the weekend and beyond

goodness, it's been another big and fun weekend.

Friday night nana and pipop (Claire-speak for my lovely in-laws) came to town.  they brought love, plant starts, and bagels from NJ.

Saturday was ballet, market (music, camaraderie, a small resupply on honey, salve and soap purchased from Molly, who participated in the blogger swap I hosted in February (toying with the idea of hosting another later this summer, let me know if you're interested) and whom I've now officially met), a local garden/art show, Claire showing off her own art to nana and pipop at the annual art show and then she and I were off to Asheville for the Asheville Ballet's performance of Cinderella and a quick visit afterward with beeba (Claire-speak for my mama).  while we were gone Mike bottled our batch of oatmeal porter and added a new super to one of the hives- a fruitful 'homesteading' afternoon, I do think.

and then home for dinner, my favorite..... scallops and garden greens (bok choy and broccoli rabe) over buttery linguine. oh yes, and there was bacon in there, too.

Sunday was breakfast with nana and pipop, a trip to Painter's nursery, working on our pond (plants and tadpoles, check!  fish, soon) and doing some more gardening.  and then my mother-in-law and I went to visit my mom and while we were gone Mike was at it again here at the 'farm' (at a total of .25 acres, our space here is in no way really a farm, but we enjoy pretending), planting tomatoes, beans, and cabbage and prepping a bed for planting.

home for another delicious meal, followed by strawberry shortcake made with homemade cream-cheese biscuits, strawberries from the back yard, and fresh whipped cream.  I'd share a picture but another thing that happened this weekend is that my camera died.  as in it-won't-do-anything-at-all.  fingers crossed I can take it to a camera shop and get it fixed easily.

today, Monday, started with a slow morning~ tea and a bagel on the deck and then much time spent outside.  another snacky lunch of cheese and crackers and a pile of fruit.  some planting of herbs, peppers, native perennials around the little pond... after about four and a half years here I think we are finally about at our limit with plants/garden beds/fruit trees/berries/bees/chickens/etc on this little plot of ours.  there are a few open spaces left here and there, but I think we need to keep them open.  gotta be able to move around the yard, after all.  I'll share this year's 'bird's eye view' pictures as soon as I get my camera fixed and sent up on the roof in his careful hands.  along with that I think it'll be fun to share an 'inventory' of what we have going on here.  I know I'll find it useful to have it listed out for future reference.

for now, sleep~

*weekending with Karen at Pumpkin Sunrise