Mountain Musings

"I Must Have Flowers Always, and Always."

The quote by Claude Monet in the title of this post has been my favorite for a long time--it's so true! Every spring I can hardly wait until it's time to plant flowers in the pots and watering cans that line my front porch steps.

Today's the day! May 15th is the last frost date for our area of Virginia, and this cool spring weather has been around for way too long! Just two nights ago the low was 31 degrees, but today the temps will get up to 89--a great day to get out early and get the planting done!There will be red, yellow, and purple lantana in the flower pots on the left and a variety of petunias, lantana, and begonias in the cans and pots on the right.

Pink and purple striped wave petunias will go in the hanging baskets on the porch, and I purchased red geraniums for the two large pots beside the front door. Last but not least, the yellow marigolds in the bunch will be planted down in the garden by the tomato plants.

"It’s good to bless a new season in the garden

because there is no plant in the ground

that does not boast of the Lord’s beauty."

~Author Unknown

“...Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him.  As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”  -Hosea 6:3

~Deb

Happy Mother's Day!

Winging their way from California, the Harry & David Mini-Roses that I won over at the Reluctant Entertainer blog arrived just in time for Granny for Mother's Day! 

This gift came with three lovely four-inch potted mini roses (white, pink, and yellow) in a unique crate made of antique replica yardsticks. Here's Granny right after Fed-Ex delivered them: You can also see the Harry & David roses pictured here--quite full of blooms and lovely! I'm sure our roses will be just as pretty once they are planted and start thriving here in Virginia soil!

Sitting on Granny's trunk in her living area, they are quite eye-catching. Thank you, Reluctant Entertainer, and thank you Harry & David for a delightful Mother's Day gift. After all Granny has been through recently with back surgery and recuperation, this roses delivery was especially timely!If you are an long-time reader of Mountain Musings, you'll remember that a couple of years ago I won ten Knock-Out Roses for Granny for Mother's Day from P. Allen Smith, the gardening guru. You can read that story here. That was exciting, too, and we both loved it!

Anyway, we had a great Mother's Day weekend around here and hope that your Mother's Day with your family was a good one, too! I'm so very thankful for my wonderful family.

~Deb

* Hannah honored me by writing a Mother's Day post over on her blog.

Beneficial Herbs for the Skin: Jewelweed

Cross-posted from Hannah's blog

Time for a quickie botanical lesson!

Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), or Spotted Touch-Me-Not, is a leafy plant found plentifully near shady, wet, woodland areas such as creek banks. It blooms mid-summer to fall with orange-y trumpet-shaped flowers.

Known for its usefulness in soothing skin irritations, burns, insect bites, and inflammation, jewelweed can be especially helpful in preventing or treating poison ivy rashes. The juice from the leaves and stems neutralizes the oily urushiol left behind from encounters with poison ivy or stinging nettles, if used before or soon after exposure.

The alternate name of touch-me-not is derived from the tendency the seedpods have to "pop" when touched. The seeds of this annual plant self-sow in large stands; above you see jewelweed growing profusely along a bank flanked by sunny black-eyed susans. The plant attracts honeybees, hummingbirds, and butterflies to its colorful jewel-like blooms.

I hand-picked loads of jewelweed at a neighbor's property (with permission), so that I could infuse its beneficial qualities into a specialty soap. The leaves and flowers were simmered in oil, which I then used to create my Nature Friend bar. I also incorporated the chopped leaves, along with plantain leaf, which is another great dermatological herb.

Lavender and peppermint essential oils promote healing and anti-histamine action, reducing the itch and inflammation. Lather on this soap before going outdoors as a shield, or use to cleanse affected skin after exposure. Even if you haven't caught the rash in time, this gentle goat's milk formula can soothe troubled skin and assist in the quick healing of the rash.

Jewelweed: what a kind provision of our Creator! Have you used jewelweed soap before, and has it successfully worked for you? Let us know your story!

~Hannah

Redbud Festival, Meeting a Blogger IRL, & Saturday's Farmers Market

Hello! Hello! With all that's been going on with Granny's back surgery last week, I'm finally getting a chance to blog about what's been happening around Mountain Musings!

By the way, thank you for all your prayers for Granny while she was in the hospital and also for the emails I received asking about her. She's still recuperating a bit more, but we think the surgery was a success with the three compression fractures being repaired. She still needs to be very careful getting around!

Two weekends ago Hannah and I set up her soap display and Granny's basket display at the Redbud Festival in Dayton.This was a first-year craft show so we had no idea if it would be well attended.

The day was absolutely lovely, the vendor area so roomy and grassy, and we were blessed with Tom's help in setting up our new 15-foot tent--what a heavy monster--nice, but we never could have managed it alone!

Here's Hannah getting her side of the tent ready with all of her products for sale: Hannah's display always looks nice with the antique scale holding soaps, colorful lip balms, and her two wooden cabinets full of the goats' milk soaps she makes: Normally Hannah would be setting up each week at our local Farmers' Market, but because of this craft show, she just sent one small basket of soap with Sarah to their booth there. Jonathan became "Hannah for the day" and sold soap for her and helped Sarah set up and break down her tent and display.

All ready and waiting for the customers--some showed up but unfortunately a lot didn't!As the day got underway, free wagon rides brought folks all around the town and put them off at stragetic spots--right across the street from our tent being one of the stops: One of Hannah's first customers was a co-worker of Jonathan's, so I took his and his friend's picture:Here are some of the other tents. We were set up right alongside a highway...which was quite different: And did I mention that I met a blogger in real life? I've read Cindi's blog (Cindi's Sewing) for quite a few years. She's a Virginia blogger and only two hours from me, but until the craft show we had never met. Here we are getting acquainted when she stopped by after bringing her daughter to a local college orientation: And did I mention that Granny couldn't be at the craft show?  Well...after Sarah finished for the morning at Farmers' Market, she drove Granny to the show just for a while so she could see the setup and how things were going. Here she is a couple of days before entering the hospital for surgery. I think she looks pretty good even getting around in her wheelchair: Okay, fast forward to this past Saturday ... Hannah took the morning off from Farmers' Market again to head with Jonathan to the Lexington River Road Races. That meant this week I became "Hannah for the day" and tried my hand at selling her soap!

You know what...I've come to the conclusion that I did not take after Granny in the sales department! But I enjoyed the day and had a fun time being with Sarah!

Let's check out Sarah's chalkboard to see what she's selling today: Mini Key Lime Pie, Black Forest Fudge, Blueberry Lemon Muffins, Turtle Cheesecake, and a new favorite Key Lime Fudge--and those are just the ones she wanted to call attention to:In this post I'll feature one of the plant vendors that's at market--Weird Dude's Plant Zoo is set up right next to our vendor spot and features very nice perennials: And here's a final view of Saturday's customers. Many regulars and newcomers frequent the market each weekend. Why not plan a trip to the Farmers' Market and come see us this summer? Who knows...I might be there behind the counter trying to sell you something!

Another prayer request...Granny's only living sibling passed away on Friday, and I'll be taking her to the funeral Tuesday in my hometown of South Boston. Please pray for strength and encouragement for her for the day's events and traveling safety as I drive us. Thank you! 

~ Deb

Planting Seeds

March 22: The back deck was a great place for starting garden seeds!

• Basil
• Bell Pepper (4 varieties)
• Brussels Sprouts
• Eggplant
• Red Cabbage
• Stevia
• Tomato (8 varieties)

I filled several aluminum foil trays with a soil mix, and after watering the seeds, I placed the covered trays in the windowsill behind our sofa to germinate.

Meanwhile, we collected empty eggshells in a half-gallon jar. For what purpose, you ask? I got the idea from a friend, who mentioned she heard that using a crushed eggshell solution to water seedlings may help feed them. Looking into it, I found that dissolved eggshells are considered by some to provide calcium to plants, which is especially beneficial for tomatoes. Does anyone know whether this is true? I figured I'd try it, since we had a ready supply of eggshells (especially from Sarah's baking).

I spread the shells in one layer on a cookie sheet and baked them for 10 minutes, which made them brittle enough to crumble. Eventually I had enough finely crushed shells to fill a quart jar. I will mix the powdered shells with water and a bit of vinegar to dissolve the calcium into solution.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fast-forward to April 24: The seeds have sprouted 3-4 weeks ago, stretching toward the meager light source. It became high time to transplant the delicate seedlings into individual pots to continue growing.

I am looking forward to growing the below heirloom Italian bell pepper variety, shared with me by my friend Meg, along with a few other heirloom tomato varieties she passed along.

The transplanted seedlings were placed back on the windowsill with labels, until they are sturdy enough to plant outside in the garden in just a couple of more weeks.

I water the plantlets each day; a clean milk jug with holes punched in the top works wonderfully as a gentle sprinkler.

Will keep you updated on the progress of the garden as the spring and summer move along.

~Hannah

The Grass is Greener

It's that time of year again in Virginia. That's right - time to mow the yard. I am the one who normally takes care of that chore, and last week marked the first mowing of the year. Today it was once again thick, long, and needing to be cut. It's amazing how fast grass can grow!

We mow quite a bit of our property, so even on the riding mower it takes a few hours to finish, not to mention another couple of hours to weedeat around the numerous flower beds. Usually after a week, the grass is so thick that the clippings need to be raked up and disposed of as well.

Monday, mid-morning:

At the end of the day, right before supper - almost done! You can actually see the stepping stones now:

It was quite chilly out there today, so I was bundled up with a scarf, gloves, and jacket trying to stay warm. That problem won't last long, unfortunately!

It's very satisfying to see the end result of a day's work! And there's nothing like the smell of freshly mown grass. :)

~Sarah

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, Thursday, April 18

Outside my window... there's a storm a'brewing. We can always see the black storm clouds headed our way from the Alleghenies over to the west. Today's temps are mid-70s and breezy.

I am thinking... about the garden and flower beds--so much work needs doing this spring, and I haven't drummed up the get-up-and-do-it attitude to get started!

I am thankful... for our five acres the Lord has given us at the top of this hill. I love where we live!

In the kitchen... today is bartering day so Hannah just baked rolls and loaves to exchange for fresh farm eggs.

I am wearing... black skirt, black tank, bright pink blouse...with Crocs.

I am creating... nothing at the moment. But now that the beehives are out of the living room, the sewing machine can be set up in there so I can start on the Saturday Sampler block.

I am going... with Granny to the radiology department of the local hospital tomorrow for another nuclear bone scan. She's still in much pain from the fractured vertebrae when she fell back in February at my sister's house. She then re-injured her back two weeks ago, so the spine specialist wants more x-rays and is considering surgery. Please pray for her healing.

I am wondering... how the girls will do at Farmers' Market on Saturday. It's Earth Day which brings more folks downtown. Fridays are Sarah's all-day baking days...the delicious aromas are wonderful, but the kitchen is totally off limits for anything else!

I am reading... a stack of my hometown newspapers dated from January through March. Do you like reading old news?  I like catching up on hometown news just in case it's about someone I went to school with, and Granny saved these for me when she was in SC.

I am hoping... to put up some new wind chimes this weekend along with my dinner bell that fell over last summer in the big windstorm and all the summer garden flags. Maybe those accomplishments will encourage me to get started on the flower beds.

I am looking forward to... Granny being up and about again, making baskets, and able to go with me to quilt class.

Around the house this week ... Jonathan installed 10,000 bees and their queen safely in their new hive; Hannah tried a new dessert--ice cream brulee--with the raw cow's milk she's now using; I'm waiting for a low-wind day to burn the garden pile of debris; Tom's still working on varnishing more parts of the queen-bed he's building; and Sarah's been taking care of her aging Pepper who's now wearing doggy diapers. :( 

A picture I'm sharing...Hannah's in the garden shed making notes of which tags we'll need for baskets at the show. Come meet us in Dayton, Virginia, next Saturday, April 27, for the Dayton Redbud Arts & Crafts Spring Festival--not sure Granny will be with us; however, Hannah will be selling her soaps, and I'll try my best to sell some baskets!You can find more Daybook entries here.

~Deb

Beehives in My Living Room!

Regular readers will probably remember the post a couple of months ago titled There's a Bed in My Living Room! Thankfully, the bed has been removed--it's already stained and is being varnished in the garage--but isn't quite finished.

Taking the bed's place are two beehives...in the living room! Like father like son... Jonathan lost one of his beehives this winter and decided to build bigger and better hives for this season. A new shipment of 10,000 bees is due tomorrow, so these hives have to be ready pronto: These top-bar hives will have a screened bottom that will catch mites as they drop down from the combs so the bees won't get mite disease--at least that's what I understood from all the bee talk! In the photo below you can see the screen attached as he's placing it on the bottom:Thankfully, he's been careful with his project, and the living room seems none the worse for the building projects that have been going on lately.

I think I'm going to put in a request for a real workshop to be built for the guys...outside! :)

(In case you noticed, you can catch a glimpse of some of Granny's baskets there on the floor to the left in the photo. Hannah had several new ones out to take some photos, and then she'll list them in Granny's Etsy shop...love that blue-handled potato masher basket!)

Updated to add:

Mark that blue-handled tater masher basket SOLD! I think Granny should hire me for her marketing manager, don't you? :)

~Deb

Opening Day at the Farmers' Market

This past Saturday was the first Farmers' Market for this season. Alarms were going off at dark o'thirty to rouse the girls and Tom up and out the door to set up their tent and displays. The early morning's 30-degree temperature was quite cold when you're just standing around waiting for customers to arrive!  As time drew closer for the start of market, the day brightened and vendors were in their assigned spots and eager for the first customers to arrive. As you can see below, the girls' shared booth looks about the same as last year because that design seemed to work well--soaps on one side and sweets on the other.

Hannah introduced a new exfoliating Salt Soap this season, and Sarah introduced Sarah's Sweets' Cinnabun Fudge. Since I had some sleeping-in to do and then errands about town, I didn't show up at market until after 11, so most of the crowds had come and gone. The shot below is looking down one row of tents, and you can tell the customers at this point are sparse: There's a new vendor at the market this year...Gloria's Pupuseria. I have to admit that I've never heard that word in my life! What is it? Well...the girls bought three pupusas and saved me a bite of one (check the link to see what's inside a pupusa). Mine wasn't hot off the grill like theirs, but the taste was still really delicious!

And Gloria SOLD OUT by 10 a.m.!! I think she'll do a great business here on Saturdays:The market is a place where everyone brings their dogs to mingle with the other dogs, listen to the music, and eat a variety of foods. This couple brought their three dogs and seem to be having a great time:There was a rush at the girls' booth just before closing, and after all was said and done and even though the day seemed slower...they ended up with great sales for opening day and were quite pleased!One interesting side note...earlier in the morning a lady walked up and asked Hannah and Sarah if their mom was there. Since the girls didn't know her, they wondered how she knew us. It turns out she drove over the mountain from Charlottesville and is a regular blog reader...actually, she said she was a lurker! :) I wish I had come earlier to meet her! Hi Joreen!

Okay, first Saturday market down....33 more weeks to go.

~Deb

Spring Break ~ Goats, Music, & Fellowship ~ Part 2

Spring Break week continued as we eagerly waited for the rest of the family to arrive in South Carolina on Good Friday. We were all scheduled to attend the late afternoon performance of The Living Gallery at Bob Jones University. Driving on campus is always a treat when the trees and flowers are in bloom. It was just lovely:
This was our first time to see this magnificent production where actors step out of paintings and then back into them (and vice-versa) to actually become part of the painting. If you didn't see it happen, you'd never know the characters were real. We loved it!

And my motto of always taking a camera with me everywhere I go? Fail! I left it behind because no photography was allowed inside the auditorium.

And what happens?! I met my blogging friend Becka, who writes Becka's Blog, for the first time InRealLife! She and her husband, Rob, were attending the same showing, and she had spotted us in the crowd and came over. Ooh, I was so disappointed when our cell phone camera didn't work! Becka and I will have to plan a real get-together another time with lots of blogging pictures!

Saturday and Sunday we traveled further south to Aiken to visit new friends that some of the family met at last fall's White Unto Harvest conference in Asheville, NC. Here we are getting acquainted with the Hammond family:First order of business was a tour of their dairy--so very interesting for all of us who know nothing about goats! We saw the milking station and the processing area where the milk is handled and where cheese and goat's milk soap are produced for several Farmers' Markets they attend each week:Thirteen goats were ready to be milked...most by machine, but some new mama goats needed milking by hand since little goat babies were newly born that morning! We arrived very close to milking time, so guess what? They allowed us to participate. Hi, Goats!And, yes, all of us practiced milking! Even I was talked into it! But Sarah was a natural and caught on quickly: The fresh milk from the mama goats was put into bottles for the babies...here are Hannah and Sarah holding some very cute little baby goats just before they fed them:  The Hammonds' daughter and son-in-law from Canada were visiting with their little daughter while we were there. It was great meeting them, too. Caleb talked with Jonathan while one of the kids had some fun nibbling on Jonathan's pants: Here are all the Hammond ladies, including little Miss Victoria:Jonathan takes a turn at feeding one of the newborns. This one was named Frisky: Now Hannah takes a turn feeding Peaches...there were enough newborn babies so everyone got some practice: Sarah always seems to find the doggies...or they find her:After a delicious meal around the table, we brought out instruments and played some Celtic tunes and sang a few hymns: Here's the Hammond family having fun as they prepare to sing for us: We also had an enjoyable time looking at wedding photos and watching the wedding video of Caleb and Jordan. Ethan, one of the Hammonds' sons looks along with Tom and Sarah: The next morning, Resurrection Sunday, we attended the Hammonds' home church fellowship which consisted of six or seven families. They met in a beautiful log house nearby.

Here Tom and I are posing with the Hammonds after the service...Mr. Hammond is the pastor of the church:We enjoyed the Easter brunch the ladies of the church prepared and also enjoyed fellowshipping with the families there:This home church day brought back many good memories of when church families met in our home for several years:
Flowers were blooming everywhere, and the day was just beautiful for outside conversations also. The Hammonds' youngest son, Noah, plays on the deck with the other children:Thank you, Hammond Family, for your gracious hospitality and friendship! We certainly enjoyed the visit!

~Deb