With intention and persistence, a plan can come together and so it came and went, almost a week with my sisters at my new house. The plan; before the clutter becomes too much, before the husband is moved in, before the dust settles too thick, before a garden is planted and needs watered, organize time to meet. We ate out, slept in, and spent quality time together. My daughter brought the grandchildren, a couple of which one sister had never met.
The rustic cabin is our guest house, game room, and bar. There will be a mini meadow out front, which I will start planting next week. A natural slope makes it wet to moist, so it will be a mix of natives that thrive on that.
The house is near Monticello, so a visit to the house and gardens was required. I knew that Thomas Jefferson loved to garden, but it was still amazing to see so many annuals and tender perennials.
My favorite section was the sweeping vegetable garden. Plots of chicory, cotton, broom corn, and alternate crops made it super interesting. I was surprised at how much ricinus or castor bean I saw. Even when I sold the plant at the nursery, it scared me to think that people may not know how highly toxic every part of the plant is. Granted it's beautiful, especially this selection known as Ricinus 'Carmencita', but there were no warning signs. A friend was harvesting seed from this selection and held onto the seed pods for longer than she should have (not wearing gloves) and ended up salivating for two days.
Maybe I should have mentioned it to Thomas, who made a guest appearance.
The house I'm moving from is very, very small. There is only one bathroom and no living room. To move into this new house is exciting because I have a nice living room, basement, front porch, and back deck and three bathrooms. The living room is almost finished, just missing the art work on the walls, which will probably be last. But it feels good, and Birdie loves it.
On the south side of Charlottsville, the address is Scottsville, a town known for its location at the big bend in the James River. A bridge spans the river and is as popular as the many small shops in town. Kayaks regularly launch into the river here, home of the James River Reeling and Rafting. Naturally we had to make a day of it, although the kayak season was over.
And so ended a few days of exploration and relaxation. Now back to the monumental task of moving. One day it will be done.