Food For All Community Garden

 

Our Thursday mornings are spent with our Burmese friends. 

Our Thursday evenings are spent at the Food For All Community Garden. 

The Food For All Community Garden is a non-profit collaboration between HOTEL INC and Holy Apostles Orthodox Mission.  On just 1/2 an acre of land, the garden will provide both fresh produce for HOTEL INC’s food pantry as well as the produce for the Refugee CSA set up through the Community Farmers' Market. This garden is not only going to provide families in need with fresh, local produce, it has already provided us with knowledge of gardening as well as some new friends. There's something very special about working in the dirt with others.

On a chilly day in February, we started seeds.

 

In April, the garden was official with a ribbon cutting and a blessing ceremony.

All of the transplants and seeds were finally in the ground in early June.

 
Now they are thriving!

  
Each Thursday, we spend our evenings as a family helping out with whatever needs to be done. We pick suckers off tomato plants and we pull lots and lots of weeds. But, we also have chats with other volunteers about our own gardens and about things going on in our lives.
It's a beautiful way to connect with others.
We also always stop to admire the sheep and cows that are in the field next to the garden.

 

 
We leave sweaty and filthy, but it makes for such a lovely evening.

(If you are a BG local and would like to help, you can find out how from the
Food For All Community Garden facebook page.
This garden is maintained by only volunteers and we need your help.)

Vacation 2013

My, oh my, where do I begin? About three weeks ago, we learned that our plans had changed. I no longer had to teach this week. Bryan's scheduled vacation no longer had to be used for being a stay-at-home dad. We had a whole week to do whatever we wanted and that hasn't happened in several years.
If you know us at all, you know we are head over heels in love with the idea of moving to the country to start our own family farm. We are reading books, listening to podcasts, talking with farmers, and trying to learn as much as we can to prepare for our days of growing and raising our own food. So Bryan mentioned it would be nice to tour/work on different farms this week for our vacation to aid in our preparations for the country life. After having a few conversations at the farmers' market and sending a few emails, I had a week of learning scheduled.

On Monday, we went to Sunny Point Gardens. 

Alan and Saundra Davis shared with us how all of our organically grown vegetables

 in our market style CSA are produced. 

We saw high tunnels filled with delicious vegetables.

 The boys got to take a ride in the golf cart and even got to pick strawberries.

 On Tuesday we worked at River Cottage Farm. 

We got up close and personal with the goats.

 

Bryan and Seth got to milk a sheep,

and we pulled lots of weeds in the raised bed gardens.

  

We painted beehive boxes.

 

They attracted honey bees before we even got the boxes painted!

 

 On Wednesday, we added a little hiking at Mammoth Cave National Park to our vacation plans.

 On Thursday, we were back at River Cottage, where, among other things, we cleaned and decorated a front porch.

 

We learned how to dry garlic.

 

 We also learned what would happen to a garlic scape if left to bloom. 

I know it stunts the garlic growth, but I think it's just lovely.

 We also enjoyed the evening with our community at the Third Thursday event on the farm.

Today, we headed to Springfield, KY to River Run Farm & Pottery. I really stepped out and ventured into uncomfortable territory for me, because I did not personally know these farmers. I learned about this farm from Sustainable Kentucky and just knew if we could visit it would be worth our time. A few days after I sent Jonas and Julie Hurley an email, they welcomed us into their home and onto their farm. 

We helped them plant sweet potatoes. 

We saw baby lambs on their front porch.

 Julie, and her two boys, Walt and Henry, took us down to the river to play.

 

We held baby chicks.

 

 We took a wheelbarrow load of pea plants to the pigs.

We even saw a llama!

 Along with rabbits, ducks, guineas, chickens, sheep, pigs, and a cow, the Hurley's also raise turkeys. 

I so long for turkeys, so seeing these on this 17 acre farm was almost like a dream come true.

 The scrapes, stings, and sunburns each day only make us long for the country even more, I think. The hospitality we've been shown, the experiences we've had, and the knowledge we've gained from our week of helping on these farms is something that we'll remember for years to come.

{Gratitude} Lately

Every day I look around in amazement at all the 

beautiful, yet simple, things that I'm so thankful for.

Lately I've been grateful for...

friendships that last throughout the years

 

  lime, basil, maple syrup, and ice and

for the deliciousness they become blended all together

mornings filled with lots of reading and puzzle working 

 leisurely walks around the Louisville Water Company Reservoir 

and the joys of preserving with helpful resources

While the Kids are Away

The boys left for Nana and Pop's house last Friday evening. I was planning to teach this week, just like the previous two summers, during the two week summer institute of the Kentucky Reading Project. But the leadership of the project changed, and my teaching obligations changed last minute. Although I was no longer teaching, we decided to let the boys enjoy their planned visit with the grandparents. 

Bryan and I didn't know what to do at first,
but we quickly filled our time
by playing disc golf, 

going to guided meditation,

 dining away from home, 

sipping coffee at Spencer's,

 watching documentaries on Netflix, 

and enjoying mid-day concerts at fountain square.

But while Bryan spent his days at work, I was on my own. 

So what does a mama do when her kids are away?

I went to a doctor's appointment in Nashville, 

which meant that I could eat lunch at Chipotle

 

 and shop at Whole Foods by myself.

I bought some new-to-me summer clothes.

  

I went exploring downtown. 

 

I went in shops that I had never ventured into and some familiar places. 

I browsed around the upstairs of the library which rarely happens. Most of the time I reserve the books I would like to check out online and they are waiting for me at the circulation desk when the boys and I visit. 

Usually I read during the boys' nap time,
so it was nice to be able to sit and read on the front porch swing whenever I felt like it.

 

I visited thrift shops and consignment stores looking for vintage quilts, an apron, and a few other specific items. Although I spotted some great items, like this hay bales print, most of the time I left empty handed. 

 

If it's not on my list, I try not to bring it home, but every now and then I score a great deal.

 I played in the dirt and watched the chickens.

Although I've missed the boys like crazy, it's been an absolutely fabulous week.

A Visit to Maker's Mark Distillery

On our way back to Bowling Green from the Color Run, we made a stop at Maker's Mark Distillery (the boys went to Nana and Pop's house the day before). It's one of many distilleries on The Bourbon Trail. We hope to visit all 8 distilleries on the trail. Now 7 to go.

Here's a look at Maker's Mark...

 The Whiskey Creek Bridge

 

 

The Quart House 

This is one of the oldest surviving liquor sales buildings in the country (circa 1808).

 

The Still House

 

Tubs of Sour Mash

There are eight 9,600 gallon Cyprus tubs from which all Maker's Mark is produced. The Mash ferments here for three days. We could dip our finger in the tubs and taste the difference from one day old to three day old Mash (Yes, many fingers have been in your Maker's).

 

Maker's is double distilled, first in a 5-story tall column still, and then in one of two pot stills. 

The top of one of the pots is shown here.

 

The Rick Houses is where the barrels age for 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 years. Maker's is one of the few Bourbon distilleries that rotate their barrels from the top of the warehouses to the bottom. They mix in very small dump tanks, so the bourbon has to be very consistent from barrel to barrel.

The Bottling House (tradition meets high-technology)

This is the wax for all those hand dipped bottles.

The Tasting Room

(we got to try Maker's White (unaged) which is only sold in the gift shop, 

Maker's Mark Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and Maker's Mark 46)

Visiting a distillery might not be your idea of fun, but it is ours. 

We're glad we made the stop on the way home.