The Accidental Boilermaker

No meatless Monday for us tonight. I made my great-grandma's meatball recipe, but don't worry. You might not be able to see them all, but this meal is still packed with veggies.  The green beans came from the garden and the homemade pasta sauce includes our tomatoes and one giant, shredded zucchini. The meatballs have carrots, potatoes, and even a small onion from the garden too.  Sometimes it is a challenge to use all the produce we grow, but for this meal, it was worth the effort. 

Nate and I spent all weekend celebrating our 6 year anniversary.  Friday night we saw Despicable Me 2 and enjoyed some post-movie ice cream.  Then on Saturday we risked the prediction of rain and drove out to Pembroke, VA to see the Cascade Falls, supposedly the most beautiful waterfall on the East Coast.  It ended up being a great day for a hike and the falls were very impressive.  Then today after church we went out for brunch. Hiking along the river up to the falls. Cascade Falls After the falls, we hiked up to Barney's Cliff to get a view of the New River Valley.

We made blackberry-raspberry-strawberry jam today. It looks so yummy; I can't wait to try some on toast. We are lucky to have wild blackberries and raspberries along our driveway. The raspberries are just starting to come in, so there may be more jam making in our future.  I also saw another black bear this weekend while running. I almost missed him (or her). I had stopped to drink some water when I saw the bear running away from the trail back into the woods. That takes my bear sighting count up to 3!

Pat and Paul were here in Virginia last weekend.  We all got to feed the goats, chastise the chickens for not laying enough, learn about the history of Salem, walk around downtown Roanoke, and see a play in the rain.  It was a nice, relaxing time. We went to a winery for a picnic dinner and an outdoor production of The Taming of the Shrew.  It did rain during the second half, but thankfully we were under a tent.