Almost all the irrigation pipe is in. Tom and Justin are covering up the trenches,
compacting the soil,

and getting ready for the mow strip to be installed.

I gathered the first walnuts on the 20th. At this point, it’s mostly reaching up to pick the walnuts out of the cracked green husk. I see lots of this

but pick these and pry off the husk which will leave my fingers stained brown for the next 2-3 weeks.

Today was Phyl’s birthday. Thanks for planning this weekend. I had a great time!

10/24/2015

Dearest Friend in Alabama,

Thank you for your phone call yesterday morning. I’m so glad you miss the blog and checked to make sure everything was ok with me. It has been a long time since the last blog post, darnit. So many things have gotten in the way:

1. Work: CELDT testing, bicycle driving education: two after-school clubs and Project Ride Smart;
2. Sewing: a cocktail dress that made me feel like I was in “pleather” bondage for three weeks;
3. Walnut gathering: 125 pounds so far, plus lots of cracking/shelling and giving away of 2014 crop;
4. RLEHS Sunday Social: Farm & Garden to Fork event
5. Sale of my mom’s condo

This weekend, I’m breathing a sigh of relief and promise to find time to catch up on the blog. So, the next post will go back to my birthday weekend in September.

Thanks again, dear friend.

This is not only my birthday weekend. Dave’s birthday was the 11th, Phyl’s is on the 20th. Long walk in the campground with Phyl.


In the clubhouse, where there was an Internet connection, we went to a Skype baby shower with Chris, Macee, and Chris III, who live in Montana. Macee is due on mid-October.

Meanwhile, other campers walked (silently) in circles for about an hour to make their own dipped candles.

I cracked a lot of walnuts. The new harvest is coming and I still have 2 bags of 2014 walnuts to get rid of.

The walnuts on the picnic table was quickly ransacked.

Master griller Dave.

Birthday “cakes”:

It’s been 14 years since Dave, Phyl and I have celebrated like this with a camping birthday weekend. I’m soooo glad our tradition has returned!

From the Great Allegheny Passage

and the C & O Canal Towpath last July.
Happy Birthday to me!

As soon as bike club was over, I drove from Placerville to Auburn then east on I-80 to Snowflower Campground and RV Resort in the Sierra Nevadas. Phyl, Dave, and I rented a small cabin.

Lake Valley Reservoir.

Long day, time to relax.