Thursday

Well Wednesday was just another day that started out looking like rain and clouds but eventually cleared off and temps stayed up an into the lower 60's. I managed to get a little work done until the rotor-tiller quit running and then I spent time and $$$ on ordering a new carburetor which won't get here for at least 3 weeks or so. Neighbor Gerald is going to replace the part for me so I can return the tiller to Norm on top of the mountain next spring.

I hung out a couple loads of laundry after our quiet times and a lite breakfast to start the day. We managed to get a hike in to the top and saw Norm. I explained to him about the tiller quit running and how Gerald and I did all kinds of functions to correct the problem but the engine just would not get any fuel unless the choke was out and then you lost all power to till up the ground, oh well!! Since I borrowed it I felt it was my problem to make it work properly again.

I started putting away the fire circle benches and doing some getting ready to winterize the place. I have lots to do today before the heavy rains are fore casted to hit tonight and tomorrow. We worked on cleaning up some more leftovers for lunch and then we thawed out some trout I had caught when Bob and family were here earlier this summer. They were oh so good; fried crispy and brown for supper.

We sat around and read until supper time then after the cleanup we watched the Fox News channel until the ball game came on. Gerald came up to watch the first 4 innings then when Boston went up by 3 runs he headed for home. They were leading by 5 runs when I cut it off and headed to bed, LATER Nancy captured a little more color in the trees around the cabin.

Wednesday

Well despite the predictions for inclement weather for Tuesday it turned out to be a rather fine day with temps reaching into the 60's and mostly sunshine. We hung clothes on the line and they dried while we were in Galax for a shopping run. This morning their forecast is for sunshine and it's been raining softly since before daybreak, oh well!!

We started the day around 8'ish on Tuesday and could tell the outside temps were not really cold as it has been the past week or so. It felt like a spring morning with dew dripping from the roof, birds were singing and the air had that smell, ahhh!! After our quiet time and a lite breakfast I hung a load of laundry before heading out to town. The Feds must still have the parks closed as Cumberland Knob was closed for some reason as we went by both times. Several cars were parked on the shoulder of the parkway.

We loaded up once again as we plan for meals for a shut-in friend, homecoming at Cornerstone and then dessert for our "mountain mom" and her siblings on Friday night. Seems we were in a funk as we forgot to return the burner trays we purchased last week at Wal-Mart that don't fit despite being advertised for our stove and we forgot to look for Bragg's apple cider vinegar as Nancy is now mixing that with cranberry juice and using for her acid reflux. Carol and Dan use it regularly and have convinced Nancy that it works and so far it has helped with her discomfort.

We got back to the cabin around 2:30 then we took a nice hike to the top of the mountain. It was almost short sleeve and shorts weather. We stopped and talked with Jetta for a few and then Zeke decided to walk with us for a ways before heading off into the woods after a smell. We came back and sat on the deck reading for an hour or so before eating some leftover sauerkraut and pork for supper, yeow was that ever delicious. After the cleanup I got ready to pickup neighbor Gerald for pickle ball at Cornerstone around 6:30. We had 5 players and got a good workout both playing and moving the chairs to uncover and cover the court. It was going on 9 before we got back to the cabin. I headed for the showers and wasn't long before I headed in for some horizontal reading before lights out at 11, LATER  

Tuesday

Well its sure quiet around here after the last of our guests left for warm sunny Florida. Dan and Carol pulled out around 8:30 after Nancy fixed  a nice breakfast of ham, egg and toast to send them on their way. The temps had moderated to nearly 50* after a couple of cold mornings.

We did our quiet times then put some towels in the laundry and then headed out for our daily hike to the top of the mountain. It had warmed up close to 60 by the time we headed back down. The clouds moved in and we had a few sprinkles so it was time to take the clothes off the line and pop them in the dryer. The light rain stayed around for most of the afternoon so I decided to read. I finished KILLING JESUS by Bill O'Reilly and what a great read from the historical perspective. All of his books should be a mandatory read for history classes.

We heated up some leftover tortilla soup for supper and it was even more tasty than when it was prepared a couple days ago, yeow is that ever a good meal. I finished the last piece of pumpkin cheese cake so now all of the desserts are gone. We will take a break from the rich food eatin' for a couple days as we must work on our spare tires. We ate rather healthy except for when eating out with fried taters chips and French fries which we seldom eat at home. We did have smashed taters a couple times which are great leftover in tater cakes, oh well!

After the clean up I headed out to hike up the back trail and then down the back road for a small workout. I was looking for any deer that might be moving just before dark and I saw none but did see fresh tracks in my herb garden overnight. They once again mowed down my parsley which survived the freeze. Most of the potted flower are history for this year as well as the Zinnias which made it through several nights of close to freezing temps but the big freeze in the teens did them in. I clipped the heads off to dry out for next years planting as well as pulled up the peppers. I did manage a handful of red peppers to dry. The collards seem to love the freezing temps and look healthy and vibrant as well as does the red leaf lettuce, spinach, oregano, thyme, beets and arugula.

I tuned into Fox news and see where our leaders in the gov't have been lying to us about this health care fiasco as well as other scandals all along. When are we going to wake up America? Well its depressing to realize that our leaders are down right liars. Oh well!!! I managed to watch the Red Sox beat the Cardinals and now have the chance to win the series in Boston on Wednesday, LATER

Monday

Well it's not nearly as chilly this AM at nearly 50 degrees as the past few days. Sunday was a busy day after an early wake up around 7 AM as two of our guests were moving on to Petersburg, Va. for a visit after church and then lunch out with the Dalton Family.

We started the day with everyman for himself for breakfast; some had grits and cheese, some had oatmeal with banana and some ate pumpkin bread. We were ready for our 9:30 departure ahead of time which is hard to understand because usually Nancy and I are pushing in to make that deadline with just the 2 of us, oh well! We took 2 vehicles once again minus the walkie as The Tracy's had the back seat loaded as well as their trunk. We met up at Cornerstone which turned out to be a roller coaster ride with race car driver Dan leading the way and the Tracy's following.

We heard a good sermon about servant hood and the music was awesome as well. We decided to go to the River Rock Grill for lunch and met up with the Mechelle, Andy and Caleb there as well. The lunch was superb and afterwards we said our good-byes to Patrick and Kathryn. We really got to known them and Patrick kept us in stitches with his Indian dialect and we learned Kathryn is an awesome cook as well as a cancer survivor. I know this will be a lasting friendship as well as an integral part of house church at Element.

We headed back to the cabin in warm sunshine that reached nearly 60 by late afternoon with blue skies. We digested for an hour or so watching football then decided it was time to work off some of that lunch which included fried potato chips, yeow were they ever delicious dipped in ranch dressing. We made it to the top of the mountain without any fan fare and the views were awesome. We think peak has passed this area as the colors where still there but the vividness left with the hard freeze on Friday night. The gals saw some bitter/sweet vines loaded with berries down into the brier patch so I sacrificed my body for them and was pulled from the patch while holding onto a walking stick. The things I do for their entertainment.

We made it back down the slippery trail with only one casualty slipping to their backsides and that was me in dramatic fashion. The gals then arranged furniture and pumpkins intertwined with the bitter/sweet vines along with some leaves on a block of sawed wood for their photo op for over an hour; interrupting our game watching at times. They had a great time setting up their shoot on Face Book and then reacting to all the comments about their shoot. That left Dan and I plenty of good football viewing with some good games. Thankfully we didn't have to watch the Bucs play.

We had a lite supper of salad along with ham, cheese and some left over chicken for me and then some cheesecake for dessert. We then played some Phase 10 and a game of Golf. The gals were victorious in both games as we had an ear to the Cardinal vs the Red Sox game which the Sox were leading when we called it a night, LATER

Sunday

Well it was the coldest we've been exposed to in many years as it dropped to 17* by early Saturday morning. Ice was everywhere and even my spigot by the well house froze shut; luckily the water pipes inside the well house were not frozen but I was worried they might be so I shut the water pump off when we left for the

day; of course by the afternoon the spigot had thawed out.

We took off on a road trip down to Boone and the Mast general Store in two separate vehicles with the walkies in each car. Nancy had us in hysterics as she mimicked sirens, animals and then Patrick, Mr. Indian himself better known Chipolte helped keep us laughing as well. We visited the store and made some must needed buys and that place was elbow room only. We stopped at a barbecue house in Boone for a late lunch/early dinner before heading back towards Sparta via a different route.

We stopped off at a fruit stand on 221 for apples and gourds before making a final stop at the Church of the Frescoes in Glendale Springs. They were impressive with that stop. We headed home as the temperatures began drop quite quickly once again. I built a nice bonfire and we all gathered around the fire for warmth. The gals brought out the fixin's for smores and quickly everyone but me had one stuffed in their mouths. I passed as I wanted a piece of the chocolate silk pie later during the ballgame.

We skipped any game playing as all was tired from the trip. Nancy and the girls were all on their Face Book pages sharing and posting pictures. I headed for the down stairs shower and then shortly thereafter for the horizontal lab. I learned this AM the Cardinals came back in a thrilling finish to win, LATER   Photos to follow!!!

On another interesting note a couple we saw at the Doughton Park overlook were there visiting as well and I struck up a conversation with them. His relatives were from the log cabin at the foot of the mountain and they use to attend Cornerstone so we made friends of them quickly. They were James and Tina Fender from Sparta.
 

Saturday

Well Friday started with a killing frost and evidence of snow covering portions of the cabin with little or no accumulation on the ground except for the higher ridges in the area where the ground was covered and trees were white with the frozen stuff. We had high 20's to start the day which mainly had lots of sunshine; yet a strong breeze kept the wind chill down somewhere in the low 20's.

We all slept in until the 8'ish hour and one of our party pushed 9 before strolling down the stairs. Nancy and I were up much earlier as we were able to get in an abbreviated quiet time before the others emerged from the cool upstairs. The little gas heater has done a remarkable job in keeping us all rather warm and cozy but all the cooking and body heat from us has helped as well. I'm not sure if it could handle a dead of winter job of the only source of heat but so far I think this is the coldest it has had to perform.

We had a large breakfast around 10 Am of sausage, eggs, toast and grits before we got ready to do the touristy thing in downtown Sparta. Kathryn and Patrick is making their first trip to our area and its fun to show it off. We took 2 separate cars but were connected by our walkie talkie radios which we all get a laugh out of our transmissions. We first stopped and visited the Mountain Dreams Realty on our way into town after taking them the scenic route . The views were awesome with the leaf change and of course the white stuff made for great pictures in the higher elevations.

After a nice visit with Paula as she really knows this area and is quite a card as well we headed to the coffee/ bakery at Becca's Backwood Bean. We all had lattes and whatever sitting around in her cozy ambiance place. Afterwards we walked through the towns many shoppes and we all made some purchases to help the economy. We laughed and cut up the entire time. After leaving downtown Sparta we made a grocery store stop before heading out to the Blue Ridge Gallery where our old friends Joe and Melia show off their artist talents. He is quite the jewelry maker and she is a seamstress. We purchased a couple knit hats and some area photographs before taking  a different scenic route home. It was going on 4 o'clock before we got back to the warm cozy cabin. Since we had skipped lunch we decided to do an early supper and Kathryn wanted to prepare a special meal for us. The chicken scaloppini was out of this world with fresh mushrooms, capers and all sorts of delicious tastes over a bed of bow tie pasta, Yeow was that ever good. We munched on cheese and crackers with a little fruit of the vine while enjoying the aromas from the stove. It was a sumptuous meal and after the cleanup we got right into a competitive game of Sequence with the gals vs guys. Well once more the gals were on fire and we only managed 2 wins out of 7 games.

Since it was still rather early we decided to play Oh -ell. Well this was a new game to both Patrick and Kathryn and Patrick had us in stitches with his attempt to learn the game which we think is rather simple to learn. We laughed so hard we thought we were going to burst our sides after such a filling meal, especially when Patrick does his Indian dialect which is right-on. I think I will introduce him to our friends up here as a visitor from that country, he is hilarious. Well the guys managed to barely scrape out a victory in that game with me having the best score(of course I was the scorekeeper). I was even challenged once by the opposing sex of my abilities to accurately conduct that transaction. I always say "figures don't lie; but liars figure". I was vindicated by showing my work(math class paid off).

 Oh well we had a loud and raucous time and it was then time for a hot shower and then into the warm snugly flannel sheets around midnight, LATER  

Friday

Wow what a change in the weather in just a few hours. We had big wet snow flakes last night and it's into the 20's this AM. It was tough to roll out of those warm flannel sheets this cold Friday morning. Thursday was a bit blustery with a strong breeze for most of the day and we did see some temps that stayed mainly in the 40's with lots of sunshine.

We started the day with a late roll out as our guests seemed to like sleeping in as well. Kathryn was the late riser around 9'ish. We ate pumpkin bread for a lite breakfast before we headed up the back trail for a hike around 10:30. We showed everyone the houses that were for sale and of course our beautiful views we see everyday. We were able to make out the buildings in down town Winston-Salem. We stopped and visited with Jetta and Zeke followed for a walk in the woods.

We got back a little after noon so we were famished due to the lite breakfast and I brought up the pot of tortilla soup from the basement Nancy has prepared ahead of time. Yeow was that ever tasty along with the ham and cheese on bakery bread. We lounged around after lunch while Kathryn and Patrick took off to town from some groceries as she wanted to prepare one of her specialty dishes for us tonight. They had a grand time in our small town of Sparta and found their way back safely.

Nancy had a bone-in pork roast in the oven with sauerkraut and the warm smells permeated the cabin which had our taste buds salivating. Patrice brought some DVDs on the Truth Series by and awesome speaker and we watched the 50 minute video before we started with supper. Nancy had smashed taters, sauerkraut, kielbasa and dogs along with the roast and it was delectable. We were so full we passed on dessert.

We decided we wanted to watch our win less hometown football team(Buccaneers) get mauled by the local favorite team(Panthers) here in the mountains and it wasn't pretty as we showed everyone how to be the number one team for awfulness in the NFL. We lived up to our reputation; but on a merrier note the Cardinals came back after the big loss the night before to the Red Sox's. So that cheered us up.

While playing a game of Balderdash which Nancy and Carol won(the biggest liars) we heard rain on the tin roof which we felt would surely turn to snow and it did. The flakes were huge and it snowed rather steady for a period. This AM the porch and deck railing were covered as well as the cars and plants. The temps were in the high 20's as we started the day, LATER

Thursday

Well Wednesday was spent getting ready for our Florida guests. It turned much colder than we have seen so far this October. We did have some bright sunshine and blue skies but the wind made it feel much colder than the thermometer read. We stayed around the cabin with the heat on and a chuck roast in the oven which helped with keeping the cabin warm as well as the smell of a roast simmering made for a mouth watering ambiance.

The day started around 7:30 'ish which was just the beginning of dawn. We could hear the whine of jet engines from the high altitude planes that fly over the cabin due to the barometric pressure change from the front that was moving through the area. We only notice them when fronts come through during cold weather. We did our usual quiet times then had a bowl of oatmeal to start the day. After the clean up I headed out to check on the seedlings which I will have to bring in the basement tonight because of the freeze warning issued for the area.

I piddled around doing little odd jobs while Nancy did her usual touch ups for when guests are expected. I did the vacuuming and then touched up the basement as some of us will probably shower down there. We did take a golf cart ride to the mailbox in the early afternoon and it was chilly riding along with the stiff cold wind. Our first guest(Patrick and Kathryn) arrived around 3 'ish right on time with their prediction. We enjoyed showing them around as this was their first time here. They loved our place and the surrounding atmosphere and how we had decorated with mostly our own hand made furniture and what knots. We had a grand time showing them how GOD had a hand in us acquiring this little piece of heaven here on earth right from the beginning with the purchase of the property.

Our neighbors and second guests(Dan and Carol) arrived closer to 6'ish and the temps had really started to fall by then. We were amazed at how each of them were so looking forward to the cold temps. We actually reduced the heater setting as the body heat and cooking made it a little warm as well and they looked forward to the cool upstairs bedrooms for sleeping. We had a sumptuous meal of beef, taters and carrots with bakery bread and then pumpkin cheesecake. We played a game of LOGO and Patrick was the winner and then just 5 of us played HIT or MISS( Kathryn opted out for a shower) and Nancy won that one. A good time was had by all. We watched a little of the World Series and it was a runaway game for the Red Sox over the Cardinals 8-1. It was close to midnight or after before it was lights out for me, LATER 

Wednesday

Well Tuesday turned out to be a rather nice day with moderate temps in the high 50's, lots of mostly sunshine until later afternoon and a breeze that made for drying laundry quickly. There is nothing like the smell of clothes dried outside on a clothesline. We are expecting some really cold temps in the next few days and even the possibility of rain turning to sleet and snow. The temps were about 15 degrees colder this AM than on Tuesday when we awakened to start the day.

After our quiet times we had a lite breakfast of oatmeal for Nancy and a leftover buckwheat cake for me with a ripe banana on top, yeow is that ever delicious. I headed down to the basement to start the washing machine before heading out to herd all of the fallen leaves in the backwoods yard. That kept me busy most of the morning as I hauled several large cans of leaves to the lower garden. I will run the rotor-tiller next week and till them under for composting this winter. I figured if leaves can grow forests surely it can help grow some garden vegetables. I already have planted my taters and covered them with an extra layer of leaves.

We had a lite lunch of salad before Nancy took off for her hair appointment in Sparta. I stayed behind and worked on getting the firewood ready for campfires for when our guests arrive. I'm sure we will have a bonfire if its not too windy. I picked lettuce, spinach, beet greens and a little Swiss chard and cleaned it for salad fixins' from the upper garden as well as some green and red peppers. The 2 collard plants are looking good and will be ready for fixin' in the next couple days especially with this cold weather.

I then took it easy and read for an hour or so as I had a scheduled 6:30 meeting on the pickle ball court at Cornerstone. We fixed a frozen pizza and had a salad for supper before I headed out with neighbor Gerald. We had 6 players to start and picked up 2 more before 4 had to leave early which left us with 4 players to finish the evening play. It was a good time of play and it was nearly 9 PM when we called it a night. The temps were still rather nice in the 50's as we headed home. It wasn't long before we could hear rain falling on the tin roof which indicated the beginning of the front coming our way. Nancy had put our flannel sheets on the bed and my oh my what a soft feeling as we slide between the covers, LATER

Tuesday

Well Monday was a chilly frosty morning with temps down into the 20's and frost everywhere at our "mountain moms" cabin which is about 2 miles from us. We stayed in the sack until after 8 so we missed all of the white stuff and real cold temps. It did warm up into the high 50's during the afternoon with lots of bright sunshine; however there is another cold front moving through the area in the next day or so and bringing some really cold temps with the possibility of snow, yikes!!! We have 4 Floridians arriving sometime Wednesday with thin blood to visit for a few days after being in the high heat and humidity; should be very interesting.

Monday found us cleaning the cabin, washing and hanging laundry and putting away grand baby toys and chairs. We were a bit melancholy after 4 days with Amy and family. What a grand time we had and Ava and Sam were just so full of energy and played so well together that we were all amazed at how they bonded while being outside. I think the small things like piles of leaves and a plastic trash can where such fun things for them to play with.

We got ready after lunch and made a run to Wal-Mart in Galax for goodies for our next group of visitors. We stopped off for a garbage dump then to fill up at $3.08 before stocking up once again. We were back home by 4o'clock with a couple hours of sunlight to piddle around outside. We had taken our daily hike before lunch so that was out of the way despite cutting it a little short on distance due to a mailbox run for a package our mailman left on top of our box out by the road. Luckily we saw him on our hike at the top of the mountain and he mentioned the package so we hightailed back to the cabin for me to take off on the golf cart.

I grilled a couple burgers for supper and Nancy made potato cakes from the leftover smashed taters which turned out to be yummy especially with a little home grown red pepper(cayenne) mixed in. We settled into the Fox News and then I watched a little of the NFL which to be honest was quite boring with 2 teams all most as bad as the Bucs. Unfortunately the Bucs play the Panthers on Thursday night on T.V. which should be quite embarrassing to me with all of my Panther friends here in the mountains. I became so bored with this game I headed for the shower and then to read until lights out for me at 10:30, LATER

Monday

Well Sunday started out early around 6 AM with a wake up as Amy and the family got ready for their trip back to Seminole. It was cold at 38 * but the moon was shinning brightly and the stars were just magnificent. Nancy had biscuits in the oven along with sausage and egg patties in the pan; the smell was awesome. Sam cried a little as he wanted to stay but they headed out around 7:30 and they called us a couple time throughout the afternoon and finally around 8:30 when they were but a few minutes from their house. Thanks to all who prayed for their safe return trip. We got ready for worship at Cornerstone and headed out around 9:30.

The temps had warmed up to a balmy 40* as we headed to Sparta. The leaves I think have reached their peak and many of the trees are bare that really gives it that wintry look along with the cold temps. We hooked up with Dalton's for lunch at the local Mexican restaurant after church and then stopped by to see her 3 new mini horses at their farm. We then headed for the cabin where we stripped beds and did a load of sheets, hanging them on the line as the sunshine was bright and a nice breeze despite it being in the  50's.

We took off for our daily hike to the top of the mountain and saw no one except Zeke who followed us down the back road. The fallen leaves are really starting to accumulate and many of our usually beautiful maples are bare on the back road. The sunshine was nice and I piddled around watering the upper garden and then let the chickens out next door. I had to put wire fencing over my garlic patch as they scratched in it looking for bugs and worms under the leaves. That is about the only thing that will grow all winter.

I tuned into the NFL and saw a great close game between the Jets and the Patriots and the late game between the Broncos and the Colts. We headed off to bed a little early as we were up early with the Ross Family send off, LATER    

Sunday

Well it's sure quiet and a little bit sad as I post this ramble on a cold 38* morning as the daughter and family just pulled out for their long trip back to warm sunny Florida. We had an awesome time together and Ava and Sam were both sadden to leave as well. They had a wonderful time playing together all day long outside. We would see them in the woods exploring and chasing one another around the yards. There were lots of golf cart rides throughout the day.

Saturday morning started out with all of us sleeping in until after 8 AM. It was chilly to start the morning with temps in the low 50's but there was sunlight in the tree tops. Nancy once again made buckwheat cakes which all of us love except for Ava. Sam ate 2 cakes himself. I fried bacon outside on the gas grill which kept the smell and grease out of the cabin. We soon got ready after the cleanup to head outside for our daily hike to the top.

We saw Zeke and Jetta after crossing the top of the mountain. Sam decided he wanted stay at the cabin with his momma so Nancy went with us. We had a nice hike and Ava was just full of energy. We came back and I started the campfire so we could boil peanuts. All of us love them and after a couple hours of hard boiling we stood around the fire eating and then tossing our hulls into the fire. I took the leaf blower and rounded up a huge pile of leaves for the kiddos to play in. They had a grand time jumping, rolling, covering up one another for hours in that pile of leaves.

We stayed outside until nearly dark before fixing a delicious supper of chicken fried deer steaks, yeow was that some fine eating along with smashed taters, gravy and broccoli and cauliflower. Nancy had made a double batch of chocolate chip cookies for dessert and we sent the extras back with the kiddos this morning. After baths and Ava's school work we played a couple rounds of LOGO. Tyler and I won the games but both were very close especially the last round as all 4 of us were in the winners circle at the same time. It was close to midnight before we decided to call it a night as they wanted to be up by 6 AM for the start of their trip back home.

Nancy made sausage and egg biscuits and Sam wanted a pancake for his breakfast to start the morning. He cried because he didn't want to leave the cabin which made us all a little teary eyed. We will see them in about 3 weeks or less depending on how cold and how much snow we get. The fore cast is calling for below freezing temps next week with snow showers. It's time we think about heading south for warmer temps as well, LATER

Saturday

Well Friday was just a perfect day with cold temps to start with and then a magnificent fall day with bright sunshine and temps reaching the lower 60's. The Carolina blue skies were awesome and it warmed up to short sleeves all afternoon. We were busy with all kinds of playing outside; hiking, fishing , golf cart rides and running around the yards, playing hide and seek, campfires and then smores. We were all asleep and in bed or on the couch by 10 pm except for Nancy.

The morning started with temps in the low 40's but we could see the sun in the tree tops that surround the cabin. Nancy had sausage, grits and eggs to start the gastric juices flowing. After eating Tyler and I had the kiddos out for a hike to the top of the mountain. I remembered when we got on top I had promised a neighbor to start his monitor heaters for him at his cabin so we headed down to his cabin on the golf cart.

We came back from that chore and dug fishing worms. We loaded up the poles and headed over to our "mountain moms" pond. The fish were biting and Ava caught the first bass and then Sam caught one along with a little help from Tyler. I managed to catch a nice 2 pounder and along with the sun perch and blue gills we had a nice mess of fried fish for supper. We all licked the platter clean.

Amy and Nancy made a run to Sparta for few necessities and to the library while we fished. After a lunch of veggies soup we headed over to the Dalton Farm for the kids to see the animals and to pick up some of Caleb big buck he bagged in Illinois last week end. The meat was beautiful and Andy had run the meat through the tenderizer, so we are going to have chicken fried deer steak for supper tonight. After the kiddos played with the horses, watched the baby alpacas, petted the cats and watched the chickens we headed for home. The kiddos ran around the yard chasing one another and playing hide and seek and it seemed they never tired.

After a delicious supper of fresh caught fish I built the campfire and we made smores. The campfire felt great as the temps started to drop and after hot showers and baths we were too tired to play games. Sam said he wanted to go to bed but fell asleep on the couch along with everyone else. What a beautiful day we had and it was after 8 before we rolled out this morning, LATER