59°f/15°C this morning, warming to 82°f , mostly clear, very breezy.
My springtime tea set, not really matching but close enough. I think violets are so delicate.
We have been in the gardens again today, me planting the flowers i bought the other day, Larry working on his electric fence. Just a few minutes work had me sweating like a racehorse after a race. Not pleasant, but I take many breaks under the ceiling fan on the porch, and Larry does the same. Rain is expected tomorrow so I really want to get as much planted as I can.
Tomorrow is the Great Greenbrier River Race in Marlinton, WV. Last year I think we had 8 family members in the race, but this year I only think there will be 2, possibly 3. Still, Larry and I love to go and watch the triathlon. My oldest son George and his daughter Grace will be competing, and possibly my nephew John.
Speaking of Grace, she just got word that she passed the Virginia Bar Exam! I am so proud of her. She has been working for a lawyer here in WV, but now begins her hunt for a position in Virginia. And George's wife Sandy will be ordained as a full-fledged minister on May 4th.
I am listening to the birds with my Merlin app on as I write, and am thrilled that once again the summer tanager has returned to our place. They usually have a nest not far from the housd, and it is such a pleasure to see their soft red color in the leafy trees. I especially like their song, which I find quite musical.
Lunch today was soup and cornbread. I made the soup using a soup starter I canned last fall, a mix of potatoes, onions, celery, and garlic in a chicken broth base. To this I added diced ham and chopped beet green from the freezer, with a little chicken bouillon and water. Y'all, it was delicious! The cornbread came out beautifully too.
I use a cast iron skillet in which I heat the oil, then pour in the batter so it sizzles and forms a crispy bottom crust.
The only other news today is that my sister Judy learned through Ancestry.com that we may be related to Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th US president, and also to Thomas Nelson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. It would be so cool if true, but Judy is wisely cautious and will be digging into the lineage sent to her by another researcher to verify all this. People often jump to conclusions when doing genealogy, but Judy is not one of them, and her source does not seem to be that type either. We shall see! I had to go look up Rutherford Hayes, though, and found him to be quite interesting, a fighter for the rights of minorities in his time. I like that.
Back to the garden I go. I see more sweat in my future!
Congrats to your DiL and granddaughter. I think I got the relationships correct. If not, just ignore me. 😋
ReplyDeleteYep, you got it right!
Delete...I LOVE cornbread!!!
ReplyDeleteMe too, Tom. It is a real treat with apple butter.
DeleteWow, athletic and bright. Nice family!! have you ever posted a review of the Merlin app? I am interested.
ReplyDeleteMary i have never reviewed the app, but I like it. It identifies birds i cant see in the trees, but can plainly hear. And I have been surprised to find that I was confusing some birds, thinking, for example that an olive-sided flycatcher was a phoebe.
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ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of accomplished people in your family! Congrats to them all.
They are all hard workers, which is the first step to doing anything, I think.
DeleteCongratulations to your daughter in law and granddaughter. Both are very accomplished women.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ann. I admire them both.
DeleteGreat news about family members and I hope those running do well too! Can’t think of anything to say about sweat, except how great to accomplish all that planting! The soup and cornbread do sound delicious.
ReplyDeleteThe sweat is worth it later!
DeleteThe wild violets are starting to bloom. They are beautiful. Congrats to your family. Quite the accomplishments!
ReplyDeleteI saw many wild violets yesterday. They have been a favorite since childhood.
DeleteYou sure are a super gardener! You make me feel so guilty! ;)
ReplyDeleteI could save myself so much money and so much work if I didnt love flowers! But I think it's an addiction!
DeleteYour kids are making great progress, here's to them!
ReplyDeleteThanks, FG!
DeleteCongratulations to your family.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda!
DeleteCongratulations on Virginia! That is a huge accomplishment. Tanagers are such beautiful birds, we rarely see them.
ReplyDeleteYes, Graeme has worked hard to get through the bar. They dont call it that for nothing.
DeleteVery cool lineage stories. You're right about garbage in, garbage out in terms of trusting the data. I'm glad your sister is right on top of it! I love Merlin, although most of the time, I never actually SEE the birds that Merlin tells me it is hearing! Too many trees -- but not complaining!
ReplyDeleteYes, we wont trust that lineage yet! Interesting but right now just a good story. We shall see if it holds up!
DeleteSame with me re Merlin. The birds get up in our woods and I dont have powerful enough binoculars to spot them, but I can identify their songs. So neat to learn how many different birds hang out around us.
Wow. Great happenings in your family both in the ancestry and in the descendents.
ReplyDeleteI like the soup starter idea. I can my leftover soup, but I do like the idea of a soup base to make different soups.
I am so envious that your are sweating. It is definitely not in my near future. 40s and 50s here. I did plant 16 elderberries and two raspberries the day before yesterday. It was warm enough, but no sweat was involved.