Sunday, December 12, 2021

After the vandalism, the rest of September

September                                                                      Most Recent Posts:
Greenfield Mountain Farm                                        Black Tuesday Vandalism
Virginia                                                                  Leaving Vermont Headed South



20210914_082803Thank goodness for the beauty of the farm which is calming especially on foggy mornings..

I spent most of the month dealing with the vandalism I reported in my previous blog (link above).

Because this is a glass claim, the insurance company does not assign an adjustor so all the calls have to be done by the policy holder.  That would be calls to Geico where you get a different person every time you call, calls to Safelite Glass and to Duncan Glass.  All in an effort just to get the windows ordered so they can be built.  I spent time every single day on the phone about this matter and trying to get all three arms to work together.  Frustrating does not even begin to describe it.



IMG_9942The only bright spot came in the middle of the month when Carrie, Colin and Celia came for a visit.

   I’m not sure how much longer Colin will be using his mommy’s wooden high chair.  He turned 3 on September 1st and we are celebrating his birthday this week end.



Carrie plays the piano and the flute but here she takes her hand at my recorder

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Celia took a shine to her mother’s Cabbage Patch dolls from the mid 1980’s.

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Not sure if this was playing tag or what but Colin is definitely an outdoor guy.

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We walked out the farm lane to the mailbox.  At points along the way we lost Colin who had stopped to do something with a stick or a rock or ?????   One way to prod him along was to race.  Of course it is more fun if he wins.


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It’s so wonderful for me to see Carrie with her own children here at the farm where she was born and raised.

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It’s always wonderful coming back from walking to the mailbox when we come out of the woods, into the valley and there sits the farmhouse on its knoll.

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Hardly any color here yet in mid September.

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On Sunday, there was lots of work and play to be done  outside with a wheelbarrow before we got dressed in our fancy duds to go to David’s sister Robin’s daughter’s celebration of marriage.  (get all that?)


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Nana & Celia at Ashley & Tanner's celebrationAshley and her husband Tanner had all their marriage plans and reservations cancelled by the closing of their venue during covid last year.  When it was clear it couldn’t just be postponed  they had a VERY small ceremony and this gathering was to be with all those who had been invited to the original wedding. 

Somehow neither I nor Carrie got pictures of the 4 of us all dressed up but Carrie did take this one of Celia and I walking up to the gathering.


There was a formal acknowledgement of the marriage where finally Ashley got to wear her wedding dress for us all.

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And a lovely dinner and dancing afterwards.  This was as quiet as Colin was the entire night.  It was not an occasion for a 3 year old.

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Next morning Colin got to open his presents but he’s such a whirlwind that every single picture I have of him is a blur.  This is the best one.


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More birthday debris although the birthday boy is no where to be seen only his bean bag toss.

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The rest of the month was more attempts to get the RV repair show on the road amid enjoying my closest neighbors and the beauty of the farm.


Looking out the window one morning I saw a group of them down on the farm lane.










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They were in no hurry as they wandered around, across the lane and eventually through the gate, the field and down into the woods.


Once they hit the tall grasses, you can hardly see them.  Fields will be mowed soon.



I closed out September with a visit to my favorite local hiking spot, the Ivy Creek Natural Area.  I’ve written about it at some point every year since I began this blog so I won’t go through the history of this farm turned natural area again.


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Several of its 11 trails are along the creek.

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Others wind through rhododendron and mountain laurel thickets which sadly of course are not in bloom in September.


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20210930_110446Areas not along the creek or through the thickets were lovely paths through the beautiful woods where I saw much of Nature’s artwork.

I’ll close this post with some of what I saw.





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It’s difficult to tell just how big this fungi was in the first picture so I put my hand on the tall stem.

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Dinner plate.

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Such amazing intricacy even from a distance.  But up close is even more striking.

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On the other hand, these beauties are tiny.  I’d might never notice them without their striking iridescent color.

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Sorry I wasn’t here to see the exploding of this puffball mushroom

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What’s it remind you of??

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More log art.

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It has definitely been a good day for a variety of fungi and beauty in the woods.

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30 comments:

  1. You have a lovely area to enjoy when you cannot be on the road.

    Virtual hugs,

    Judie

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    1. Thanks Judie. Hope you are doing well at this difficult season for those of us who have lost our beloved partners.

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  2. I'm glad that you feel peaceful at the farm. It's so picturesque. I love the close up of the deer! Also the "tunnel" made from laurel at Ivy Creek. xxxooo

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    1. Thanks Pam. It's a wonderful place and so is Ivy Creek

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  3. I do think Ashley's celebration would've been easier with Matthew there. He just had to have another covid canceled event that weekend. It was lovely though seeing you with the kids. Very nice pictures. Those mushrooms are huge!

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    1. Perhaps but there were two of us. It's just not a place for a 3 year old. It was still wonderful seeing you 3 that week-end. I was pretty amazed at how big they were which is why I put my hands in the pictures.

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  4. Quite the mushroom collection. Your farm is so lovely and green (or was in September!)

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    1. Yes Laurie this post was "the rest of September". I know it's confusing that I'm so far behind. This glass thing is taking just so so much time.

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  5. I just love all your green, although I know it's a lot more work. Your deer herd is much bigger than ours who also come to visit almost daily. They're such a peaceful blessing. Love all the amazing fungi - what a variety!! "Feed me Seeeymour!" is what I see in the folded one :-) I hope you got lots of pretty Fall color to enjoy during your unplanned extended stay.

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    1. Great comment on the mushroom! It looked like I didn't want to put my hand in there. LOL Unplanned and unintended is exactly right Jodee. Thanks for the comment.

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  6. Yea for family visits, especially during stressful times. I love the peaceful look of the farm. So many lovely fun-guys. Some look like edibles. I'm hoping the window glass story has moved along.

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    1. Wish I knew if they were edible but it's a natural area so I couldn't take them anyway. No movement on the glass story. Can you believe it?

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  7. You're growing some huge mushrooms up there in VA! Nice variety of colors, too. Thanks for sharing the pictures. :c)

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    1. Yessir! Thanks for your help and advice on winterizing, a chore I hoped never to have to do.

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  8. Replies
    1. Thanks Diane. I didn't know you were reading. Glad you commented.

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  9. What a beautiful area you have to enjoy amid the stress of trying to get things back to normal. Trust me when I say I know the trials and tribulations of insurance and body shop interactions.
    What a nice family too.!!!
    Susan from Florida

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    1. Thanks so much for the comment Susan and for signing it so I know it's you. Sorry you have experience with the problems of insurance and body shops. Not fun to say the least.

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  10. I'm so glad you have had the beauty and peace of the farm to sustain you while you've been dealing with the incredible frustration of the vandalism to your rig. It's maddening that you've had to handle all of those calls with no help from your insurance company. Wishing you better times ahead SOON.
    I'm glad you had the bright spot of a visit from Carrie and your darling grandchildren!

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    1. I can use all the wishes I can get so thanks Laurel. Frustration is the least of it.

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    1. Thanks William. Peaceful is what I really need.

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  12. Enjoyed all the beautiful fungi pics. You farm seems so nice and calm to live. We spent 3 days in St Augustine enjoying the cool weather and millions of Christmas lights. Tonight we are back on the warm humid island and planning Christmas. Wish you well.

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    1. The farm is lovely Tom but this time of year It is just too cold for me and I would love to be in Saint Augustine enjoying the lights. I had a 2 week reservation in Saint Augustine thanked Augustine but was forced unfortunately to cancel it

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  13. Family time and nature, I'm sure that's been good for the soul with all you've had to deal with.

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    1. Thanks Faye. It's all beginning to wear on me over these now going on 4 months and still not fixed.

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  14. Was good to see you at the wedding. Some beautiful shots of the farm and your grands - (the grands are very cute). Hope your holidays are joyful.

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    1. Good to see you there too Roger even though I didn't get a chance to talk to anyone very much. Wishing you a happy family filled holiday as well.

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  15. Good to see you are getting some "downtime" and relaxation while dealing with insurance company issues. Sad about the issues with the insurance company.

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    1. Good to see you here in the comments Chris. I sure envy you two being somewhere warm for the winter.

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