Black Swallowtail

While investigating the garden I found two caterpillars in our dill. I was about to smoosh them when I looked harder at them to see their amazing markings. Therefore I decided to leave them and look them up online. It turns out that they are Black Swallowtail caterpillars. We need the dill in order to pickle for the winter, but we decided to let them hang out in order to have cool butterflies in our garden.

We can't find the caterpillars anymore so maybe they have found a place to change into a flying critter.

This is the butterfly we hope to get out of our garden

Sustainability tip of the Week 3

This week's tip comes from Pat Calvert (Upper James Riverkeeper). We all work hard on our flower beds and gardens in our yards! While trying to establish new plants we all spend a lot of time fighting weeds!!! Even though many organic farms agree that Roundup can be used, it is so hard to use those chemicals in the place where our family plays and eats. Two years ago Pat told me a solution that I doubted and failed to try, but this summer after investing so much in building a bay friendly yard I gave it a try. Replace your weed killer in your sprayer with vinegar, yes WHITE VINEGAR! It's amazing! After one day of spraying weeds in our flower gardens, you could see that the weeds were starting to die. Sustainability is built on three foundations, equity, economics, and environment. Placing vinegar in your weed sprayer is better for the people in your household by reducing chemicals, less expensive, and better for the environment!!! You have to try it, you won't believe it!! Thanks Pat!!

Sustainability tip of the Week 2

Join a CSA
CSA stands for community shared agriculture. Mollie and I support a local vegetable farm named Dayspring Farm between Urbanna and West Point. Charley and Mariam Maloney manage Dayspring and have been located on their property since 1988. Mollie and I pay approx $10 a week for a nice bag of seasonal vegetables from their farm.
(information on Dayspring Farm  )

There are so many benefits about being a CSA member!!

1) Getting the freshest produce possible while supporting the local economy!
Knowing the people who grow you food is a great feeling.  The amazing fresh flavor of the food is a great peace of mind when feeding your children.
2) The education you receive when you visit the farm. 
As gardeners who are on a high learning curve, I always enjoy talking with Charley about the progress the farm is making and share with him problems we are having. He is a very peaceful person who always takes the time to meet with his share holders. His peaceful spirit is inspirational. It inspires me to grow more food on my own to grow my own peaceful spirit.
3) Fun for the kids
Our whole family loves to visit Day Spring to see the farm change throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Abigail and Owen like to visit the animals and eat a berry or two. They also learn where their food comes from.
4) Increase the diversity of your kids tastes
Mollie and I feel that Abigail and Owen are more willing to try different things because they know that the food on there plate came from Dayspring farm. In fact both of them enjoy eating sungold and cherry tomatoes like candy.
5) Push your cooking talents
Each week our bag of vegetables is a mystery. Therefore, Mollie and I have to plan our meals according to our bag versus planning our meals and go find the ingredients. This helps us eat more seasonally and has taught us a greater variety of recipe's.
6) Reduce your carbon footprint
By buying our vegetables locally we get the satisfaction that our food didn't travel halfway across the world and burn tons of fossil fuels along the way.

If you can't find a CSA to join in your area, find a schedule of farmer's markets in your area and help support small local farmers. The relationship is symbiotic and is rewarding for everyone.

Charley Maloney looking at the early tomato plants of spring

Mariam talking to students in the cut flower bed

The shop is coming along!

The biggest project of the summer is coming to an end!! We still have a lot of painting to do on the trim and windows, but we cleared around the shop and put a fresh coat of paint and primer on. This added a new look and many years to the shop's life.

Swiss Chard and cantaloupe climber in the foreground

Cannon Powershot D10

This camera is awesome!!
Cannon Powershot d10
If you are a family who loves the water as much as we do. I highly suggest this waterproof camera. It is small and tough as nails. I use it all the time on and off the water. Here are a few videos of the kids in the pool.

The Garlic is Ready!!!!

Each year we plant garlic in our garden before Oyster Fest in Nov. This is one of my favorite items that we grow in our garden. It doesn't take a lot of space and rewards us with garlic scapes in the spring to use in our cooking. Then, after the garlic is here it makes a great gift to other people's kitchen's and is fantastic in all our recipe's.

After you get started, save several bulbs to divide in the fall and stick in the ground root side down. If you don't have a garden try to find a space in your yard that receives full sun that you can devote to your garlic. Today, while GeeZee and Coolpop visited on their way to the fantasy land of northern Michigan. We pulled our garlic with Abigail and Owen.

When you pull your garlic, don't wash it!!! Hang it in a space to dry and the dirt will bang off of it eventually. Once weather cools, cut the tops off and store inside so the bulbs do not get mushy.
LOVE the Garlic!!

mO's Get's a Face Lift

mO's

Years before Dave and Abigail came to Christchurch, they were living on Tangier Island. One weekend they cam to visit and we were trying to plan activities to do while they were here for a visit. Fishing was out because Dave fished everyday on Tangier....so we had to think of an activity that they were missing. After much deliberation we decided that the next day we would go to Water Country USA and see a little America. (we are all obsessed with people watching)

Well, when we woke up it was pouring rain. Dave and I looked like the two kids staring out of the window in the story Cat in the Hat. So we changed gears and Dave and I decided to build a bar in the garage. (its not easy to get the two of us to stand still). Over the years I had collected a lot of lumber from various jobs and had an interesting collection to think about using in the construction. 

We started at 10 and by 5 we were sitting at the bar which is now mO's. It is named after the Orioles and the fact that I call Mollie; Mo. Over the years people have visited mO's tavern in the garage and have donated items to be used and displayed; big TV, Grateful Dead tape collection, posters, signs, speakers, pictues, t-shirts, hats, stickers, items from my grandfather's bar, furniture, and other voo doo items. 

If you have a garage, consider converting it into a living space to add quality of life. Of course, garages are great for storage and can extend the life of your vehicle. BUT..... it can also be a great place to hang out with friends and talk about life. "What is talked about in mO's, stays in mO's". 

Today, mO's is a second living space that is a great space to watch baseball, entertain, hang out, and is essential for Oyster fest. Each spring, mO's gets a facelift and a purging for the summer. This year, we really moved things around in order to separate living space from all the things the kids have to ride on. If you have been to mO's enjoy the facelift pictures. If you have not been to mO's grab your coozy and we look forward to your visit. Love to all our friends and family. 

Please make your reservations for this years Oyster fest with Becky Calvert, the Oyster Fest cruise director. This year, mO's will have a wood stove so we will be warm in the garage!!!

p.s. we are looking for a full size fridge if you have one to donate to the bar!! 

Dave, we will keep it organized until you get back!

Beyond the chop block, the kids can park all their bikes and things to ride on

mO's!!!!!