April in Virginia

March 27 – April 23, 2023                                Most Recent Posts:
Greenfield Mountain Farm              Kayaking the Beautiful Ichtucknee River
and                                                          Santa Fe River Sink and River Rise
Charlottesville

Traveling North

I don’t really like to travel on week-ends if I can avoid it.  Too much traffic and difficult to find RV help if you need it.  So I spent Monday night, my first night headed north, at the St Mary’s Georgia Walmart where I found a group of Canadians from Quebec who are the reason so many Walmarts are closing their parking lots to RVers.   I went over and talked to them about it.  They spoke perfect English, pretty much said they didn’t care  and laughed as you can see.  So I took their picture as an example of “setting up camp” with slides and chairs.  What NOT to do in the parking lot.  This makes me furious. 

But inside Walmart was something darling.  I couldn’t believe it.  Certainly I have never seen a goat in a shopping cart wearing a diaper.  I always save up a list of things I need the week before I’m heading back so I can buy something from each Walmart kind enough to allow me to park there.  What a fun treat it was to see these two.

AND something else new, another treat.  I had no idea Walmart’s Subway is now selling pizza so I had one for dinner. Onions, spinach and mushrooms.  Actually decent, especially when you are as hungry and tired as I was.

On Tuesday night I stayed with the VERY kind the folks at Walterboro Walmart. Their side parking lot had 30 or more RVs in it.  I couldn’t get them all in one picture.  Most were practicing good parking lot etiquette though  not all as you can see.  I hope the large numbers don’t concern the management.

Arrived at the Farm

After 800 miles, I arrived back at the farm to greet early spring.    The fields haven’t completely greened up yet.  That comes later but you can see the flowering trees in bloom as I stop to take Ruby off and drive Winnona into the barnyard.

  

Parked in her Virginia spot with a 30 amp hook up. 

So glad I got to see the daffodils.

and the tulips

This picture of the Iris on the bank in front of the house was taken a week or so later when they opened and other flowers had begun to fade.

Botanical Fare in Charlottesville

Charlottesville has opened a new Vegan restaurant on the downtown mall.  My friend Pam and I were very excited to try it out.  The food was fantastic and I remembered to take a picture of it but not of the two of us.  Hope we’ll get to come again while I’m in Virginia so I can get a  picture of us enjoying it.   The restaurant is called Botanical Fare.

I’ve forgotten what the delicious sandwich was but on the right is the VERY BEST vegan mac & cheese I’ve ever had.

Farm Hikes

Hiking near one of the steams I found a nice stand of May Apple.  They bloom on twin leaves and had not opened just yet.

Fiddleheads were up but just raising their heads.

And Toothwort was almost ready to bloom.

A week or so later Winnona has an apple tree for shade during part of the day.

Surprise Mail

If you are like me, you seldom get any mail you really care about.  So what a surprise to find a letter in my mailbox with this sweet “address” on the back of the envelope.  

Celia will be 7 in mid May and her mother, Carrie, told me she had no idea what was in the envelope that Celia wanted to send to me.  It was just sent.

Definitely the best piece of mail I’ve gotten in ages and ages.  I can’t think of a Pen Pal I’d love better than my darling granddaughter.  How can she have grown so quickly?

What a terrific sentiment – HAPPY EVERYTHING!   Carrie and her family  are what I miss the most when on the road and I can’t wait to see them soon.

Woods in Bloom

My daily walks are in the woods and the fields leading to them.  The streams are lovely but shallow as the springs from which they begin are on my property so they don’t have a chance to gain much water other than rainfall as they wind toward the Rockfish River.

Not much rain lately.

On this later hike, I found the May Apple in bloom and the fiddle heads standing taller.

There were sweet violets.

Breakfast in Town

In town running errands one day I stopped at the post office to mail,  to members of David’s family,  some pictures, cards and letters he’d kept.  It was later morning and I hadn’t had breakfast.   From  somewhere came the distinct ‘need’ for pancakes so I walked over to First Watch and had two HUGE and excellent multi-grain blueberry pancakes with Sue Miller for company.

Neighbors Stop By

Of course at the farm there are always neighbors dropping by.  Not only these, but deer, bluebirds, woodpeckers and……..Whether I have my camera ready is not a certainty.

 

As you can see, farm life is slow and easy.  Not a lot to blog about.  When returning from a 5 month absence there is unfortunately lots of cleaning.  No  pictures of that or mowing the grass or sweeping up all the asian lady beetles and stick bugs who meet their doom inside over the winter.   Lots of hiking, planning, reading and some puzzles.

The highlight of April is a visit from Carrie, Celia and Colin.   Next Post and at that point I will be caught up to the present.  WOW!  Finally!