Blueberries

They are old plants and they got hit hard by the Easter freeze. There are lots of dead leaves, buds and twigs. But the plants seem to have rallied and produced a respectable crop of berries. We've been nibbling them by ones and twos for a couple of weeks, but this evening there were enough to do something with. This little batch will be perfect on top of some yogurt. There are a couple of other plants on the lot that are still a mystery. We're waiting for them to bloom to try to figure out what they are!

Blessing and Open House

We had a short liturgy this afternoon to bless our new home. We followed that with an open house for our church family and neighbors. It was tremendous! For the liturgy we walked around the whole house and shared readings and a prayer for various rooms. Bob Ratchford and Kevin Frederick did a fine job leading us in the liturgy and around the home. We had a huge crowd for the open house. It was wonderful to see so many new church friends. So many folks here had been curious about Barker's Folly, and the work we had done on it; we thought it would just be easiest to invite everyone over to see for themselves! Special thanks go to Charlotte S. and Ellen F. who helped with final preparations, and who helped keep food and drink moving; also Alice S. who worked the punch bowl later in the afternoon. And thanks to all the choir singers who brought tons of food! It was a wonderful spread. We are blessed with a wonderfully caring church family, who have outdone themselves in kindness today. One highlight must be mentioned: the impromptu concert by a spontaneously formed youth choir (on their way to youth conference at Montreat) was a truly moving experience. I'm not sure when I have heard a more stirring rendition of "Jesus Loves Me!"

Entry and Living Room

At long last I was able to finish painting the living room and entryway. I did the entry while on vacation at Easter. I got a good start on the living room, but it went slowly after that. I had to replace some ceiling tiles in the living room (water damage). Things look pretty nice now. I need to paint the rest of the stairway to the second floor (not looking forward to those heights!). The carpet clearners are coming Friday in advance of our open house. In this picture you can see a bit of the new front door which Kent installed this week. Also there is a drop leaf dining table (a gift from the Sollogs in Richmond). On that table is an antique lamp Libby has had for years, waiting for the perfect placement. It's there now: when the lamp is on, is shines through the cut glass of the new door giving a really cool light effect on the front stoop. We put a new fixture beside the front door outside and another in the ceiling of the entry.