SOMETIMES YOU BAKE THE CAKE

Hey friends.

Guys. it’s October. I know for my southern friends it may not feel like it just yet, but it’s coming, I promise you. Here in the Valley it’s been in the eighties last week but thankfully dipping into the 60s each night and now during the days over the weekend. The breezes have been picking up and I’m starting, just starting to see colors on the trees in my drives into town. Today is rainy and 57 degrees and perfect. I pretty much danced into my fuzzy socks and flannel.

This week has been a fun one. If you follow me on social you know our hens began laying. We’ve received four eggs so far, and over the weekend I put them to good use. More on that later.

The bears and deer have laid low this week, but I’ve seen a small rat snake on our steps with Oscar suspiciously nearby. I scooted him (the snake, not Oscar)  down the steps with the broom to continue his rodent control elsewhere.

I’ve also seen the local hawk family flying closer the last few days. Our hens and cats are too large a target for them, but will definitely have to keep an eye on them when we have chicks or ducklings. Gah ducklings, I can’t wait.

I’ve also been doing some research on natural bug control, Because we have a creek coursing through our yard and pasture, gnats are unfortunately a reality in the summer it seems. (remember when I said I’d share the not pretties?) Thankfully they don’t bite or sting, and we hardly ever get troubled with mosquitoes, but gnats are always there. We have a lot of dragonflies that feast on them in the afternoons (such an amazing spectacle) but we’re upping our game. Today I got a bat house! Yes. I’m pretty stoked about this. I also got a bird feeder and some bird houses to attract more bids to the area.

But back to my title. Remember last week I told you I had grand plans to paint the bathrooms. Well it all came to a head over the weekend. I literally was staring at the paint can, and faced a very important decision, paint a bathroom, or bake a cake.

My bathroom is still yellow.

The pears in my basket (from our pear tree in the yard) were ripe bordering on too ripe and I couldn’t take it anymore. So I set aside my practical to-dos and made a huge mess in the kitchen, and I’m pretty positive I made the right choice.

I made a spiced upside down pear cake, and guys it was better than I hoped. It was gluten free and full of spicy ginger and cinnamon and butter. I served it with cashew vanilla ice cream to our neighbors who were over for dinner this weekend and it received rave reviews. It was also fun that I found this recipe on boulderlocavore.com. Of course I would find the best GF recipes in Boulder. 🙂 I also used the fresh eggs from our newly laying hens. So it was a real feast from the fruit of our land.

Also this weekend we decided to take a break from the never-ending stream of projects and have a date night. We headed into Lexington and started with cocktails at a cute rooftop bar Rocca, strolled along while doing some window shopping, and headed down to check the progress on the newest brewery in town set to open next month. (Heliotrope, from Oregon, I love their branding, and if their beer is half as good we’re in for a treat).

As we walked down a side alley, Tim found some wu-tang graffiti that excited him a lot (who is this man?) LOL. We enjoyed a delicious Thai dinner, and a then watched a movie in our adorable little movie theatre. We saw Joker. Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant and dark and perfect in this role. I had to look away just a couple times (I don’t do well with violence) But otherwise found the film very well directed and cast, and we talked about it the whole drive home, always a good sign.

So that’s what’s new this week. It was so lovely to have our nearest neighbors Dennis and Sara over for dinner and hear about their recent trip to Croatia and Slovenia. I also got to meet some other neighbors over the weekend a young couple who work as a carpenter and a seamstress and have a little flock of chickens. Spending more time with our neighbors has so encouraged me that we will find our community, and our people here in the valley. I’m so thankful that out of all the neighbors we could have, we seem to have landed in a spot where folks look out for each other, and care about doing life together.

The new couple I met today were telling a story of how on their recent expansion on their cabin last year, they had a “house raising” party where 70+ people came to help hoist the gigantic beams into place in their lovely home. My heart soared and I couldn’t help but think of the old film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (anyone?)

In the movie there’s a barn raising scene complete with singing dancing lumberjacks, it’s kind of the best. But my point is that this type of event feels outdated in so much of our society now. I hear from friends who live in neighborhoods with neighbors 50 ft away that hardly ever interact. So to hear that these type of events DO happen and are a way of life here, is something I couldn’t have wished for in my wildest dreams. These are people that get community, these are people that do life together.

Oh and btdubs we’ve also been invited to a cider pressing party by a neighbor next month. Yes. And yes, the invitation was designed in a Monty Python theme! Come. On. Kindred spirits abound.

It just goes to show that even if you aren’t sure what God is doing when He opens a door, just walk through it, He’s working things together for you, even in the rural woods of Virginia.

Until next week friends.