After our too eventful trip down here, we have been content to stay with Dan and Malena and the boys.  Thanksgiving was a joy with Malena’s mother and step-mother here and her sister Simone and husband Steve along with sister Jessica.  Add in the 6 of us and it was quite a crowd.  The turkey was more than big enough and the rest of the food was plentiful so there were plenty of leftovers for lunches. 

After everyone cleared out on Friday and Saturday we took a deep breath and then Dan left on a business trip for the week.  We have picked up some chores, you should see me collecting eggs and closing up the chickens for the night.  Then I schlep firewood for the wood stove. Then I have a scotch to be followed with wine with dinner. We have had two nice visits with Ed and Gretchen Robb, the first at Devils Backbone Brewing Company and the second at Thee Notch’ed Grill in Crozet, a little quieter then DB.

We are preparing to drive to Fredericksburg tomorrow, in the car, to visit with Helen Schwartz, a classmate from high school.  Then on Saturday David Lovenheim and Tari Bradley will join us at the farm, he too is a classmate from Monroe High and we will meet another classmate Bill Freedman, MD who is a cardiologist here and his wife Lindsay for lunch in Crozet. 

The plan for next week is to leave here on Tuesday with Alexander and head for Colonial Williamsburg.  We have campground reservations, not really needed at this time of year, at American Heritage RV and will spend two days seeing the sights then we will meet the family at Malena’s dad’s place in Unionsville to hand off Alexander then off to see Mimi and Joe (Carol’s cousin) in Ivanhoe, NC.  After that there is no plan.

We’ve burned through at least 18 gallons of propane just staying warm and warming water for showers.  That’s two refills of the 30 lb tank and one 20 pound tank (30 pound tank holds just short of 7 gallons and 20 pound is a normal grill tank, holds short of 5 gallons).  I suspect that by morning our 30 lb tank will be empty or close to it again.  Fortunately I still have most of the 18 gallons the onboard tank holds so I have no worries. 

All the finicky details necessary to keep everything operating smoothly.  Since we can use the freshwater from the house and drain the holding tanks into the septic those worries are much less, although with the cold I do think about what will freeze up at the most inconvenient time.  I am grateful for the 30 amp outlet we installed here.  Plenty of electricity for our needs.

There you have a mind dump as I prepare to curl up with a book before going to sleep.