Mad Cold

 Here in the Hollow this morning we saw temps at a miserable 1 degree with wind chills far lower.  The school system closed schools today, so Little Bird got a day off on her 8th birthday!  She got ice cream for breakfast, we baked a cake, and now she and her sister are in the shower getting ready for their spa day mani/pedi session.

Meanwhile, Harpers Ferry National Park is reporting that it's "cold enough to freeze a mouse" at -2 degrees!  Here's their status from earlier:
"Historic reports of bad winters are common in this area. In February 1914, local Harpers Ferry papers reported a rooster was found frozen. In 1926, the Shenandoah River was reported to be black. The 1926 reporter was told by residents that the river turns black before a freeze. (Sources: Farmers Advocate & Virginia Free Press)"

According to the news, this paralyzing chill is due to the Polar Vortex's taking a dip to the South.  Well, go back, Vortex - go back!  (Rumor has it that she is; Saturday will be a balmy 61!)  

As I write this, I've just found out that the Mad Dog (click for former blog post) is on fire.  More later.    

Edited to add these pictures that were posted at Washington Co.Md Fire Calls (Facebook page) 

February Sky

taken February 1, 2013, along Harpers Ferry Road near Woodlawn Farm shortly after sunrise

Who Defended the Bridge?

The other evening our neighborhood friend who owns the Antietam Ironworks Inn asked me to use my fine Googling skills to find out which general defended the Antietam Ironworks bridge during the battle.  (He wasn't sure that in fact someone did, but he was under the impression that someone had.)
Unfortunately, I did not come up with a name or even that the bridge played any role in the battle except that Rebel troops crossed it in their journey to support Lee at Sharpsburg.  However, my short search did find that companies from the 13th Massachusetts camped here for a bit in 1861 (a year before the battle).  The letters at this site are very interesting glimpses into the soldiers' lives. I especially enjoyed a letter from James B. Noyes; apparently, the most memorable part of being in Antietam Village was the vicious attack of fleas!

Modern day defenders watching over the bridge

Antietam Sunrise

Life has proven extraordinarily busy lately, but when a sunrise like this presents itself, I'd be a fool not to slow down for a moment to take a shot.  I took this on our way to Hagerstown one morning last week during our usual hectic routine.  This is looking east (obviously) off Rt. 65 just north of the Battleview Market.

Neighbor Gets Sourced

She's not from Frog Hollow proper, but rather she's living down near Molly's Hole - that is, just up and around the bend from Burnside Bridge on Burnside Bridge Road.  She's close enough for around these parts to be called a neighbor.  Julie Stinar is the subject of at least a second article about her chickens, her lovely free-ranging chickens.  I blogged another article about her once before.  Julie's farm, Evensong, is the kind where you can take your kids to see where their food comes from.  There, my girls saw and cooed over baby pigs for the first time.  I hope the Stinars make Sharpsburg their long-time home.

photo source

Memorial Day 2010 in Sharpsburg

I can't think of a better place to remember the sacrifices many have made for our country . . .

Celebrating Sharpsburg

I haven't had a moment to write lately, but I saw this article in the paper today about a CD sale benefit at Benders Tavern to raise money for the upcoming Sharpsburg Heritage Festival and wanted to share it. Our friend Cookie (Natoma) is spear-heading the event, which will be September 18, 2010. Good luck, Cookie!

Snowy Moon

Looking south off the Antietam Bridge at the Ironworks

The Hillenbruck Farm (now a B&B) from Harpers Ferry Road

These were our views this morning on our way to school and work. Sarah Grace always asks about the moon, "Why does it follow us everywhere, Mama?"

Today it followed us with good luck -- a big job at work complete, successful eye surgery for my mom, finally some good news about funding for surgery for my dad, and my sister both sold her house and bought a new one.

Thanks, Miss Wintry Luna.

Nutter's

Anyone who lives in or near south county knows about the beauty that is Nutter's -- the old-fashioned ice cream shoppe at the square in Sharpsburg. The girls and I spent all day around the house, so we decided to finally use Sylv's school walkathon ticket for a free cone. Seriously, if you ever visit our little town, you HAVE to get a cone at Nutter's. The wood floors, the knick-knack shelves, the narrow wood and glass door, the delicious creamy flavors -- yummy!
[I figured out a cool collage trick on Picasa - what do you think?]We peeked in the vacant building across the street and then grabbed a photo of Burnside Bridge on the way home . . .

Sunrise . . . Sunset

I hate these days when we see the sunrise on our way to school and work and then see the sun set on the way home . . . blahhhhhh. I want Spring back. But at least I get to see some of the best skies around.


Here's the sunrise on Harpers Ferry Road. This was taken the day before yesterday at the farm of Woodlawn Butchers . . . I can't remember the owner's name. It'll come to me later . . . Dave calls his daughter "Peaches" . . . or maybe it's "Cream" . . .

R.I.P. Miss Barbara

On Sunday Frog Hollow lost one of its own, Miss Barbara Adkins, loving wife of Bernie. Barb suffered from several ailments, and most recently Bernie was driving to Cumberland everyday to see her where she received, essentially, hospice care after several strokes and heart problems. I last saw Barb in the pharmacy when she had last been released from the hospital; I'm so glad I got to give her a hug then and talk with her about the girls, whom she loved to see and hear about. She loved her family dearly, and having lost four of her own children too early, she and Bernie have been no strangers to Death's cruel hand. George spoke with Bernie last night; he misses her dearly and is obviously so upset. We will go see him and his family tonight at her viewing. Her obituary can be found here.
Rest in peace, Miss Barbara.

Kind of a White Christmas

This photo was taken on Dec. 20 during the Blizzard of 2009 -- we got nearly 2 feet out of it and 3 days off school, which meant that Sylvie's Christmas break started very early and we'll end up with 17 days straight of no school!

Christmas was a great one this year -- because of the blizzard, we missed our Ziegler Christmas at Lisa's, but we're rescheduling for this weekend. The Fuhrmans and Haskinses came here for Christmas Eve, and we all went back to the farm in Taneytown for our Null Christmas this year. It was wonderful to be back "home."

The lower photo is of my kids and Lisa's at Michael's Home, our family farm in Taneytown, MD. There was definitely leftover snow from the blizzard on Christmas morning, but the rain of the day and the rain and wind of that night made for a muddy, virtually snowless day on the 26th.

Evensong Farm

Julie Stinar of Evensong Farm is featured this weekend in an article in the Washington Post about women farmers. Julie's farm is down in the hollow on Burnside Bridge Road just south of Molly's Hole. I've bought some of her veggies before -- she always has interesting and extremely colorful produce, many of which I've never heard of. The commentators after the article accuse her of being an "urban transplant" and that may be true. But who cares? Why is that a bad thing? Unfortunately, so many of those who grew up around here or in Carroll County from where I come either didn't want to continue in their fathers' farming ways or just plain couldn't. Julie has figured out a way to bring farming back to that little homestead, and I for one enjoy the way she does it! She invests in the future of farming by utilizing college students for interns, and she has gotten several local restaurants to use her "almost organic" produce for their meals. Stone Soup Bistro is my favorite, and I'll continue to give them business as long as they use this local farmer as one of their sources.