Wednesday

Well Tuesday started with some overcast and down right chilly temps for the month of July, but it stayed dry all day with some bright sunshine and blue skies. We were all bundled up especially for the Florida visitors where it seldom reaches the near 40's even in winter. After a lite breakfast of fruit, cereal, oatmeal and toast; we all choose what we wanted to eat. I headed out to check on the gardens and the chickens down at our neighbors place. We found 2 eggs in the nest for the day.

We finally started out on a hike to the top of the mountain and it wasn't long before Gabe became tired so Bobby had to carry him up the steep trail which made for a workout for him with an extra 35 pound load. We stopped and visited with Joe, Jetta and Zeke for awhile and the kiddos found their porch swing while we visited. We headed on back down the mountain to make sandwiches for lunch as we worked up an appetite. Gabe went down for a nap and everyone headed to the front porch with books and laptops to relax and enjoy the cool dry air. The deck side was in the full sun so I sat there trying to limber up my somewhat stiff shoulder. I'm able to sleep at nights finally and can do most everything but still feel a twitch deep within the shoulder blade muscles.

We headed out to the Bull Head Mountain area for some trout fishing after Gabe woke up around 3 PM. On the way we saw several deer meandering in and along the road. The views from the parkway were breathtaking as we travelled along the parkway. We started to fish in the several trout ponds and they were biting in a frenzy. We caught 11 that we kept in just a matter of an hour and lost several more who flipped off the hook. The trout loved our fishing worms. Finally the owner Jim showed up and we settled up the cost of the fish and headed for home. It was going on 5 o'clock by the time we got back to the cabin so Bobby and I filleted the fish and got them ready for the grille and the frying pan. I had never grilled trout before but with a little butter and lemon they turned out rather tasty; however the fried crispy fillets were delicious and we licked the platter clean.

After the cleanup it was bath time for the kiddos then they watched a little T.V. before it was bedtime at 8:30. Once they were down for the night is was after 9 so I hit the showers and then we played a couple rounds of LOGO and Bobby smoked us or me big time in both rounds; at least I wasn't last in the second round, Nancy. We had lots of laughter until close to midnight then we all got ready for bed. The bad thing about the kids going to bed early is they get up early and this morning they were coming down the stairs before we were out of bed.

Well its raining lightly with a sprinkle and the rain dripping from the dormer onto the tin roof makes for good sleeping for Bob and Jill. He said he seldom gets to sleep past 7 so now he had the morning to sleep in as we are on kiddo duty and from watching a kids show to coloring and now to playing cars and dolls; where do they get that energy, LATER ...

Nancy had her camera in the action mode so here are a few.

Don't forget today is the last day to take advantage of the BOGO Ribbon Gifts as the offer expires at midnight tonight!!!

Tuesday

Finally about one of the prettiest, nicest mountain days so far this summer. Beautiful blue skies with an abundance of sunshine and very cool temps to start the day; I think it must have been close to the 50 degree mark when we started the day around 6:45 AM after getting everyone to bed around 2 in the morning.

Annsely was down the stairs after climbing over the safety gate shortly after I got up at 6:45 and was raring to go. She emptied the toy box and had the water color paints out drawing and coloring at 7 and then began playing with the cut out dolls. Gabe was still sleeping in along with Bob and Jill but not Anns as she was taking it all in and exploring. It wasn't long before Sugar was awake and wanted out of her cage so Bob brought her and Gabe down and the cabin came to life with cars and trucks being played with. Gabe is crazy about cars and trucks and has at least one in each hand no matter where he goes.

I shortly thereafter wanted to get the Boston Butt roast in the smoker which I filled with seasoned Hickory chunks and it was close to 8 when I plugged it in. We had the windows closed due to the cool temps but it wasn't long before we could smell the smoke as it drifted into a window that was slightly open. What an awesome smell and we could smell it occasionally throughout the day until we unplugged the smoker around 5 o'clock.

Everyone wanted dippy eggs and toast so I sliced some of the homemade breads and we began to feed the gang. The eggs we have been collecting from our "chicken sitting" were all double yokers and couldn't have been fresher. The sun was shining brightly and we were just excited about getting outside and into the fresh air. While the girls did their morning routines Bob and I took the kiddo's on a golf cart adventure out to the creek first and discovered Grant and Shirley Heglar were at their cabin for this week as well. We later headed down after Gabe napped to play in the creek. We then headed to the top of the mountain and visited with Zeke and the Browning's. We were on the look out for Newts and Moredo(imaginary black bear).

The rest of the afternoon was playing around the cabin chasing butterflies, picking berries and listening to Bob play the guitar. After Gabe took an hour or so nap we loaded up some plastic boats and headed to the creek to flow boats, swing and look for crawfish. We spent a couple hours playing in the cold water and Sugar had the best time of all as she ran in the water and jumped across the creek several times. We headed back to the cabin to start on supper.

 The smoked roast was perfect and Bob pulled it apart and then made a gourmet mac and cheese to go along with a fresh salad. The eatin ' was fine and after the cleanup I headed out to build a campfire in the fire circle. I headed out to the woods to cut a couple sticks to roast marsh mellows for smores. The kiddos were wound up and loved running down the hill as well as did Sugar who was having a wonderful time running up and down the hill. It wasn't long after the smores and campfire until it was bath time and then about dark the kiddos called it a day and headed up the stairs.

We sat around and relaxed and I watched the last innings of the Rays vs the Red Sox on the Internet and we won again and once more regained first place in our division. I had Nancy rub my shoulder down with an analgesic cream after my shower and since sound sleep has been eluding me for the past couple nights I headed for some horizontal lab around 10:30. I finally had a decent nights sleep and the shoulder blade seems a little better this morning, LATER  Nancy was active with her camera so I will post a few with this ramble.

Monday

Well it was a late night/early morning when Bobby and Family arrived safely from Florida. We had stayed up to about 11:30 then decided to lay down for a rest and fell asleep when we heard then talking in the driveway around 1:30. It wasn't long afterwards we got them settled and then we headed back for some shut eye when my dang shoulder started acting up again and causing me some discomfort. I finally could stand it no longer and rolled out at 6:30 this AM.

Sunday morning started out with some wet overcast skies and it rained on the way to church and looked as if it rained while we were gone as well. We got ready after I had another terrible night when trying to sleep with my shoulder aching and causing radiating pain down into my left bicep. I decided after church I would use ice packs the rest of the day and evening and that made a great difference. I used the arm and shoulder all day with no discomfort; until I go to lay down. The pressure while lying creates such pain and discomfort in the blade area that it moves into my arm, yeow does that ever hurt.

The church service was awesome as well as was the music and there was a large crowd. We didn't hang around afterwards for very long as we wanted to get back and do our last minute touching up for our family/company who was on the way. We made a stop at the vegetable stand, the library and finally at Lowes for some lunch meat and chips before heading back to the cabin. We actually saw the sun peeping through the rain clouds for a change. After a lite lunch of lunch meat and left over taco fixins' I headed out to tidy up my potting area beneath the back porch. By now the sun is out and shining brightly so I fired up the mower and proceeded to mow all the yards except for the backwoods yards which was still too wet due to all the shade trees.

We piddled around the cabin and yards with me on safari for beetle buggies and then I loosened some of the soil around the rain plastered garden plants. Hopefully I can save some of them. Well I just came in from letting Sugar(the Triplett pup) outside and it's like a winter morning in Florida with cold temps in the low 50's. Annsley came down around 6:45 after climbing over the child safety gate. Well it looks like its going to be busy morning so I will sign off for now, LATER

Sunday

Well Saturday was another rainy day and at times we were in torrential down pours which I only thought happened in Florida. We had a little over 3 inches in less than 12 hours which made for soggy ground and flooded creeks. We decided to head to Galax, Va. after our morning quiet times and lite breakfast. During the night I awakened several times with excruciating pain in my left shoulder and bicep. I pulled a muscle deep in my blade area and it radiated down into my arm. I loaded up on a sports cream gel which helped and the ibuprofen. I went all day long without any serious pain and thought I had the problem taken care; I even forgot about it most of the day.

We stocked up on some goodies, toys for the grand kids, clothes and even dog treats for Star their puppy dog. It poured rain while we were in Galax but did see some lessening of the rain as we ventured back toward the cabin after a lunch stop at the Mountain Surf Restaurant. We had a late lunch as our tummy's were growling and the food was delicious and plentiful. So much so we skipped our planned supper and had a soft beef taco with sour cream, onion and lettuce and of course I had a jalapeno pepper on mine. The restaurant we ate at had pintos on the menu and when Nancy tasted them she was instantly reminded of the taste of the beans Maw Maw(Aunt JoAnn/Mom) use to make for us with bird egg beans as we called them, but in reality they were October beans. The flavor was awesome as she let me taste them as I had opted for fried okra with my lunch. The manager of the place stated her husband made the pintos from dried beans he prepared himself along with a little fatback(pork).

We came back and unloaded the truck and the rain actually ceased with only an occasional sprinkle for the rest of the afternoon. I actually saw the outline of the sun through the overcast and fog. We could hear the water running down from the top of the mountain into our usually dry gully behind the cabin. I did a walk around the gardens and they(lettuces, beets,spinach and Swiss chard) looked terrible as they were plastered to the ground and waterlogged. It will be difficult to revive them especially if it stays like this many more days. I hope who ever is praying for rain(as I have done on numerous occasions) ceases for a few days.

We decided we needed to take a hike as Nancy purchased some new gum boots while we were shopping. It was a good time to try them out so we headed up the mountain trail behind the cabin and then onto the back road which had water running down the middle from the run off on top. She splashed in the water and christened the new boots while walking in every mud puddle along the way. We saw no one on top and then headed back down. I went on safari and captured 50 or more Japanese beetles and gave them a proper send off for a critter eating my plants. We then turned a couple quarts of wine berries into a liquid pulp as we removed most of the seeds and then froze the pulp into plastic bags for later use. Its hard to believe how many seeds these delicate berries have and at one time Nancy thought they were seedless as the seeds are very small.

After that cleanup I tuned into the Rays vs the Yankees on the Internet and watch the Rays win 1-0 in another complete game by a rookie pitcher. Well it was after 6 so we decided to have a lite supper then we channel surfed and I finished a good read by Karen Robards titled SLIVER. She is an action packed novel writer and I will look for more of her books. I headed for the showers and made a mistake of hot water on the muscles of the shoulder blade; because sometime after midnight this morning, I awakened with that terrible pain once again. I know better and should have iced the area instead of the heat; oh well and I once took a course in the care of athletic injuries and ice is always the best treatment for any muscle injury until the inflammation is gone and then heat is added slowly while alternating with ice. We are our own worst patient when it comes to smart treatment as I would have told any number of people to always ice first, Oh well!!!

It's worship day at Cornerstone, our local church in Sparta, N.C.  So after our quiet time and a lite breakfast we will attempt to "ford the creek"( an old country saying) and head out. We have a couple stops to make while in Sparta after church before making the cabin ready for Bobby and family who are driving from Florida after he conducts a service at Element Church in Tampa. They should get in sometime before or around midnight. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers for safe travel,  LATER

A Rainy Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a really nice day with some rain clouds around and lots of fog and mist on top of the mountains, but for the most part it stayed dry with nice temps and some sunshine; enough that Nancy dried a load of clothes outside on the clothesline. After our usual hot drinks, quiet time and my posting of this ramble I headed out to check on the chickens and the gardens. I actually gave the lettuce that survived the floods a little drink as they looked a little peaked with just a little miracle grow mixed in. I saw some new growth in the Swiss chard and in the spinach the past couple days. The chickens laid another egg down 50% from yesterday.

I rescreened a couple window screens as during the winter months pine cones and debris are blown by the wind into the screens causing small holes which when we have the lights on at night over the table while playing games; little buggies manage to squeeze through and become a nuisance. We decided to get our hike out of the way early so off we went to the top of the mountain. Well, we ran into Ann and Sandy once again as they were doing some mowing and little odd jobs outside. He was burning some sticks, limbs and leaves that had accumulated while they had been away for over a year. His attitude seemed better with the physical work and being outside after being laid up for so long. We visited for awhile then Joe another neighbor came by and we chatted with him before continuing on. It was great to see some folks on this side of the mountain for a change. Sarah was up but she never ventured outside her cabin.

We headed on across and saw Norm was outside with who we thought may have been one of his sons visiting. He was up and about and that was a good sign. The Browning were gone as they deliver meals on wheels on Friday so we headed on back down the mountain. It was a nice day for hiking with no humidity. We ate a salad for lunch with the left over venison on top and some of the delicious rosemary bread Nancy picked up on Thursday. After lunch we decided to put the orange fence up around the porches and deck railing. That usually takes a couple hours but we've done it so many times and now have a system worked out. The fence helps to protect any of the grand kids from accidentally slipping through the railing onto the ground below. In some spots the distance to the ground is 10 or more feet. Afterwards we fired up the golf cart and took our first ride over to Helen's our "mountain moms" beautiful place and cabin.

We had a nice visit and her yards are so lush and green. It's amazing at her young age of 85 she keeps it looking great. She is quite the worker and one of her biggest joys is on her riding Kubota mower with the trailer hooked behind filled with her tools working her land. There were some nasty looking rain clouds so we headed home but they dissipated and once more we were rain free. I had set up a pickle ball match at 6:30 with 3 other guys at the Roaring Gap Club. Since we had a large lunch we decide to just boil a couple dogs and make dog tacos with cukes, onions and mustard on a soft burrito wrap. Very tasty and not real heavy as I was about to enter into some strenuous  exercise.

I picked up neighbor Gerald and we played for over 2 hours. He and I with a combined age of around 130 years putting a whupping on 2 younger fellow of about 75 combined years. We had a great workout with lots of wet shirts. The skies had some dark and ominous clouds but the rain stayed away. On the way back to the cabin the roads were wet in some areas but none

at the cabin until the wee hours of the morning when the skies opened up and a steady pour hasn't stopped as I make this post. At times the lightning flashes and there are deep rumbles of thunder in the distance with extremely heavy rains. There goes the rest of the garden as well as more deep ruts in the road from the run off. Luckily Gerald has a tractor and scrapper and keeps those ruts filled in.

Sometime in the night when the rain fell on the tin roof, I awaken with severe pain in my left shoulder and arm as I must have slept on it wrong; so it was some ibuprofen and a rub down with some good pain relieving gel by nurse Nancy. I was able to get some relieve until this AM but needed another run down on my non-playing arm, what's that all about?? Oh well just another page in as we age, LATER Nancy put up a few pics of our beautiful Rose of Sharon which I started from a seedling given to us by Jetta many years ago and of the fried bass we caught at our "mountain moms' pond.

 

Just a reminder as there is just a week to go before the Ribbon Gift offer expires

Just an update and for those of you who are interested in Christmas shopping in July here is a chance to save some $$$ and to get some great products. I'm an Independent Business Operator with Amway. I have a fantastic team leader who each month offers a promo; usually it's a BOGO(buy one get one free) on a product(s)that Amway is the sole distributor. That means you can not purchase these products in a store but only through Amway, anyhow I've been doing this for a couple years now and it's kind of fun, plus we get some fantastic vitamins, supplements from the Nutrilite Company which is based in Michigan, also great cleaning products called Legacy of Clean and many other products. We use these 2 categories everyday and now this month of July the promo is for the Ribbon Gift Cards. This month they are Bogo as well and what ever gift card you purchase another identical card is sent to you. I purchased the Delicious Ribbon Gift card and with it I could order several different meats; steaks, lobster, shrimp, King Crab, chicken etc. Anyhow you the purchaser of the gift card decide what you want and it's shipped free of charge to you in dry ice when you redeem the card. I can attest to the quality of the steaks and hamburger from the mid-west.

I also purchased the gift card for new brides and grooms and they can decide what they want, when they want it as the card never expires. All Ribbon Gift Cards and the products are shipped FREE Always when redeemed. That saves you wrapping the gifts, postage and then keeping the receipt if they don't like your gift and returning it; this way the receiver chooses what they like and orders it and this month you get the extra gift card in the same amount you purchase. Great Savings and that cuts your costs in half. Also you don't have to order the same gift with your Free card as there are usually 25 plus products to choose from within that category. Send me an email if interested or call or make a comment and I will get back to you ASAP and this offer expires July 31st. Our website store is www.amway.com/JNTriplett

Friday

Well Thursday turned out to be a scripted day if you actually were able to ask for the perfect day for weather. It was in the high 50's and reached around the middle to high 70's by the afternoon. There were a couple rain clouds around early in the morning, but none fell and the humidity was zilch. Lots of sunshine and blue skies that was around most of the day. The gardens are drying out and the water has stopped running down from the top of the mountain into our what is usually a dry gulch.

After our quiet times and a lite breakfast of cereal and fruit I headed out to check on the gardens and the chickens next door. We are sort of "chicken sitting" and we were rewarded with 2 eggs today from 3 birds. While the chickens are basically black and brown the eggs were white, what's with that? Anyhow after gatherings the eggs I headed on back to my gardens for a walk around capturing about 50 or so beetles in my bowl of water and then giving the seedlings a shot of miracle grow. On a couple of bean plants I have a handful of beautiful and delicious 1/2 runner beans that are ready to pick. It will take a couple pickings of them to make a mess(meal) but they keep well in the fridge.

Our friend DJ came around 8:30 from down near Winston for some "man time" as he has 3 beautiful daughters which are still home for the time being. The oldest 2 are in college and the youngest is a senior this year. We have know the family since before DJ and Jenny were married and they have been a regular at our home in Seminole and here at the cabin for years. We loaded up some fishing poles, worms and headed to our "mountain moms" pond for some action. The bass and blue gill were feeding and we hooked and landed enough for supper while our fishin' lines were broken by a whopper bass and a nice one jumped back in the water after landing it, breaking the line and taking the lure back to the depths. We had a great time with lots of bass hits and just a perfect morning for being outside with a fishin' pole.

We got back to the cabin and Nancy was still in town at the hair dressers so we got some target practice in with his .22.  He ran several clips through at a couple plastic milk bottles I set up in the woods as we shot from the back porch. Nancy showed up a little after twelve so we settled down to a fresh salad and some specialty Rosemary bread she picked up from a small bakery in Sparta, Yeow was that ever delicious. We visited for another hour or so then DJ headed back down the mountain for his home in Clemmons. We decided to get our hike in and headed for the top of the mountain on foot.

We reached the top and started across when we saw Ann and Sandy Cline for the first in over a year. Sandy suffered what was almost a fatal injury from a blow to his face and nose area that resulted in blood on the brain. It was a touch and go situation for several months and has left him with a different attitude about their mountain cabin as well. He seems well to the extent he can function while walking without assistance and even does some minor driving around their home but he has lost interest in many things he was truly adamant about before the injury. Anyhow we sat and chatted for nearly an hour and it was so good to catch up and share with them as well.

We were running late on getting back to the cabin for a scheduled phone call so we cut short the trip by the Browning's place and headed down through the woods. We made it back in time for the phone call and learned our son-in-law,Tyler has to go to Virginia next week for some important work with his job. Amy will have her hands full with Ava and Sam but GG will be there for company and pal around. We Skyped with them last night and the kids are growing up so much with Ava now having 2 of her front permanent teeth coming in and Sam is just ALL boy as he a bundle of energy. I got wore out watching his antics while skyping. Amy is really starting to show with this 3rd pregnancy. They were amazed at how cool it was here at the cabin while Florida is in the 90's + daily with high humidity.

I was out burning trash after supper when a car drove up to the cabin and a woman was seeking permission to gather Galax leaves from our land. We have an over abundance of the green vegetation that just thrives on this side of the mountain. She grew up in the area and she and her mother use to gather it for florist. It's still used today and we learned the garlic, skunk smell we occasionally smell is from the Galax plant when it's in bloom. It sends up a white spindle type of flower which gives off the pungent smell and we learned the burgundy colored leaves are from the sun that actually tans the leaves. We gave her permission to gather all she wants as she sells them at the Farmers Market in Galax and earns some income from this back breaking endeavor while we are here during the summer months.

Well despite being a sort of work free day the many trips up and down this yard as well as the steps and hike had me barely able to keep my eyes open after a hot shower. The Rays game was postponed due to rain Boston and while the book I'm reading is a good one it wasn't long after 10 PM, I was lights out, LATER

Thursday

Wednesday turned out to be another typical beautiful mountain day that started with cool temps in the low 60's and warmed up to around the high 70's with bright sunshine and blue skies. Ahhh just what we have longed for! We rolled out around 7'ish to start the day after a great sleep. It's so quiet here at night except for an occasional animal sound; no sirens, no loud vehicles or neighbors yelling or loud music all during the night. I don't miss the city at all.

After a cup of hot green tea and little cinnamon for flavor I did my usual quiet moments. After the postings of this ramble from the activities of the day before and a lite breakfast of cereal and fruit I headed out to check on the gardens and the neighbors chickens. Everything looked as well as can be expected with the gardens as the ground continues to dry out. I picked a couple more cukes and noticed the sweet potato vines are really starting to run everywhere. The chickens were fine and still no cackleberries as they do cackle a couple times a day, making us think they are laying eggs. Oh well!

I got out the bean sprayer and filled it with bleach as we had green mold growing on several places along the deck and railing as well as black mildew on some of the boards under the porches. Well with just a fine spray in just very little time both of the mold and mildew are gone. I even sprayed my shed and it looks as if I just stained it; what a difference a little bleach makes. That kept me busy until it was time for a hike to the top of the mountain. We saw Joe walking along the back road with Zeke and we walked together up the back trail to the top. We stopped and visited briefly with Norm bringing him his mail. Norm is not doing so well with his leg troubles as the open sores will just not heal.

Well after leaving Joe at his place we headed home for a lite lunch before we tackled another pressing job and that was rendering several quarts of wine berries into juice for 2 batches of jellies and a batch of wine at a later date. What a job that is as the berries have tons of very fine seeds and while I use an old fashion deseeder still lots of the small seeds get through into the final product. I use the blender to smash the berries into a liquid and then pour that into the desseder and then we have to measure out the right amount for the jelly making process which in itself is a "use every pan in the kitchen job" plus red berry juice is everywhere, oh well it one of those jobs that will bring a smile to your palate when you spread it on a hot biscuit or sip it in glass.

After the berry rendering job I planted another couple rows of sweet corn and transplanted some flower seedlings that I forgot what they were from a seed packet the rain didn't wipe out, oh well I hope they were flowers and not weeds. I then went on safari for Japanese beetles and collected quite a number of them before deciding it was supper time as I could smell a venison roast Nancy had in the oven. The smell was awesome as the aroma drifted out beyond the cabin. Along with some smashed taters and sautéed spinach we had us a delicious supper. My oh my, what fine eatin' and the gravy from the roast on top of the taters was the best ever.

Nancy decided she would clean up the supper dishes if I wanted to pick wine berries again. So I donned long pants and a long sleeved shirt and ventured into the middle of the berry patches. These berries are ripening every day and many are falling off the vine. We are just about sick of both picking them and processing them as well but while last year there was hardly a handful to even eat this year they are in over abundance mode. They are a tasty morsel and rather pretty to look at as well. I picked another 2 quarts so I will be able to render them down and freeze the juice for my"fruit of the vine".

Well we tuned into the Rays game and they are playing good ball with good pitching once again and we defeated the Red Sox 5-1 last night. We are enjoying the Rays on the tube which seldom happens here in the mountains. After a hot shower it was bed time with just a few minutes into a good book before my eye lids grew heavy, LATER 

Wednesday

We were so pleased to see NO RAIN for a day and Tuesday was just that day. We have had rain everyday for over a month and as of now we are almost 10 inches over for the year. Just by our gauges we have had close to 20 inches since June 4th. That's why we now have water running constantly out of the dry gully below our cabin. Did I say dry gully; well not anymore. The gardens are still muddy but the dry day made for a whole lot of difference in the plants composure. Yea for a dry day as we have begun to literally mildew and mold.

Well enough of trying to say we have had enough rain. The morning started around 6'ish with birds singing loudly and the dew dripping from the dormer onto the tin roof and a lonely crow cawing off in the distance. After a cup of hot green tea with a little cinnamon I spent a few quiet moments to give thanks, reflect and lift up those who need some additional thoughts and prayers. We then sat down to a breakfast of left over Italian sausage, fried eggs, grits and toast to start the juices flowing. It was a bit nippy this AM with temps in the low 60's and it did finally reached close to 80 by the afternoon with bright sunshine and blue skies.

I decided to weed whack and then mow which took all morning and even into the early afternoon. The yards hadn't been mowed in quite a spell due to the ground being soggy and of course the rain which seemed to never stop. After that job I loaded up the golf cart with the spreader, bags of lime and some fertilizer as the moss was starting to show its colors once again. I loaded all of the yards with a coat of lime then added some fertilizer to the front yards as the nutrients seemed to have leeched from the soil due to all of the rain. Well the finish product was amazing as the freshly mowed yards looked so great in the brilliant sunshine.

I did some snacks like apple and celery with peanut butter for a late lunch as the breakfast was still holding for me. I then went on safari for beetle bugs and captured several as they munched on any plant that was still green and even found several on Nancy's laundry that was blowing on the clothesline in the beautiful sunshine. I headed down to try and loosen the soil around some of the existing veggies in the lower garden which always seems to be the last to dry out. I did manage to get air to the roots of the cabbage plants which should be heading up. They are still green and barely alive at this point in time. I did notice a couple small green tomatoes on the Roma and Celebrity plants in the upper garden which drains first. Maybe they will make after all. The cucumber plants seem to love this weather as I had them and the sweet potatoes hilled up so their feet(roots) stayed somewhat dry.

We took off on a hike to the top and it was just gorgeous. The faraway hills looked so lush and green as we hiked across the top. Water is till laying along the back roads in ruts but if we get a dry day or so that should be gone. We noticed lots of deer tracks in the mud and saw 2 beautiful deer on our trek to the mailbox later in the day. I spotted the same 2 deer by the road on Monday. One is a spike buck with brown fuzz covering his 4-5 inch spikes and the other is a doe. They looked healthy with all of the green browse for them to eat in the woods. Hopefully they will stay eating there, but of course my garden offers nothing delectable at this time. We stopped and visited with Joe and Jetta on top before heading back down. We always wind up talking about food in some form or another and she shared a couple peaches they purchased on the way back from Winston. One was a doughnut peach. It was shaped just like a doughnut with the round seed in the middle. That was a first ever for us and very tasty as well.

We headed back to make supper which was going on 5 o'clock so I put some marinated chicken breast on the grille and Nancy made a huge salad. I added some basil and nasturtium flowers from the garden to mine and what a beautiful masterpiece and delicious as well. Afterwards I headed out to pick wine berries while she cleaned up the supper dishes. We picked a quart then took them to the top of the mountain on the golf cart to share with the Browning and then we headed out to the mailbox.

Well it was such a beautiful dry day that we hated for it to end and Nancy captured some the ambiance in photos. The flowers especially the cones and daisies are magnificent and are showing their true colors. The black eyed Susan and bee balm flowers are showing some beautiful color as well. We just stare at their beauty as they are waist high in places and the circle drive which usually is boring is showing lots of color as well. The chickens we have been babysitting for the neighbor still have not laid any eggs for us despite the golf balls in the nests. They did lay 2 for him over the weekend but none for us as of yet.

Well we are counting down the days until son Bobby and family arrive next Sunday. We are getting excited about having Annsley and Gabe here so we have to child proof the porches and decks with an orange plastic mesh fence that will keep them from accidentally falling through the porch pilings. We have lots of little tiny toads or frogs which should be fun for them as they have multiplied due to this wet weather. I noticed several of them in the grass and when we hike they're everywhere on the back trail. Annsley loves to play with newts but we may have to play with toads instead. Gabe showed lots of interest in the newts as well last year and we had fun searching the back roads for them.

Well that's about it for Tuesday which was awesome and is usually a typical N.C. day in summer in the mountains, LATER 

Tuesday

Monday turned out to be another rainy day with just a break to start the day. We actually had some periods of sunshine and blue skies. The morning started that way so after my quiet time and a lite breakfast of cereal with fruit I loaded up some 5 gallon buckets and some empty fertilizer sacks and headed over to the Dalton Farm for some alpaca dropping for my compost pile. I've never used them before but they remind you of miniature oval shaped candy Easter eggs. What's neat about the animals is they defecate usually in the same area on a pile which made it rather easy to scoop up and put into my buckets and bags.

After getting back to the cabin with my load of droppings it started to pour down rain and it continued off and on for most of the afternoon and evening with periods of bright sunshine in between. We did manage to get in a hike later in the afternoon to the top of the mountain and saw Mike. He and Nancy were up for a day and then we saw John and Shirley's car but not them. We walked on across the top and was greeted by Zeke but saw no one else as we headed on back down to start some supper.

Supper turned out to be grilled Italian sausages with a salad but while we waited for them to cook Nancy fried up a yellow squash and we decorated it with fresh basil, thyme, cilantro and a cayenne pepper for me. That is one of my favorite ways to eat yellow squash when its sliced thin, rolled in egg and cracker meal then fried and topped with those fresh herbs, YEOW!!! Oh by the way it started pouring rain again after the hike and all through supper and after the cleanup the rain stopped and it was blue shies and bright sunshine until all most dark when the skies opened up again and it poured buckets until we got ready for bed.

Since it was raining we watched the news then found the Rays vs the RedSox on an off channel and watched some great pitching as the Rays pitched a 2 hitter and won the game 3-0. We are now tied with the Sox in our division for first place or just a couple points back. If we continue to play all aspects of the game, we(Rays) should win the division. It's a real treat to get to watch it on T.V. here in the mountains instead of on the Internet.

Well I got a call from DJ Carlson who was coming up for the day on Tuesday and do some man stuff (hiking, fishing and shooting) but he had a daughter dilemma so he cancelled for now and may try it later in the week. DJ was our kids youth pastor at Seminole for years and we have seen his 3 beautiful girls grown up and become lovely young ladies. We have several photos of the family as they were here at the cabin from the very start and now they have moved to the Clemmons area down off the mountain about and hour away. We always have a grand time when we get together and DJ was a great influence on Bobby and Amy when they were kids. Well that's about it for Monday as we have noticed several areas of black mildew have started to appear on the outside of the cabin. I had hoped to fore go using bleach this summer as I just painted or stained it last year but all of the rain and lack of sunshine is starting to take its toll, LATER  

Monday

Well Sunday started out with decent weather with some blue skies and sun shine but not for long as the afternoon and evening saw us with rain and more rain and overcast skies; so much so I cancelled our pickle ball match in the evening hours. Despite the court being a non-skid surface the skies were just to full of rain showers all around and on top of that the air had cooled down considerably.

We started the morning around 7'ish and then started getting ready for worship at Cornerstone after our usual quiet times and lite breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. Daryl Blevins, our youth pastor spoke in place of Pastor B who was on vacation with his family and Daryl did an awesome job on the continuing message of stress in our daily lives. After church we headed out to the local Mexican restaurant with the Dalton gang minus Andy who was working and with Kaitlyn and her beau Curtis. We had a very tasty meal of tacos, enchiladas, rice, refried beans and of course their delicious salsa and chips. That held us for the day except I made a guacamole around 6:30 and we devoured that with some corn chips.

It rained off and on all afternoon so we just chilled watching the Rays once again beat the Jays in a sweep and now I think they are just a game behind the Red Sox who we play for the next 4 nights in their stadium. Should be a good series. I was hoping for a rain free evening as I had 5 players lined up for pickle ball but the storms moved in so we rescheduled for another day, hopefully. We are just sick and tired of all this rain but the one good thing from it is the cool temps that come with the wet stuff. We never got to get a hike in for the day and did very little outside as the Rays game kept out interest inside. It's unusual to get their games on the tube here in the mountains but for some reason Fox Sports has been carrying the Rays station out of St. Petersburg for the past 2 days. I like it.

Nancy got into Avonlea on some channel and I read my Crazyguyonabike.com blog which is awesome with pictures from throughout the world and some of their interesting rambles. Check it out it's fun and takes you right there as these guys and gals ride bikes everywhere. We both got into the Mountain Man show late in the evening and afterwards it was hot showers. It was still raining softly as we got ready for bed, LATER

Sunday

Well Saturday turned out to be a some what dry day despite the weather fore cast for rain. We had a couple sun showers that normally would settle the dust on dry days, but other than the high humidity we stayed overcast with an occasional look at the sun. We started the morning around 6 'ish and after my quiet moments and a breakfast of oatmeal with wine and blue berries, a banana and a peach I headed out to check on the gardens. Everything looked like it did the day before; wet and barely surviving except for a few veggies. This will not be a great garden season unless the weather begins to co-operate except for the wine berries.

I donned long pants and a long sleeve shirt as I needed to penetrate the wine berry bushes to where the big fat juicy berries were ripening and that meant briers. While these bushes have stickers that will scratch you they are nothing like wild blackberry bushes that will hurt you and leave severe scratches. I picked about a 1/2 gallon or so before calling it a day and was soaked with sweat as well(the long sleeves and pants really hold the heat in). Nancy froze several bags of the berries for cobblers and jams and gave some away as well as what we eat each morning on our cereal and oatmeal. My next pickings will go towards making some "fruit of the vine" stuff.

We decided as it was close to lunch time to have a frozen pizza loaded with fresh mushrooms for lunch. While we waited for that to digest I headed out to rake more moss from the garden side of the front yard. Once again I raked several 5 gallon buckets of the green stuff from the grass and discovered lots more grass than what was showing. We decided to head to the top of the mountain for our daily hike. Once again it was lonely on top despite it being a Saturday and saw no one. After an uneventful hike we headed back down and then sort of chilled for awhile as the humidity had sweat dripping from the bough of my straw hat. The one thing that is really irritating about being outside here in the mountains is the gnats. They are 3/4 mouth and teeth with a real bite; there are some that are kamikaze that will fly right into your eyes and then some of them love to venture into my ear canals. I have this straw hat that looks like the hat you see worn by the folks in Southeast Asia. Now I can appreciate why they wear those funny conical looking hats as they help keep the bugs from your face and neck.

Well Nancy made a delicious dessert called "better than Robert Redford" to take with us to our small group gathering at the Dalton Ranch. We enjoyed a sumptuous supper of barbecue along with slaw, baked beans, sliced home grown cucumbers and then this dessert. Yeow that was some fine eatin'! Afterwards we all headed down to the barn area where they were treating some of their alpacas for a worm related illness. Nancy got some great photos and I will post them at the end of this ramble. She wanted a close up of her and their huge mild mannered Angus bull; but he was more interested in a cow. She did pet him a couple times but this was no in your face photo opt for him.

We headed on back to the house and played 3 games of Sequence and the girls won all 3 games so it was over for the night with that game. We then played a new game called Hit or Miss and once you learned how to score it was quite fun and thought provoking. We had no real winner as we made up some of the rules for the first time but I see us playing this game again as there is some strategy involved.

Well we headed for the cabin just after dark and it was close to 9:30 or so before we got home. Nancy headed for the showers and I read until it was time for some shut eye. Today Sunday I have a pickle ball match set up for the evening so lets hope the rain stays away as it did this evening which

turned out beautiful. It's time to get ready for worship at Cornerstone in Sparta, LATER

Saturday

Well Friday was mostly a cloudy, overcast with lite rain showers through out the day with major gully washers all around us, but we missed the big storms, thankfully. We headed into Sparta around 3 PM and they were just over one of those cloud busters with severe lightning and down pours.

The morning was quiet around here as I started the day a little after 6 with a cup of green tea with a little cinnamon then a few quiet moments after posting this ramble about the day before. I find I'm more wordy in the morning and wide awake especially after walking up and down these yards, mountains and stairs several times during the day. When my head hits the pillow its not long before I'm waking up around 6'ish the next morning. I do love keeping busy with this cabin living.

I headed out to the side front yard where I started on the moss infestation with a rake. I'm learning different techniques about the removal of this unwanted plant called moss. It's really kind of pretty and very lite in weight but it chokes out the good grass and leaves large spots of a lite green which makes the yards variegated in color. I raked and carried 2 at a time 5 gallon buckets of the stuff to the woods for nearly 3 hours before lunch. I had worked up an appetite by then so we sat down to a lunch of leftovers. Rain showers were evident but nothing too extreme just enough for me to decide not to get soaked; although I was rather wet from sweat. The humidity was awful but the temps were holding down into the low 70's.

Paw Paw (dad)called early in the morning and he was wishing for some rain and cooler temps as they had 3 days of over a 100 degrees in the Winchester, Va. area. The amount of rainfall here is setting all kinds of records and while everything is lush and green except for the garden plants. My herbs like dill, cilantro and basil have seem better days as well as the lettuce, beets and spinach. The 1/2 runner beans are doing O.K. as they have now reached to the top of the 6 ft. climbing wire I set up and the cucumbers are setting little nubins. The slugs and beetles are still a problem but I feel like a big game hunter as I annihilate them with the thumb and a bowl of water and eventually after they have gathered in a ball with the bottom of my boot.

We had a library run to make while in town and I picked up 3 new reads before we headed to the River Rock Grill. We met up with Helen(mountain mom) and her brother Joe and their sister Martha. I had a good meal of chicken cordon-blue, twice baked spud and green beans with a nice tasty salad loaded with feta cheese. We all had something different but Joe had the grilled hamburger steak made from a locally grown(Grayson County, Virginia) farmer that specializes in range fed beef. We had beef the night before so I will try it the next time. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal but Martha who ordered mild spicy wings and after her first bite sent her into coughing spasms and a red face. She was having a time catching her breath so the waitress brought her regular wings instead which seemed alright to her palate. I love spicy hot wings and I may have to try them sometime down the road.

Well we made a grocery stop on the way out of town for goodies for a dessert tonight(Saturday) at our small group taking place at the Dalton Ranch. I smell a victory for the guys over the gals in Sequence which will be our first match in quite a spell. We came home and the skies cleared with bright sunshine. We took our hike to the top of the mountain and saw no one except for Zeke( the Browning dog) who always greets us warmly. We headed on back down the mountain to the back yard where we picked wine berries for an hour or so before I made one last safari. I gathered about 50 or more and half of those were on my bean plants. I gave then a rather quick send off with my boot.

We settled into the Ray's vs the Jay's which were actually on T.V. and the game started with the Jay's knocking home runs and leading 4-1 when the bats came to life for the Ray's and we started hitting homers and won 8-5 in the Jay's home park. Well it wasn't long until the good hard work, a tasty meal, the hike and a hot shower had me reading but just a chapter in a new novel before it was lights out, LATER  NO PICS TODAY!!!

Friday

Well Thursday turned out to be a dry day for us  despite the high humidity and thunderheads that built during the evening. We needed another dry day after the frightening storm that swept through the area last evening dumping an inch and a half of rain with hail mixed in. Our driveway washed the worst I've seen in years. We sorta took the day off as we headed to the big city of Galax, Va. around 10:30 in the morning for some necessities.

I was awake rather early around 6 'ish so I started the day with this ramble then a few quiet moments before a hearty breakfast with a couple fried eggs. I headed out to the yards to check on the rain and hail damage and noticed some of the wine berry's had white spots where the hail struck them, although very few were on the ground so that's a good sign. We can make jelly out of the ones that were damaged. The veggie plants in the lower garden especially the newly transplanted lettuce seedlings were plastered to the wet ground and looked rather pathetic. I took a garden hoe and tried to stand them up while loosening the packed clay soil around them so some air could get to their roots. They looked a little better as the day progressed. My cilantro and dill were all but dead and the basil looked sad as well and what is left had several Japanese beetles eating away on them. So I took my bowl of water and went on safari against those munchers.I gathered about 75 of them and gave them the boot on a flat rock. I did that safari again when we got home in the afternoon and captured at least that many more; sending them away with the boot as well. I wish I knew where they laid their eggs and the larva hatched as these are mainly mature beetles so I could spray for them, oh well!!!

It was in the high 80's while we were in Galax and we even ran the a/c on the truck as the humidity was high. That's the first time we have used it since being here on the mountain except for when we headed down off the top when our company was here a couple weeks ago. The closer we got to the parkway on the way back from Galax we noticed the temperature dropped precipitously about 8 degrees. The shaded parkway reminds us of our friend Daisy who once remarked the "parkway was like a vegetable crisper in the fridge". The reason for the temp's to drop so quickly is the higher elevation. It's always around 10 degrees cooler here on the mountain than down below and the same holds true for the colder weather in the winter.

We got back to the cabin somewhere around 1:30 for a lunch of sauerkraut and hot dogs on a soft burritos roll up( we are trying to stay away from bread and desserts for a week or so) which were quite tasty. Ever since we did the pork roast with sauerkraut, kielbasa and dogs we've had a hankering for more kraut. The dogs are Oscar's top of the line and they are great with no fillers, nitrates or junk and the taste proves it to us. After a late lunch I headed out to piddle around outside working up once more a wet shirt. It had cooled down a little so we headed out for a hot afternoon hike. It was great while walking in the woods that were shaded and a nice breeze helped but once in the open the sun was rather warm. We saw where Norm hadn't picked up his mail but the door was open. I always dread finding him incapacitated so I took his mail up to his door and he was up and around and appreciated not having to venture down to his box. He has several steps to navigate as well as the hill to the mailbox.

We headed on across the top and stopped and visited for a spell with Joe and Jetta. We sat on their front porch in the shade with a nice breeze as the many hummingbirds darted in and out amongst us. They are such feisty critters and always in some kind of dispute with one another over the hanging feeders. The cold glasses of water were a blessing as we chilled and it was close to 5 o'clock before we got back down to the cabin. I potted up a cilantro plant I purchased at Wal-Mart and decided I will keep it in a pot on the back porch instead of the ground. Nancy decided on a couple of the ground beef burgers from our Delicious Ribbon Gift order we had ordered with our sirloin steaks.(Don't forget that all the  Ribbon Gifts are bogo until the end of July from our website) The meat was very tasty and not greasy at all and grilled up nicely. We had black beans and Jasmine rice to accompany them.

After the cleanup we headed out to piddle around in the gardens and I worked around the fire circle area until nearly 9 PM. All of this rain has grass growing where I don't want as well as more moss than what I know what to do with. I worked up another wet shirt and it felt great doing so. I headed right for the showers and it wasn't long until it was time to hit the sack, LATER    No pictures today via Nancy!!!

Thursday

Well Wednesday ended with a storm that came through around 7 PM that was a gully washers and then again around 9 that had tornado written all over it. The wind blew rain up and under the porches both front and back. I don't remember that happening before and the lightning and thunder was ferocious. The day started with nice clear skies and it really became our first real hot day at around 84 on the back porch around 1 PM. The humidity was high as well so I had no trouble with keeping a wet shirt as I wondered around the yards doing little piddly jobs.

After a 7 AM roll out I did a few quiet moments, posted my ramble then had a bowl of cereal with fruit before heading out to check on the gardens. I found more slugs down on the cabbages despite the Sevin dust so it was back to the old fool proof method of the thumb nail. I know it sounds nasty especially against a slug but they don't bite or sting, just leave a gooey, sticky film on your fingers. I fed the new seedlings despite the ground still being rather wet with some Miracle Grow. I also mixed up a batch for the established plants as the rain had leeched most of the nutrients the last couple weeks. Miracle Grow is like a blood transfusion to anemic plants.

It was back to harvesting Japanese beetles and I found once again tons of them and was able to capture most of them in a bowl of water. They have a tricky escape method and very good eyesight. As soon as you come near they either drop quickly to the ground or fly off. The bowl with a little water in it captures them when they fall below into the water which cause them to congregate into a ball of beetles. Makes it easy to dispose of them when they are all together with just the boot on a hard surface, oh well.

I warmed up the golf cart and loaded it with my ax, hoe and a few other tools and headed for the backwoods yards where I found lots of roots that had been exposed from all this rain and wash out. That was a job cutting and digging them out and it wasn't long until I was soaking with sweat. Now swinging that ax will give you a workout. I leveled several areas which made for bumpy mowing. I found several rocks that were showing through the ground and managed to dig them out as well. Some where so big I could barely manage to handle them so that required digging and hauling dirt to fill in the holes. Needless to say when Nancy decided it was time for a hike to the top of the mountain I was relieved to do so. The hike was much easier than what I was doing.

We saw only Norm outside on top as we hiked and he seemed in good spirits and looked good as well. He is still having leg issues as he has some wounds that will just not heal. He goes back to the VA today. Joe and Jetta were gone as they met with their son and grandsons for breakfast in Hillsville. The family was heading back to Cleveland. We headed on down off the mountain and then I piddle around with her window frame scrapping the paint off the panes that I painted and then I will antique it so she can display some of her photo's in the 6 panes.

We had a light lunch of salad and then like bad dogs we ate chocolate chip with pecans cookies for lunch. If we could just stay away from desserts and breads I'm sure with all the exercise going up and down this yard we could lose some of this spare tire. The skies clouded up and immediately dropped the temperature 10 degrees so while it was overcast with no imminent threat of rain we picked wine berries and probably picked a good quart or so that seem to ripen every couple hours. I headed out into the backwoods yard area where several volunteer wine berry bushes had grown up. I dug up 3 that were looking good and potted them for a friend; she will trade me some red raspberry bushes. I just need to find a place to plant them as the wine berry bushes spread so quickly and I have to continually cut them back or they will take over. The areas I have then planted are great and I'm thrilled they take over but the birds plant them all over the yard with their droppings.

Well around 4:30 it was time for a glass of vino and a slight rest before starting supper when we heard a car door drive up. Ray and Audean stopped by for a visit after getting back from the doctor in Elkin. Ray is not well with his legs, ears and diabetes and he can barely get around. They have him on 37 pills a day for all kinds of ailments as now he has to have tubes put in his ears due to equilibrium issues. His legs and feet hurt him so bad as well. They stayed until nearly 6:30 when we could hear thunder in the distance. We quickly made supper before the storm hit and while the lights flickered we never lost power. We unplugged everything and could hear the lightning arrestor in the basement on the breaker box zing a couple times. The strikes were close and the rain poured down. The driveway looked like a river in just moments. There goes the second seeding of new grass seeds down the drive as well as the new seedlings in the garden, Oh well.

There wasn't much to do after the storm passed so I hit the showers and then the bed with a book and by 10 PM I was out, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well 2 absolutely gorgeous days in a row with deep blue skies and brilliant sunshine. It did reach the 80 degree mark but I can always find some shade or the cool basement when it gets too hot. The water is still running down off the top of the mountain into our nearly always dry gulch. The back road that borders our property has finally been drained of most of the standing water. The garden is still quite wet but I was able to loosen up some of the soil around the roots of the plants that are left so some air can get to them. I did transplant some lettuce and Swiss chard seedling I have been growing in pots. The slugs are still in abundance and I put a dozen or so away for good with my thumb nail and then dusted the cabbages and beans with some Sevin dust.

The morning started around 7 with the birds singing and the sound of dew dripping from the dormer onto the tin roof. It was around 60 and just a perfect temperature wise way to start the day. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast with fresh picked wine berries and a peach in a bowl of cereal I headed out to check on the gardens. Once more I picked Japanese Beetles in a bowl of water and gathered 50-60 on my first pass of the gardens. I made many passes during the day and put a hurting on their masses. They will eat any and everything and they have such a voracious appetite. I headed down to check on the neighbors chickens as he is in Raleigh for the week. Still no eggs.

We took off around 11 on our hike for the day to the top. It seems to be several degrees warmer on top than down in our little corner and that's because of the sun taking so long to get straight overhead. We are nestled down in the tall trees so the mornings stay quite nice. Now after lunch when the sun is overhead it warms up considerably with the afternoon and evening sun; but it is so nice to see the sun. The flower gardens are responding to the sun as well with some many new flower heads and its just beautiful to gaze at their beauty.

I headed out to the backwoods yard to rake away a corner section of concentrated moss. I was in the shade so it made for good working conditions but I still had a wet shirt. I worked on that until after 4 when I decided to take a break on the back porch and read until supper time. We had a deer tenderloin(back strap) marinating in Italian dressing just waiting for me to pop it on the grille and Nancy cooked some fresh carrots with nutmeg and some kind of flavored rice. Yeow was that ever delicious.

After the cleanup we picked wine berries as they are coming in fast so we froze a nice bag for cobblers and hopefully enough to eventually make jam.  I would even like to make a gallon of the stuff they are named after but we will see how they are producing as it takes quite a few. We then took a long extended golf cart ride to the mailbox then to the top of the mountain. Wow it's so much easier riding up the mountain than hiking but not nearly as good for you. We visited with the Browning and learned their company(son and 3 grandsons) are leaving for Ohio in the morning. It will be quiet around there for a day or so; and on the way back down we stopped and visited with Carl Hudson and his grand daughter who were on the 4-wheeler. She(grand daughter who looks to be around 13-15) is flying back home
to Colorado tomorrow. The mountain will just be us local folks for awhile until the next round of visitors.

I tuned into the All Star game which as Nancy stated was rather boring so she flipped channels while I showered then I watched an inning or so while she was in the shower. I headed for the sack and read about 15 minutes when I no longer could hold my eyes. The strangest sound woke us up around 3 AM when it sounded like a couple house cats were having a contest on who could create the weirdest noise. We know of no house cats here in the mountain so maybe it was a bobcat or even a mountain lion. Did I mention a black bear was seen on top a couple weeks ago right where we hike everyday, LATER     Nancy had to use up some cookie dough so I had to help her dispose of them as well!!!

Tuesday Morning

Monday was a hallelujah day with bright sunshine and temps that reached close to 80. It was a typical summer day for the mountains and we basked in the sunshine. Finally some of the rust, mold, mildew and slugs saw a bad day for them. There was a nice breeze in the afternoon and a few thunderheads around, but no precipitation fell upon us. The morning started much the usual despite the late hours on Sunday night with our game playing guests and nearly midnight before we hit the sack. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast I headed out as I could see blue skies overhead and the sunlight streaking through the tall trees that surround our abode. The sound of water rushing down below the garden was still evident as the hill side drains from its saturation of rain from the past couple of weeks.

I got a bucket of fertilizer and started giving what's left of the garden plants some much needed nutrients as the constant rain leeched the soil. I did pick a nice cucumber and saw where several more are starting to develop. I had hilled them up so their roots weren't constantly in the water as they don't like wet feet(roots). I then headed to the berry patches and with a cup of water began to hunt for Japanese beetles. I captured about 75 of them from the berries and flower gardens and anything else it seemed to have new growth. They aren't particular as they will eat anything. After my cup runneth over, I did away with them with the big boot(a nice way to say I squashed them).

Nancy had hung a couple loads of laundry on the clothesline(they (beetles)even were on the clothes) and then we got ready for our daily hike to the top of the mountain. It was magnificent with the deep Carolina blue skies and bright sunshine. We stopped and visited with Joe and Jetta and their 3 grandsons who were down with their father for a few days from Ohio. Wow have those boys shot up in height since we last saw them. We headed on back down the mountain for a bite of lunch then I warmed up the riding mower and mowed the yards. Afterwards I spread new grass seed, lime and fertilizer on the backwoods yard as well as limed the just mowed yards. (I know that may seem confusing but the front and back yards are without trees whereas the backwoods yard has many trees).

It was going on 4 o'clock by the time I finished and I had a 6:30 pickle ball match so I rested on the back porch with a book for an hour or so before eating some leftovers for supper. Bob called and we had a nice long conversation while he drove home. He and the family will be here 2 weeks from today for a week's visit. He wants to ride horses and possibly let Annsley and Gabe set on one as well, so I need to contact my horse owner friends and set that up. I'll set up the trout fishing at the trout farm up off the parkway and we should get some good pictures of the kids as they fish as well as enjoy an excellent supper of fresh caught mountain trout(even if we don't catch any the owner can scoop enough from his holding tanks with a net). That has always been a must for all our company when they visit here, but the last couple years we heard they went out of business and just recently got a new number to call from the owner.

Well pickle ball was awesome at the outside court in Roaring Gap. There were 4 of us and we wore each other down for nearly 2 1/2 hours. Ted, Rick, Craig and myself played several sets until nearly 9 PM and set up another match for next Sunday evening. It is such a beautiful setting and the court is perfect for pickle ball despite it being built for paddle ball. It's the same dimensions and has high metal screening(fencing) surrounding the playing area so there is very little of chasing the ball. I headed out after dark and saw lots of wild life on my home; rabbits, raccoons and deer were out in force alongside the roadway into the cabin.

Well it was a fun filled day with lots going on with us. Nancy had her camera out taking lots of photos and today I'm going to get out a many paneled window frame for her to set up a collage of pictures, LATER