Fair Game Beverage Grand Opening

This cabin was our home away from home last weekend.  We were in Asheville, while I was taking an aromatherapy class.  The cabin was sweet, and nicer than I expected.  Though our pups were in great hands at home with a pet sitter, these cabins are dog friendly.  One of the cabins here was used in the shooting of the movie Thunder Road in the early 50's.

We ate very well while in Asheville. When we arrived, we had lunch here on the patio.  Our dinners were at Vinnie's and The Glass Onion.  Vinnie's was a high energy and noisy spot, not usually what I want when I'm eating out, but the food was very good, and I enjoyed the evening despite the din.  Enjoying an excellent bottle of wine didn't hurt.  The Glass Onion was all around amazing.  Go there if you have the chance.  Lovely atmosphere, wonderful food, fantastic staff.

The night before last, Fair Game Beverage Company held the grand opening of their new distillery.  They had a circus theme for the event. There were jugglers, women on stilts, and lots of fun costumes.  That's Chris above, the manager and distiller.

Here's a peek of the bar Joseph made for their tasting room. It's 8 ft. long, and I couldn't manage a photo of the entire bar using the phone.  There is also an 8 ft. shelf on the wall behind, which echoes the rebar design on the bar.  You can see the vintage typewriter sitting on it.  They really liked the look of a table he had made using a live edge slab of local red oak, so these pieces were made using the last he had of this oak. Opening night was great fun.

My soap shelf is almost bare, so soapmaking is high on my to-do list.  Cedar-Lemongrass was the first one made on Friday.  Either Lavender or Wake Up will be next.  Last week, we began harvesting cucumbers. I shared the majority of those picked, but if they keep up at the same pace, I will begin my canning season this week, getting some of them pickled for later use.  Some of the tomatoes are huge!  We keep waiting for that first blush of color, which will let us know tomato sandwiches and caprese salad won't be far behind.  Have a great week, friends!

Tastes of Almost Summer

Some of the things that had fallen by the wayside are finally getting attention this week.   The chicken coop was shoveled out, a bit of weeding and pruning was done, and my bathroom got its spring cleaning.  It was a good feeling to get these things done, and felt like some progress had been made.

Garlic has grown here as many years as I've lived here, but somehow I've never done anything with the scapes before.  That changed this weekend.  First, I made a garlic scape dressing, which we enjoyed on a salad with fresh picked lettuce from the garden.  Then I pickled 4 pints.  They are refrigerator-type pickles, and need to be left alone for a minimum of 6 weeks.  If we're fond of them, I may can some next year.

I do love a good fruit salad.  This one had mango, blueberry, raspberry and strawberry.  Only the raspberries were picked here.  For some reason, none of the strawberries bore fruit this year, and the blueberries have not yet ripened.  It shouldn't be too much longer, though.  We got much needed rain last night, and were happy to see the cucumbers and tomatoes had grown.  Good thing, as I'm hoping to be canning up lots of both this summer.

Wild and Alive

I'm excited about an upcoming trip to Asheville.  I'll be taking a class that will meet a portion of the CEU's I need to renew my massage license this fall.  It's a lovely town that I always enjoy going to.  Joseph and I were sure our eucalyptus was a goner, but in the last week or two, it has sent out new growth on the lower 2 feet of the trunk.  That makes me happy!

Jennifer recently posted a link for Dandelion muffins, and I was intrigued.  Over the weekend, I made my own version of dandelion blueberry muffins.  I only added the petals from 8 dandelions, as I was a little afraid they would give the muffins a bitter taste.  You really couldn't tell they were there, so I may get braver next time.  They're full of lots of good things.  Here is the recipe she linked to.

We got a dump truck load of compost last week, and Joseph has been working hard getting it on the garden plants.  The garden above is a new one.  It's a bit farther from the house, so it's being used for things that won't need regular harvesting.  Later this fall, we hope to plant our first rice on the lower end of it.

The wild roses and scullcap have begun blooming.  We rejoiced over finding quite a few tomatoes on our plants last night, some of them of good size already.  I can almost taste that first tomato sandwich!

A Flexible Living

I'm thankful most of what I do to make a living is flexible, allowing me to spend time with a family member who is ill.  Some projects have been progressing, when I've been home and able to help Joseph.  We're remodeling a storage space, making new sheds on the ends for tractor, mower, tiller and such, and creating a personal shop space for Joseph.  There has been much sorting through, and boxing up, and a first load delivered to a local thrift shop.

This Mercedes was payment for a recent job Joseph did.  He kept the engine, which was in good shape, and some other bits and pieces, and we took the rest to the salvage yard.

I was happy to see an indigo bunting at the feeder for a couple of days.  I saw either a scarlet tanager or a flycatcher down at the creek while walking with the pups.  It flew away too quickly to be sure.  That's life on the homestead, friends.  I'll be back when I can.

Happy Mother's Day Wishes

Things are a little behind with my spring homemaking chores, but progress is being made. This morning, I got all my summer and winter clothes swapped out.

This afternoon, I tackled our summer and winter linens.  These are a little more time-consuming than the clothes.  Because I love old linens, and pick odd pieces up whenever I run across them, there is always a bit of matching up to do.  New pieces to add to the mix, and each year, there are inevitably some linens that become so threadbare they tear, which don't make it to the next year.  So, it's fun to find some good, new combinations.  Some years ago, I read of a trick to put the sheets and all but one pillowcase (we use 4) into the remaining pillowcase, to keep a set together, so that's how I do it.  It makes it simple to have it all together, when it's time to change them.   I usually keep three sets in my linen closet.  Now, all the extra sets are boxed up and put away too.

This weekend, I plan to move all the houseplants to their summer spot outdoors.  Then, as I can, I'll begin on spring cleaning.  The garden is coming along.  Cucumbers and sweet corn are up.  Tomatoes, potatoes and lots more are putting on growth.  I'm looking forward to summer meals from the garden.  I'm sending warm thoughts that all of the Mother's, nurturers and caregivers of all sorts, have the loveliest of Mother's Days!

Blooms & A Reptile

I hope you had a lovely May Day.  I remember as a child, dancing around the maypole in May Day celebrations.  Do children still do that?  Those sweet and simple traditions are ones we should hang on to, I believe.  Heralding in the warmer days is reason for celebration, don't you think?

The summer garden is mostly planted, thanks to Joseph's hard work.  There are potatoes & onions, spinach & lettuce, swiss chard & broccoli, tomatoes & peppers, watermelon & cantaloupe, summer & winter squash.  Okra, cucumbers and corn still need to be planted, and probably a few more things I'm forgetting.  If you are not a fan of reptiles, go no farther in this post.

This fellow was relocated to a brush pile, after he was found in the garden.  I haven't identified him.  Anyone have an idea?

Oh blueberries, I look forward to your scrumptiousness!

Blooms & Mud and Suds

pulmonaria

I haven't meant to be away so long, friends.  My plate seems to be very full these days.

green & gold

Many things have begun blooming this past week.  Lilacs, dogwood, lily of the valley, and our little wild irises.  I hope to have time to take some photos to share here, and make a bouquet.  The wild wisteria along the highways has begun blooming.  Our little wisteria is not blooming, but it made it through the winter, which is saying something, after the cold we had.  I'm still not sure about our large eucalyptus tree.

My Mom has a collection of orchids in front of a large picture window.  Isn't this one lovely?  This Saturday, I'll be taking part in Mud & Suds at Whynot Pottery.  There will be pottery, soaps, vintage glass garden flowers... and cookies!  Come out and see us if you're in this neck of the woods!