This week we were anxious as we faced the uncertainty of Hurricane Florence. It was nerve-wracking not knowing what it would eventually do. The waiting was the hardest. In the end, we were glad that precautions were taken for us all to be safe, and we were thankful that things weren't worse.
Despite the weather, we had a good two-day week! We began our Fall Session with the master gardeners on Tuesday morning at Freedom Park. They were happy to see us, and we were equally happy to see them! Our lesson was all about root vegetables and we learned a lot!
Here. we were being a captive audience. It was warm and muggy, but pleasantly comfortable in the shade. There was even a slight breeze...every now and then!
MG Karen explained that the carrots we planted in the spring were discovered by a critters, maybe rabbits, and all but this one seemed to have been harvested before we could get to them. 😕
MG Rick talked to us about sweet potatoes, which we love! For a fun experiment, he gave us a couple of them to set up in jars of water so we can observe how they will sprout new growth, called "slips," which can be twisted off and used to grow new sweet potatoes. We also learned that sweet potatoes are a "tuberous root." That means the root becomes big because it is storing nutrients, making it possible for the plant to grow in unfavorable conditions, such as cold weather.
It will take several weeks for the slips to grow, so we will have to be patient. We will document the observations here in our blog. Here's Day 1:
Laura held the sweet potato steady as Sam put toothpicks around the center so it will hang in the top of the jar.
Devin and Drew filled the jars with water and put the sweet potatoes in before moving them to a sunny windowsill. Now we wait...
MG Elizabeth gave us a pot she had started at home which is growing carrots and a sweet potato plant. She explained that carrots are biennial: They have a two year life cycle and if you don't pick the carrots to eat after year one, then after year two they will flower and produce seeds. We didn't know that! We'll keep this one in a warm, sunny spot (we'll bring it inside once frost hits), and see if we get carrot seeds next year. In warmer weather, we will put it back outside, so pollination can take place. Plus, we'll see what happens with the sweet potato plant!
We got to sample several of the root veggies: radishes, rutabaga, and parsnips, which Sam urged Kate to try! The rutabaga had been cooked, mashed, and seasoned with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper. Many of our guys liked it, so we will try cooking some for ourselves, and even play a game with them!
It was a busy morning with our MGs, as next we headed to the raised bed to check on the potatoes we had planted in April. Much to our surprise, we found about 20 of them, which the MGs sent back with us. We will cook them soon, along with some onion (another root veggie)...sounds yummy!
We decided to try and grow carrots again, so Karen and Sam planted the seeds. Hope we have better luck this time! We also planted radishes on the other side of the trellis, and lettuce and beets in another bed.
Before leaving our MGs gave us a taste of delicious soup. It was composed of many root veggies cooked and pureed together, and then chilled. We were excited that our friend Devin, who eats a soft diet, was able to enjoy the soup. He even asked for seconds! MG Linda gave us the recipe. We may cook it later in the fall when it's cooler, because it can be served warm, too!
Back at the center, Kate and Xavier planted a taro plant, another root vegetable which MG Elizabeth told us is native to Hawaii and is considered a staple in the Hawaiian diet. The leaves grow into beautiful heart shapes, and the root is used to make poi, a popular Hawaiian dish. It likes to grow in wet conditions, we planted it outside in advance of the Hurricane Florence rain!
We returned to AFCC after our visit with the MGs because our Studio South yoga session with Katey had to be postponed. Her children attend York County Schools, which were closed on Tuesday, and Katey did not have childcare. The timing worked out well, though. We were planning to work on the Arc's October mailing on Wednesday, but we decided to do it Tuesday afternoon in case WJCC Schools were to close on Wednesday...which they did!
Be sure to check the calendar of events and send your sign up sheet to Bette Faye by the deadline date of September 22. "Arc"tober Bingo and Indoor Sports Night with the W&M Baseball Team are among the events being held in October!
We also had an extended Choice Time on Tuesday, so our "pool instructor" Sam was caught giving lessons again. This time to Laura, who was an attentive student!
The WJCC schools were closed on Wednesday, so we were too. We thought we would be closed Thursday and Friday as AFCC was going to be used as an emergency shelter. But during our day off on Wednesday, the storm track changed and things began to look less threatening for Williamsburg. Sooo, the schools decided to open back up on Thursday, and we did too!
It was Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day, so we modified it to be Associates Take Over the Kitchen Day. Our guys got busy preparing lunch for us all...and they did a great job!
First up, the Peanut Butter Brownie Team of Kate, Liz, Bo, and Laura worked under the watchful eye of Nan to whip up a tasty dessert.
They were quite pleased with their end result!
The Chicken Enchilada Casserole Team worked on shredding chicken, tearing tortillas, and layering the casserole ingredients.
Drew, Sam, Kacie, Alexis, and Chris showed off their finished product, and then we dug in!
Xavier, Devin, and Drew were the Mexican Rice Team. Good work, guys! Our Associates are becoming great chefs. Families, try putting them to work helping to prepare your favorite meals!
After our yummy lunch, we decided to postpone Thursday's rock painting and work on our salt-dough maps of Virginia instead. The maps would need time to dry before we painted them, which we hoped to do on Friday. It was super cool that Drew happened to have on an ODU t-shirt sporting the great state of Virginia!
When it came time to hand-mix the dough, only Emmy (our junior volunteer) and Kacie would step up to get their hands messy. They were pleasantly surprised to find out that salt-dough isn't very sticky!
As our guys worked on covering their pattern with dough, they concentrated and tried to spread it thinly.
Chris helped Laura when she became a little frustrated. Everyone chipped in to make sure each of them had an accurate map when we were done! Once they dry, we will paint them to highlight some of the features of our great state.
Meanwhile, Coach Teri popped in with a special visitor...Nina, who is in town from Arizona! We were excited that she brought us some gifts. First of all, she gave us a big bag full of paper plates and cups, which we are always happy to receive! Then, she gave each of our guys a "magic bowling towel" which they can use to polish their bowling balls! Great idea!
The towels are magic because they come wrapped up and are very small. They don't look like a towel at all, until submerged in warm water. Then they expand! Laura just said, "Wow!" when she saw what happened. We are going bowling on Tuesday, so we hope everyone brings their magic towels!
We apologize that we were so busy getting maps finished before dismissal that we didn't get more pictures of Nina, but we got one that's really special before she left. Here she is with a few of our friends posing by the convection oven she gave us, which we affectionately nicknamed, "The Nina." It has served us well, as it bakes things evenly, like today's peanut butter brownies and chicken enchilada casserole! Thank you, Nina, for visiting us and for the gifts of the paper products and bowling towels. We are grateful for your friendship and support!
Turns out the photo with Nina was a wrap for the week, as later Thursday night we found out school (and thus, AoA) would be closed on Friday in an abundance of caution due to Hurricane Florence. It was an unusual two-day week for us, but we are happy that is was fun and productive. One thing is certain, our salt-dough maps will be good and dry by next week!
Speaking of next week, here's what's up:
Tuesday: Welcome to our newest associates, Dev and Annmarie today! This is a great day to start, as we're going bowling and will enjoy pizza for lunch, courtesy of Meemaw. Thanks, Meemaw! If the weather permits, we'll take a walk, too. Wear your Arc shirts and bring your bowling towels! 🎳 🍕🎳 🍕
Wednesday: We have some odds and ends to make up or finish, so we will be busy today with completing our salt-dough maps and working on Eaton and JRES library tasks. We hope to also work on our new initiative, flower arranging! Plus, it's Yoga with Patti, so dress to stretch! Lunch on your own. For our new families, this means you may bring a lunch from home or order from the JRES cafeteria ($2.70).
Thursday: It's National Fried Rice Day, so we will try making Fried Rice and Egg Drop Soup for lunch. For our new families, this means we will not take orders for the JRES cafeteria. Lunch can be brought from home if preferred. We will also complete our lesson on Patriot Day (September 11), and add to it with a review of Constitution Day (September 17). The long-term weather forecast looks good for today, so we may also get to spend time outside. During summer the Parks & Rec folks updated the basketball courts and we have been looking forward to trying them out! 🏀🏀🏀
Friday: We're going to have fun today celebrating Kacie's birthday by making Pumpkin Whoopie Pies! 🎈🎈🎈 We'll also have fun with Talk Like a Pirate Day! We'll have pirate stories, history lessons, and make a fun craft. Lunch on your own.
Reminders:
👕👕👕Due to our fractured week, we're extending the online t-shirt shop opening for an extra week, so be sure to get an order in if you need more shirts! Here's the link:
and...
Don't forget about the 5K!
Enjoy the weekend,
Lisa, Carol, and Nan
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