it was a quiet thanksgiving for dan, tashi and i. but we feasted as if we were having a party for twelve. our local free range turkey turned out perfectly golden and moist. the stuffing, the cranberry chutney, the sweet potatoes, the vegetables, all grand. i added too much milk to the mashed potatoes, and it seemed that perhaps the gravy was thicker than they were. but it was all good never-the-less.
we usually have our feast in the early afternoon, which i prefer to waiting until night time. that way the cooking is over with, and there is time for relaxing by the fire, walking, a film, a game. we did all of that. the walk especially was nice. we met a very friendly horse neighbor. he ambled on over to us, let us coo at him and stroke his nose. we fed him grass from outside the fence (evidently much more tasty than the grass inside the fence) and gazed into his deep, long lashed, eyes. i am so thrilled to be living near horses.
the cows are very shy, but curious. i love how individual each is.
and the sunsets, they can't be beat.
yesterday we took a nice drive up the shenandoah valley, lunched in luray, and then entered fort valley within the two arms of the massanutten mountain. it is a valley within a valley, so to speak, a rather mysterious zone. it was a beautiful meandering drive that ended all too quickly. we traveled south on the outer west side of the mountain and then took a side trip to the woodstock tower. it was a bit hazy out, but the panoramic views were worth it.
after that we had our annual visit to the green valley bookfair, about as much as we will venture into shopping on "black friday." we stocked up on a huge load of bookish surprises for a quarter of the price. if you live in the area and have not visited the book fair, it is well worth the journey, especially if you have a child that is a voracious reader.
today we will be going into downtown charlottesville to sit at the holiday market. we are selling some handmade items by tashi's fifth grade class (& parents), a fundraiser for a couple of class trips on the horizon. come on by for beautiful glass bead bracelets, kite paper stars, beeswax luminaries, and some original textile work!
1 comment:
how i miss the cows! and the calfs even more. we spent three years living and working out on horse ranches and farms while freddie was getting "legal".
i remember those times more vividly than i do things that happened yesterday.
perhaps i will try and paint that newborn holstein all nestled into the honey colored prairie grass. her momma actually let me get close enough on the four wheeler to see her baby's dazzling white forehead. there was a colt born that same week with a white stripe down to his nose that i named 'picket fence'.
country livin' is the best!
Post a Comment