Well we awakened yesterday to rain falling and dark overcast skies. It had started to rain on Monday evening and all through the night into most of Tuesday morning and once more the rain gauge showed over an inch and a half. We also saw a little of the sun at times enough so I could get out and work a little in between the rain showers. We need a few dry days and this morning(Wednesday) the sun is shining in the tree tops but the temps dropped down into the middle 50's.
There wasn't much we could do in the early morning on Tuesday so Nancy slept in until nearly 9 o'clock but I was awake early around 6'ish so I caught up on some Internet traffic before venturing out with my gum boots on to head to the mailbox on the golf cart. We had been doing a radon test on the cabin while we were gone to Virginia and needed to get the test kits in the mail for an analysis. Nancy heard about this part of N.C. that showed the strong presence of radon gas and she has become fanatical about the possibility of its presence in our cabin and what we must do to correct the problem if the test kits shows it's here.
After my quiet time and lite breakfast of a couple of the neighbors cackleberries(eggs) and grits I headed out to check on what's left of the gardens and the neighbors hens. The Japanese beetles did a number on the bean plants while we were gone so it was time to exact revenge with my water bowl to catch them when they fall from the plants in their get away mode of survival. I gathered at least a hundred of them in just a short time and helped them along to their end. I noticed I have some 1/2 runner beans that need picking as well as some sugar peas and a few cucumbers. With all of the fresh produce Dee gave us we are set for a few days.
We took off just before lunch on our first hike back up to the top of the mountain. The hills were beautiful with the fog and mist that comes with the wet weather. We stopped and took Norm his mail and he seemed a little better except for his leg wounds. We then headed on across the top and noticed the blueberries at Helen's are trying to ripen but the brush and undergrowth have just about taken over. A couple years ago I had it all cleaned out but last year the crop never made as the crows seemed to beat us to the berries. We stopped and visited with Joe and Jetta for awhile and we always wind up talking about food and while it was after twelve our tummy's were growling so we headed on down the mountain to a lunch of salad, yeow was that ever delicious.
I headed out to once more attempt to spread lime on the backwoods yard after lunch as I was rained out earlier in the morning. This time I managed to get the lime on the grass before the rain ran me off. I can really tell a difference in the deep green color of the grass and the lessening of the production of moss. I have been spreading lime about every 2 weeks through out the summer as well as raking the heavy concentrated areas of moss and it has made a difference.
Well it rained again in the early afternoon so we sat on the porches and read for an hour or so before we started supper. I grilled a couple chicken breasts and Nancy sautéed some peppers and onions in olive oil and we made fajitas with sour cream, cucumbers(for the crunch) and fresh cilantro, Yeow was that ever delicious as well. I had a pickle ball match at 6:30 with 3 other guys so it was off to the court while Nancy did the clean up.
Ted, Rich and Craig and I met up for nearly 2 1/2 hours of continuous play and there were a few wet shirts as well despite the cool temps in the high 60's. There was rain all around but just a few drops hit the court at times as we played on. We are expecting our fifth player, Gerald to be with us the rest of the summer and fall as we try to meet at least once a week for some great play. Well it was hot shower time and shortly there after I headed in for reading until nearly 11 PM. The Rays are once more stinking the field up with their play for some reason as they play teams out of our division. They were losing to Seattle as I headed in to read and eventually call it a day, LATER
