People on the Path of Life

I believe people are put in your path for a reason. Some are what my daughter calls “Single Serving” friends. They are there for a time and are no less important than those who last a lifetime.

This was brought home to me today in two very separate and unrelated scenarios.

Earlier this summer, I met Kim and Korey Snow. We were all “newbie” bee keepers. I wrote about our visit to their hive here. Yes, they had the volcanic hive that was a wonder to behold.

Recently, I saw they were opening an olive oil store in Peterborough, NH. I emailed that I was thrilled with the idea; my counter is lined bottles of infused olive oil and balsamic vinegars, my personal weakness in cooking. The store is opening on Friday, December 20th but Korey was kind enough to invite me in to learn more and photograph the process.

The Snows have planned this for about three years. Recently they traveled to Oakland, CA to attend class with Veronica Foods who is the top supplier of quality oils.  Korey’s knowledge of this elixir is extensive. Like honey, it has tremendous health properties. The downside is that 69% of the commercially available olive oil is not extra virgin, regardless of what the label says. The labeling and quality control is similar to commercially available maple syrup and most consumers have no awareness of the deception. True virgin oil is made from olives that are picked slightly under-ripe and must be crushed within six hours of the harvest. Cold pressed oil refers to a processing temperature of less than 75° both in the ambient room temp, the olives, and the equipment.

It was two days before the grand opening and Korey apologised for what he called “a bomb explosion” of controlled chaos. But the bones of a fabulous retail outlet are there and I am sure it will be in shape by opening day.

The space is coming together with warm colors and impressive photography from two artists; Linda Kelly Homoleski from upstate NY and Thomas Belkakis from Hollis, NH. I apologise for the quality of these shots. Korey brought me a ladder so I could be on level with them to shoot, but I still got too much glare. In person they are stunning!

Linda Kelley Homoleski’s sunflower with a bee

Thomas Belkakis’ frozen flower shot

The counters are all reclaimed/repurchased wood from near-by towns, the barrels are real whiskey barrels. In keeping with the recycling theme, customers can return their clean bottles for refills at $1 off the price.  Kim has selected some mouth-watering products to go with the oils and vinegars. Korey said they are working on a schedule to offer cooking demonstrations and pairings in the future.

Kim’s Mom knitted Santa Hats for the bottles making a perfect stocking stuffer!

Loved these stainless Futsis that will house the products. The large are 15 liters and the smaller ones, at 5 liters, for specialty oils and vinegars, will also be available for sale. Monadnock Olive Oil plans to start with 40 varieties of oil and more than 15 of balsamic vinegar. The vinegars are aged from twelve to eighteen years.

The second instance of people on my path was a call from Angela and Rodney. I met them last week in Charleston and wrote about their engagement. She wants to use the photos from my blog for their announcement. What an honor!  We spoke at length and discovered her brother has just published a book about her grandmother. Another thread; a kindred spirit of self-publishing memoirs. When we finally hung up, I felt like we’ve known each other longer than the ten minutes we chatted in Charleston.

The paths that cross do so for a reason, it is up to me to recognize every instance.