Sunday, January 17, 2010

Adventure #2 Take a Left

My adventure for the week:

Daughter Delaney and I went to buy cheese. Not just any cheese. We went to Windy Ridge Farm on Mountain Top Road, in Wellsville, Pennsylvania. We tasted their cheese at a Crafts Fair and decided we wanted more.

They make their own hickory smoked cheddar and swiss. You have to call ahead to make sure they are home.

We drove north through Wellsville to get there. Wellsville is the home of the Warrington Foot Beagle Club and the Warrington Friends Meeting House. Turn left on Mountain Top Road. The third farm on the left.

When you get to the barn, you notice the docile black angus. They have wet noses and long eyelashes. Homer apologizes that there are only three blocks of cheddar left. We bought the three cheddars, two blocks of swiss and three jars of Sylvia's Sweet and Sassy Mustard. Homer gave us a bottle of Sylvia's sausage sauce. They use this at the Franklintown Fireman's Fair. Everyone loved it, so she is selling it now. He wanted us to try it, convinced we'd soon come back for more.

After we exchanged a few niceties, we took our leave. I drove down the long blacktopped lane to Mountain Top Road. Homer has an amazing view. Across the patchwork of rolling farm fields you can see the beginning of the Blue Ridge Mountain range. These are the rounded mounds of mountains that begin conspicuously in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. These mountains grow taller as you travel south into Appalachia. Think John Denver and Deliverance.

When we reached the bottom of Homer's drive we were supposed to take a right, back through Wellsville and the known road home. I decided to take a left. Mountain Top Road ended at the intersection of Kralltown Road. We passed a round house with an airplane in the driveway. We passed Kralltown Elementary School. Kralltown is part of our home school district. There is one classroom per grade. Everyone in the third grade at Kralltown was proficient in the PSSA assessment tests.

We continued on Kralltown Road until we felt like we were going too far in the wrong direction. We made a U-turn. Delaney suggested we take a right onto Doe Run. We traveled along the Doe Run creek until we reached Harmony Grove. Harmony Grove takes us past the Jesus barn, across the Conewago Creek and back to Blackberry Road. We were home. Thank goodness for Delaney's sense of direction.

It took a little longer, but we saw things we wouldn't have seen. I wish I'd brought my camera.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Adventure a Week Challenge!


Hello blogging friends! It is a new year and I have decided to meet a challenge! A blogger from Ravenswood Illinois has challenged people the world over to forget "resolutions" and try a new tack. Why not embark on an adventure a week. I decided this was much more to my liking than a stupid, boring resolution. I mean, I try to lose those same ten pounds every year!




Okay my adventure of the week - Clean out the pantry. Try to find Doug's little Ipod shuffle. (The new micro-mini shuffle). Those of you that know me well, know that I hate cleaning projects. Doug prompted this adventure.


It was a good thing. We organized our empty wine bottles. These are wines that we liked in 2009. Note the international flavor. We liked wine from France, Italy, South Africa and Argentina. We keep the bottles so that we can find them again!


We also have two cases of wine that we have to drink this year! We'll keep you posted.




When you clean a room, you always find some kind of treasure. Here is what I found. This treasure was given to my by my Jesuit Uncle Paul!



I am going to try to start an adventure each week! It might be mundane. It might be stupid. I just like the concept! Care to join me? I will look forward to seeing your adventures.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Resolutions are Crap



Happy 2010.
Yay! It's resolution time!
I have resolved to be a realistic resolutionist.
Like Gerald the Sheep. (Isn't he adorable?) I will only resolve to do the things I can.
I did manage to accomplish just about everything on my list last year. I decided I was too "driven".
I lost the ten pounds. I also found them again. (Sigh) I finished my master's degree. I stayed in my pajamas for at least two entire days. I sent out Holiday cards. I turned fifty. I went to the doctor and discovered that I had high blood pressure and an underactive thyroid. I survived the swine flu.
I have spent most of my holiday break trying to do nothing. It is wonderful! I have been painting. I have a solo show coming up in March. I am working on several paintings. The paint application is very thick with layers of paint. I have to wait at least three days between painting sessions. One of these days I will post them.
I'll get a round to it. If I don't. I don't. No worries.
I have resolved to relax.
I feel better already! Happy New Year to you all.