Sensory Overload

It is dark and rainy this morning at Farm Dover – just the kind of start to my day that I need. You see, I'm recovering from three weeks of severe sensory overload.

Ed and I got back late yesterday afternoon from three weeks in Italy. It ranks as one of our best trips ever. We spent about a week in southern Italy (Naples and Rome), a week with friends at a Tuscan villa (four couples, all celebrating our 30th wedding anniversaries), and then another week on our own exploring the Emillia-Romagna region (Bologna, Modena, Mantova, Ferrara, Faenza and Florence).

The sights, the sounds, the tastes, the smells and the dreamy feeling of our trip filled me with all that I could take in. There's lots to tell you about, but for today, I'll leave you with a sneak peek at some of what we saw and did.

So until later: arriverderci.

Creepy, Crawly

Ed and I had egg salad for lunch, made with farm fresh eggs from Vivian's chickens who free range just down Dover Road. Once the boiled eggs were chopped and the mayonnaise added, I thought it needed a bit of dill, so I headed out to the garden to cut some.

I wasn't the only one who wanted some dill for lunch. About a dozen green-and-black-stripped caterpillars were munching away on my dill. I had plenty to share, so I just snipped around them, leaving them to enjoy their salad.

Once back inside, I consulted my Field Guide to Butterflies and quickly figured out that they were swallowtail caterpillars, which made sense because I've been seeing lots of beautiful Eastern Swallowtail butterflies fluttering through our fields.

I've also been seeing more Monarch butterflies – still not many, but definitely more than last summer. As you may recall, we planted milkweed in our fields in hopes of attracting them. Sure enough, last month while out walking with my friend Patrice, we found some Monarch caterpillars feasting away on a milkweed plant that grows on the edge of one of our trails.

And in other caterpillar news:

Yesterday while Ed and I were moving the barn wood table to the end of the garden, we disturbed an odd looking creature that turns out to be White Marked Tusscock Moth Caterpillar. Good thing we didn't pick it up; its short, bristly pincushion hairs are poisonous – and can cause an irritating rash. We left him to crawl away.

We've been seeing lots of woolly bear caterpillars. According to folklore, if the caterpillar has more black area than orange, then the winter is going to be long, snowy and cold. Better get some wood piled high; the ones we have seen have been almost completely black!

photo from http://www.woollyworm.com/

Foraging for a cup of coffee

Scattered around our fields are tall stalks of beautiful blue flowers. I only see them on my early morning walks, for, by noon, they have closed up. Each blossom only blooms for one day and then it is done. The next morning, new blossoms appear – and then disappear. I never paid too much attention to them until one of our visitors told me my blue "cornflowers" were in fact, chicory.

I perked up at learning this as I wondered if this was the same chicory that can be made into coffee, the kind of coffee served at the famous Café du Monde in New Orleans and at the Fish House/Café Beignet in Louisville's Germantown. We used to go to Café Beignet on Saturday mornings with the kids after shopping at the Bardstown Road Famers' Market. We'd order a dozen sugar-coated beignets and down them with a cup or two of strong chicory coffee.



Sure enough, it is from the roots of these blue flowers that chicory coffee is made. We had to give it a try. We dug up a root, dried it for a couple of days outside, then roasted it in the oven for two hours. The whole house smelled lovely: malty, chocolately, carmelly.

Last night, I grated the roasted root and then added the gratings to our morning coffee brew.

It was a good cup of coffee. It did seem to soften the bitter edge of the our dark roasted coffee. I think next time I will add a higher ratio of chicory: maybe 1/3 chicory to 2/3 coffee.

History has it that Louisianans began to add chicory root to their coffee when Union naval blockades during the Civil war cut off the port of New Orleans, which was the second largest importer of coffee (after New York City).  They never looked back.

Unfortunately,  chicory coffee doesn't contain caffeine. In fact, it is known to make one a bit sleepy. But I like the fact that even if I run out of a bag of Heine Brothers' coffee beans, I don't have to forgo my morning cup of Joe. It is such a tiny thing, but it makes me feel self-reliant, like a true homesteader. I can forage for a cup of coffee.

Getting my Jack-fix in the Land of Castles and Cathedrals

The last time Jack lived in the States for any length of time was in 2007. Since then he has attended university in Montreal, Canada, completed a Fulbright fellowship in Hagan, Germany, and taught history and literature in Shenzhen, China. I was secretly (or maybe not so secretly) hoping he would move somewhere closer after he finished teaching this past year; but alas, he decided to stay for another year. I can't say I blame him. He seems to have a nice life there and wants to continue studying Mandarin.

He is good about FaceTiming us weekly and keeping us filled in on his teaching, friends, sports, music, etc. And he is good about arranging his schedule to travel with us. We've been around Canada, Germany, France, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand with Jack– and now we can add the Czech Republic. 

When we realized that he wouldn't be coming home in August, we asked if we could join him for the last part of his summer travels in Europe. So, after watching Maggie ring the closing NASDAQ bell and briefly catching up with Mary in NYC, we flew to Prague. It's a beautiful city, located on both sides of the Vltava River, with its own castle, astronomical clock, magnificent cathedrals, large public squares and beer gardens. We explored the winding cobblestone streets for three days. I'd go back there in a heartbeat.

Traveling with Jack is always fun.

Dancing House (aka Fred and Ginger), Prague

Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague

Children's folk singers/dancers performing at the gardens of Prague Castle

On the fourth day, we picked up a rental car and set out for the Czech countryside. We headed east toward Moravia, stopping in Kutná Hora for lunch and a tour of St. Barbara Cathedral and Sedlec Ossuary (bone church) before driving to Olomouc, a university town whose students had not yet returned for fall classes. The streets were lovely, but lonely. In the relatively small town, there was a castle and six major churches.

St. Barbara Cathedral, Kutná Hora 

 Sedlec Ossuary, Kutná Hora 

While there, we took a day trip to Šternberk where we toured -- you guessed it -- the castle and cathedral. We did the same in Česky Krumlov. Lots of churches/cathedrals and lots of castles. We offset our castle/church visits with lots of beer and lots of schnitzel.

Vltava River in Česky Krumlov 

Česky Krumlov Castle tower

Marian Plague Column in front of the Church of the Annunciation, Šternberk  

I took a break from my gluten-free diet and drank beer with my boys and ate schnitzel  three meals straight. Hard to find a good salad in the middle of Bohemia! We did, however, find a nice vineyard and some tasty Czech wine.

Alfresco dining at Kampa Park, beside the Charles Bridge, Prague

Visiting vineyards in southern Moravia

Unless you are enamored with bohemian crystal, there is very little to buy in the way of souvenirs. No outstanding art or craft objects caught my eye. I came home with two packets of smoked paprika. That's it. Two packets of spice. I wonder if the years under Communist rule so stifled the Czech people's folk culture and creativity, that it has yet to catch up with its Western European neighbors.

At the end of the trip we detoured into Germany to spend two nights  with our good friend Tilman and four of his six wonderful children. Guess what? They live in a castle with a beautiful church attached. Tilman and his family were warm and welcoming hosts. That's one castle/church that I could return to time and time again.

Hiking to lunch with friends

Boys being boys

It was fun being with Jack. He is a competent and laid back traveller. He picks up language easily and is happy to order meals for me, carry my suitcase up steep staircases, and offer his sweater when I am cold. He was a great front-seat navigator for Ed and always had a good playlist teed up for our road trips. I forget how much I miss his whistling.

Exploring Omolouc

Nine days is just not enough time for me to get my Jack-fix. But it is all I get right now. And it is certainly better than not seeing him at all. I'm thankful for our time with him and look forward to another reunion, hopefully sooner than later.

Early morning walk through the gardens of the Česky Krumlov Castle 

Jack: wishing you safe travels and a year full of wonderful adventures and all things good and kind. 

Jack, I'll be thinking of you every single day. xxx

The Honor of the Invitation

If we are friends on Facebook, you may have had your fill of seeing photos of our time in New York City cheering as Maggie and her Inscope Medical team rang the bell to close the trading day of the NASDAQ stock exchange on August 17. That evening we hopped on a plane to the Czech Republic (more on that later) and just got home late Thursday night, so I haven't had a chance to post about the NASDAQ event. One of the things I enjoy most about blogging is creating a record of family milestones -- and this one just seemed too important to skip. So bear with me (or quit reading) while I recall the magic of this moment.

A bit of background: Two years ago Maggie decided to pursue her MBA at the University of Louisville Business School through its entrepreneurial program. As part of the program she joined up with three other students to create a potential business -- one that they could use to learn how to create business plans. Not only did her team create a plan, they created a strong and viable one. One of her team members, Mary Nan Mallory, is an ER doctor who had a vision for inventing a much-improved laryngoscope (medical device used for intubations). That vision has evolved into the OneScope, a wireless-enabled, multi-purpose, disposable laryngoscope. The idea, combined with the plan, and a spot-on presentation won the team a number of national and international business plan competitions, including the 2015 University of Texas Global Venture Labs Investment Competition. One of their prizes was the opportunity to ring the NASDAQ closing bell.

Maggie and her team: Will Coburn, Mary Nan Mallory, Adam Casson © 2015, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

And that's how we ended up at the NASDAQ headquarters cheering our hearts out for Maggie and her team. As directed, we showed up 43rd and Broadway at 3:15 p.m., were ushered through security, and taken up to the broadcast studio. Just prior to the closing ceremony, a professional photographer captured the whole group and then smaller combinations.

The team and its fans. © 2015, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

Our friend Karen flew up for support, as did Nate. Four U of L professors made the trip as did Maggie's teammates and a contingent of their supporters. Some interested investors took the time to join in the celebration and our daughter, Mary, took off work to be there. (She created the brand for Inscope, so it was exciting to see her logo design featured prominently on the studio backdrop.)

Proud Mama, Papa and Sister. © 2015, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

Maggie with Karen, one of Maggie's best supporters. © 2015, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

Maggie and Nate. © 2015, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

At 3:45, the video cameras rolled. It was LIVE from Marketsite! The Executive Vice President of NASDAQ made a few remarks, followed by comments and an introduction from two representatives of Texas Venture Labs, and then Maggie, as Inscope Medical, LLC's CEO, delivered a short speech (aka Oscar acceptance remarks), and rang the closing bell. The whole entourage erupted into a long and enthusiastic cheer.

After the official ceremony was over, we congregated outside on Times Square to view images on the NASDAQ Marketsite multi-story screen. And from there we went around the block to the Muse Hotel for a celebratory reception, hosted by the Texas Venture Labs.

That's my girl up there on Times Square!  © 2015, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.

I don't know what it was like for Maggie or her teammates; but for me, it felt surreal. The excitement. The professionalism. The spotlight.  The honor of the invitation to be part of it. It was all incredible.

When I think of the lives that each of our children are living -- Maggie and her start-up venture, Jack as a history and literature teacher in Shenzhen, China, and Mary as a graphic designer in NYC -- my heart swells. Seems like Maggie, Jack and Mary have each crammed more into their 20-something years than I have in my almost-60. Their confidence, their breadth and depth of knowledge, their desire to venture into unknown territories and engage with newly made friends and contacts, their independence and worldliness -- all astound me. It is satisfying on so many levels for me to watch them make their ways in life. I'm so proud of them and wish them each continued success and happiness.

And keep those invitations coming...

Attitude Adjustment

I was up and out early this morning for a walk along our trails. Ed had cut the trails yesterday and so they looked nice and neat. But here's the thing about walking the trails first thing in the morning: Hundreds (maybe thousands) of spiders have spent the previous night carefully crafting beautiful webs to lure their prey into. Their intricate artistry is astounding. When the rising sun hits the dew-soaked silk strands they seem to be electrified.

When you are the first one up and out, you run into a lot of spiders' webs. I'm sure the spiders work hard to create these works of art and I'm sure I mess up a lot of them. I have always found it irritating to be batting thin strands of silk off my face. Evidently, I'm not alone. Ellen Degeneres did one of her memorable monologues on this very subject. The good news is that Ellen claims that every time you walk straight into a spider's web you are bound to meet a new friend that day.

I also recently read that warblers use spider silk in the construction of their nests. The lightweight material is strong and flexible and allows the nest to mold to the adult bird during incubation (preventing heat loss) and then to stretch to accommodate the growing baby birds. Because it is sticky, it also helps bind the nest to the branch to which it is attached.

So rather than get irritated by all the cobwebs, I decided to think of all the good things that come from them – meeting new friends and helping birds build stronger nests – among them. Suddenly, they didn't seen nearly as irritating. (I did the same kind of attitude adjustment with dandelions: I began to think of them a pretty yellow springtime flowers that the bees love, rather than unsightly weeds.)

Perhaps it was easy to change my attitude as it was a spectacularly beautiful morning. Here are some pics from my iphone taken on my walk today.

Pearl Crescent Butterfly: perfectly preserved mid-flight in the thinnest spider's web

The swirl of an oak tree leader

Coreopsis

Poke berries

Chestnut seed pods

Ironweed

Queen Anne's Lace

Partridge Peas

Elderberries

Common Milk Thistle

Chicory

Evening Primrose. See the fly on the top bloom?

Usually by mid-August, our fields are brown and very few wild flowers are still in bloom. Not this year! With the steady rains, everything is still vibrant green and the flowers are resplendent. Would love to meet an old or new friend for one of my morning webwalks. Won't you come along?