Ending the Year

It has been a while since my last post. Many events have happened and I suppose that means life is busy at the very least. Thanksgiving found Dave and myself at The Coppermine Restaurant with Marj and Des enjoying great company and really well prepared food. (Had to hit the weight pit extra hard after that one.) The Sunday after Thanksgiving Dave smoked a turkey and Meg and Derek came to dinner. The food and the company were both a treat. We sent turkey home with our guests to avoid eating turkey for two weeks.

On December 12th Meg, Dave and myself attended the Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings concert at the newly renovated Jefferson Theater after another exquisite dinner at Mas. Great concert and we even saw an old friend of Sevren's (I think it is a nice thing that I now get hugs from them too). Dave even ran into someone that went to school with him many years ago.

As most everyone knows by now, we had a major snow storm the week befor Christmas that dumped about 2 feet of snow on Singlebraid, putting a damper on shopping and just getting around and about in general. Here we are on New Years Eve and snow is still hanging around and from the looks of things in Charlottesville, there are mountains of the stuff that will probably be there in Spring. Sevren relates that they heard about the storm even over in Africa. Small world.

Margaret and Garth came east for Christmas this year and we had a great visit. We got to venture over to Ann's house on Christmas day for the traditional feast and fun with my extended family. We are pleased to announce that Ashley is pregnant and will expand the extended family in the spring. Sevren was on an adventure with some other Peace Corp volunteers and we were able to connect and talk with him on Christmas morning. (That of course made me very happy!!!)

That brings us to New Years and the contemplation of resolutions. I have several in mind and hope they last longer than the end of January. I wish everyone happiness in the New Year and inner peace. May 2010 be prosperous and healthy for us all and filled with happy times.

Shopping with Meg

Saturday was great fun for me. I went shopping with Meg and had a blast. I now own three leather jackets thanks to Meg and her encouragement. One that I wear all of the time, one that is quilted and a bit more dressy and now a foxy motorcycle Mama one. Dave says...oh yeah...you gotta wear that often...must have been the right thing to do. I was actually shopping for Sev so that I could mail him a Christmas box this week. Somehow I think that will turn into two boxes. Anyway, Meg and I plan to do another shopping day sometime soon and will probably head to Short Pump.

We got to talk to Garth last night and that was a treat. It is always good to get caught up on things. He and Margaret will be here in less than a month from now and that makes me happy. We'll really miss Sevren this year, but maybe we will get to talk to him on the phone. Hopefully we will talk to him this week as he will be in Serenje for the Thanksgiving holiday and will have cell phone service.

Dave and I will venture to Wintergreen for Thanksgiving and will have dinner at the Coppermine Restaurant with Marj and Des. A little on the different side of life for us as we are very used to having family gatherings where everyone brings a dish and family and friends are in plentiful supply.

Life is full and life is good...I love shopping with Meg!!!!!!!

They number 14

There is a flock of 14 rather large turkeys that are cruising our yard. They were here last Sunday as well as today. If Sevren were here I am relatively sure we would get to enjoy a smoked wild turkey for dinner. (Maybe in two years from about now...)

Last night we went to Wintergreen to a celebration birthday dinner for Des. Alan, Sarah, Laura, Becca and Ben were in attendance as well. Needless to say the meal was exquisite and the wine flowed freely. It was really good to see everyone and to get caught up on the lives of Becca and Ben. I am having difficulty realizing that Becca is 25 and that Ben is already in his 3rd year at UVA. Virginia is a senior this year. Where did the time go?

The leaves have mostly fallen from the trees into our yard and the rush is on to remove them quickly. Somehow they always get ahead of our efforts and find their way into the house, my car...they are everywhere. Firewood season has begun and will continue for quite some time. If it weren't for the rain today...I would be out in the woods somewhere with Dave doing a bit of firewood gathering.

Last weekend was the Charlottesville Orchid Society plant show and sale. Dave brought home a really lovely specimen that reminds me of the one I got in Blacksburg. It has rhisomes that sit on the surface of the soil. There were some very beautiful plants there and some that I would have loved to have in my home that were not for sale. They were the ones with ribbons that said 1st and 2nd place...oh well. It made me think that I need to repot all of my house plants...

I got to talk with Sevren last weekend as he was in Mkushi for Zambian Independence Day...partying hardy with other volunteers. He is doing well and I am glad he sleeps with a hatchet next to his bed. He has killed 3 snakes now in his hut...a deadly poisoonous black mamba and 2 constrictors. He has 2 new updates on his blog for anyone who would be interested. Anyway it was nice to talk with him and hear his voice.

Keep your arms toned

Last Saturday night Dave and I went to see Lucinda Williams at the Pavillion in downtown Charlottesville. It was a very rainy evening and we were very greatful to have tickets up under the big tent. Our seats were actually on the fourth row and I had the good fortune of sitting next to the wife of Creigh Deeds (whom we hope is the next elected govenor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.)She was a delightful woman and had been surprised with tickets from one of her daughters. I really enjoyed that concert but when Lucinda (who is 56) took her jacket off...cellulite in her arms looked really bad from that close. She also wore this awful hat that was not the least bit flattering to her. The music was great. There was a marriage proposal and the girl accepted. Lucinda herself had been married just the week before to one of the members of her band.

On Sunday evening Meg came to dinner. We love it when she comes and gives us updates on her life as well as what she hears from Sevren. We will not be able to talk with him very often as he is now living in his permanent hut in a remote village near Serenje. The cell phone reception is not so good there, however Meg relates that text messages go through. Go figure. Tomorrow I am going to stop by Verizon to get that put on my cell phone plan. He also has a new address but I do no have that yet.

Tonight there will be about 50,000 fans of the group U2 attending their concert at the stadium.
There are actually roads that are shutting down to accomodate the traffic. I am glad that I am off today and didn't feel inclined to attend that concert.

A big limb fell out of one on the trees across the driveway during some wind the other day. More firewood with easy access.

I keep thinking about that cellulite in Lucindas' arms and am proud to say that my arms are toned at the age of 59. But then again, lifting weights and working out is a passion for me. My message...keep those arms toned if you expose them on stage....actually...if you esxpose them anywhere.

Today I'm Really Happy

Why am I happy today? Within the last 24 hours I have talked to both my sons. Both are doing well and both are busy in their lives. Garth started his school year today. Hard for me to grasp that this is his third year of teaching. He sounds excited and really feels positive about the coming year. Sevren is really having that adventure he always wanted to take. He has been traveling for the better part of a couple of weeks and cell phone reception was not as good as in Chongwe. I think he plans to update his blog maybe tomorrow as he will be back in Lusaka. He too sounds very excited and positive about what he is doing. I really feel blessed and lucky to have two sons that are giving something of themselves back to society. Those guys are just way too cool.

Meg came to dinner on Sunday night . Dave had smoked a couple of pork butts in the smoker and we enjoyed some dynamite BBQ and some wicked good coleslaw. It was good to get caught up with Meg and hear all about her school year.

Also on SundayDave hosted one of his mountain bike rides. He had the youngest rider to date
out here. A 6 year old boy that kept up on the ride for an hour and a half. Gave Dave a run for his money. His parents were also on the ride and I'll bet they'll be back.

On Labor Day we both went to the gym for our workouts and then came home and watched "The Graduate." I had seen it many years ago and had actually forgotten a lot of it. Dave had never seen it at all. We both enjoyed it and loved the ending.

Other news...I joined the library during their membership drive. You all know how overrun we are with books. This way I figure I can read them and return them and not accumulate any more. Dad has stared swimming laps again. He seems to really be enjoying that. He now does a half hour of cardio...attends a yoga class...and then swims laps for half an hour. I'd say that is really really a great workout. My workouts seem to have a more intense essence as well. I'm glad to report that I didn't get stuck under a barbell tonight even though I was a bit worried about that.

All in all...life is very good.

The signs of seasons changing

For two weeks in a row there has been a flock of about 15 turkeys grazing in our yard. There is one really big Tom turkey that I think would taste mighty fine smoked in our smoker. Perhaps one of our hunters will get lucky this year and get one of those as well as their deer. This is only one of the first signs of the season changing. One of our hunters has delivered a load of fire wood already and seeded the power line with some sort of grass that the deer like and are attracted to. (We are over run with deer and appreciate the fact that we have three hunters that like to thin the herd a bit.) Another thing that I notice the most about early sings of seasonal change is when I go to the gym after work. I am already driving home in the dark. The sounds outside are of late summer as well.

We talked to Sevren today and he made it into Lusaka to purchase a guitar. I am really happy that he now has some sort of instrument to play. He also updated his blog with pictures of of new family for those of you that are interested. It is always a treat to talk to him and get updates about his life . He has recieved a couple of letters from Meg and will hopefully get mine next week along with the care package that I sent.

It has been hot and very humid this last week in central Virginia. Tomorrow is suppose to be better. I hope so anyway. Perhaps that will spur me to keep my star when I workout with Derek tomorrow. (I have a tendency to give it away somewhere in the workout.)

There is one less groundhog in the world today. It was unfortunate to be in our yard when Dave walked by the window. Dave proved to be an excellent marksman and took it out with no problem. I think there are some more out there...it is just a feeling...but I think there are some brothers and sisters. That is one of the things we miss about not having a dog. Ginger really kept the population of those things at bay.

Time at The "Rivah"

I just returned from spending 3 days at the "Rivah" with Dahle. Of course we spent our usual day of shopping at the Williamsburg outlet stores...where many bargains were to be found. Our favorite new store there is the Columbia outlet store. After our shopping day we had a lovely dinner at "Debbies". (In the old days it was Dave's Last Chance and those of you that appreciated Daves' wonderful She Crab soup before he changed the recipe to a soup no one would buy will be delighted to know the the current ower has a really good Crab soup on the menu.)

The next day found us over in Kilmarnick and much to our dismay the owner of a shop that we always visit has had it with the economy and is going out of business. I snagged some nice things at that shop and everything was 30 to 50% off. Then we tried a new place for lunch...Alley Lane. They had a really good crabcake....but I'd still venture back to that place over in Glouster for one of theirs. We spent the rest of that day watching a movie (The Departed) and just trying to stay cool as it was 95 degrees and humid outside. We also decided to stay in and cooked a nice dinner at home.

Today we sat on Earl's new pier and walked around the neighborhood to observe all of the changes that have taken place since I was last there. In October Dahle and Debbie will move the rest of their stuff to Clarksville and Dahle will reside mostly there and hope that the Rivah house sells soon. It already has a different feel and it is hard to think of not going there as I always return from my visits refreshed and revived.

Tomorrow it is back to work and back to my exercise routine...Derek gave me a great workout last Sunday and I am looking forward to practicing what I have learned.

Last weeks Happenings

We were delighted last Sunday evening that Meg joined us for dinner and brought with her a delicious fruit tart. She is an exceptional baker and we always love it when she brings a sample of her labors with her. We had a very nice visit as well.
On Monday after work we ventured to Wintergreen and had dinner there. Sarah and Eleanor were visiting Marj and Des. It was good to see both of them and get caught up on family news. Marj and Des are both feeling better these days and looked great.
Nothing else is happening here other than yoga workouts for Dave and Derek workouts for me. Next week I plan to go to the "Rivah" to shop with Dahle and play for a few
We did see a great movie last week from our Netflix account, "The Cider House Rules". Dave has the book and I plan to read it next as he said a great deal was left out of the movie.

Still performing at 68

Sunday evening Dave and I ventured to the Pavillion on the downtown mall after a meal at Sals' Pizza for a concert featuring Doctor John and The Neville Brothers. I must say that I was impressed with Doctor Johns' performance in several ways. The man is 68 years old and still giving a great performance. He played and sang for an hour and a half and at one point played an organ and a piano at the same time. (They were set up on stage back to back.) He walked with a cane, but he still put on a really good show. The Neville brothers were for the most part loud to me (our seats were on row six) but I am really glad that I got to hear Aaron Neville sing. That guy can really reach a high note and can make a single word have at least five or six syllables. Those guys are getting up there in age as well. One of them was wheeled to the edge of the stage in a wheelchair and assisted to his position on stage.

We have been able to talk to Sevren freqently on his Zambian cell phone. He really loves where he is and has moved in with his host family. The family has three daughters aged 8, 5 and 6 months. Sevren has his own single room hut behind their house, has been furnished with a Trek bike and bikes to his classes about 11 kilometers one way. He has language and agriculture classes during his trainig period. He is in a village by the name of Chongwe and is adjusting to his environment very well. His host family is very hospitable and he sounds happy. He will be happier on August 15th when he will travel back to Lusaka with his teacher who also is a music teacher to purchase a guitar.

It is still way too quite in our house. I hope I adjust to this sometime soon.

Contact with Sevren

Today was a really great day when I discovered a nice e-mail from Sevren in Zambia. Then to top it off I tried my new international calling card and got him on his cell phone. He is very busy learning a lot of new things and even gave me some sort of greeting that recognized me as a respected Elder. (Oh my!!!!!!!!!!!!) That was actually the highlight of my whole day. My list of things to gather for his 1st care package from home has gotten a wee bit longer and I'll try to get it together this weekend and on its way.

Dave went out to the garden today and picked about 8 Roma tomatoes. Looks like a tomato and Dukes' mayonaise sandwiches are the order of the day for lunch tomorrow.

Today we had another 3/4 inch of rain. Man do I wish I'd planted a bigger garden and lots of flowers...maybe next year.

The blog by Mom

Many thanks to Meg for coming to dinner last night and helping me with the creation of a blog . Hopefully it will be a communication link for my two sons to keep them informed of the everyday and perhaps somewhat boring life of the two people left at Singlebraid Farm.
Dinner was great. Dave made some more pork BBQ in the smoker, served it with homemade coleslaw and topped it off with a blackberry/blueberry pie with local Singlebraid blackberries. It is a real question for us as to why many plants didn't set fruit this year. We have had plenty of rain and do not recall a late frost. This may be a sign that it is time to invest in a bee hive and begin producing Singlebraid honey.
Dave and I are still adjusting to once again having an empty nest. Sevren had been around for the better part of the past year, living at the Lallys' and here. We rather adjusted to that quite well and didn't really appreciate that the end of that arrangement would come so soon. We wish him well in Zambia and I hope our communications reach him well enough. Needless to say, he is missed by the many peoples lives that he touched within this last year.
Dave and I are trying to get back to our regular scheldules. Dave attending one of his favorite Yoga classes today and I doing a relatively good cardio workout at the gym. I am back on a four day per week work scheldule at the present time and will need to adjust to that.
That is all I have for now. Stay tuned for frequent updates and if I can figure it out...a few pictures as well.