Star Festival

It's feeling a lot like summer around here. We ate our first blackberries and zucchinis a few days ago. With the many warm and rainy days, mushrooms are popping up all over. I'll be setting up at the Star Festival today. Have a magical weekend, friends!

930 Pint

J & I headed to Winston-Salem last night, meeting up with friends to see NC singer-songwriter Chuck Brodsky play. Chuck is an extraordinary storyteller and wonderful musician. He's been doing the Fiddle & Bow concerts for 20 years, and I've been to see him play many, if not all of them. The latest soap I've been creating is a beer soap, and I've been trying to come up with a creative name for it. The folks at STARworks, who so graciously share their brew with me, have no name for it. Chuck has a song, 930 Pint, that I'm fond of, and I'd been pondering that name. I mustered up my nerve and asked him last night, and he gave his blessings. How cool is that! Give him a listen to on the above link. And while you're there, check out the video, The Man Who Blew Kisses. It's priceless. Have a lovely weekend, friends!

Poppy Love

Last night, I received the questionnaires I had left at STARworks with samples of my first batch of beer soap. The feedback was thoughtful and helpful, by far the best information I've ever received on my soap. Those folks are awesome!

I was surprised to find this poppy last week, a few days before it bloomed. It was in the bed in front of the trailer I lived in while building the house. I don't remember when I planted the seeds, and in fact, think I may have pulled up a plant or two before, as I'd never had luck with poppies before (or so I thought), and didn't know what the leaves looked like. Oops! I'm loving the color. Seeing those leaves, I think I've got a bunch of them coming up that I planted over the winter. These would be red ones. I think poppies are such cheerful things, and look forward to seeing their happy faces.

Good Folks All Around

I'm convinced bloggers are some of the best people. There is so much beauty, encouragement, and wisdom shared in the blogging world. I'm humbled to be a part of it. Today I'm wrapping soaps and packaging bath melts and bombs. J and I are planning on heading to STARworks tonight to see Beer Wars. In addition to all the wonderful things happening there, STARworks also has microcinema nights, complete with munchies and good beer. These are the same fine folks who shared their handcrafted India Pale Ale with me recently, for my beer soap. We're lucky to have such creative folks in our midst. Happy Friday, friends!

STARworks Suds

I was asked to create some beer soap by one of my accounts. They're wanting to have more things that have a broader appeal to men. Of course, there are men that love my other soaps-- patchouli, cedar lemongrass, lavender, but this one was created especially for them. I didn't scent this one, to let the hops shine. It smells light and pleasant, almost a licorice scent. I ground some flax seed, and added that in, both for the omega 3's and visual appeal. Some folks at STARworks are learning the art of brewcraft, and graciously shared some IPA for this batch. So far, this recipe looks like a keeper.

Milestone

After a pretty tough week of work, some serious number crunching, and finishing up my business plan, I had some fun today. First, I visited with the folks at Whynot Pottery. We talked a bit about their upcoming Spring Kiln Opening, which I'm going to take part in this year. A friend came by and brought me some sourdough starter, which is now happily bubbling away on the counter. It's been quite a few years since I've done sourdough, and I'm excited to have some again. We headed to STARworks, and visited with several of the people there. They're doing some really neat things at STARworks, and have some interesting plans in the works. We left there, and headed to Seagrove Orchids. It was like being in a tropical paradise. The diversity of plants, blooms in a multitude of colors and sweet scents of a number of them was heavenly. To top it all off, I noticed this is my 100th posting. A good day, indeed! Sorry for one more amaryllis post. This is my newest, a Minerva.

STARworks

Today I had the pleasure of touring, and meeting several of the wonderful folks, at STARworks. Joseph has been part of the team installing their biodiesel plant. They're a business incubator, and at present include glass, ceramics, a garden and geothermal business at the site, with many more interesting ideas percolating. They're a wonderfully creative bunch. It was a pleasure being around all their good energy. The garden was gorgeous, and amazingly productive so late in the season. Good job, Anne!