We moved to a peaceful spot in Virginia to escape the ever encroaching fires, and inevitable earthquakes. Since we moved in December, 2010 we have experienced a Tornado touching down a mile from the farm; two weeks ago an earthquake had it’s epi-centre 21.27 miles from the farm and Hurricane Irene barely skirted us, thank goodness, leaving the farm looking like a tossed salad.
Last year was a drought, this year the ground is thoroughly sodden and oak trees are falling around us like acorns. There are blessings to be had though. The grass is green and we have more than enough firewood to see us through the winter. Texas would give anything to be in our soggy shoes. If we can wish for anything, let’s all send our thoughts and some of our rain there to help their nightmarish situation.
The earthquake was a big event. Ed was at our local Wells Fargo branch in Goochland. When it started to shake, he stepped well away from the building. Within a few seconds, people began tumbling out yelling “what the hell was that.” Ed’s presence quickly brought calm. He stepped forward and offered, “I am from California, and that, was an earthquake.”
My recent silence is due to the fact that I am currently working in Los Angeles to bring in enough dosh to pay the mortgage. I landed on my feet as my friend Melissa, a wonderful stills photographer, was going out of town to work in Georgia. She needed a pet sitter and I needed a place to stay so all worked out to mutual benefit.
It’s a very strange experience, pet sitting. Suddenly, Amanda, wife of Ed, mother of 6 dogs, 5 cats and 35 Alpacas, a farmer living in Virginia is now;Amanda, film publicist, living in West Toluca Lake with a wonderful lab called Buddy and a tricky cat, called Boscoe.
Both lives have their pros and cons. One of the greatest pros has been the opportunity to spend time with all my LA friends and also, work on my black thumb. I actually managed to keep a wide variety of plants alive and revive some dying tomato plants. There is hope for me yet.