A Fun Birthday and Heading North

Greenfield Mountain Farm                                  Most Recent Posts:
Afton, Virginia                                                        New River Gorge National Park
May 17- June 2, 2024                                            May at the Farm

FRIDAY MAY 17

On Friday, I drove up to Maryland for the week-end to celebrate Celia’s 8th birthday although I don’t know how that can possibly be that she is 8. 

On the way I go right by Bruster’s Ice Cream in Culpepper – no joke – RIGHT by it.  Usually I stop on my way back since I go up in the morning before they open but today, BIG MISTAKE, I left around noon to get there when the kids got home and Carrie wasn’t working.   So Bruster’s was open and thank goodness since it gave me a needed boost on the trip that took me nearly 90 minutes longer to get there because of Friday afternoon traffic around DC.  WHAT WAS I THINKING??  

Oh and this is a SMALL waffle cone with JMC (Jamaican Me Crazy) David’s and my very favorite flavor which this Bruster’s unlike many always has available.  Eat your heart out Paul.

I arrived in the late afternoon but in time to see the “fort” Celia had made in her room.  Colin is required to request permission to enter which he is doing here.

Celia came out, Colin went in.  Too funny.

Later we three created a race track with chalk.   As you can see, we worked very hard on it.

I was told this is a lake that the track goes around.

Now for the racers – not sure this lopsided helmet is going to do much good in the event of a crash.

Colin definitely needs a bigger bike and  that maybe isn’t pink though he doesn’t seem to mind.  It’s what happens when you have an older sister’s hand me downs.

I stand corrected.  I think it says Pond.

After races and  before dinner there was batting practice.   I spent several hours trying to find a way to splice 5 very short videos together to give a sense of how funny this was but…..the only thing I came up with was $49.95 or a watermark.   So try to ignore the mark, it’s anything but tiny.  

You can see Colin’s efforts here.

SATURDAY  MAY !8

Celia’s birthday is Sunday the 19th and a party is planned with her friends so I gave her my presents on Saturday to spread out the excitement.  And it had to be first thing in the morning so she’s in her pajamas.

Of course Nana gives books.  This year, The Magic School Bus with Miss Frizzle.

The beading jewelry craft kit which was a big hit. 

She made me a necklace and didn’t tie the end off and when she handed it to me the beads went all over everywhere.  I wonder if she has made anything else with it since.   At least all the parts are in a nice carrying case.

After presents we went to Celia’s gymnastics class and in the afternoon we watched Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever play the WNBA’s #1 team the New York Liberty.  Love Women’s basketball.   We played Guess Who and other games as the afternoon slipped away.

And then it was time to take a ride in Matthew’s new Toyota Venza SUV.  I was so pleased to find out that not only was it roomy but more importantly, it’s a hybrid.  It was the first time I was able to sit in the back seat that wasn’t a Honda Accord and where I was not squished in between either two car seats or a car seat and a booster seat.  So much more room here.

We were on our way out for a birthday dinner at Eggspectation which had wonderful food and not just breakfast though that’s what we chose.  Carrie and I had Breakfast Tacos.  The kids had great looking chocolate chip pancakes.    Unfortunately I took no pictures all afternoon and owe these next two to Carrie.

Look at all the room for all 3 of us.

And then, books at bedtime.  Hoping she gets some sleep.  Excitement for the party is pretty high.

SUNDAY MAY 19

The party theme was Disney Princesses.  They were all set up on the presents table.   It’s an interesting change since I was a child and Carrie too.  The presents aren’t opened at the party so as not to take time.  Seems strange to me.  I always want to see someone open a gift I have given.  I wonder if the birthday child sends thank you notes.  I didn’t ask.

Love the pose.

The pool was all decked out with balloons and food under the canopy.  It’s a heated salt water pool.  Love that there is no chlorine.

Carrie and her mother-in-law Joan before the girls arrive.

Lots of floaties in the pool. 

The birthday girl squinting.  She’s got swim goggles but not sunglasses at hand.

Blowing out the candles on the princess cake.   Not sure why it stayed in the box.  Convenient for leftovers I imagine.

The cake was delicious – chocolate with fresh strawberries.  Not much was left.

And then it was over and back to school and work the next day.  But not for Nana happily.  I went home early and stopped again at Bruster’s since I won’t find one again until fall when I go to visit them again.

TUESDAY MAY 28

Most of the pictures from the end of May at the farm appeared in a previous blog entitled May at the Farm.  Link above. 

But one thing that did happen was in testing everything on the RV before leaving, the battery required the boost button on two different occasions.  Since it’s so difficult to take Winnona in to have the battery tested,  I took the battery in to Advance Auto.  They tested it and said it was still good but not completely charged.  So I had them charge it.  They said come back in half an hour. 

I came back in 45 minutes and when I walked in the guy who waited on me said OOOPPPS, I forgot to put it on the charger.  SO, I waited another half an hour and when I came back he was gone and no one knew whether he’d charged it or not.  But they decided to say he did.

When they brought it out and I insisted they test it again, it showed the same thing as before which was that the battery is OK but not fully charged.  Does that mean it didn’t fully charge or they didn’t charge it?  How can I know?

Since I was leaving in a few days, and there was no way I could prove they hadn’t charged it and no way I could charge it without reinstalling it and driving Winnona, I chose to buy a new battery.  This one was not quite 3 years old and had a 3 year warranty which wasn’t applicable since it wasn’t dead.  Shannon had taken the old battery out for me and he put the new one in.  Remember this story.

SUNDAY JUNE 2

And then I was saying good bye to the farm as I leave  to return to St Johnsbury Vermont for the Summer.   Looking back, looking forward.