, down from Connecticut.  They arrived on Tuesday and the next several days were devoted to balancing the schedule between hiking and eating!  One of the highlights was exploring the old Virginia National Golf Course, just 3 miles downstream from the Farm.  The golf operation is no more, and the property has been purchased by the Civil War Trust.  The future plans are unknown to us locals, but one thing we do know is the trails are great for hiking or biking along the river floodplain.  Bill, Jeanne, and Turi hiked the front nine loop, while Chapin and Jon biked the same.  Chapin found a golf ball along the way, and some fun games of 'soccer golf' were played on the old greens.  Thanksgiving Day a more traditional hike on the Appalachian Trial was enjoyed while the turkey baked.  However many calories were burned on hike up is unknown, but that didn't stop us from using the exercise as justification for just one more helping of... well everything!

 
Hiking the AT to the Bears Den viewpoint.

Getting ready to dig in!  (and note the home made wine courtesy of Arron Stern)

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Cold Chillin Greens....

I have been excited for years to have a cold frame in our garden.  We or should I say Jon has had many ideas to make this happen, yet it just didn't see to happen.  Now we can check it off our list. 

Jon decided to use an existing garden bed and built on top.  Simple!  So there you go.  I have some Butterhead lettuce growing currently and Chapin helped me add Kale, Chard, more Butterhead, Dandelion Greens, Romaine and some beets.  Excited to experience this process.  Now just need to get the garlic in before it gets too cold!!!

  
 
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Saturday, November 3, 2012

A Whole Lot of Fall

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We have been enjoying our lovely fall weather.  So much to do around here to prepare for winter…Firewood, fall garden duties, hiking the beautiful Blue Ridge, naps with James & Charles, caretaking James as he became very ill, and staying put for two days as hurricane Sandy hit. 
We are always so thankful when we take a hike in our back yard mountains.   It reminds of the beauty and openness that we live in.  This year, particular, the fall colors were beautiful…The best yet since we arrived in Virginia. 
Then “sweet baby” James our 15 year old cat had some issues that landed him in the vet hospital for 2 days.  We finally decided just to take him home as we didn’t see much improvement with him.  We kept up with meds for 10 day and then just let him be.  He was looking pretty rough after not eating or drinking for over 2 weeks and then he decided to turn the corner and get better.  We are very grateful he made this choice!  We new he was more like himself last week when he caught a mouse. 
The latest excitement was Hurricane Sandy.  After being assailed by three days of news warnings we were fortunate to be missed by the brunt of the storm.  We only had one windy night and no damage, plenty of rain fell, the pond overflowed as it does, and the river came up over the road just long enough for Chapin and Jon to get out and enjoy the ‘car free’ bike path typically known as ‘River Road’.   
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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Spelling...

Ship...S --  H -- I --  P...Ship
 
 
Spelling made fun...   1st grade is the start of spelling words and spelling tests.  Chapin was less then thrilled when the 1st sheet of words came home.  So time to get creative.  How about writing on the windows?  He found that very exciting, slightly dangerous and funny!  Thank goodness for dry erase!

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Remembering & Thankfuls!



This weekend is the one year anniversary of Jon's accident.   A day that changed our lives forever!  We are so thankful he is here.  This event, allowed us to cultivate a deep sense of gratitude each day.  Gratitude for Jon, our life and each moment that is presented to us, as we now know it can change in an instant.  He is doing good.  Forever changed, but good. 

Think about it.  What are you grateful for today?  

Peace | Love | Happiness - TJC

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

DC Day - National Arboretum & Cirque du Soleil's

Each time we head into DC, as a family, we always say "we should make it here more often."  Tis true this visit...We decided to explore the National Arboretum and then go on to see Cirque du Soleil, which Jon kindly purchased tickets for months back.  Chapin totally love the Arboretum.  It is a magical place that you can be surrounded with such diverse plant life and the air you breath in is divine.  The beauty of plants sucked us all in.  Of course, Cirque was jaw dropping amazing.  Talk about entertaining.  Tis is was!  We highly recommend Totem, the evolution of man, as a must see!

Enjoy - TJC

     
 
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, September 10, 2012

What Do We Say Now?


I guess sorry.  We have been distance, but it is a pattern.   Summer comes and the blog goes by the way side.  So there you go…At least we are all aware of this!
On that note, we would like to share with you some insight of our summer and cross our fingers that we are settled for the time being to share more often.   
Summer has been rich!  We traveled to the beach, Wisconsin and then a solo anniversary trip.  So much travel…So much thanks to Bill & Jeanne Turkel for coming down and watching Chapin for a week!  Our garden fared well with lovely goodies growing…Chapin is back in school and is a big 1st grader…Jon is doing well working hard as Park & Stewart Planner and I am still enjoying instructing yoga class. 
So that’s it in a nut shell.  Enjoy some fun pics and see you next time, which I promise shouldn’t be long. 

Smiles -TJC
Blessings from the garden...
 
Fantastic fig harvest this year...
Bountiful garlic...
Yummy potatoes...
Smoky Mountains, NC
One of the most beautiful trails we have hiked...Great Smoky Mtn. National Park.
 
Oh the joy of Chapin...So colorful, full of life and energy.  We love him so!
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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Kindergarten Graduation...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
So there you go...One year down twelve more to go.  Chapin completed what he calls "two years" of Kindergarten because he was there for the 2010 & 2011 year.  We now move into summer vacation, which we all seem excited about.  We are proud of Chapin and his accomplishment this year.  He learned how to read, write sentences, work well in a group environment and as his teaches say was "very responsible."  His scores on testing and his report card received the highest marks.  Again...WE are very PROUD of this fantastically wonderful little man! 

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