West Virginia

Last October I started this blog after a camping/ hiking/ backpacking trip I took to West Virginia. In that first entry I mentioned a couple that I met in the parking lot of the Cranberry Glades Natural Area. Greg and Verena pulled in behind me and struck up a conversation because of my bumper stickers. We walked the boardwalk through the glades together and became fast friends. With a promise to reconnect and visit in the spring when I planned to make another such trip to WV, we parted but kept in touch via email. And, although my planned trip to WV didn't happen in the spring because of my Alaskan plans, we made sure to get together this fall.

And, that's just what we did this past week. Thomas and I made the drive to Greg and Verena's farm in Birch River, WV on Monday. Arriving in the early afternoon, it was like reconnecting with old friends; we went for a short hike around their land and shared some easy conversation. On the farm are 17 goats, maybe a dozen sheep, several chickens, a bunch of cats, one dog and two donkeys. The donkeys "babysit" the herd of goats and sheep. Carla watches the goats and Carlo watches the sheep. Boodicka (not sure of the spelling) is the rather large dog that watches the house. It was much fun to be around all the animals as I learned the daily chores in preparation of farm sitting in a couple weeks.

Greg and Verena's farm was the first in the country to produce organic goat cheese and sell it commercially. They had at their peak a herd of 140 goats, and sold to places like the Greenbrier, Balducci's and Whole Foods. Now they are semi retired (if there is such a thing in farming!) and only produce enough for themselves. Thomas and I were treated to wonderful cheeses that they had made as well as yogurt, both lamb and goat's meat, and fresh vegetables that they had grown. What a wonderful treat! As Thomas and I snuggled into the guest bed that night, I said to him, "I love these people!" And, I do; I feel like I've been friends with them forever!

We went through the morning chores together, then shared a beautiful lunch, which was really dinner since they do as the farmers did in days of old and eat their big meal midday. We left the farm in the early afternoon and drove to the Cranberry Glades. After a quick walk around the boardwalk we drove to the spot where I camped at last fall on my trip. We set up the tent, ate a quick instant camping dinner along with a good bottle of cheap wine, then settled in for the night. Getting an early start we did an eight mile hike in the Tea Creek area. Nearing the end of a long trek on what was old railroad grade, we decided to do a little bushwhack down to the river to eat lunch. All's well that ends well I suppose, but it probably wasn't a good thing to do since no one even knew where we were. We enjoyed our lunch by the river, then bushwhacked up the other side back to the trail. We missed the peak of the fall colors on this trip, but West Virginia is still one of the most beautiful places in this country.

Heading back to farm sit in a couple weeks and truly looking forward to the adventure!

Kids

I am home. Back in Charlottesville, Virginia. I came back a month earlier than planned because my daughter, Kelly went into the hospital after having four grand mal seizures in one night. She was out before I even got home, but scheduled to go back in on October 15th for more tests. Hopefully this is all leading to brain surgery and a seizure free life for her.

The photo above is of her, my daughter Laurie, and myself, taken at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts last week. Laurie just bought a house in the suburbs of Richmond and we had a girls night out there. I have a date with my son on Tuesday, so I hope to post a photo of him as well. He is a student at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, with a major in basketball : )

So, being home now I am looking for work, picking up catering jobs, and wondering what the next adventure will be. Thinking about what I may want to be when I grow up. Fearing the growing up. My daughter Laurie said to me today: "I don't want to be a grown up anymore; I want to be a kid again without any responsibilities." I said: "You can be someday when you reach your 40s or so."

I wrote a while ago about "Life is Good" vs. "Life is"; well, life is a lot of things: good, bad, happy, sad, etc. Life too is often difficult. But difficulties help us to grow. Everything that happens to us in life, decisions that we make, people that we meet, friends we connect with, all make us what we are. Our experiences from yesterday mold us into who and what we are today. I wouldn't trade any of it. This makes me think of baby chicks and butterflies....

Have you ever watched a baby chick slowing emerging from its shell? It's quite a process. Difficult for the little chick no doubt. But, did you know that if you "help" the little guy, you actually hurt him? The difficult process the chick goes through actually strengthens him for life outside that shell. It strengthens his body and his wings and makes him ready to face the world. The same is true for butterflies. When the time comes for the butterfly to emerge from her cocoon, she has to do it on her own, slowly pushing her way out, strengthening her wings as she struggles so that when she emerges she can fly! Without this struggle her wings would not have the strength to send her into flight.

So life is. If it's difficult at the moment, it's making you stronger, better able to cope in the world, and preparing you for the great adventures to come~