Company Coming

Mia called from the market in Morristown to ask what to bring tonight. I'm so excited about her visit with AJ and Andrew. Andrew is the Rotary President in Roxbury and has an event this morning. They won't arrive until around 6, which will give me time to get this place in shape. It's not often we have company on this far-flung sheep farm in Northern Appalachia. Someone told me not to say N.A. but that's where we are. It conjures up pictures of dire poverty and desperation amidst incredible beauty. Sure, that's correct to some extent, but if they saw the BOCES school where I work their jaws would drop - in a positive way. It's gorgeous! Yes, I drive by trailers falling apart and shacks that make you wonder how people survive the winter. Speaking of surviving the winter, Matt is training in Norwich one day next week. Opportunities for Chenango is the agency that does weatherization of homes for low income, disabled and elderley in Chenango County (famous for having more mobile homes as primary residences than any other county in NY). Matt went out and found an old trailer to put in his training center to teach how to weatherize it. Matt is over at the Hamilton market now with my shop. I stayed up to finish a bag for him to take. He has four new boxes of soap - Lemongrass, Gingerberry, Clary Sage with Lavender and Lavender with him. Hope the crowds come. The sky is black outside my barn windows but the weather reports say sun. Guess the sun didn't get that memo. This is day #1 of Matt's 3rd attempt at smoking cessation in 10 years. Glad he is over there where he can talk Candace's ear off (she is right next to him today) and suck on his sugarless candies. He has a nicotine patch on and has been on "happy pills" prescribed a month ahead to help with withdrawal. We'll see. With all the public speaking he does now he does not want a smoker's cough. I have to get busy and do some housework, the deal I made with him if he would go to the market for me. Oops, he just called from the market and said it's very slow. Only one $5 sale in two hours! Not good! Sounds like we've been skunked again. Hannah and Luke are sleeping in. I took them to the pond last night for a cool sunset swim. They ran for towels when they came out of the water, but had a good time. I made them hot chocolate when we got in the barn. I asked if they wanted to go to the Hamilton July 4th Parade and they said no! Okay with me. They love to stay on the farm. There's no place like the farm...God Bless America!