Farm Dinner – Millstone Meadows Farm

It’s been a while since I’ve posted – I’ve been busy on the Farm!

Over Easter weekend, I had the sincere pleasure of going to the Farm Dinner held at Millstone Meadows Farm in North Carolina. Similar to the concept of Outstanding in the Field from California, the owners (Mark & Sara) host dinners once a month at their daylily farm. (It’s not daylily season here yet – too early – but there were plenty of beautiful things to behold!)

Sara prepared a lovely Viennese menu…

1^st course: Artisan cheeses, pork rillete and radishes

2^nd course: Smoked trout potato cake

3^rd course: Pork sausage meatballs schnitzel

4^th course: Lamb (3 ways) with creamed cauliflower & field greens salad

5^th course: Fresh strawberries & lemon curd crepes (Girl’s favorite)

Sweet Lord. It was delicious…and I mean, absolutely de-licious!

Each course was served as we gathered around the communal tables next to the farmhouse. 

There were about 30 of us for dinner, and though we started as strangers – we were all friends at the end of the meal...burp. (Ohhhh…. pardon me!)

Great time had by all...hiccup. (Oopsy.)

Next up: GT40 Book Review & headed to Liberty, NC for the Antiques Festival!

Stay tuned…. 


Holli a.k.a. Girl Turns 40

#21. Volunteer Time! Cleanin’ the Green

Tomorrow is Earth Day so let’s all change to energy-saver squiggly lightbulbs, plant a tree, recycle a bottle, shop for a hybrid car, clean a stream, write to your Congressman, invest in a clean energy company, walk to work, and then get a good night’s rest. Whew!

It ain’t easy bein’ green.

Hmmm….Girl, why don’t you focus on just ONE of these items…eh?

Thus – in honor of Earth Day – I chose to volunteer to pick up trash along a local  greenway.  I mean, it wasn’t hard work either…check out the pics.

It’s 1.5 miles this way…

And then 1.5 miles this direction.

I donned my gear – tennis shoes with my dress pants. Lovely. (I volunteered right after work – so you know, it’s a GT40 fashion statement.)

Gloves. Check.

Trashbag. Check.

And we were off! Luckily for me – it was already pristine. Hardly anything to pickup!

It was a great experience – and an absolutely, beautiful Spring day!

(Deep breath) Ahhhh…..

 - The Girl

#4. An Inconvenient Truth – April Movie Review

Ahhh. Good Times. Global Warming. Oh boy.

Grade: A

OK. So all you tree huggers out there – unite! An Inconvenient Truth was indeed a documentary – and a drama, and some sci-fi, a little horror, with a smidge of comedy to boot.  Mostly though, it was riveting, and unlike any movie I’d ever seen.

A quick summary for the other person (besides me) who hasn’t seen it:

Al Gore, former VPOTUS – candidate, is captured on film delivering his lecture regarding global warming.  He presents a myriad of slides and graphs, all pointing to various culprits contributing to the demise of our planet – particularly the increase of carbon dioxide which creates the “greenhouse effect”.

I think the most impactful for me were the before-and-after “natural” shots of various locations – such as, an ice sheet in Greenland, where the ice has clearly melted and retreated ultimately changing its ecosystem.

Overall, I liked it – but it really makes you think about your own carbon footprint…

Hmmm... very compelling stuff here. (Regardless of your opinion about global warming, isn’t it worth the effort anyway?)

These are a few of the tips provided by the official website: www.climatecrisis.net

1. Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl).

2. Move your thermostat down 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer.

3. Clean or replace filters on your furnace and air conditioner.

4. Install a programmable thermostat.

5. Choose energy efficient appliances when making new purchases.

6. Wrap your water heater in an insulation blanket.

7. Use less hot water.

8. Buy fresh foods instead of frozen.

9. Seek out and support local farmers markets.

10. Buy organic foods as much as possible.

…there’s a bunch more, so click here for the complete list.

Once again, movie night did not disappoint – so educational.

I feel smarter.

GT40

Cold Cherry Blossoms - #28. April 2011 Trip of the Month

I’ve always wanted to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC.  I’ve seen the beautiful, flowering trees on television – usually at the start or close of the evening newscast – but never in person.  Thus for my April Trip-of-the-Month, what better way to ring in Spring, than a trip to DC to the Cherry Blossom Festival?

Brrr.

Sweet, Lord.

We drove up from North Carolina - where it was about 72 degrees - to Washington where the temperature hovered at about 42 degrees.  Again, brrr.

Undeterred, we forged ahead... even with a cold, damp misty rain (and a Zyrtec, of course).

And once again, the Girl was not disappointed. The cherry blossoms were at their peak, and even through the cold and mist, they were beautiful.

The biggest draw: the cherry trees lining the tidal basin near the Jefferson and FDR Memorials.

We strolled under the canopy of cherry blossoms around the tidal basin.

We stopped to admire the Jefferson Memorial.

From the steps of the Jefferson Memorial, I spied the White House - can you see it through the misty rain?

And then on to the FDR Memorial.

(I think another trip to Washington, DC may be on the ‘Girl Turns 41’ list. There are so many new monuments and memorials, like the World War II – it was amazing! And, I simply can’t showcase them here. They warrant their own post…)

It was a great trip – very impressive...I loved it!

Stay tuned for much more,

GT40

Green Earth Month - April 2011

Red Green Alert: This is going to be a quickie post…more to come!

Green, green, green – everywhere!

And since I’m in a green-y mood, my focus this month is on the environment.

Book Selection

Author: Carl Hiaasen

Title: Umm… still deciding!

I’ve never read any of Carl Hiaasen’s books – and they are truly environmental in nature (hehehe, no pun intended)… so, trying to decide which one!

Movie Selection

An Inconvenient Truth directed by Davis Guggenheim

I must be the only person in America who has not seen this movie.  Obviously a documentary about global warming, I think it’s a classic movie in its own way…so it makes the cut for this month.

April TOTM (Trip of the Month)

Washington DC!

Um, so it’s the funniest thing…I already went on my April TOTM before I announced my plans for the TOTM!

(Tee hee. Busy, busy Girl. Oh well.)

Next up is the post for my uber-fabulous trip to DC and the Cherry Blossom Festival…!

Stay tuned…

Holli a.k.a. Girl Turns 40