Friday Morning Last day of July

Well Thursday started out much the usual with a 6'ish roll out of bed to start the day. We didn't have a whole lot planned except for supper out at the Luffman House at 6 o'clock. We did our usual morning routines of a few quiet moments and a lite breakfast of cereal. I headed down to the basement to rack my blackberry must and transfer it into a glass carboy where I will let it set for a couple months before racking it again into bottles to age. Hopefully in a year or so it will be drinkable.

After racking the wine I headed out to work in the gardens; hoeing, weed pulling and harvesting beans and cucumbers. I must brag on these cukes this year as they are the sweetest ever and so plentiful. I picked another half dozen and still have lots of little nubbins coming on. The same with the 1/2 runner green beans as I picked a mess for a meal with ton's of blooms and little ones coming on. I'm still waiting on those tomatoes to ripen as the plants are loaded with green ones. Nancy's flowers are still gorgeous however the bee balm is starting to lose it color but the zinnias are coming to bloom in several different colors. Wow such beauty is so hard to describe. The morning glories are just that as each day they have such beautiful color and are also plentiful on the arbor.

We took off to the top of the mountain for our daily hike around 11 and stopped and chatted for a spell with the Cline's on their porch. They have taken their cabin off of the market and decided to keep it. Sandy seems like his old self once again and you can see the satisfaction of that in Ann's face. We truly enjoy visiting with them and are glad they have decided to keep their place. We stayed for nearly an hour before heading on across the top and then down the back road from the Browning's place who were gone. We love to visit with them and Zeke as well. We came back and had a fresh garden salad for lunch.

The heat picked up to the low 80's and it got humid so we sat on the porches and read for the next couple hours until it was time to get ready to head out. Nancy had a tray of tater wedges covered in fresh herbs and olive oil baking in the oven and the smell emanating out onto the porches had our taste buds salivating. We were bringing them with us to the supper. Kay had grilled pork tenderloin chops, cream corn, green beans, pasta salad and zucchini bread for dessert. Yikes was that ever some fine eatin' and we chowed down. Afterwards we got into the best of 5 games of Sequence and for a change we(boys) won 3 out of 5, actually the score was 3-1. Of course we cheated when we win as the gals proclaimed. I played a Harvey Hand as we were a man down. Andy was out of town on a work job.  It was a raucous time of fellowship. We got back to the cabin around 9 o'clock and settled into the Fox News until it was shower time and a few chapters in a new Lee Child book. I love the Jack Reacher character in his novels and the action is fantastic to go along with his investigative mind, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was a day trip to Galax, Va. for some shopping at Walmart, the gas station and eventually looking for some corn toss bags for our neighbor. We found a gal who actually makes the bags and sell them on the side from her salon business in Galax. That is good to know as no one else carries them and her prices are reasonable. I did get in some pickle ball later in the evening with 4 other guys and when I left around 8'ish in the evening my shirt was dripping sweat. Wow what a workout and that is the first I've played in two weeks.

The morning started with my usual roll out a little after 6 despite whatever time I hit the sack. The dew was dripping down onto the tin roof from the upper bathroom dormer as we have been inundated with the wet stuff the last couple days. We didn't get a gully washer yesterday here at the cabin but a nice light rain but the big storms were around as a few folks got the big rain in Sparta. It certainly has cooled things down considerably and the grass is growing almost before your eyes. After my quiet time and a breakfast of buckwheat cakes with a ripe banana in the batter we got ready to head to town.

It was after 2 before we got back to the cabin so we decided to eat our big meal of the day as I was playing pickle ball at 6'ish. We had picked up some beautiful bi-color corn in the shuck and along with a fresh garden salad and the last of the smoked ribs we feasted. Yikes was that ever some good eatin' and then about an hour later we finished the last of the vanilla ice cream in a cone with chocolate syrup. No wonder we can't lose any weight. We aren't having anymore guests who stay over until later this fall so maybe once all of these goodies like bakery bread, ice cream and specialty cheeses are gone we can concentrate on reducing the spare tire once again, oh well!!!

After our big meal we sat on the porches as it rained lightly and read the next couple hours. Nancy did get into a phone conversation with neighbor Carol from Florida for a couple hours. I read and cat napped at times as the meal digested then got ready a little before 6 and headed to the club at Roaring Gap. We had new young law school lefty player who was a tennis player and he picked the game up quite well for only his second time playing. He sure added to the game and gave me a break as I wore out and left after 2 hours of play. These mountain guys have really improved their game and they love this sport and could play with the best and they never want to quit after 2 hours. They are about 20 or more years younger and some even 30 years or more, oh well!!


 I popped some corn after getting back to the cabin as we had eaten just the two meals for the day and we were a bit hungry. We settled into the Fox News channel to learn what was happening in the world and I'm thoroughly disgusted with this potus, his family and his administration. Never have the main stream media been so out right biased in their reporting and cover up of this bunch in Washington. They are trying their best to ruin the nation with their secular progressive ideology from George Soros the big money behind this movement and with Obama promoting it as well. We are in a mess as a nation and probably deserve it with the lack of any real leadership in the congress. Trump is becoming so popular as most of the people who love the country want someone with guts to tell it like it is and to not be bought off by the likes of big money. He is big money and knows how to run a company and that seems to me is what we need. Almost like a Teddy Roosevelt. Walk silently and carry a big stick was his mantra and we certainly need that with all of the radicals and illegals being given sanctuary status. What is with this??


Well just a reminder to all that July is about gone and our Amway promo of bogo All Nutrilite products end at midnight tomorrow the 31st. Now is a great time to stock up with the real vitamins and supplements and not the stuff that GNC and all of the big stores sell that are just fillers as the FDA investigated and reported. Nutrilite Products are produced from plants grown organically and manufactured here in America with no synthetic substances added. This month there are just 2 days left to take advantage of our team leaders marketing promo of bogo for any and all Nutrilite products. This promo is ONLY from our team leader and not the Amway company per sec, LATER  

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday once again saw our wishes fulfilled as we got another deluge of rain. We were away from the cabin from about 3:30 on and when we got back around 9'ish the windows were blasted with water from a blowing rain and the underside of the back porch floor was wet and that only comes from blowing rain. Anyhow we are finally caught up on wet weather and now we just want a shower occasionally. The temp's really drop in the morning from this rain and it's down to the low 60's and even a few high 50's which make for good sleeping during the night.

Well I started the morning with a 6'ish roll out to my usual morning routines of a hot cup of green tea, a few moments to honor my LORD with thanksgiving and to lift up those I know who are in need of some divine intervention for healing and restoration; and to then ramble on about what we did the day before in this written account which I hope will give my grand children after I'm gone some insight into who I was in real life. This written account or blog is also like a pal to me as I get to share some of my thoughts on what made me the way I am as well as share about some life's experiences.

I was sharing with someone the other day that growing up in the country without running water in the house meant no bathroom with no commode, shower or even hot water and that made for a real life experience as I pumped our water from a well into buckets. We had water buckets with a community dipper as well as a community pan for washing your face and hands before eating. There was even one farm that I helped each year with the thrashing of grains like wheat, oats and barley where all of the water came from an above ground spring with live trout in the water right next to the house. The water was so clear, cold and so refreshing and I never gave it a thought as to it's cleanliness with the two huge trout that lived in the spring. Many times I drank straight from the creeks while carefully watching for salamanders and snakes that hide along the creek banks. I never gave it a thought to where this cold mountain water originated.

We had some eggs and grits for breakfast and after the cleanup I headed out to check on the gardens and found several sugar peas big enough to eat. We put some in our salad for lunch. I harvested lettuces, swiss chard, kale, spinach and beet greens for the making of a huge bowl of salad. We were invited over to the Tracy's for their last meal this summer at their rental cabin along with Sam and Marcia and contributed a fresh garden salad to the meal. Cleaning and spin drying the produce takes quite some time so I cleaned and Nancy used the salad spinner to wring out the excess water.

We took off to the top of the mountain for our daily hike. It was some what cloudy and humid and the gnats were aggravating us the whole way to and back. We had to cut switches from the bushes to keep them from our head. I often wondered what or who do they annoy when no humans are around? Oh well, we saw no one on our hike except for a couple workman who are remodeling one of the houses on top. The Browning's were gone who we usually stop and chat with daily and pet Zeke. We came back and chowed down on the delicious fresh garden salad and I must say the cucumbers are the sweetest ever this year and so plentiful. Still no ripe tomatoes but several are picking size.

I headed to the top of the mountain in the golf cart to gather cuttings from the wild raspberry bushes. I started about 7 pots of the cuttings as I learned this is the time of the year to make them and then transplant them into the ground before cold weather. You just cut them into about 8-10 inch segments from the woody runners and keep them moist for a couple weeks and they should produce roots. I added a little root tone to each end of the cutting to see if that starts to root them quicker. Oh well nothing ventured means nothing gained and we love the taste and flavor of black raspberries over plain blackberries. If they all make I'm having a difficult time picking out a spot to have another berry patch since I have wine berries every where down below the gardens.

I piddled around the yards and gardens doing some hoeing and pulling weeds until it was time to sit in the shade on the back porch and read for an hour or so before getting ready to head out to the Tracy's. We made a veggie stand stop on the way for tomatoes, onions and peaches and then dropped off a book at the library. I had a real scare at the veggie stand as I could not find my wallet. The last I remember having it in my back pocket was at the music center Saturday night as I like to keep it in the side pocket of the truck. Well low and behold after a rather worrisome evening at the Tracy's wondering what all I would have to do, who to call and cancel and how to go about getting new Id's if it really was lost; we found it on top of my dresser at the cabin when we got home. Thankfully!!!

Well Patrick and Kathryn grilled superb hamburgers, Marcia brought potato salad and we contributed a garden salad to the final supper with them on the mountain this summer. Hopefully they can come back up here after their couple weeks in Costa Rica and then they head out west to Lake Tahoe where they will pick us up at the airport on Sept 11 for about 2 weeks of seeing parts of Nevada and California. This will be a real treat for us especially forNancy as she hasn't ever been west of Alabama and riding on an airplane since a teenager. We are looking forward to reuniting with them along with neighbors Carol and Dan for this trip. It should be a hoot as we all like to cut up, play card games and sight see as well as honor our Creator, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well we finally got our wish for some rain as the skies opened up after lunch and we got a gully washer with a tree topper as well. Luckily no trees fell around the cabin but several dead limbs did litter the back woods yards. The wind came through like a twister for a few seconds blowing rain up and under the ridge cap on the roof and we got a few drops of water in the upstairs bathroom. Most of that fell into the commode with only a few drops onto the floor, Yikes was that ever a storm. We had no lightning and just a few thunder booms in the distant but the rain fell at 3 inches in less than an hour.

Monday morning started out much the usual with our routines; I was awake at 6:15 and Nancy rolled out somewhere after 8'ish. After my quiet moments to give thanks and lift up those who need some divine intervention I finished the last of the fresh fruit bowl that had blueberries, cantaloupe, melons, kiwi, strawberries, grapes and some wine berries for breakfast then headed outside to check on the gardens.

Once more the morning glories were glorious with their "heavenly blue" colors and the vine has just about reached the pinnacle of the arbor. It's the first time any plant has ever grown on the arbor and to have such a beautiful one has been well worth the wait. The sugar peas are just loaded with their white blossoms and we soon should be eating them raw in salads as well as in stir fries. I noticed the specially squash plants has a couple fruit set and the 2 plants down in the lower garden have a sweet delicious smell to their huge orange blossoms. The half runner green beans are getting close to be ready to pick and of course I'm giving away cucumbers. No ripening of the tomatoes as of yet but maybe with all this rain they will start to turn. The lettuces are so beautiful as is the other greens and I'm picking lots of jalapeno as well as bell peppers. This organic trace mineral supplement that I used this year is the real difference. It come from a dried up seabed somewhere in the west and its loaded with major and minor trace elements and minerals. The website is: organiclivingforall.com and you can order the supplement. A quart of this has lasted through my Florida garden and now this garden here in the mountains and I still have a little left. You use a teaspoon to a gallon of water. At 12 bucks a quart its well worth and the difference is unbelievable.

We took off to the top of the mountain just before lunch time after hanging a couple loads of laundry. It was partly cloudy and the hike was very comfortable as we made our way up the steep incline to the top. The far off views were obstructed by the haze. We saw no one on top until we got to the Browning's. We stopped and chatted a few and Jetta mentioned she had Nancy's quilt finished with the repairs so we made a date to come up later on the golf cart. It was back down the mountain to a lunch of leftovers deli meats, bakery bread and potato chips. At least we ate some raw cucumbers dipped in ranch dressing. All of those were nice and fattening but we find them difficult to pass up after company leaves. All were very tasty and maybe one more lunch before they are gone and we can work on reducing our spare tires once again, oh well!!!

Well the storm hit as we were finishing lunch and we both got soaked taking down the nearly dried clothes from the line. It was worth getting wet for some rain and we put them in the drier and we were shedding our wet clothes for some dry ones when when the big twister came through causing us to close the windows even from the top. The rain was sideways and a river was running down the driveway. After the storm I loaded up the golf cart with tools and headed down the drive to smooth out the gullies and ruts by hand. That kept me busy for a couple hours as the sun came out and the humidity went to nearly 100% after the rain. It didn't take long to have a solid wet shirt from the sweat.

I almost forgot to mention that I started harvesting my garlic on Sunday afternoon. I wanted to show Dee and Mike how the stuff grew. I will bring them some so they can start their own patch as well. The stalks some as high as 2 feet had dried up and when they began producing a beautiful purple head I cut them off and dried them. The head contains small seed like bulbs that can be used to make pesto or whatever and can be replanted. When they grow they will produce a small solid bulb much like the dried onion sets. These will eventually produced the garlic bulb with individual kernels and they are to be planted sometime around Oct or at least that's when I plant mine here at the cabin. I will enclose a photo of the three stages. They require no care.

Well Jetta did a beautiful job on repairing the sun damage to the upper portion of our comforter/quilt. She matched the fabric very closely and then quilted some of the areas as well. She is a master seamstress as well an artist with her creations in paint as well as fabric. She is very reasonable as well as generous with her talents. We were thrilled she won

the blue ribbon for her entry in the quilt show in Sparta last week as it was just an awesome display of her talent and sewing ability. Well we headed home just as the sun was setting and the rain really perked up the grasses as well as the flowers. My garden took a beating in the bean and squash departments but I'm sure they will recover with a little sunshine. At times the raindrops were so big and bouncing off the deck I thought it was hail and there might have been some mixed in as well. It sure beat my "bird egg's" down from the poles as well as blew over the squash and a few tomato plants. The Ray's finally won a game over the Tigers and are still somewhere around 500 ball, LATER  

Monday Morning the last Monday in July

Well Sunday was a day that found us with many different emotions as we learned on Saturday that a dear church friend had departed earlier in the week and that his funeral was held at church. We had known him and his sweet wife since our first beginning to attend Cornerstone way back when the church met at the middle school cafeteria. We also had to say good-bye to sister Dee and hubby Mike as they left for northern Virginia after church and a lunch of leftovers. All of a sudden it's very quiet here again and on our hike later in the afternoon we met again with our newest neighbor on top of the mountain and found him to be quite an interesting person. I will share more about Eddie later in this ramble.

The day started with us waking around our normal Sunday morning time. I tried to sleep in to 7 but the internal alarm had me awake long before that. We heard Mike let Bonnie(dog) out to go potty and he stayed up as he too is an early riser much earlier than my 6'ish roll out. We chatted on the back porch as Bonnie roamed around marking the yard with her scent. She is so fearless when it comes to larger dogs and wants to rip them apart, but that is part of the terrier breed. She wanted to attack sweet Zeke on our walk the other day so Mike had to pick her up and hold her. Zeke is about 10 times larger than her and is just an sweet puppy, oh well.

We ate lite for breakfast with fruit, cereal and toast before heading out to Cornerstone. There were lots of hugs, handshakes and a few tears as we shared with those our condolences of Clayton's passing especially with his dear sweet wife Betty Lou. She is just the sweetest person ever and a marvelous cook as well. We have always loved her and her disposition as well as Clayton's. He was a farmer in his prime time and a great Bible teacher as well. We will surely miss him as health issues became evident with his age and left him limited. After the service we headed back to the cabin and had a lunch of leftover smoked ribs, grilled chicken, salad and even some deer salami from my buddy Caleb Dalton. They left shortly thereafter for the nearly 4 hour trip back to Woodstock as they both had to be at work on Monday. It was a short but sweet get together and we will visit with them the second Saturday in August as we have a cousin reunion at the Gravel Springs Church picnic in Star Tannery, Va. This occasion is the big yearly event for the area and many of my family always attend as well as many long time friends.

We chilled after they left and caught up with Nancy's mom GG, son Bobby and daughter Amy and all that is happening with them. We are just so thrilled we have our laptop back and it's functioning properly which for a day or so I thought the motherboard was kaput with the blue screen of death. Some how Mike retrieved the internal workings and we are hoping it will last until we get back to Florida and visit the fruit stand(Apple Store). That's a joke from one of our friends who manages a store in Tampa. We decided since it was only in the middle 70's that we would get our hike out of the way despite it being close to suppertime.

We spoke with a prospective buyer for the Carmicheal cabin on top. This was the second day we saw two cars there and we introduced ourselves to each other. He is from Greensboro and an engineer and wanted a view with a level walk on the porch for his mother-in-law from the driveway. Who know Gary may become a neighbor as well. We walked on across the mountain and the views were hazy. We saw the fellow who bought the old Shalley place Eddie Harris and spoke with him for a half hour or longer. He remembered our names right off and we learned he owns and operates the biggest silversmith, leather and saddle maker business on the east coast. His biggest competitor is in Phoenix, Arizona. We leaned he is also a county commissioner for the neighboring Surrey County. We checked out his website for his business and wow does he ever produce some beautiful saddles, bridles etc from leather inlaid with gold and silver, yikes and they are not cheap. He was very personable and seemed to really enjoy our company. He invited us down to his factory in the State Road area for a tour through his plant where he employees 35 full time workers.

Well we also stopped and visited with Jetta who won a blue ribbon with her quilt she entered into the show in Sparta. There were some very beautiful creations and she won in her class. We were thrilled for her as she did a very nice job with her creation. We decided to head on down the mountain as it was going on 7 o'clock. I fried up some of the bacon Dee bought with her and we had BLTs without the tomatoes on bakery bread. I substituted onion on mine and slathered it with mustard. We walked around the yards afterwards and I carried watering cans of water to once again hand water the gardens as the rain has stayed away now for nearly 2 weeks except for a lite shower yesterday that was just barely measurable. Florida is getting inundated with rain and I wish some would come this way.

Well after a hot shower and a few moments with a new Lee Child book it was horizontal lab time for me, LATER    

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday morning found us once again with the computer(laptop) not working at all but about mid morning I decided to turn it on and suddenly I began to see something other than the "blue screen of death". Mike who is computer savvy did some things with the keyboard and presto we were back in business with seeing our logon logo and it wanting my password. Well I'm or we are just thrilled beyond believe so we hope this will last until we at least get back to Florida and the fruit stand(Apple store) in Sept.

We started the day with a sleep in until sometime around the 6'ish hour. Mike is a daily early riser and I was awake when he came down stairs with Bonnie to let her out. I was awake but trying to remain horizontal until they became awake as the sounds within the cabin are quite pronounced with the wood floors and the stillness during the morning. We decided to have a mountain breakfast with some of the leanest bacon ever as they brought some with them from a meat packing place near Harrisonburg,Va. We brought a couple of the 2 1/2 pounds packages back with us last year and froze it to take to Florida with us as its that good. I fried a skillet of the stuff and along with left over spuds from the night before and a couple cackleberries, home made jelly on bakery bread we feasted which lasted us until early afternoon, Yeow do we ever know how to put the "feedbag" on.

After the cleanup we got ready for a hike to the top of the mountain to work off some of those calories. What a pleasant morning with temps in the low 70's as we once more had some cloud cover and what we hoped would be some wet stuff. Eventually we did finally get some rain for about a half hour during the afternoon which was greatly needed. It was around a tenth of an inch and quickly cooled down the atmosphere. We had sunshine the rest of the day and evening with very nice temps.

We took off for Sparta after our hike and ran a few errands as well as attended the annual quilt show at the fairgrounds. Our neighbor Jetta had entered her quilt and of course we thought it was one of the best in the show. There were several beautiful quilts entered and we got to vote on what we thought was the best as well. Hers was most definitely in the top of her class and for the entire show. Hopefully she did well with the voting. Afterwards we made a couple stops before heading back to the cabin for a lite lunch. I made guacamole to accompany sandwiches and then we settled down to once more getting updated with the now working laptop. We read, napped and chatted and I updated my blog until it was time to think about an early supper as we wanted to attend the Blue Ridge Music Center on the parkway just north of the Galax turn off.

After an early supper of grilled marinated slathered in fresh rosemary chicken breasts on a bed of garden fresh salad we got ready and headed out a little after 6 for the 7 o'clock show. Neither had Mike and Dee or our friends the Tracy's had ever been to this venue for the night show at the amphitheater and were they and us in for a great surprise with the talent on stage. We had never heard of the headliner The Church Sisters. They are 19 year old twins and what voices as well as the lead singer played the fiddle. They were awesome and we will hear of this group in the headlines as they have been signed by a major recording label. They were the best female vocals I've heard in years and they were easy to gaze upon as well. I doubt very seriously we will ever get a concert like that for $10 a person. It was close to 9 when we trudged back up the grassy hill to the parking lot,

loaded our lawn chairs in the truck and head back to the cabin in a long line of vehicles. We did see a few deer on the way.

Well since we tied in Euchre the night before we decided to play again and this time there was another tie in games so no one had bragging rights. We will have to settle the score when we visit their beautiful home in the Shenandoah Valley in August for the family reunion.LATER  This last video is the better of the two.

Saturday Afternoon

Well I was in a state of turmoil since we got back from our Virginia Creeper Trail ride down Mt. Rodgers on Thursday evening. It was late that evening and when I plugged in the laptop the screen was dead. We were anticipating a storm while we were gone so I had shut down the computer and it never would restart that evening. Well we did have the iPad so we were in contact with the outside world but I was unable to view and write my ramble. I did learn a few things and that was to never turn this laptop off again until I find a replacement for this old Dell.

Well I will digress with Thursday's activities which started early that morning as we met up in Sparta around 8 AM with Patrick, Kathrine and their son Ryan for the trip to Damascus ,Va. Well the GPS took us a different way than I had planned which was through the Grayson Highlands Park at nearly 5800 feet in elevation. That is the highest point in Va. This road was so winding, crooked and twisted that at times we were at 10 mph and looking at our own tail lights, yikes was it ever a beautiful from the passenger seat but not from my perspective. The Tracy's were holding their own in the back seat. We finally reached this beautiful small town with time to spare for our 10:30 appointment.

We brought our own bikes to the party which saved us about $25 for the two of us. We loaded our bikes on a trailer along with the rental bikes and the 7 of us headed back up the mountain which we just came down down to the White Top junction where we got onto the trail. Well the skies were overcast and the girls had on long sleeved shirts and complained of the coolness in the air but that gave way shortly after we headed down the mountain. Well the trip is really very beautiful as we crossed several bridged gorges and creeks and we basically coasted down the old rail road track which had the rails removed. At times were were braking due to the high speed. We intersected with the Appalachian Trail and some hikers and many other bikers. It took us close to 3 hours to make the 17 mile trip as we stopped several times along the way.

We headed over to the Old Mill Inn for a late lunch in the town of Damascus which was exemplary. The food was made to perfection and very plentiful everyone there was more than willing to make our visit memorable. We headed out for our return trip to Sparta a different route as we were over the crooked road on highway 58. We entered I-81 and traveled northeast probably 20 miles or so out of the way but with none of the hairpin curves. We came back through Rural Retreat, Speedwell and Elk Creek where our friends Sam and Marcia live in the oldest log house dwelling in the county. They too accompanied us on this adventure and had done the trail before.

We dropped off the Tracy's then made a couple grocery stops as we were expecting Mike and Dee around lunch time the next day for a visit over the weekend. We picked up ribs for the smoker and lunch meats for sandwiches as well as two loaves of homemade bread from Becca's Backwoods Bean shop. It was after 8 before we got back to the cabin only to learn we never got any storm nor any rain and then to learn the computer went down. Well we were greatly disappointed with the lack of rain and then the ability to show our pictures on the social network about the day's great adventure on the trail.

Friday morning found us with last minute preparations for the visit of youngest sister Dee and husband Mike with their Jack Russel, Bonnie. They got here around 1'ish and we dined on sandwiches before taking off on a hike to the top of the mountain. I had two racks of ribs in the smoker with apple, plum and hickory wood for over 6 hours and the meat fell off the bones. We had corn on the cob, fresh sauteed Swiss chard out of the garden, parsley taters, a garden salad and wine berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert. Wow what a feast. After the clean up we retired to the deck and played several games of corn toss until it became to dark to see then boards and then headed in to play a couple games of Euchre. We were tied up 1-1 with guys vs gals in the card game and decide since it was after 10 PM to call it a day.

We tried to get the laptop started too no avail and just gave up on whatever had corrupted or caused it's malfunction, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was a stay at the cabin day except for a late evening hike with Patrick and his son Ryan who came to the mountains for the first time ever from Florida. It also was the birthday of my youngest sister Dee who is now a grandmother for the second time to a baby girl named after her mother, JoAnn. Her mother and father raised me from a small boy around the age of 4, so of course I was there with them when she and her two other older sisters were born until I left the farm after graduating high school in '64. My birth mother was her dad's sister, so really we are first cousins by blood but brother and sister in real life.

I started the day with a 6'ish roll out to my usual routines of a few quiet moments, a lite breakfast of melon and then the posting of this ramble before heading out to check on the gardens. It is dry here and I've been watering by hand for the past several days with a watering can. I know it would be easier to use the garden hose but for some reason I hate to wind that thing up after it's use as it takes away from the beauty of the flowers in the yard; plus by walking up and down the hill to the water spigot I get some extra workout and that helps to keep me in shape or at least work off some of the fine eatin' that goes on here in the mountains.

I fired up the riding lawn mower which was a present to us a few years back from Dee and Mike which by the way has saved me when it comes to mowing this huge at least an acre or more of yard(s). We are expecting them for a visit this weekend from Woodstock,Va. After the couple hours of mowing I trimmed the yards and trees with the weed whacker. The place looks so prim and neat especially with the beautiful flowers in all of their grandeur. The morning glories were in full bloom this morning with over a dozen showing their "heavenly blue" color. It's hard to describe this blue as it really is magnificent and each morning they are in full regalia until about lunch time when the sunlight strikes them from beyond the tree tops. That chore kept me busy right up to lunch time when we sat down to fresh sliced cucumbers from the garden on a ham and chicken wrap and watermelon for the kicker.

We got a call from the Tracy's that they would be coming by earlier than first expected after picking up Ryan in Greensboro at the airport so we tided up the cabin and had an early supper of rice pilaf and fresh green beans. Nancy made up a batter of chocolate mocha pecan cookie dough so as to serve them when they came by for a visit to show Ryan our place. The boys(myself, Patrick and Ryan) took off on a hike to the top of the mountain while the girls stayed back and planned our bike trip down the mountain today. We ran into our departed friend Helen's son Rick who is from Brandon, Fl.(near us) and a friend who were visiting the area and staying at her cabin. We had a nice chat with him as we had met him and his brother and sisters last year at his mother memorial service here on the mountain. He mentioned they were thinking of renting the cabin so it would have some use as it has been setting unoccupied for over a year. The view from her place is awesome and they took down Patrick's name as a potential renter in the future.

We headed on back down the mountain and Ryan was impressed with the views and the ambiance. They soon headed out for their rental cabin the other side of Sparta. We will meet with them early this morning(8'ish) in Sparta to ride together to the Damascus area to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail for 17 miles down the mountain on an old railroad bed. It's supposed to be quite the experience with little or no pedaling as it meanders down the mountain along side a stream. You can go as quickly as you want to or take your good old time with several stops along the way for pictures and what ever. We are excited to have this adventure but the ride there is supposed to be quite a trip as the road twists and turns through the Grayson Highland Mountains which is also called "white top" due to the accumulation of snow in the early winter months.

Well we just chilled after my hike and piddled around the cabin. I loaded our bikes and got out some snacks and a few tools in case any adjustments to the bikes would be needed. We are taking extra dry clothes as the weather forecast is for showers through out the day. We really need the rain so if this adventure brings it on so be it. I have some lite weigh ponchos we will back pack along with some energy and sports drinks from Amway. I will post pictures tomorrow if we don't get washed away or get eaten by a bear( I only have to be able to out run the slowest person, just kidding), oh well!!!

It wasn't long after the O'Reilly show and a hot shower that I curled up with a new Lee Child book for a few chapters before it was lights out. I set the alarm for 5:30 so we would have plenty of time to get ready before meeting up with the Tracy's in Sparta and then carpool for about 50 some miles to Damascus which is rather close to the Va./Tn. border, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was one of those days where it seemed I accomplished very little in the hard work department. Nancy was gone for most of the morning and early afternoon to Sparta to run some errands and to meet up with Kathryn and Marcia for some girl time shopping and lunch. I did get a load of laundry out as well as racked my blackberry must for the first time. What a tedious job that is taking the berries and seeds out of the mixture and keeping everything sanitized at the same time. That kept me busy beyond lunch time which found me cleaning up the last of the leftovers from the week end.

The morning started with my usual 6'ish roll out to start the day. It's quiet here in the mornings and while the temps reach the low 80's by the afternoon it's down into the low 60's for the mornings. We still haven't had much rain in the last week or so and with the strong wind at times things are starting to dry up. We've had some clouds and thunder but the rain has passed us by this last week. We did get a 5 minutes sun shower around 3 'ish which caused me to get the clothes off of the line but that quickly went away so I'm back to hand watering morning and evening some of the new veggies twice a day. It seemed after that 5 minute or less rain shower the humidity noticeably dropped along with temps.

I did harvest a ton of lettuces, kale, spinach, beet greens and Swiss chard and cleaned them and used the salad spinner to take away the wetness and stored a huge bag for our salads the next day or so. That is a another tedious job that takes time as well and Nancy usually does this chore. Afterwards I caught up on some reading and relaxation on the back porch until she got back somewhere around 4'ish. We decided to finish the potato salad on a bed of fresh salad along with the last of the smoked chicken for supper. Yeow was that ever delicious.

We headed out for our daily hike to the top of the mountain after digesting for an hour or so. We stopped and chatted with the Browning's and Rex who was visiting with his dog Prancer. We sat for half and hour or so before heading back down the mountain to do some more hand watering. The Browning's garden is doing well and she had a nice mess of beans picked and ready to can along with starting to get a few ripe tomato's. I noticed my beans are starting to put on some little ones but no tomato's yet. I am getting plenty of cucumbers and enough to give away.

Well that was about it for this day as we watched a little of Fox News before I switched to watching the Ray's on the lap top. They finally beat another ball team in a close win in Philadelphia for a change. It wasn't long after a hot shower and few chapters with a new Lee Child book that Nancy picked up at the library for me when she was in town that I was reading the insides of my eyelids, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was a rather lazy day after all the activity from the past 4-5 days. We didn't leave the mountain except for our daily hike and then late in the evening we rode the golf cart out to the mailbox. I did a few little piddly jobs and Nancy did put two loads of laundry on the clothesline. It did get rather warm in the afternoon so we sat in the shade and read.

The morning for me started at the usual 6'ish roll out. I just can not get that internal alarm clock to shut off to a later time. After my usual handful of vitamins and supplements washed down with a cup of hot green tea, a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble I ventured out to check on the gardens. Wow is all I can say about the veggie and flower gardens. The beauty of both is in the beholder as I see white blooms on the sugar peas which will give way to succulent sweet peas we eat raw in our salads and delicious sauteed' in a stir fry. Nancy's blooming flowers are magnificent and reflex such beauty that we just like to sit and stare. The blue morning glories are such an addition to our yard and gardens this year that we want to stay around the cabin and soak in their beauty.

I must say this organic mixture of the major and minor trace elements has made a world of difference in my plants to produce and maintain. Never before have I been able to grow lettuce(all kinds), spinach, cucumbers and peppers as I have this year and either its just a great growing season or this supplement is fantastic; and I think its the later. The tomatoes are loaded with green fruit as is the peppers and cukes. The beans are growing so high I'm having to trim the runner and the bird-egg beans are blooming and growing on the poles. Now if I can just keep the deer, beetles and slugs away we should have plenty of produce to give away. Nancy is thinking of making bread and butter pickles with my extra cukes.

I picked another quart of wineberries for either jelly or cobbler. I prefer the cobbler as we have already made a batch of jelly with the blackberries. My blackberry must has slowed down from the cooking stage so today I will strain the pulp and rack the mixture into a glass carboy and hopefully with some aging it will be drinkable. We took off just before lunch on a hike to the top and wow was it ever starting to warm up on top of the mountain. We visited with the Browning 's on their porch and chatted with Lee Cahoon who was visiting from next door. That was the first we have seen her in a year or so as they have a place down on the coast of N.C and did have a place in Colorado. She said they sold the Colorado place and now just have the two.

We headed down the mountain to a lunch of left over con casio, salsa and chips and then we vegetated on the porch in the shade. I finished another Lee Child book and then we piddled around until suppertime which consisted of a fresh garden chef's salad. The heat finally started to abate so we took off for the mailbox and stopped on the way back at the creek. The cold running creek water dropped the temps and we got into a game of horseshoes along side the creek. We could hear thunder in the background and was hoping for a little rain as I'm hand watering the veggies daily; but that's all is was, just a rumble somewhere through out the evening.

We headed in to watch the Fox News channel with Bill O'Reilly and Megyn Kelly and I'm at a loss of how this potus is able to say and get away with disrespecting our country and culture. Where are the real men and women who love our land and what America stands for. We honor the bad and what divides us as a people. What has happened to the us(USA)? I find it unconscionable to disregard the extremist in a religion that has now brought death in our own land and we are not identifying the source as a terrorist act. We now have let the extreme left under the heading of pro-choice sell the parts of aborted babies for gain and profit while using my tax money to promote this barbaric procedure. This potus is releasing from prison king pins in the drug culture who are responsible for the death and destruction of thousands folks. What is with this insanity? He has no feelings for the family of the innocent young woman gunned down in cold blood by a illegal who was back in our country because of his failure to enforce the laws regarding illegal immigration.

Well I'm totally concerned about the lack of leadership and I think several Americans are as well as now the potus wants to restrict the ability of US(citizens) to have weapons to defend ourselves against his lawlessness. Our own military can not defend themselves here in our own land, Wake Up America, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was a great day of worship , fine eatin' at the local Mexican eatery after church and then again later at the Dalton Farm with local beef steaks on the grill and veggies from their garden. If we keep up eating the way we have this past couple weeks we will need a wheel barrow to and from the table.

The morning started with the typical Sunday morning routines as I slept in until nearly 7 o'clock then we had a lite breakfast of fresh fruit, granola(thanks to Sandy) and oatmeal before getting ready to head out to Cornerstone from our weekly corporate fellowship. It was a little warmer than usual with temps already into the 70's whereas its usually in the 60's to start the day and it did get to the middle 80's by early afternoon. We did get some cloud cover which quickly dropped the temps as well as a few dozen or so rain sprinkles. We really could use some rain as I'm back to hand watering the gardens.

We had a nice crowd at church and Pastor B brought another great message in a series on Joy in your life with the choices we make. Afterwards we met up with the Sam and Marcia as they now attend First Methodist in Sparta at the local Mexican Restaurant along with Mechelle, Caleb and his friend Ethan and The Tracy's. This was the first time we have eaten there this year and the food was great and plentiful especially their chips and salsas which is endless. We stayed and visited and made plans for later in the evening at Mechelle's and planned our trip on Thursday to Damascus ,Va. to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail which is 17 miles down the mountain on bikes on an old railroad track that was converted to a cinder path. The Tracy's son, Ryan is coming here to Sparta for a couple days with them and we want to give him a taste of the mountains.

We headed home after a stop at Walgreens for some scripts for Nancy and a backpack to carry with us on the bike trail some goodies. We understand the hour and half trip there could turn some of us green from the twisty, winding road up and through the mountains. We will take our bikes we purchased a couple or 3-4 years ago but have been sitting in the basement all these years and look brand new. It tough to ride on hilly, gravel roads after we learned the hard way one time and that is why they look brand new.

We were hoping for a rain shower to cool things down and give the gardens a drink. The flowers are holding their beauty and the garden is still looking great since I'm hand watering the lettuces, kale and beets. I noticed my first blooms on the sugar peas and will soon be adding them to the fresh garden salads. I still have no ripe tomato's but did harvest 4 nice cucumbers and have a huge green pepper ready to eat. The Zinnias are budding finally as we love their colors and beauty.

We headed out after phone calls to Nancy's mom GG, sister Betsy and our Amy. I read for a couple hours in the interim and then we got ready to head over to the Dalton Farm and then a supper around 6'ish. Mechelle was grilling farm raised steaks, along with 1/2 runner beans and a squash casserole from the garden and with our garden salad we feasted for the second time of the day. Afterwards we headed down through the pasture to visit with her horses and alpacas. She has a couple boarder thoroughbreds horses which are right off the race track from Miami and boy are they stupid when it comes to pasturing. This one horse was afraid to cross a small stream of water about a foot wide and eventually had to be roped and led across. Seems they spent their whole life in a stall while in the racing program and are seldom let out to graze. We saw a couple recently born alpacas and boy are they cuties and very inquisitive as they stare and watch you. They remind me of the storm troopers in the Star Wars movies.

We decided to play the best of 3 games of Sequence with the guys vs the gals and we the guys won the first game with me playing two hands(Harvey Hand we call it-the white rabbit) as we were a man short. Anyhow we won the first game of the summer and that put an end to the gals bragging rights despite them winning the next two games and the match. It was a fun time and we always enjoy the raucous play with Mechelle's mom and dad, Gerald and Kay. We all headed out around 9'ish as it was still showing some light outside. It wasn't long after

a hot shower and a few chapters with Lee Child that it was the sandman calling, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday morning was a busy get ready for company and then after they arrived sometime around 10:30 it was a play day. We started with a before 6 roll out as we had a few big things to do that we weren't able to do the day before. Initially we thought they would arrive between 9:30 and 10 but there was a delay on their part so we had an extra hour to sit and read before they arrived. It was great to see my old Air Force buddy and my ex brother-in-law Bruce along with his now wife Norma and his daughter Sandy and her husband Bob and their oldest daughter Stephanie and son Ryan and her husband Kenny.

I got two fat chickens stuffed with fresh herbs and a beer in the rear on the smoker loaded with apple and plum wood around 8:30. Wow did that ever make a great smell for the next 6 hours as these birds pulled apart when I took them off their beer stands. The skin was almost ebony but oh so delicious and the flavor of the meat was awesome. In the meantime while they sat in the smoker we snacked on some guacamole, salsas and con Casio after a nice slow hike to the top of the mountain. It was a beautiful day but soon turned into the hottest one so far but still much cooler than down where they live. The gals rode in the golf cart except for Stephanie who initially hiked with us on the way up but rode back down. Sandy had a bum knee and Norma is starting to feel her age and didn't want to hike. They all loved the views from the top.

We came back and chilled for awhile before getting into some corn toss games and the old men whupped up on the youngsters several times as we old guys alternated games and then we hit the badminton birdie around for awhile as we worked up an appetite. That was the first time I ever had used that portion of the garden which I had converted into a badminton court. It was going on 4 ish or a little after so it was time to chow down. The chicken was so delicious along with baked beans and potato salad and a very nice fruit salad that Sandy brought. We had all kinds of cookies for dessert but only a few of them were eaten after we just about demolished the birds.

We headed outside with the cameras after eating for pictures.  Sandy has her own photography business in the Hickory area called Keys Photography. She made several pics of the group using a tripod which we had fun doing and then we headed in to play Balderdash, a game none of them had ever played. Well Stephanie was the big winner with Nancy a close second but everyone was quite creative and we had lots of laughs.

They headed out for home as dusk started to settle and wanted to be out of the mountains before dark. It is about an hour and half ride for them down off the mountain to their homes in the small town of Newton which is near Hickory. Bruce and Sandy live just around the block from each other and Stephanie and Kenny live close as well. Ryan is still at home as he, Bob and Kenny all work together in the telecommunications business. Bruce is into his workshop now retired and he is a perfectionist when it comes to wood working and carpentry. He is having some health issues but has it under control with medication and does well as he advances in age along with Norma.

 It was a great time of reminiscing as we flew together during the Vietnam era. He was an engineer and I was loadmaster on the C-141A jet aircraft. We were at one time married to two sisters; he to the oldest one and I to the youngest one. He had two kids; a boy Bruce Jr. and a girl Sandy and I was always their Uncle Butch. I even helped raise Jr. after he divorced and went overseas while serving in the USAF. We have stayed in contact over the years and really enjoy getting together every once in awhile and now they are much closer so we will have to visit them in the future

. Well that was a fun filled day and after they left we soon hit the showers after putting away the chairs and boards from outside and catching up on Facebook and few chapters with a Lee Child, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was both a work day as we get ready to entertain guests for today (Sat) and a fun day as we visited Sam and Marcia at their 1800's log cabin in Elk Creek, Va. This is the oldest structure in Grayson County, Va. It's just beautifully situated on a knoll and furnished to the nines.

The morning started out with my usual roll out at 6'ish and my few quiet moments before a lite breakfast and then I headed out to work on beautifying the grounds with the lawn mower and weed whacker. Nancy was in the kitchen preparing dishes to be served for tomorrow for when and old USAF friend and ex-relatives come for a visit. He had never been here before but his daughter was here many years ago when we first built the cabin. Her youngest girl is now in college and was just in the elementary grades then. We are having 7 of their family for a visit and then to put on the "feed bag" with beer can chicken, baked beans, potato salad and lots of snack foods.

After the yard work we settled into the final house cleaning chores with me in the basement and the porches and then we rested for an hour or so before heading out to meet with the Tracy's and car pool to the Carlan's as Elk Creek is probably close to 40 miles or more from our cabin. We snacked on salsa and guacamole that Kathryn prepared before dining on a Mexican taco/cornbread casserole and Nancy brought a fresh garden grown salad. Dinner was complete when we had a dessert with Angel food cake and fresh strawberries.

After the clean up we headed out to their yard and had a hotly contested round of croquette with of all people blasting us with a win was Nancy who has been consistently awful in past play. I jumped out to an early lead but quickly fell behind to last place in the extra heavy grass. I barely finished in front of Kathryn who was sent out of play by her loving husband and was severely reprimanded for his actions. Wow did we ever have some laughs and Marcia who usually is the winner was second. It was to say the least a raucous game of outside play but the ambiance was marvelous. It was barely 7'ish so we decided on a game of Balderdash and once more Nancy smoked us all with her creative thinking. What a fun time we always have with the Tracy's and Carlan's and to think we have so much in common and that it all started with our love of the Lord and His influence in our lives at church.

We headed out around 9'ish and after dropping the Tracy's off made it back to the cabin after 10' ish. It wasn't long before a hot shower and then a couple chapters before it was lights out. Today will be another big day of get together with past friends, eating and hopefully a few games. I set the badminton net up, corn toss and croquet are on the agenda as well as some inside games. Hopefully the weather isn't too warm as today is supposed to be one of the hottest this summer with temps in the middle 80's, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was a busy day that started with a 6 ish roll out for me. After my usual routines, few quiet moments and a lite breakfast I headed outside to check on the gardens for any deer and slug damage. So far the deer have only eaten some of our shrubs, berry bushes and a few of our Fall daisies that are out in the backwoods gardens. Worms are starting to invade the kale plants so I squashed many with my fingers and then gave them a lite dusting of Sevin dust. The pretty little blue butterfly is the culprit that lays its eggs on the kale and then they eat their way to maturity. That is the first of any insecticide I've used in the garden this summer, oh well.

I hung a load of laundry outside on the clothesline then decided I had better pick wine berries again as they are ripening rather quickly. I loaded up another plastic container of the sweet delicate berries so Nancy could get them ready for the freezer and then we can make jelly/jam at a later date. We decided since it was still overcast and the temps were still in the high 60's that it was a great time for our daily hike so out we headed to the top of the mountain. We saw that Ann and Sandy were up but were in the house so we didn't stop beside it was close to lunch time and we were hungry so we headed on down the mountain.

We had to leave the cabin around 3 as we had a couple errands to run in Sparta before heading out to the Tracy's for supper. We got into a game of Eucher why waiting to eat and the guys once more were in the groove with a big win and once more after supper with another win. Patrick and I are starting to get cocky as a team after 4 successful thrashings of the gals. It was still light outside after our delicious supper of tacos that were digesting so down off the hill we went on foot and out this gravel road to an old farm. Wow was it ever a nice evening and the walk was fantastic as we saw lots of old farm buildings that seemed abandoned and of course lots of cows and horses. Nancy entertained us with her ability to mimic animal language. We continued on foot and learned this walk is about a two hour hike one way so we turned around after about 45 minutes and headed back the way we came as dusk was approaching. The up hill walk back was a little tougher but we made it while pulling one of us up the last hill. We headed out for our cabin around 9. On our way home we noticed the Sparta fairgrounds were packed with campers awaiting the start of the 2 day fiddlers convention this weekend. While this event is not nearly the size and scope of the Galax convention in August the grounds were packed with RV's and tents and lots of bon fires were evident. We will miss this event as we are heading to Elk Creek tomorrow and then we have guests all day on Saturday from Hickory.

After hot showers and catching up on our social calendar for this coming weekend's events, I hit the sack around 11'ish for some horizontal lab, LATER

Thursday Morning July is half over

Well I would not believe the temps here in July would be this nice with us not getting much over 75 for days at a time. Yikes what is going on? I'm not complaining just reporting. The lettuces are still doing quite well as is the spinach which usually doesn't like the heat but the okra hasn't come up yet and it likes the brutal heat, oh well! Wednesday was pretty much a hang out around the cabin day except for the later evening. I had pickle ball with 3 other fellers and Nancy went off to the country club for dinner with several other ladies with our friends Mechelle and Stacy.

The morning started with my usual roll out a little after 6 to my routines of a few quiet moments and eventually the posting of this ramble. We all should pray for our country as we(the potus) made a deal with the enemy to help arm them with a nuclear weapon(s) and then released billions of sanction dollars for them to purchased all kinds of armament to facilitate the complete terror of the rest of the world. We have the most incompetent leaders ever in this administration and my grand children will suffer the most in days to come.

We decided it was jelly/jam making day so we already had juiced the wild blackberries and it was just a matter of heating the juice, adding the sugar and surgel, cooking this and then filling the jars and sealing the lids and rings and then boiling the filled jars. That kept us busy for a couple hours with the clean up and then I started a batch of wild black berry vino. I too added the sugar and yeast  to the smashed berries and set the bucket upstairs to cook in the warm room for a couple weeks. Hopefully it will be as good as the last batch I made a couple years ago.

We decided to get in our hike for the day and never even worked up a sweat as the wind and dry air made it feel cooler then the 70's. We stopped and visited with Joe and Jetta for a few before heading back down the mountain to a lunch of deer salami and cheese. Yikes that is very good eatin' and many thanks to Caleb our mountain hunter and buddy. After lunch I cut lettuces, kale, beet greens, Swiss chard and spinach. I cleaned it and Nancy dried it by using the lettuce spinner and then made a couple bowls of fresh garden salad. We sat and chilled the rest of the afternoon reading until it was time for me to eat some leftovers before heading out to play pickle ball. We had to play this evening inside at Cornerstone and the play is quite different on the painted smooth concrete floor. We had some great rallies and we all left with soaked shirt around 9 PM. I was whupped as these younger guys never want to quit.

Well Nancy had a fantastic time meeting new ladies at the monthly get together for supper at the High Meadows country club. She was rubbing elbows with many ladies some who were widows many were retired from professional careers and some whose husbands still worked. She really enjoyed meeting different gals as many were her age. The food was very good she said and reasonable and she is looking forward to the next meeting in August with our friends Mechelle and Stacy who both have professional careers as well. Mechelle manages a huge multi million dollar farming enterprise and Stacy is an attorney.

Well it wasn't long after both of our 9:30 returns that Nancy shared her experiences and conversations that I was in the hot shower.  That nearly 30 minute ride after the workout left me stiff and aching. I read for about 30 minutes then it was "turn the lights out the party is over" to quote a famous football player and announcer Dandy Don Merideth, Later

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was one of those days where we got off the mountain as it was raining and headed for Galax, Va. There we had my ears lowered and then gassed up and finally headed to Wal-mart before making one last stop at another fresh veggie grocery for fruit and veggies. We got back to the cabin somewhere close to 12:30 as we left around 9'ish. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining but it was very windy. My garden plants were suffering from the strong winds.

I started the day with my 6'ish roll out and my usual routines of a few quiet moments with our Creator, a lite breakfast of a leftover buckwheat cake with wine berries and honey on top, then the posting of this ramble before we got ready to head off the mountain. Nancy wanted up early so that made a great difference in leaving for Galax. I loaded up the garbage that couldn't be burned then we headed out in the rain. That was some storm we had the night before and we could see where the wind had blown leaves off of the trees on the parkway. The rain finally stopped and Nancy wanted to take a couple shots of the distant mountain views around Fox Hunters Paradise.

The Galax stop was uneventful and we left with a cart load of goodies. I needed lots of yeast and sugar for both jelly and wine making with the black berries we picked from our "mountain moms" place on Sunday and Monday. I weighed out almost 8 1/2 pounds of berries and then smashed or squashed them in my plastic bucket with a large metal spoon until they turned to mostly mush and then added a couple campden tablets to kill the natural yeast which I let set over night. Today I will start the must to cooking by adding the sugar and yeast and then let it set with an occasional stirring until the must stops percolating which usually is 7-10 days before the first racking. It's a real adventure to wine making and the rewards can be very delightful as black berry vino is delicious if its turns out. Oh well we will see as it's been a couple years since I made my last batch and after setting for 2 years it was very good.

We were having Patrick and Kathryn for supper as they have just 2 weeks before they leave their rental cabin for Costa Rica and then out to Nevada to await our trip there in September. They just got back from the Chicago area from a family reunion after being gone for the biggest part of a week. I grilled pork chops and Nancy had black beans and Jasmine rice along with a cucumber and onion salad and then she had a blackberry cobbler baking in the oven. Before eating we had a little time to kill so we played a couple games of Euchre and that was a real butt whipping by the guys as it was two in a row and the last game was 10-1. Somehow the gals blamed that loss on menopause. Will someone please tell what that had to do with playing cards, oh well it was fun then it was time for some cheese and crackers and a glass of vino before firing up the grill.

After eating we decided to let the dishes soak and the food digest as it was too early for a hike so we gathered up tupperware containers and picked wine berries. Well I must say they really needed picking as we picked at least a gallon of very nice ripe berries. After the pickings we decided it was time to head to the top of the mountain and what a pleasant hike it was. We could see vividly Pilot Mountain and even the buildings in downtown Winston-Salem. We stopped and chatted with Jetta for a few and Zeke came out to greet us as well. There were lots of rabbits along the way and it was starting to get dark as we headed down the back trail. Shortly after getting back the Tracy's headed out for their drive back to the other side of the county.

Well it seems this administration in D.C. is determined to sell the country down the river with this treaty or whatever it's called to terrorists who chant "death to America" and then help arm them with the weapons do accomplish the deed. Never before have I observed such idiotic behavior from folks whose sole job first is to keep America safe from foreign aggression. We have now distanced our selves from freedom loving and a democratic Israel to appease Iran who by the way still holds Americans in captivity. Just what have we done to further reduce our influence in the world? I fear for the lives of our grand children and what will become of us as a nation. We are corrupted from within and now are handing to those who hated us so strongly the means to make the weapons to attack us. I'm almost afraid to say it but it's becoming too late for America to wake up. I pray for GOD's intervention as we have no leadership left within our government to keep us safe, LATER

       

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday started out just beautiful with cool temps down into the low 60's with bright blue skies and plenty of sunshine until the late evening when it clouded over and a terrific storm came into the area with strong winds, lightning, thunder and rain. At least the rain wasn't a gully washer here but in some areas it did cause some major flooding in the Va. areas. It started raining again this morning as I awakened to start this day and it looks as if this could be around for awhile. We are heading to Galax for some shopping and a ear lowering for me which is just perfect since we would be limited to the indoors.

After my usual few quiet moments and routines I headed out to check on the gardens while Nancy made us a mountain breakfast of buckwheat cakes, sausage patties and cackleberries. Yeow, did that ever fit the bill as we had eaten very lite on Sunday evening with just snacks. I loaded up the berry pickings containers, put on long breeches and long sleeved shirt along with boots and a straw hat gathered up the fishing poles and worms and we headed out around 10 for our "mountain mom's" field and pond. Well we picked another gallon or so of wild blackberries in a couple hours then headed down to the pond to fish for another couple hours. It was going on 2 o'clock when we headed back to the cabin with enough fresh bass to feed the three of us for supper with some leftovers. Brother Joe(Helen's) declined as he wasn't up to heading out to eat with us. Well, Nancy was the big fisherman of the day with a nice bass that was at least 2-3 pounds. It got hung up in the reeds and broke her line but since it was worn out I managed to wade in and grab him by the bucket mouth saving Nancy's big catch of the day. It was a real beauty.  It made 6 nice pieces when I cleaned the 6 bass we brought home. Yikes that was some fine eatin' to go along with yellow rice and my garden cucumbers in a salad with onions, vinegar and sugar. Delicious is all I can say as I fried the fish outside on the grill dipped in egg and breaded with corn flake crumbs.

Well, after Helen left for her cabin the skies clouded up and the storm rolled in. We wanted to work up some of the blackberries we picked from yesterday for jelly and then a cobbler. Nancy washed them in the sink while I pulverized them with the blender then extracted the seeds and then we put the juice in a container for jelly making tomorrow. We need to pick up Surgel, sugar and lids as well as yeast and extra sugar for my wine making with the rest of the berries. I think we have enough picked to make about 2-3 gallons as I need about 5 pounds of berries per gallon of liquid or must which after a couple months should make some fine table wine.

After the storm passed and we were able plug back in the TV and laptop we settled into the Fox News channel and then eventually a Lee Child book for me after a hot shower until I was reading the inside of my eye lids, LATER  Here are a few pics from the past couple days.