Saturday, August 7, 2010

Reprise

On Saturday, Melanie and I headed to a gathering of some fellow "Homesteaders" over at Matt and Sheri's which is on the other side of the County from here. The photo above shows us getting ready for our little adventure.

It is hilly here on this side of the County, but open with a combination of Meadow and Oak/Hickory Forest. Our roads out here in the country often "cut squares". By contrast, Matt and Sheri live in a heavily forested region with steep hills. The roads go in all different directions, often following ridges. Whenever we go there, I can hardly believe I am in the same County.

A gathering of Kindred Spirits embarking on their own Dreams and Challenges of Living Close to the Land is a Gift of undescribable proportions. This is our "Think Tank Group"; we each bring Questions and Observations. We are all eager to share what has worked for us and the stories we have gleaned from the Land. We are all different but we share many of the same concerns. The support that we have for each other is simply beautiful. It feels good knowing that they are there supporting us.

We are all Gardeners, so the day was filled with magical Fare. We toured Matt and Sheri's Garden, which was nothing short of amazing. Everybody brought Culinary Delights which were organic, homegrown, seasonal, and prepared with Love.

Melanie brought 17 Varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes from our Garden for a "Tomato Tasting". For each variety, she put 1 whole Tomato (to see the shape and character) and samples to taste on separate tin pie plates. The table was laden with samples to share. Fellow Homesteaders hovered, shared thoughts and questions, identified favorites, and headed off into conversations that went into magical directions. We really had fun with this.

As for me, I brought 3 Pies fresh from the Oven: Peach, Black Raspberry, and Blueberry. As for Richard, he missed the gathering because he went to a sale with his Brothers. We all found Treasures on this beautiful Day. Melanie noted today that Brad and Jane are planning a gathering at their house in September. A reprise is in order. That makes me smile.

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