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| We spotted monarch and swallowtail butterflies, as well as many bees and a few hummingbirds at The Williamsburg Botanical Garden and Freedom Park Arboretum on Tuesday. It's open daily! |
Even though it means summer is coming to an end, we love the second week of September each year because that's when we begin our fall sessions with the master gardeners. That was definitely a highlight of our week, but we also enjoyed celebrating National Hoagie Day in a different way than expected, adding more fall decorations to our room, and being outside often due to more comfortable weather. Carol was on vacation this week, but we stayed calm and carried on! Here's what we were up to:
Tuesday
Wow...we had a jam-packed lesson with the master gardeners today! First, Elizabeth (light blue shirt), told us that she did not find any poison ivy in the garden. When Sam first broke out in a rash, which turned out to be shingles, we thought it might be poison ivy, because we had been in the garden that day. We also ran into Elizabeth that day, but she went back and checked all around and couldn't find any poison ivy. She did point out that the milkweed we saw (which we had asked her about), could be a culprit if you come into contact with the milky liquid that comes out of open pods. We'll be careful to remember that the next time we check out milkweed.
Next, we learned cool facts about pawpaws! Karen showed us pictures and Angela explained that pawpaws grow on a tree and are native to North America. They have beautiful flowers that bloom in spring, and the pawpaw fruit itself is usually ready near the end of August.
Angela couldn't bring any because they are out of season, but she and the other MGs mentioned several places around here where there are pawpaw trees, such as on the walking trail behind Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School, behing the ropes course at Go Ape, at New Quarter Park, and near the beginning of the Bassett Trace Nature Trail (which we have not explored yet) in Colonial Williamsburg. We're going to be on the lookout between now and next August! We want to try one of these custard-like fruits that taste a little like bananas and mangoes combined!
Pat shared fun facts about the herb rosemary with us. We learned that it was worn by women and men long ago to help them smell better! People have been using it in cooking for years, and we know it's good in dishes like chicken and fish. Did you know you can take the leaves off the stem, soak them in water, and then use them like skewers on small kabobs?! Yum! Pat also said that way in the past, people who were going to court would drink rosemary water, and then they would tell the truth! (It was like a truth serum!)
Everyone enjoyed smelling the sprigs of rosemary that Pat provided. We have grown rosemary at our center and used it in cooking before, and it's one with a pleasing fragrance. Patrick and Laura agree!
Liz made sure Devin B got a whiff of sweet rosemary!
Karen taught us great facts about pumpkins. They have a growing season of over 100 days! We made a mini-mobile to represent the life cycle of a pumpkin, using the "homework" we did at the center last week. First is the seed, followed by roots, and then leaves. The leaves will get very large as the vine spreads. Next come beautiful yellow flowers, which Karen said are edible...we think she mentioned deep frying them?! It takes 55 days after flowering to get a little green pumpkin, which then grows larger and turns orange! The MGs also gave us a small pumpkin and a recipe for Roasted Rosemary Pumpkin Seeds...yum to come! Thanks, MGs!
A surprise for us today was when Angela showed us EVERY stage of the butterfly's life. She's a lepidopterist which means she raises butterflies from egg to caterpillar to pupa (chrysalis) to butterfly, and then releases them. She had every stage to show us today, but the highlight was when she released a couple of swallowtails that were just born this morning! Very cool!
There were caterpillars and pupae in this jar that Alexis is holding. In the background, Karen was showing Kevin and Drew more caterpillars who were muching on greens! We know caterpillars like to eat! (They are our "spirit" insects! 😄)
Barbara shared samples of many colorful plants from her yard, including ginger lilly, celosia, and this mini-pomegranate. Now, we're curious to try pomegranates!
Finally, we saw this pretty flower blooming on our sweet potato plants. We hope to harvest sweet potatoes at our last fall session in October. Thank you, master gardeners, for kicking off the fall sessions with so many interesting facts and things to see and do! We will definitely review what we learned today. Thanks for letting us bring your notes back with us! It was great to see you all again!
Next, we ate lunch at Freedom Park followed by a nice walk with Tracy and Karryna, who joined us today. We truly appreciated their help, but didn't get any pictures! 📷
Back at the center, we finished our afternoon with Choice Time and then combined National Peanut Day with National Ants on a Log Day. We learned about peanuts, but made ants on a log with peanut butter, celery, and raisins for a late snack. We didn't get any pictures of that, either. 😕
But here's a picture of MG Carolyn's Journal Page which summarizes so beautifully what we did today! Wonderful job, Carolyn!
Wednesday
We began today with a HUGE SHOUTOUT 📣📣📣 to Liz and Alexis who spent time yesterday afternoon and this morning putting gaskets on square lids for Eaton. James called while we were at the garden yesterday, and he needed help...asap! This is the most challenging gasketing job we have, as the sticky gasket has to fit into the corners of the lid just so. Carol, Liz and Alexis are basically the only ones who can do it without too much frustration. (The rectangular-shaped parts aren't as difficult and others can gasket them with ease.) So thanks to Liz and Alexis for getting about 100 of them done, and to Nan and Alexis for running them over to James this morning!
Our state of the week was Connecticut. Devin wanted to point it out, and hoped "the little hot dog" would help him find it... The "little hot dog" is what we call Long Island on our individual maps, which helped us locate Connecticut by looking directly north of it. However, Long Island wasn't depicted on this video map! Devin still found Connecticut with the help of the audience, aka, his friends!
After a few weeks of warm and muggy weather, we're enjoying a less humid and very comfortable week! We like to be outside.
September 14 is National Hoagie Day, which is meant to celebrate the sandwiches that are also sometimes called subs, grinders, or heroes. We put a spin on it and made an Italian Hoagie Dip, which we served with a small piece of roll and crackers. We added fresh veggies and watermelon, to help push the excess sodium through our bodies, and lunch was good!
In our research on Connecticut, we learned about its flag, state bird (robin), map skills (it's kind of a small state), and state cookie - snickerdoodle! Yum! The snickerdoodles hit the spot after our hoagie dip!
Thursday
We looked at a "memory lane" blog post this morning from September, 2019. It was a week when we had to close the center for one day due to an impending hurricane named Dorian. That led us to a discussion about how quiet this year's hurricane season has been...and we hope, remains. However, we know there is a hurricane named Fiona that might threaten Puerto Rico this weekend. We hope it's not too destructive.
We stayed inside for morning movement today and played a lively game of pool noodle volleyball. Oh, Adia...keep your bottom on your chair! 🪑🤣
Look at the gorgeous bowl of fresh squash, carrots, zucchini, and onion that Xavier is holding. We marinated them with Italian salad dressing and were about to saute them with a bit of olive oil!
Lunch was served! When Devin T saw Lisa rolling the cart down the hall from the kitchen, he insisted on helping. Proof that the nickname given to him by Devin B and Sam is perfect: Devin Sweet T!
Did we mention linguine Alfredo and fresh sauteed veggies go well together?! 😋
The girls were ready to keep pace with the boys!
Lisa had to leave for a dental appointment, but heard that the practice session went well. We're going to put our version of the "rules" on paper before we start the Fall Challenge. We're serious about corn hole!
Thank you, Tracy, for coming by to cover for Lisa and help Nan in Carol's absence this week! We so appreciate your help, and we hope you feel the love...from Drew and all of us! 😍
Friday
We hear the higher temperatures and humidity may be coming back next week, so we loaded up the vans and got outside to enjoy another beautiful day this week!
At New Quarter Park we set up corn hole for another practice game. The boys were all here today and they were ready to play!
The girls were missing a couple of teammates today, but they came to play, too! Next week, when we start our Fall Corn Hole Challenge, we're going to have mixed teams!
The playground was not being used by any little kids, so after corn hole a few of the guys decided to climb and slide.
Adia and Abraham chose to continue practicing their corn hole game. They are determined to improve the accuracy of their tosses!
Later, a few of us walked down to the creek. It was such a pretty day!
Back at the center, after lunch, we celebrated Play-Doh Day by making homemade dough that smelled like autumn. We spiced it up with cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Abraham, Patrick, and Laura's group mixed their dry ingredients first.
With Kevin, Kate, and Adia looking on, Erik stirred with the spoon until it was time to put hands in! He commented that it smelled really good, too! 🎃
Devin T, Devin B, and Xavier chose to make their dough orange. The texture of theirs was perfect.
Sam made a ghost out of his dough, and tried to scare Laura with it! She just remarked that it smelled "very, very good."
Of course, with it being week's end, we had our yoga session with Jaime. We added some great stretching to our already active day, and it felt great!
Next week we will welcome Carol back for a busy and exciting week. Here's what we have planned:
Tuesday: We'll visit Christina at The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg today and find out if she was able to arrange a visit for us with George Wythe! We'll also work on last minute preparations for a celebration we're having on Thursday! Wear Arc shirts. Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is available and the choices are Chicken Fajita, Pizza, or Chef's Salad.
Wednesday: It's time for another visit with our therapy dogs and handler friends! There are 6 dogs/handlers coming today! We will enjoy reading and socializing with them. It's Chai Day, so we'll have a sample as we learn that Chai is a type of tea that originated in India and is becoming popular in the US. We have one more craft to make for our Fall Wall, too. Lunch on your own. JRES Cafeteria is available and is serving your choice of Popcorn Chicken Bowl or Sub of the Day.
Wednesday Evening: We hope to see some of you at the Williamsburg Moose Lodge at 6 p.m. as Moose Patti and our WOTM friends will be presenting The Arc of GW with a check from the golf tournament proceeds! If you are attending the Best Buddies event at W&M at 7:00, you will have time to do both! Come support Patti and our WOTM friends, who do so much to support The Arc, and especially the Arc of Abilties! Williamsburg Moose Lodge is located on Richmond Rd., behind Carolina Furniture and beside Astronomical Pancakes. It's near the intersection of Airport Rd. and Richmond Rd. at 5429 Richmond Rd.
Thursday: Happy Retirement to Bette Faye! It's party time! Today the AoA says "Best Wishes" to Bette Faye as we celebrate her upcoming retirement. But first, it is also PSP Day, and here's where things get tricky: We need everyone to wear PSP shirts because we're never positive who is going to the store until we see who is in attendance that day. BUT...we also want to wear "Beachy" shirts if you have one, to honor Bette Faye, who LOVES going to the OBX. So if you have an OBX shirt, or other beach shirt, or even a Hawaiian shirt, please bring that and we will all change before the party. During the morning hours, one group will go to PSP to work, and the other group will set up the room for the party. Lunch will be baked ziti and salad (from Sal's) and we'll also have cake! It's going to be epic!
Friday: We'll tone things down a bit with a Movie Day! We'll also study the 6th state, Massachusetts. Lunch on your own, and the JRES Cafeteria is available for Corn Dog Nuggets or Cheeseburger. We'll end the day with yoga, so dress to stretch!
Coming quickly! Saturday, October 1
Williamsburg Landing 5k Run/Walk for The Arc
Click the pic to register and join Drew in the Winner's Circle!
Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend,
Lisa, Carol, Nan, and the AoA Gang
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