Alandrea Country Living Journal — Volume 1, Issue 2
The Alandrea Country Living Journal
Welcome to September
Summer may be starting to wind down, but life at Alandrea certainly hasn’t.
August brought unpredictable Virginia weather, another lesson in country living, a few projects around the property, and one very energetic new member of the family.
Somehow, there always seems to be something happening around here.
What We’ve Been Up To
Alain and the Fallen Tree
Virginia weather has a way of reminding you that no matter what plans you may have for the day, Mother Nature occasionally has plans of her own.
This month, one of those plans involved a tree.
After some particularly rough weather, we ended up with a large tree down on the property. Well, mostly down. And as anyone who has lived in the country for a while probably already knows, a tree that is mostly down can be considerably more troublesome than one that has simply fallen over.
Enter Alain.
What started as, “I’ll take care of that,” turned into something of a personal challenge.
There were ropes. There was a tractor. There was a chainsaw. There were several attempts at figuring out exactly where all the weight and tension in this tree were hiding.
And there was more than one occasion when the tree pinched the chainsaw and reminded Alain that, despite everything he has learned since moving to Virginia, he is most definitely not yet a professional lumberjack.
At one point, after the rope had broken yet again, Andrea offered what was perhaps the most sensible solution of the entire adventure:
“Why don’t we just leave it alone?”
Alain was not quite ready to admit defeat.
One of the things we’ve learned since moving to the country is that there is an enormous difference between watching someone do something on YouTube and actually standing in front of a several-thousand-pound tree trying to figure out what it wants to do next.
Sometimes you get it right. Sometimes you learn. And sometimes your chainsaw gets stuck.
But that is part of this whole Alandrea adventure. Seventeen years ago, neither of us would have imagined Alain spending his weekends with a chainsaw and tractor trying to outsmart a tree in the Virginia countryside.
And yet, here we are.
So, did Alain eventually conquer the tree?
Watch Alain vs. the Fallen Tree on YouTube
As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one month, we also welcomed a new member to the Alandrea family.
His name is Maverick.
He’s small, yellow, full of energy, and he has already managed to turn life around here completely upside down.
Duke and Toby, however, may have slightly different opinions about their new little brother.
You can hear their side of the story below.
A Little More About Us
Our Journey to Virginia
Andrea and Alain met in 2009 through work. Andrea was an IT Director and Alain an IT consultant. We became fast friends, and somewhere along the way realized we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.
Since then, life has taken us on quite a ride.
Alain moved from Toronto to Massachusetts, which was no small undertaking. Between us, we raised four children, survived the chaos that comes with a busy family, moved a few times, and shared our homes with cats, dogs, fish and eventually chickens.
Then there was COVID, which, like it did for so many people, made us think a little differently about what we wanted the next chapter of our lives to look like.
Eventually, after seventeen years together and fifteen years of marriage, we made one more big move.
This time, from Massachusetts to Nelson County, Virginia.
We had visited the area on a short vacation and immediately fell in love with it. It was rural and peaceful, but still full of life. It had that small-town feeling we had been missing, and before long we found ourselves thinking, We could live here.
So we did.
And one of the best surprises has been just how much we love Nelson County.
People are incredibly friendly. There is a real sense of community here, and whenever we have reached out looking for advice or help, someone always seems willing to jump in.
That feels very different from the faster-paced places we lived before, where life could sometimes feel a little more like everyone was simply trying to keep up with their own world.
Here, we love the little shops, the local businesses, the markets and getting to know the people behind them. We love meeting new neighbors and slowly becoming part of the community ourselves.
We also love that Nelson County is a place people come to escape for a while.
Visitors arrive from all over Virginia and from around the country to enjoy the mountains, wineries, breweries, hiking and quiet country roads. We get to meet so many of them at the markets, and every time someone tells us how much they love visiting the area, we completely understand.
We came here looking for the very same thing.
And then, of course, there is one other major benefit.
Less snow.
After years in Canada and Massachusetts, longer springs, longer summers, longer falls and shorter winters feel pretty wonderful.
We may still be learning how to live in the country, but two years in, Nelson County already feels very much like home.
Duke and Toby’s Corner
So... We Got a Little Brother
Apparently Mom and Dad decided our family needed another dog.
His name is Maverick, an eight-week-old yellow Labrador Retriever, and when he first arrived, let’s just say we weren’t exactly thrilled.
Duke’s reaction was pretty much:
Oh no. Not another one.
Duke has been here the longest. He was Mom and Dad’s first dog, and six years later Toby came along.
That has never stopped Toby from believing he is the one in charge.
So when Maverick arrived, Toby’s reaction was even clearer:
Absolutely not.
Toby had gotten quite comfortable thinking of himself as the alpha of the house, and suddenly this little yellow puppy appeared and seemed determined to disrupt everything.
He wanted to play constantly. He jumped on us, bit everything he could reach, stole toys and shoes, cried in his crate and, for a while, seemed to pee just about everywhere.
Basically, Maverick was doing all the things Duke and Toby had spent years learning not to do.
Who in the world had Mom and Dad brought into our house?
The first couple of weeks were a little rough.
Then something changed.
Maverick and Toby are about the same size right now, and Toby finally realized that this annoying little puppy came with one very important benefit:
He could keep up.
It was like someone flipped a switch.
Our living room is now part racetrack, part wrestling arena and part romper room. Toby and Maverick chase each other in circles while Duke sits nearby watching them like an old man wondering what happened to his nice, quiet retirement.
Duke has found one advantage, though.
Maverick is learning to swim.
Since Toby still wants absolutely nothing to do with the pool, Duke may finally have himself a new swimming buddy.
We’re still figuring each other out. Maverick still has a lot to learn, and Toby occasionally needs to remind everyone that, in his mind at least, he is still the boss.
But somehow, this little yellow ball of chaos is starting to fit in.
And we have a feeling life around here is going to be a lot more interesting with him in it.
From the Alandrea Bookshelf
A New Chapter for Duke and Toby
One of the things we love most about writing the Duke and Toby books is that so many of the stories begin with something that actually happens here at home.
And now we have a whole new source of inspiration.
Maverick may only have been part of the family for a few weeks, but his personality is already finding its way into the Duke and Toby world.
For years, Duke and Toby have helped us tell stories about friendship, courage, kindness, change and all the emotions children experience as they grow.
Maverick gives us a chance to look at some of those same feelings through completely new eyes.
Everything is new to him.
The farm is new. The animals are new. Swimming is new. Even learning how to be part of a family with two older brothers is new.
That relationship inspired our newest book, Duke and Toby Get a Little Brother, a story about welcoming a new puppy, making room for someone new, and slowly learning what it means to become a family.
Find Duke and Toby Get a Little Brother on Amazon
Vanilla of the Month
Tanzania Vanilla + Vodka
This month we’re taking our vanilla journey to Tanzania.
Tanzanian vanilla has a wonderfully rich and creamy flavor, with subtle earthy and chocolate notes followed by touches of caramel and honey.
We pair our Tanzanian beans with vodka, which gives the vanilla a neutral base and allows all of those natural flavors from the bean to come through.
It’s wonderful in baked goods, custards, ice cream and creamy desserts, but we especially love that little hint of chocolate in the background.
One of the things we’ve enjoyed most since we started making our own extracts is discovering just how different vanilla can taste depending on where the bean was grown.
Tanzania is a perfect example.
Something New: Our Vanilla Tasting Trio
And speaking of discovering different vanillas, we’ve put together something new.
Our Vanilla Tasting Trio includes three 1-ounce bottles of our pure vanilla extracts, giving you a chance to experience how beans grown in different parts of the world, and paired with different spirits, can create completely different flavors.
This month’s trio features:
Madagascar Vanilla + Bourbon
Sri Lanka Vanilla + Rum
Tanzania Vanilla + Vodka
It’s a fun way to experiment in the kitchen, discover a new favorite, or give something a little different to someone who loves to bake.
Vanilla Tasting Trio: $30
Upcoming Market Dates
Fall is shaping up to be another busy season for us, and we’d love to see you at one of our upcoming markets.
Come by, say hello, browse the books, try something from our vanilla collection, and see what else we’ve been working on here at Alandrea.
September 19
Nelson Farmers Market
October 3
Nelson Farmers Market
October 17
Lovingston Fall Festival
October 31
Nelson Farmers Market
Can’t make it out to see us in person?
Visit the Alandrea Country Living Shop
Until Next Month
September always feels a little like a bridge between seasons. The days are still warm, but the mornings are starting to change, the light feels a little different, and fall is beginning to make its way into the mountains.
Around here, Maverick is settling in, Duke and Toby are adjusting to their new normal, and we’re still finding plenty of projects to keep us busy.
That seems to be the rhythm of life at Alandrea. There is always something to learn, something to fix, something new to try, and usually something that makes us laugh along the way.
Thank you for following along with us and for being part of this little community we’re building.
Until next month,
Andrea & Alain
Alandrea Country Living
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