Early April– The Best Thing About Being Stuck

April 1-April 30, 2022                                               Most Recent Posts:
STILL in Virginia               March 2022: Basketball, Festival & Snow AGAIN
220 days and counting                                   February’s End – Still Waiting

I realized in writing this that it would be better to divide April into two parts and to have published this post in the middle of April.  BUT I didn’t.  Still I want to spare you a tooo long post so this one is about the first half of April and I’ll post the 2nd half soon.  That said, the first half of April was mostly a visit from Carrie and the kids so prepare for Nana photos.  But that isn’t quite all I did for the first two weeks of the month but most of it.

When going back to see what actually happened in April, my memory being what it is, I found that Pam and I went to Roots Natural Kitchen for dinner but I have no pictures of us only one of my BBQ Tofu bowl which was delicious.

My friend Mary and I went to the Wellhouse Cafe to meet a former coworker of hers with whom she is planning a shower for a mutual friend at the cafe.  They wanted to check things out and do some planning.  I came along for the ride and the food which was very good.

Mary had driven us over but since it was a mile and a half away, I decided to walk back for the exercise.  I wove my way through side streets and was surprised to find this historical marker on my way.

Georgia O’Keefe is one of my very favorite artists.  When she was 22 her mother and sisters moved from her birthplace of Wisconsin to Charlottesville and rented this house.  She taught art classes at the University of Virginia every summer from 1913-1916.

The best thing about being stuck in Virginia is that I get to see more of my family. The 3 C’s, Carrie, Celia and Colin came to the Farm for a long week-end and it was great.

We spent a lot of time outside including taking Cabbage Patch kids in a wagon and pushing a wheelbarrow down the farm lane.

I guess we’re going this way.  Carrie isn’t sure.  Whatever…..

Now what to do about this muddy section of the lane beyond the barnyard leading to what we call the lower field.  I don’t maintain it as I do the 3/4 mile from the county road to the barnyard. Pushing the wheelbarrow through the mud turned out to be a bit too much for Colin so Nana carried it over and Colin happily splashed through in his boots.

Home again home again -

This is one of my favorite things to do when they visit, although she doesn’t stay long.  They are both bundles of energy and anxious for breakfast and to get the day started.

Looking pretty smug after finishing 4 puzzles.  In case you can’t make them out there are Strawberry Shortcake, Winnie the Pooh (of course),  Sesame Street and a gang of monkeys.

Celia invents a new way to sweep the porch.

On Sunday, we visited the playground at the Rockfish Valley Community Center which was the Rockfish Elementary School when Carrie was a child.

Lots of climbing to be done.  You’re never too old to play.

The setting is beautiful.  Swinging up to the mountains.

The playground was billed as for ages 3 to 12.  It had two playhouses, one for the “big” kids where Celia is peeking out and a cute  one for the little kids made out of colorful plastic of which for some reason I have no pictures even though Colin was inside and several times  climbed out the window rather than walk back out the door.  Really sorry I don’t have that picture.

This was a strange slide and seemed a bit dangerous to me without sides since apparently you have to hug it with your legs to slide down.  Or?????  Has anyone seen a slide like this before and can tell me how you are supposed to do it?  It was sadly the only slide here which would be my only criticism of this cute little park.  More slides and more than 2 swings.

Celia did get the hang of it after some tries with help.

Celia was quite cautious with this wavering climbing structure, but not her brother.  He scampered up to the top rung which of course motivated her to follow.  He’s 3, she’s almost 6.  Hope we don’t have a dare devil on our hands.

An odd teeter totter as well.  VERY heavy and also seems set for older kids.  Although it was heavy even for me.  This was a very clever way to use it. 

And then there is the ordinary way but quite a weight imbalance here.

Celia comes out head first but Nana decided not to try this one.

 

But we all did keep coming back to these climbing chains.

Colin and I weren’t really as glum as we might look here.  Just tired out I think.

Home for some food and then back to hiking around the farm.

We celebrated a late Spring Equinox by doing some planting which went over well.  I’d gotten them each a pot and put soil in two bags.  We took some gravel from the lane to put in the bottom of the post for drainage and they each picked a vegetable.  I had sweet pepper, tomato and pumpkin seeds to choose from.

 

The next day they were anxious and some what obnoxious about going back to the park.  Of course we had to do breakfast first and then get dressed and then get some snacks and water bottles and Nana had to put on her shoes.  By that time they were helping me get my shoes on and get them tied. 

It was interesting to me that there were fewer kids at the playground over the week end than on this week day.  The Cabbage Patch girl got abandoned for new friends to play with.  Colin worked intently on peeling his mandarin orange.  Not interested in any help.

Celia has worked out how to do this slide but still wants her mom there ‘just in case’.

One of today’s favorites was this turny thing.  Works better for big kids. It requires some weight to throw around to get it to spin.  On the left is the little playhouse I mentioned earlier.  Glad Carrie got this picture.

But the hit of this day was the skate park ramps beside the playground.  Today, unlike when we’d been here last time, there were not skate boarders so the little folks took it over running up to the top and sliding down.

Luckily for me, this week was the kids’ spring break so they were able to stay longer than usual but it was sad when they left though we’d had a great time.  I’ll see them again in about a month.

Carrie sent me these pictures a week or so later.  Celia’s tomatoes are on the left and Colin’s pumpkins on the right.

I’ll close with pictures around the farm in  the days after they left.   The very day after they left the whippoorwill returned to the fields and though the video is black since it was of course dark out,  you can hear him at this link.   I am SO sorry he wasn’t here before they left.  Although the kids would have been asleep, I know Carrie would love to have heard him.

Turkeys are getting bold coming inside the yard.  Usually they are out in the field.

I’ll be going to Carrie’s house for Celia’s 6th birthday in Mid May but my next post what I did with the rest of April including a small town parade for a not so small town, a last gasp of winter as well as this month’s reading.