Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. Tagore

Monday, June 17, 2013

Appomattox Court House


Monday

It's going to be much warmer today.  I can feel that at 8:30 a.m., as I again sit on the front porch having my coffee.  Lots of people moving about, mostly people  who work at state jobs nearby who commute into downtown.  But also people who work in the businesses who service those workers and the random bottle and can collectors who roam the neighborhood with their shopping carts.

Another thing  I've learned about The Perfect Day is that what was perfect yesterday, won't necessarily be perfect for today.  Understand of course, that I am retired and responsible for me only, so I can speak of  "going with the flow", "letting the day happen", "let life shape itself", and other such mantras, because I can. There is time now to set and feel and recognize the breeze blowing by just now, keeping me cool.  The time for quiet reflection.  For meeting a friend for lunch, or not.

Being a child in a large family, a single working young woman, a wife and mother to two, then a single, working older woman again, each had their own rewards, but this time, this "retiring time" I feel like I'm being Paid Forward and Paid Back..and you can take that anyway you like.  I'm meaning it in the best possible way!
This morning while it was still cool, I felt the urge to cook up whatever was is the cabinets, freezer and refrigerator.  I found pinto beans, egg noodles, one can of tuna, two onions, a can of diced tomatoes, hot sauce, bar-be-que sauce, packaged biscuit and corn bread mix...no oven for the summer, so will figure out something stove top for those if I feel the need for bread.  in the refrigerator were salad greens, 1 nectarine, 3 ears of white corn, a half dozen eggs, and half loaf of Asiago bread, diced garlic, condiments and butter.  And, oh yes, a couple of Porter's!

In the freezer I uncovered Virginia baked ham slices and some turkey breast slices.  There are also several packets of Jamba Juice Greek Yogurt Berry Smoothie mix, a gallon of flax milk, packages of strawberries and blueberries, along with onion pita pockets.

I cooked the noodles, mixed in the can of diced tomatoes and tuna.  That was ok, but boring.  I'm now sautéing a white onion to add to that and the house is smelling wonderfully fragrant.
I had some of the salad greens for lunch, adding a nectarine and Asian sesame dressing.  I have beans on to soak and have cubed the asiago bread and am leaving it to dry out so I can make croutons.  I partially cooked the corn and put in freezer.  Most of what I'm cooking today is going in the freezer.  I'll go to the farmer's market across the street tomorrow for some greens and fruit and I'm all set for the next several days.

We stopped here, about a mile from Appomattox Court House
to take pictures.  It looks just like this, but as soon as you get out of the car, or roll the windows down
there is a loud and constant noise sounding like you are in the middle of high power lines, but you can't see anything.  Then when we parked at ACH National Park, the same sounds greeted us.


The sound comes from millions of cicadas which are in the trees.
We found a dead one.
A couple of old gents told us they return every 15 years

Tavern in 1865










16 seconds of a 30 minute monologue
by a young man in the character of a Confederate soldier
speaking of the battle at Appomattox and the surrender and days after
as they waited for their release papers. The apples trees he speaks of is what I  had the camera trained on 
during the video.

This is what I was seeing, looking forward, as he spoke
We were sitting on the porch of the tavern
 court house


 McLean House where surrender signing took place



 


 


Later that day we went to 
Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
Stay tuned