The Barns at Hamilton Station

VICTORY! Debbie has never been here before! It’s getting harder and harder to find new wineries to try since she’s such a Northern Virginia Wine Guru! LOL!
Chile & corn bread…we couldn’t resist!
Doesn’t this look like a scene straight out of a movie!

8 Chains North Winery

Debbie had been to ‘8 Chains North’ once before and remembered liking it, but I had never been, so we decided that this would be our first stop for the day. We donned our masks and were greeted at the door by a friendly wine associate who explained the Covid protocols that they had in place.

We picked a sun-drenched table by a window and then decided to try their self-guided flight. Instead of gulping each sample down, we made the decision to take a sip, or two of each, and then line them up in order of our favorite to our least favorite. Surprisingly (although not completely shocking), we both ended up liking the ‘Cross Country Red’ the most, so we left the remaining samples and ordered a bottle of the winner.

Debbie brought food to share, so I bought the wine–perfect!

My ranking from left to right–Cross Country Red, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Pink Link Rosé,
Cabernet Sauvignon, & Sauvignon Blanc
And the winner is…

After our first glass, we decided to sit outside. It was gorgeous, and quite a surprise for a cold January day. It was overcast and blustery earlier when we had left home, but the building buffered us from the wind, and our chairs were directly facing the sun. I can only compare it to that great feeling of sitting in the sun right after skiing. It’s that bundled up because it’s cold, but warm & toasty feeling—does that make sense–I hope so!

We really enjoyed our wine and we had a great time, and as a famed Austrian has been known to say, “I’ll be back!”

Big Cork Vineyards

A BIG TASTING…we enjoyed our tasting experience at Big Cork.

Unfortunately I didn’t catch (or I don’t remember) the name of the gal who did our tasting, but she was really friendly and fun. She did a great job by guiding us through each wine by first telling us about it, and then giving us the opportunity to ask questions. I typically learn toward reds, so several of the whites totally caught me by surprise. The first being the 2019 Chardonnay. Don’t quote me on this, but I think she said that it wasn’t oaked, or maybe it was only in oak for a short period of time. It was yummy–I caught the taste of apple on my palette, and I thought the acidity was perfect. I would drink this all summer long!

I found all of the red wines to be tasty, with the exception of the 2017 Barbera, which I would rate as a solid okay. I felt the nose to be a off-putting, and the taste was unremarkable. With that said, I’ve never tasted a Barbera wine (to my knowledge) before, so I would be open to trying it again.

My second surprise was the Russian Kiss. The name sounds intriguing, right? I couldn’t necessarily pick out the flavors written in the tasting notes, but it was fruity with only a hint of sweetness (.5 RS). It was really nice.

Trying something new…2019 O’Fim. In Portuguese, O’Fim means, ‘the end,’ and I agree, this cheeky little wine would make the perfect ending to a great meal or evening.

Our friend, Andrew, is a member at Big Cork, and he graciously purchased two bottles from the member-only black label wines. We enjoyed a bottle of 2016 Cabernet France Vinter Select, and a bottle of 2016 Petit Verdot Reserve Select. Both were amazing, and after much debate I think the PV was my favorite of the day!

This was my first visit to Big Cork, and I definitely plan go back. We were there for several hours, and we laughed, carried on, and had a great time. The staff was friendly, the wine was wonderful, and both the tasting room and the covered patio area were comfortable and inviting.

20 Days of Hygge

*An Experiment to Soothe my Soul

I’ve been feeling a bit down lately…my job has all but diminished because of Covid-19. I’m working shortened hours, with reduced pay, so as you might imagine, it’s been stressful!

I know I need to take a massive chill pill and relax, and Hygge popped into my mind. Two years ago, I read a book called, “The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living.” Pronounced, “Hoo-Ga,” Hygge is at the core of what it means to be Danish. Hygge is the concept of purposely constructing an environment that’s warm and cozy, thus improving personal well-being and happiness.

Since I AM 2.9% Scandinavian (according to ancestry DNA testing), I’ve decided to issue myself a 20-Day Hygge Challenge to purposefully embrace a feeling of comfort and happiness in my life. All joking aside, I think that the concept of Hygge is already programed into my DNA. Prior to knowing that there was an actual name for this concept, I’ve always felt it, especially when I’m outside. To me, it’s that peaceful, satisfied feeling I get when experiencing the splendor of nature, or even when I’m just at home, curled up with a good book. It’s about relaxing and feeling happy. The best part about Hygge, is that it’s relatively free!

I’m refusing to let Covid-19 and the rest of the craziness that seems to be swirling across America (and the world) to affect my well-being. Yes, this is just what a Danish doctor would order… 20 days of Hygge, at least in my mind! LOL! Why 20 days? This is the window of time that I have between my job assignments.

Day #1 (9/19/2020)–Wool Clogs

It was quite chilly, but not cold. Fortunately, I dressed appropriately for the weather, opting for jeans, a long sleeve fleece and my comfortable hiking books.

I walked for 4 miles today along the C&O Canal near Shepherdstown, WV. At the 2-mile mark, I noticed a sandy beach along the river, so I climbed down the bank and found a perfect spot to sit along the water’s edge. I stretched out on the warm sand and I could easily imagine the absorption of Vitamin D entering my body from the rays of sunlight hitting my face. As the sun warmed my body, I was soothed by the sounds of water splashing over the nearby rocks in the river, and by the chirping of song birds in nearby trees, and water foul honking in the distance. It was the perfect kind of noise to soothe my jangled soul. I forget to mention the smell of the air–fresh and fragrant–it was lovely.

Later this evening, it cooled off considerably, so I put on a pair of wool socks and my wool clogs that I bought the last time that I was Germany–so cozy! I’m getting my Hygge on!

Day #2 (9/20/2020)– Fairies and Gnomes, and Bear Poop–Oh My!

Today my feeling of hyggelig came from an unexpected moment. The walk was already particularly enchanting–no human noise–none! This makes for my favorite kind of walk! I’ll spare showing you the picture, but about half way through our trek, we found fresh (read that as very fresh) bear scat. Over previous years, we’ve seen about 30 black bears on hikes, and each time it’s been thrill. After seeing the berry-loaded poop, we were on high alert, not because we were scared, but rather, we felt excited. We ended up not seeing one, but that heightened feeling of excitement added a fun element to an already fun day.

Entrance to Eidolon Nature Preserve…
There was a little posted sign that said this was called, ‘Fern Rock.’ My mind immediately went back to the movie, ‘Fern Gully.’ which my boys watched when they were younger. This rock would make you believe in fairies and gnomes if you didn’t already!

Day #3 (9/21/2020)–Hell No!

If you were to ask me 6 months ago if I liked to cook, I would have answered with a resounding, “Hell no!” Surprisingly, even to me, I’ve found my way back into the kitchen, after a long, long absence. When my children were little (They’re grown men now–28 & 30 years old), I cooked every day. I did it, because that’s what mom’s are supposed to do. However, I found it extremely unenjoyable and many times, stressful and tiring. It’s not the just cooking—it involved shopping, the cooking itself, and clean-up. I hated all of it, but I did it.

When I look back reflectively, I guess part of the reason that I didn’t like it was because money was tight, especially in the early years of my marriage. I looked for recipes that were cheap, easy, and fast. Well, that’s a no brainer–imagine the taste! UGH! As the years passed, I gained more and more weight, and cooking represented my problem area ( or at least I thought it did), so I steered clear whenever I could.

Fast forward to my current job, which I’ve had for the past four years….I travel around the United States conducting trainings, so I’ve eaten out for probably 95% of that time. WOW…talk about packing on the pounds!

Enter Covid-19…my job switched to staying at home and training virtually. Fearful of gaining weight, I issued myself a challenge of walking a minimum of 2 miles each day until I reached 500 miles. As of today, I’ve walked 180 days, without missing a single day. I’m closing in on 700 miles, and since I originally set the challenge, I’ve bumped it up to 1,000 miles.

Because I was home, I decided to grow and maintain a garden over the summer. I grew tomatoes, peppers, and several different types of herbs. Well…when do this sort of thing, you need to cook, or everything would go to waste! As the summer wore on, a funny thing started to happen–I began to enjoy looking for recipes which included my garden ingredients, AND cooking became more and more interesting and fun. The most surprising thing that happened (and this is the biggest shocker); I actually started to like the clean-up as well. It felt strangely satisfying to make something by hand, and then look around a clean kitchen when I was finished. What has Coronovirus done to me? Amazingly, it’s helped me dig down and discover some hidden talents and abilities buried deep inside me.

Earlier in the summer, I learned how to make bone broth (because I had a leftover carcass of a broiled chicken). I watched a slew of videos on the subject, and in one, the woman taught me how to freeze vegetable scraps for future stock making. I was already throwing most of my vegetable scraps into our compost bin, so I just had to come up with a new system. Onion skins, celery ends, onion tidbits, carrots, etc. would be frozen, and scraps that I didn’t want to be in the stock would be composted.

I’ve learned that cooking, in addition to knowledge and technique, is all about organization and planning. I like that aspect…I’m just missing the technique at this point, but I’m getting better.

As you can tell, my Hygge for today was all about being in the kitchen. I added the frozen vegetables to a large pot, and I took the time to sort through the veggies in my refrigerator, to make sure nothing went to waste. I found a few limp carrots and a handful of green beans that had seen better days. I chopped them all up added them to the mix. I also cut off the remainder of my harvest of chives, oregano, and basil. I chopped it up and added it to the pot. In case you’re curious, adding onion skins gives the stock a beautiful appearance, and without it, the liquid would be quite pale (or at least that’s what my online cooking guru told me). The last part of the process is straining out the vegetable chunks, and the taste…wow, it’s so good! I froze most of it for future use, but I’m going to use some of it this week to make a carrot soup (What’s happening to me?)

I also shredded two zucchinis for a zucchini & banana bread that I planned to make later. I opened YouTube and found a great playlist called, Relaxing Coffee Jazz – Relaxing Bossa Nova Music for Stress Relief, which I listen to as I prepped and chopped.

My daily Hygge–music and cooking!

Later in the afternoon I walked to Debbie’s house. We sat together on her back deck, sipping iced tea and chatting. Afterwards, I walked back home, giving me 4.08 miles for the day. I crave my time outside, and for me, it’s extremely hyggelig!

Day #4 (9/22/2020)–Good music, good food, good smells…and Plato!

My friend, Debbie, cleaned out her books a few weeks ago, and she asked if I wanted any of them. We laughed about her still being in procession of her college text books, especially, “The Republic of Plato.” I gratefully took it and two other books from her collection.

So yes, one of my hygge moments today was reading about Plato’s thoughts and ideas. I sat in a cozy chair in my bedroom, wrapped in a blanket. It was too cold to sit outside on the porch in the morning, so I delighted in feeling the warmth of the sun through the window as I read.

Plato is DEEP! I found that I had to read aloud to better understand the text, which if you think about it is amusingly appropriate, as Plato himself was an orator.

Later in the day I made banana & zucchini bread…

The particular recipe that I used called for cinnamon and allspice, which created a wonderful aroma while it was baking. Of course, as I prepped the ingredients, I listened to jazz music on YouTube. Good music, good food, good smells…and Plato! Does it get any better than this?

Day #5 (9/23/2020)–Gobble! Gobble!

I was particularly excited to take my walk today, because I knew that I would be reaching the 700-mile mark for my walking challenge. For the first mile or so, I listened to music. My husband called, and we were happily chatting, when I noticed a wild turkey in a small clearing near the road. I’ve seen turkeys from the car, but I had never seen one this close. I tried to sneak forward taking a few steps at a time, but with each step I took, he took several small turkey steps in the opposite direction. He kept his eye on me as he continued to nibble at the grasses and plants.

At one point, a butterfly danced around his head and he tried three or four times to pluck it out of the air with his beak. I laughed and I was so entranced by his behavior that I finally stopped trying to get close to him, and instead, I watched quietly. He was pretty big, but the most fascinating thing about him was the wattle that hung down from his neck. It was blood red and seemingly translucent when the light from the sun hit it at just the right angle. When I set off today, I had no idea that my hyggelig moment of the day would come to me in the form of wild poultry!

Later in the day, I made a loaf of Irish Soda Bread

I started easy with a quick loaf, and then I worked my way up to a soda bread, because the description proclaimed that it was perfect for beginners. Gobble! Gobble! It was delicious and crusty. After it cooled, I sliced and froze most of it. I did leave out a few slices, so Tom & Debbie could try it. I feel successful and incredibly satisfied today!

Day #6 (9/24/2020)–

I began the day with a 5.62 mile walk. It was a bit chilly, but the sun was warm. As I walked, I listened to a podcast about the history of the English language. Yup–that’s enjoyable for me!

Cream of Carrot Soup and Irish Soda bread (pulled from the freezer), because my French Baguettes flopped…

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen and I made homemade Cream of Carrot. Soup and I ATTEMPTED to make French Baguettes. The soup was creamy and delicious, the baguettes could have been used as a lethal weapon. True French baguettes only have four ingredients–flour, water, salt, and yeast. With only four ingredients, what could possibly go wrong? A lot!

I had heard that making baguettes takes a bit of skill, and that turned out to be true. I watched several videos until I felt somewhat comfortable with the process of mixing, rising, shaping, rising, baking, etc. I found the process to be fun, and as I progressed through the steps, everything appeared to be going well.

Not the prettiest things in the world!

The bread turned out perfectly crispy, especially the underside. The problem was the middle, it was very dense, with minimal rise. The taste was actually pretty good, but the inside density and appearance was just WRONG!

It can only be two things (in my novice opinion)…the yeast or the oven. I can’t change my oven, but I can certainly try again…and I will. Was this still a hygge moment? You bet it was! I enjoyed the challenge and the actual process of making the bread, and I feel motivated to try again.

Day #7 (9/25/2020)–

Today was all about being outside…first a walk…and then dining alfresco. Perfecto!

Pizza Margherita & wine…yum!

Day #8 (9/26/2020)–

I woke up in a really bad mood today, and I felt sad and blue for most of the morning. I just couldn’t shake the feeling, and it was an odd sensation. The best way to describe it is that I felt like I could burst into tears at any moment. I tried to shake off the feeling, but it felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I decided that the most loving thing that I could do for myself , and the best course of action was to take a nap. Napping mid-day is something that I rarely do. I got into bed, turned on some soothing music, and pulled the covers up to my chin. I must have fallen asleep immediately, because I don’t even remember drifting off. I woke up three hours later! I felt refreshed and the gray cloud had definitely lifted. Sleep! Sleep was apparently what I needed!

Day #9 (9/27/2020)–

Today was all about finding a new hiking trail…

It was a beautiful day, and Tom and I discovered a hiking trail that we’ve probably driven past at least over 20 times in the last several years. We’re still marveling over how we could have missed this gem.

We saw lots of wildlife today which always thrills me. We saw and heard lots of birds, including hawks, vultures, songbirds, and even a Pileated woodpecker. We saw many squirrels collecting nuts on the ground, and running along tree limbs. It’s always fun to watch their antics.

We also came across a big box turtle crossing the trail. He was probably my Hygee moment for the day. I sat down on the trail next to him and quietly observed him for several minutes. He finally stuck his head and legs out, and I was able to see his magnificent coloration. If I ever become a professional photographer, I will become a photographer of turtles! They don’t move much! LOL! I thoroughly enjoyed watching him.

Look at his cute turtle neck! (Pun intended! LOL!)

Day #10 (9/28/2020)–

Today’s Hygee moment was a simple one…enjoying a cup of pumpkin spice coffee while sitting in the sun on my back patio. Vitamin D and caffeine–a win-win combination! LOL!

Day #11 (9/29/2020)–

I’m really enjoying my new hobby of bread making–it’s amazingly satisfying!

I can tell you what my most UN-hyggelig moment of the day was–the debate between President Trump and former Vice-President Biden. It was horrific! They reminded me of two 5 year-olds on a playground. It was a clown show–and I felt angry after watching it. Shame on both of you!

After the debate, I settled myself down by watching an old episode of Survivor, and then I listened to soothing music as I feel asleep.

Day #12 (9/30/2020)–

I guess the best hygee moments are the ones that just happen. True, you can purposely set out to create a moment of peace, calm, and comfort for yourself, but surprises are great fun, too! I had just finished my walk and I was approaching my house, and I saw that there was a colorful package on my front porch. I hadn’t ordered anything, so it was definitely unexpected. I could tell from the return address label that is from my friend, Victoria, but I was still puzzled as to why she had sent me something. It was too early for my birthday.

I brought the package to the back porch and began to open it with a sense of curiosity and excitement. She had sent me a collection of “fun stuff” including handmade potpourri, food items, sea salt from Maine (where she lives), Halloween candy corn socks, a face mask, tea, a special mug with a picture of our “tribe,” etc. She had also included a card which thanked me for our friendship. I was so touched that I began to cry. Victoria, thank you for my hygee moment of the day! I’m so moved by your thoughtfulness, and I feel very lucky to have you as a friend!

It’s not about the “things” that she sent, but rather, the human emotion behind it, and the feeling of comfort that it provided to me. After opening the package, I went inside and made a cup of tea from the one of the tea bags that she had sent, and of course, I used my new mug. I brought it back outside and enjoyed my gift in the warmth of the morning sun.

“Tea should be taken in solitude.”

C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

Day #13 (10/1/2020)–

Today was a beautiful, crisp, cool day. I’ve noticed that I’ve had to really pay attention to the temperature prior to heading out lately, and on some days I’ve needed a fleece and thin gloves in the morning. I like walking in cooler temperatures…AND fall is my favorite season, so I really enjoyed today’s walk. One of my newer goals is listening (re-listening) to 141 podcast episodes about the history of the English language. I’ve already listened to about 20 episodes so far, and I had a big gap in time between them, and I kind of lost my place. I decided to start over…as of today I’ve re-listened to the first 7 episodes, and now I’m going to listen to one every day until I finish the series. I love learning something new when I walk!

Day #14 (10/2/2020)–

Even though I’ve been trying to be kind to myself by making sure that I have and recognize at least one hygee moment for the day, I can feel that I’ve been in a slump lately, and I know exactly what’s causing it. I’ve been intermittent fasting for the last 59 days, and I haven’t lost a significant amount of weight. That has really frustrated me, because I’ve done a complete 180° turn around with my eating.

For example–

  • Timing of my eating–fasting
  • Clean fasting
  • Severely restricting foods made with preservatives
  • Severely restricting fast food
  • Growing tomatoes and herbs and cooking with them
  • Severely restricting processed carbs
  • Making my own bread
  • Eating lots of fruits and vegetables
  • Cooking most of my meals (this is a huge change!)
  • Walking every day (I’ve walked 197 days in a row!)

I’ve bounced around at relatively the same weight for about a month by losing and gaining the same 1-3 pounds. As of today I’ve lost slightly over 33 pounds, and I’m thrilled with that, but I still have about 40 more pounds to lose…being patient is difficult!

After I finished my walk this morning, I decided to sit in the sun on the back porch. I made a cup of hot tea (no sugar) and looked up the dictionary.com word of the day, which, by the way, is one of my secret pleasures! The word for today is élan (pronounced:ā-ˈlän), a noun which means vigorous spirit or enthusiasm.

Hmmm…how appropriate! I’m going to take today’s word as a sign to keep moving forward with all of my goals (including weight loss) with a renewed sense of élan!

Day #15 (10/3/2020)–

Covid-19 has really hit my livelihood hard, and I’m now only being scheduled to work one week a month. How long will this last? Nobody knows, so financially I’m under constant stress. I decided to supplement my income by finding a second job—which I did–at a winery! Today was my first day. It was a beautiful day and I think people are tired of being cooped up inside, so it was insanely busy. I had a great day, and I’m so happy that I decided to try something new. I like wine, and I love visiting vineyards, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to learn about the wine industry.

After our shift was over, everyone gathered to debrief and enjoy a glass of wine together. It was so nice to relax, talk, and laugh with a new group of people. Hygge equals comfort, so this was definitely that moment for the day! Meeting Josh sure helped as well! LOL!

Meet my new friend, Josh! LOL!

Day #16 (10/4/2020)–

Today was all about being outside. I walked in the morning and then Tom and I walked at Yankauer Nature Preserve in the afternoon. The weather was perfect and we scored a NoHot (No Humans on Trail)! That reason alone created the perfect hygge moment for me. However, the hygge purpose that I was striving for was that I was on the look-out for some evergreen branches to use in my stove-top potpourri. I was successful and later the house is filled with the most heavenly woodsy scent! THE NOSE KNOWS!

Debbie called and invited me to her house for a porch date to include iced tea, watching the sun set, and French baguettes. A weird combination? Yes, but she had just tried making the baguettes for the first time (ever), and she was excited for me to try some. They were so good! She had also made ricotta cheese which we slathered on the warm bread. We also dipped the bread in olive oil sprinkled with oregano–DELISH!

Day #17 (10/5/2020)–

Today’s hike was all about collecting a bit of juniper for my potpourri. It wasn’t much of a hunt, because I already knew where a tree was. Fall is my favorite season of the year, and the weather was glorious! (The juniper smelled amazing when I added it to the simmering pot later in the day). I’m so smell oriented, so between being outside, and the potpourri…I was in heaven!

Day #18 (10/6/2020)–

My hygge for today was sleeping in! I didn’t set the alarm and I naturally woke up at a few minutes after 8:00 a.m. I peeked at the clock and luxuriated in the fact that I was snuggled up in my warm bed AND that I didn’t have to get up if I didn’t want to…and I didn’t want to! I rolled over and fell back to sleep, and finally woke up for the day at a couple minutes before ten. It felt so good–I guess I needed a wee bit more sleep!

Day #19 (10/7/2020)–

I’m certainly not trying to eat strictly vegetarian, but today I made egg cups and a side of black beans. My hygge moment was the combination of sitting on the back porch and eating my meal. The weather was perfect and the leaves are beginning to turn, so that was enjoyable…but my meal was delicious! I enjoyed the fact that it tasted good AND it was good for me.

For me, anything is better (including food), if I’m outside!

Later in the day, I saw a young deer on my walk. I stopped and enjoyed watching her.

Day #20 (10/8/2020)– Today is my final day of documenting a hygge moment for the day. Hygge moments happen daily, but I know that in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we tend not to notice. It reminds me of the saying, “Make sure to stop and smell the roses.”

My hygge moment for the day was noticing the fall colors when I was walking….when I say notice, I mean that I stopped and really looked at the colors. Fall is my favorite season, and it goes by so quickly.

1,000 Mile Walking Challenge (100 Corona miles at a time!)–Part 3

I have achieved my first two goals of walking 600 miles, so now I’m shooting for 1,000 Corona Miles, which I’m going to track 100 miles at a time. I’m working and living my life, so I’m in no rush, but I have set up the following goal for myself–walking every day (no skips) for a minimum of 2 miles.

  • 9/2/2020–10.26 miles
  • 9/3/2020–5.58 miles
  • 9/4/2020–7.44 miles
  • 9/5/2020–3.13 miles
  • 9/6/2020–12.41 miles (1,407 ft. elevation gain!)
1/2 Way Point on the Tuscarora Trail…
  • 9/7/2020–5 miles
Paw Paw Tunnel…
  • 9/8/2020–2.7 miles
  • 9/9/2020–2.04 miles
Bears Den Trails…
  • 9/10/2020–2.88 miles
  • 9/11/2020–2.56 miles
  • 9/12/2020–2.91 miles
  • 9/13/2020–3.37 miles
  • 9/14/2020–2.59 miles
  • 9/15/2020–2.05 miles
  • 9/16/2020–2.8 miles
  • 9/17/2020–2.08 miles
  • 9/18/2020–2.21 miles
  • 9/19/2020–4.01 miles
  • 9/20/2020–2.5 miles
  • 9/21/2020–4.08 miles
  • 9/22/2020–3.07 miles
  • 9/23/2020–4.61 miles
I saw a wild turkey when I was out walking today! I didn’t expect THAT!

Total–701.11 miles!

I’ve reached my goal of walking 700 miles. I’ve walked for 189 days without missing a single day…now I’m setting off toward 800 miles! One-Thousand Coronavirus miles here I come!

UPDATE–I’ve walked 1,207.16 mile in the last 327 days! (2/8/2021)

Bear Chase Brewing Company

I’m not sure how I managed to not hear about the Bear Chase Brewing Company before today…but that’s exactly what happened! Debbie had heard good things about it, and she asked if I wanted to try it out, so of course I agreed.

Looking over the valley below, the hillside “drinking lawn” just begs you to pull up a seat and stay awhile. As you can tell, the view is gorgeous, and there were plenty of different kinds of beer on tap to make everyone happy. We lucked out and went on a Tuesday, which unbeknownst to us was, “Taco Tuesday.” Great weather, beer, tacos from a food truck, and friends…it was just perfect. (So perfect that I dragged my friend Tom back the next day! We hiked on the A.T and then came over for a beer. He loved it, too!)

I absolutely love their logo–a bear paw with the Appalachian Trail running through the mountains.
Great people to hang out with….

1,000 Mile Walking Challenge (100 Corona miles at a time!)–Part 2

I have achieved my first goal of walking 500 miles, so now I’m shooting for 1,000 Corona Miles, which I’m going to track 100 miles at a time. I’m working and living my life, so I’m in no rush, but I have set up the following goal for myself–walking every day (no skips) for a minimum of 2 miles.

  • 8/3/2020–2.07 miles
  • 8/4/2020–2.5 miles
Getting my walks in…rain OR shine!
  • 8/5/2020–3.68 miles
  • 8/6/2020–2.13 miles
  • 8/7/2020–2.5 miles
  • 8/8/2020–7.05 miles
  • 8/9/2020–4.03 miles
  • 8/10/2020–2.16 miles
  • 8/11/2020–2.18 miles
  • 8/12/2020–2.27 miles
  • 8/13/2020–2.62 miles
  • 8/14/2020–2.11 mile
  • 8/15/2020–3.08 miles
  • 8/16/2020–4.32 miles
Tuscarora Trail (8/16/2020)…
  • 8/17/2020–2.14 miles
  • 8/18/2020–2.13 miles
  • 8/19/2020–2.06 miles
  • 8/20/2020–2.18 miles
  • 8/21/2020–2.21 miles
  • 8/22/2020–4.10 miles
  • 8/23/2020–2.09 miles
  • 8/24/2020–2.14 miles
  • 8/25/2020–2.18 miles
  • 8/26/2020–2.1 miles
  • 8/27/2020–3.5 miles
  • 8/28/2020–2.82 miles
  • 8/29/2020–5.0 miles
A 100% chance of rain means 100% chance of rain! You can’t really tell from this picture, but it was pouring! I was all “gear up” for the rain, so it was fun! (C&O Canal–Shepherdstown)
  • 8/30/2020–4.74 miles

Total: 602.69 miles (2nd Goal completed!) I’ve walked every day for 165 days!

“If you want to reach your goals, you must shrink the size of your BUT.”

Think about that!

Author Unknown

My Little Herb Garden

I’ve had so much fun taking care of my little herb garden this summer, but even better, I’ve really enjoyed tasting the “fruits” of my labor. Almost every day for the last two months, I’ve brewed a batch of sun tea, which, of course, was the perfect vessel for mint. I grew two varieties–chocolate and variegated. I didn’t really have a favorite, both smelled and tasted delicious.

I grew multiple batches of dill from seed, and I also grew basil, oregano, chives, and rosemary which started from small plants.

Fresh from the garden…

My first dill plant finally hit the end of its growing cycle, but fortunately I began to grow another batch a few weeks ago to replace it. I’ve enjoyed the dill all summer, and today I was able to get slightly more than 1 TB of dill prior to pulling it up and discarding it. You may laugh, but I chopped it up and froze it. I can throw it in a batch of carrot soup, or some other creation this fall. My plan is to freeze most of what I can harvest from the new plant.

One lone cube of dill (1 TB) LOL!
Although not an herb, I also grew a pepper plant from seed…
Proud Mama! Two little peppers are forming & several blooms seem to be close behind.
I dehyrated the last of the Rosemary…the smell…heavenly!
Some of my homegrown produce from 2020

TomTom

When I realized that traveling for work was going to be severely limited this summer because of Covid-19 and it’s related travel issues, I decided to plant a (small) garden in my back yard. I bought several herbs (oregano, chives, basil, two kinds of mint, & rosemary), and I grew a few pots of dill from seed. I also bought a little tomato plant.

I don’t know why I didn’t take a picture of TomTom after he was first planted. I think this is the earliest picture I have, and he’s already getting big!

Looking back, I have to laugh because I wanted to buy two tomato plants and Pierre talked me out of it, telling me that I would have more tomatoes than I would know what to do with. That little plant is now huge, and has been abundantly producing–I’m glad that I listened. Around mid-summer, when I was in full-gardening mode, I decided to try to grow a pepper plant from seed. It’s growing and it’s beautiful and healthy, but I’m hoping it will be able to produce at least a few peppers before the first frost in the fall. Lesson learned….plant early!

Before his first haircut…

Pierre and I tend to nickname our favorite plants and flowers in the yard, and so I naturally started calling my tomato plant, TomTom from the moment he was in the ground. TomTom was little when we bought him and he has grown bigger than I could have ever imagined. The plant is HUGE! I’ve trimmed it back three times already, and he already needs another “haircut.” It’s a Big Boy variety, but I thought the name referred to the size of the tomatoes, not the plant! LOL!

Instead of putting TomTom in a tomato cage, Pierre put a stake in the ground. TomTom just laughed at the stake and grew sideways in both directions, even though I tried to train the branches upwards. My tomato plant looks unique, to say the least.

Trimmed and looking good…

I decided early on that I was going to keep track of TomTom’s yield, and the easiest way to do that is through pictures. The count has begun…

The tomatoes labeled 10-18 are earmarked for tomato soup. I’m going to let them ripen in the window, and maybe add a few more. I’m planning to freeze some of the soup, so I can have it later this fall.

Let the count continue…

19, 20, 21, & 22…
23, 24, 25, & 26…
Homemade roasted tomato soup w/Debbie’s homemade bread!
Ready for his 4th trim! He’s getting wild!

The dill that I grew from early summer, has finally hit the end of it’s growing season. I harvest the last bit of dill (pictured above), which I’m going to freeze for future use. The good news is that I planted new dill about 3 weeks ago, and very soon, I’ll have fresh dill again!

30 & 31…
I can barely believe that this is one tomato plant (8/23/2020)!
I made homemade baked beans with TomTom’s tomatoes
#32….this one went straight from the vine into a pot of homemade zucchini soup that called for one ripe tomato!
This soup is delish! I found a series of cooking videos on YouTube called, ‘Buon-A-Petitti,’ featuring an Italian grandma named, Gina. I FEEL Italian when I watch!
#33–I knocked this little guy off the vine when I was watering. I placed it on the windowsill so it will continue to ripen–it turned out great! Yum!
#39 & 40…
#46…
I cut TomTom way back today….he’s still sporting at least 20 more tomatoes that I hope will ripen before the temperature drops too much.
#48-53…