Saturday Morning -last day of October

Well I must say Friday was a very nice day for being outside after a rather chilly start. We had ice on the roof of the cabin as well as on the truck top but no visible frost on the pumpkins. The thermometer read in the middle 30's but there was plenty of sunshine and at time a nice breeze. We were entertaining some of our friends for the last time this year and won't see them again this year except on social media until next June. Nancy spent the morning in the kitchen as she prepared a giant pot of chili and since one of our couples had to bow out at the last minute for this get together who was to bring a salad, Nancy also made a huge salad. The other's brought delicious cast iron skillet corn bread and skillet apple pie, yeow did we ever put on the feed bag. I also had a couple dozen of Nathan's on the grille to accompany the chili. It was a perfect evening for this meal as the temps quickly dropped with the sunset.

After my usual morning routines of a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble I ate a lite breakfast of egg burrito with salsa and then headed out to fire up the gas leaf blower. Once again I spent the next several hours moving lots of fallen leaves off of all of the yards and even drug out the push mower to once again mulch a couple large piles for my garden beds. The worms should have plenty to eat this winter and make some great compost for my veggies for next summer. I dug up a dozen or so small kale seedlings and transplanted them into larger pots for the move back to Florida. If I had to grow the most healthy veggie it would be this plant as it is so nutritious for your eye health. It has the highest form of lutein in all plants which counteracts macular degeneration.

I burned trash as well as some old wood which needed burning from my fire circle stack. I love the smell of oak wood burning. My neighbor Jetta called and said she had some black raspberry cuttings from her beautiful plant that was sending out suckers; so she blessed me with several. I made a place in the sun next to one of the flower gardens where I had taken out a huge oak tree last year.  If they make I will build a trellis for them next year to grow on. We love this berry and they make the best preserves ever. Nancy finally got out of the kitchen after making a soup for our company today(Sat) and then again getting ready for her dish to take to homecoming at church on Sunday. She loves to be in that kitchen and does a great job as well. We took off to the top of the mountain and stopped and chatted with several who were up for this weekend. The views were awesome with such clear skies.

Well after eating we cleared the table and since we had 8 folks we decided to play everyone favorite knock down drag out game called Sequence which pits the gals vs guys. The guys won the first game and right away we were accused of cheating because we won so we laid low and let them win the next two games. This is the first year we(guys) have actually won more than we lost which is saying a lot as these gals are vicious in their play. We had lots of laughs and a grand time. Frank has to get up at 3:30 in the mornings to milk his 80 cow herd and Mechelle had to work early as well so they were gone by 9'ish. We really enjoy this group and will miss them dearly this winter. I don't think they get together very often or if at all over the winter so they look forward to our coming back and bringing our love to play and socialize.

I tuned into the Royals vs Mets game after the cleanup and the Mets were winning by a couple runs but I will have to read about the outcome later today as it was a hot shower for me then a few pages in Willie Nelson's autobiography before the sandman calleth, LATER

Friday Morning

Well it didn't rain at all today but there were times when it looked like it would start immediately.  By late afternoon the sun finally broke through and the winds picked and by late evening the skies had cleared completely which brought in the cooler temps. This was the cold front in the forecast being ushered in by the strong gusty wind. At least the wind and sun helped to dry things out as well as the laundry hanging on the clothesline.

After a 7'ish roll out for me to start the day and a few quiet moments I had a lite breakfast before heading outside to work on a couple areas that needed some attention. I took down the orange barrier fence we had around the porch railings to keep any kids from falling through. That kept me busy until it was time to head over to our "mountain moms" Helen place and take out her window a/c unit and replace the screen for her. We sat and chatted then headed for the cabin.  It was after lunch time so we ate a lite with an apple and a peanut butter rollup with sweet onion on mine. I love the taste of that combination. Nancy wanted to do some shopping in Sparta so she took off for town and I piddled around outside. Paw Paw called and we chatted and he said things were going good up in Winchester as he was getting ready for winter. He is in really good health despite his advanced age. He will be 88 this year and still drives everyday from Winchester up to Star Tannery where he stays the nights with his lady friend. They are both about the same age and look out for one another.

I fried up some cod fillets an along with some home grown tatters' that Helen blessed us with and a salad we dined superbly and once more licked the platter clean. Afterwards we settled into the FOX News channel and some of the NFL game. It wasn't much of a game as the Patriots were tearing the Dolphins apart so I hit the shower and then some horizontal lab. The freshly laundered flannel sheets with the fresh air scent from drying on the clothesline was like a sleeping pill and the couple pages I read about Willie Nelson's life soon had me out by 10:30, LATER  

Thursday Morning

Finally the rain finally stopped pouring, yikes our neighbors rain gauge had over 5 inches(I had put mine up for the winter). Well Wednesday was wet and soggy, however sometime around noon it became a mist so we ventured outside to play in the creek that formed in our backwoods yard and to hike to the top of the mountain. We wore our gum boots as the ground was just leeching out the water that has been falling for past couple of days and nights. The creek was the result of a run off from the very top of the mountain and it flowed all day long and into the evening. Since the rain has basically stopped except for an occasional shower the creek will soon go away but it was nice have water front property to play in for awhile. I mentioned we should do a video about racing some boats down the mountain but the wet foggy conditions nixed that idea.

We started the day with a sleep in until 7'ish for me and much later for Nancy, needless to say it was nearly 10 AM before we decided to make some sausage, egg burritos. I loaded mine with fresh garden jalapeños and this meal held us until suppertime except for an apple around 3'ish. Maybe we should do this more often and skip a meal thus help to reduce this spare tire. We had a great hike up through the woods for a change and we saw a group of wild turkeys which had come down to feed on some of the corn I had put out in the backwoods yard. The visibility into the woods is amazing as most of the bushes with leaves have fallen off. This rain and now wind has really taken its toll on the beautiful colored leaves and the back yards are covered once again.

We had a nice visit with Joe and Jetta as they were away last week to the Cleveland area and encountered some sleet while on their trip up north, yikes, another sign of the return of old man winter. It did warm up here into the middle 50's from the low 40's the day before and being outside except for the rain at times was kind of nice. It probably reached 60 for the day so I've cut back the gas heater to just keep the chill out of the cabin. Last evening I just had it on pilot and it never ran through the night.

Caleb Dalton had given us a package of cubed venison steaks earlier in the summer so we had that "fried chicken" style and it was one of those "lick the platter clean" meals along with some Jasmine rice and a fresh salad, utterly delicious. After the clean up it was starting to get dark so we stayed in and watched the news and read until it was time for the Republican debate and the World Series game 2. Well I think the candidates finally let the main stream media have a taste of their own medicine about their biased reporting and it went over big with the crowd on hand. That's why I never watch any news except for the Fox cable news. They have become a platform for the Democrats and the far left special interests groups. Most of the "political correctness" is because the media promotes this divisiveness, oh well.

We had some sad news from the death of a couple of men; one who was just a year older than I. We went to high school together. The other guy was a much younger fellow who our families once carpooled together when our kids were in private Christian school.

His death was very unexpected and he was Nancy's age. We haven't been in touch with either of these men for many years but did keep up on Facebook with their families.

The Royals were beating the Mets 5-1 in the 8th when I decided it was time for some horizontal lab, LATER

Nancy once again changed our profile pictures so here is an example as well as a picture of the small creek in the backwoods yard.

A Rainy Wednesday Morning 28th of October

Yikes it hasn't stopped raining it seems like for days, Oh well this would be so welcomed out west especially in northern and central California. It definitely is appreciated here in the mountains and will help with lessing the chance of any forest fires especially with all of the dried leaves on the ground. These cold wet days will really take the leaves to the ground and cause the woods to become stark with that wintery look. We have had some very nice days so far this winter but this constant rain fall with the cold temps has really been a game changer and I'm longing for the warmth and sunshine in Florida.

We didn't do much outside yesterday except for a trip to Galax, Va. to shop and gas up at 1.98 a gallon, that was a plus. It was raining rather steady there as well but the dampness with the temps in the low 40's seemed to penetrate right to the bone. I think a little sunshine would have helped to alleviate the mood that comes with gray rain filled skies where you could see your breath, oh well just a few more days until we will be longing for some relief from the heat and humidity. We made several stops along the way after a late start from the cabin. We did sleep in with the rain on the tin roof and the warmth of the flannel sheets, Ahhh they are so comfy and snuggly. The gas heater is keeping the cabin pleasant but the windows were fogged with moisture from the cold on the outside so I had to take a rag and wipe the window sills.

We did our morning routines of a few quiet moments and then Nancy was on the phone for nearly two hours with her mom, Amy, doctors appointments and friends clearing up dates for this next week get togethers. We finally left the hill just a little before noon. We shopped for the Christmas Shoe Boxes for a couple youths as we have to turn them in next Sunday at Cornerstone and then several more stops before heading back to the cabin in the pouring rain. So far our gravel road is holding but after last nights continuous down pour I'm sure it will need some scraping. We settled into some reading until supper time as it was after 3 before we got back. The temps never got above 45 for the day. We decided to eat the last of the soup from last nights supper with the leftover pasta and a fresh salad.

We tuned into the evening news and the forecast is for this rain to move out of here sometime late Wednesday night and then the sunshine should return with temps in the upper 50's. That will be awesome especially with the sunshine. I can take the overcast for just a few days and the cold but not both together for very long. We watched the World Series until the 7th inning and it was tied at 3 each then decided to read about it today. It seems after 10 PM is just too late for me anymore; must be a sign of something but at 6'ish in the morning I'm up and awake and raring to go, oh well!!1 LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was much like a winter day in Florida as we never got out of the 40's with overcast skies and a steady rain that started in the late afternoon and continued throughout the night. Thankfully it wasn't a "gully washer" rain. The damp cold air made for hugging the heater all day. These type of days are where I miss a fireplace in the cabin but the bright blue flame from the propane heater does add some character. We now have put up the expandable rod with a blanket attached to it in the stairwell to keep the heat from the upstairs rooms which surely makes a difference when heating with just the small heater. The cabin stayed quite cozy throughout the day and night and the flannel sheets were just another plus at bed time.

We really didn't do a whole lot outside after lunch but we did get in a hike before lunch and I piddled around down in the basement cleaning the dehumidifier for next years season and putzing around outside putting out some ears of corn for the wildlife. The fallen leaves were kept wet due to the off and on mist and light rain at times but they sure have piled up once again in all of the yards. We did our usual morning routines to start the day with our quiet times and the posting of this ramble before having some farm raised eggs that Mechelle blessed us with and finishing up the bakery bread from Becca's.

We did get in some reading time after our lunch which we made for our big meal of the day. We finished the leftover yellow rice and black beans and the pulled pork. That was as tasty as the day we prepared last week. We had a bag of dried pasta from Italy that Mechelle gave us so we decided to use it in a chicken broth with diced onions, carrots, celery, fresh parsley and thyme. Well I must say we Googled afterwards trying to find a distributor for this brand and only Amazon carries it at a high price. It is that good and delicious. We have never seen pasta in this form and when added to the broth it became very slippery and silky in texture; what an awesome flavor. It's directly imported from northern Italy.

Well we spoke with son Bobby and he and the kiddos had a great weekend with both Halloween parties at Element Church and at First Baptist Riverview where he is now the worship leader. Daughter Amy is constantly on the go with her three youngun's and we get to speak with Eliza Faye the youngest almost daily. She is really starting to talk and is sharp as a tack.The temps are still rather warm there in the lower 80's but has moderated considerably. I'm looking forward to getting my garden planted when we get back. I'm ready for some homegrown lettuces, cukes and tomatoes. I did plant or have 5 volunteer tomato plants from my compost while there and I'm curious to see if they survived, LATER  No pics today!!!

Last Monday in October 2015

Well Sunday was our usual day of spending the morning in worship at Cornerstone in Sparta. It was good to be back after missing the week before due to family just arriving from Florida. We will be back for one more Sunday before heading back to Florida on the 8th. Already we are getting lots of condolences for leaving until next May/June. That sure makes us feel welcomed and loved. These folks are the best and we have really grown to know and love serving with them in this small town.

The day was mostly overcast with a few glimpses of the sun at times and while it really looked like a cold day the temps weren't too cold at all. It nearly reach the 6o degree mark and we did warm up on our hike to the top of the mountain around 4'ish. We even took some photos for the new

cover on our Facebook page with the beautiful yellow Maple in the background that grows alongside the front yard fence.

After church we met up with several for lunch at the Mexican eatery in Sparta and feasted on enchiladas, rice and beans with salsa and chips to start. We always get great food there. Afterwards we stopped over at the Dalton Farm to gander at their Jersey calves and Gypsy Varner horses. The calves have such beautiful faces and almost deer like in appearance and are very gentle. The horses are beautiful with their black and white colors and their hairy faces, manes and tails and their feet are large like a draft horse. They have stout and blocky frames which are common for this breed and were used to pull wagons in their native Ireland. There is a big demand for this breed and Mechelle has both a stud and two brood mares.

I tuned into the Bucs which were on the local tube here and they were up by 24 points when the defense fell apart and they lost to the Redskins by a point. I'm giving up on this inept bunch and wouldn't waste my time and money on a poorly coached team. They had 16 penalties which is uncalled for pro players. The Panthers were winning when I finally decided enough football for one day after watching the Cowboys lose to the Giants, oh well!! LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday saw a drastic change in the weather although for a couple of hours during the mid day we saw a little glimpse of the sun and temps were in the upper 50's; but what a change from on Friday. When I awakened around 7 'ish I couldn't see off the porch for the heavy fog which had set in but the strong breeze quickly moved the silent white mist away which brought in much chiller temps. The cabin was so quiet with all of our company now gone back towards Florida after an overnight stop in the Charlotte area.

I had a bowl of cereal after my quiet time and the posting of this ramble before heading out to once again get the flower and vegetable beds ready for winter and for the upcoming planting season for in May/June. The trees around the cabin were in full color but also dropping their leaves like crazy. Once agin I used the blower and soon another huge pile of them ready for mulching with the push mower . I found using the push mower was easier than the riding one for mulching, anyhow I soon had several cans of mulched leaves which I covered the Peony patch. I had earlier cut them back to the ground. Then I covered the Blueberry patch as well as my Pomegranated tree which I hope will survive the deer eating it off again. It came back last year after being eaten off during the winter/spring and then the rest of the leaves I put into the upper garden. My earthworms love the mulched leaves which breakdown so much easier for them to digest and leave their casings which is the best compost ever for growing plants.

It was close to lunch time so I had worked off the bowl of cereal walking up and down these yards so I finished up the leftover broccoli, tater wedges and the fried apples. I still had lots to do outside and I even sweated a little despite the overcast and cool temps. We took off on our daily hike to the top of the mountain and saw no one out and about. It was a warm walk on the sun side of the top but when we reached the shaded back road the temp quickly dropped. We did see lots of buzzards and on closer inspection I found two deer carcasses in the wooded area behind one of the houses on top. One was a large buck with the antlers sawed off and the other looked like a much smaller doe. The hams were missing on both animals. A neighbor called me last Sunday and said she heard several shots coming from that area and wanted to know if I heard them which I hadn't. It wasn't but a couple days later we started to see buzzards flying in the area and I figured someone had killed a deer that night, oh well.

Well we came back and took down the sheets and towels that dried very nicely outside on the clothesline despite the overcast skies and cool temps. The breeze helped to dry them and the fresh smell of the laundry dried outside brought back growing up memories for me on the farm. That seemed like just yesterday. Well the beauty of these trees caused me to stop and gander at them from time to time. The colors are so vivid and as we hiked we noticed how almost overnight the trees changed. The back road was almost knee deep in places with fallen leaves and the crunch of them brought a pleasing sound to our senses. This seasonal change was upon and very evident now with the cooler temps. The fore cast is for rain the next few days and much cooler but no frost or freezing temps. We have just 2 weeks before we head out for warmer temps and close the cabin up until next May/June.

We headed out around 4:30 for a reception at the newly weds place for those who were unable to attend the wedding last Saturday.  There was a huge tent with lots of food and live music. The air was quite chilly with a breeze that made it feel even colder. We ate smoked pulled pork, baked beans, taters, two types of Cole slaw, buns, rolls and lots of dessert. The eatin' was high on the hog as we country folks use to say. We met several we had never met and lots who we did know and was in for a surprise with a few we were unaware were related or recently married. It was a very nice get together with mostly farmers, hunters, fisherman and plain ole' country folks with a beautiful setting
as we looked out over this well manicured farm land. Cattle of both kinds along with horses dotted the landscape and we have really enjoyed meeting Frank and his friends and who some were our neighbors, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was just the most beautiful day we have had this year. The skies were blue, bright sunshine, no humidity and temps somewhere in the low 70's and the trees look as if they were painted overnight with bright reds, yellows, oranges and browns. This must be the peek weekend for leaf color as we noticed the mountain sides are just loaded with the various colors on our hike today.

Today our company was leaving for Charlotte to spend the night with niece Arianne's brother Austin and family so we were gearing up for their final day here at the cabin after nearly of week of their visit. They decided on a hike to the top sometime before leaving which turned out to be around lunch time. I was up a little after 7 as that is usually when GG awakened and need to be walked down our steep stairs. Everyone else upstairs slept in until later in the morning but after my morning routines I headed outside to get some work done as today Friday was supposed to be last really beautiful day before the weather changed back to more seasonal temps.

I fired up the leaf blower and spent the next couple hours clearing all of the yards of the many fallen leaves which continue to fall as I write; but I wanted to get a coat of fertilizer on all of the yards before the weather got to bad. This warm snap has really greened up the grass and caused some growth as well but I've already mowed it for the last time this year. It sure looked nice cleared of the many leaves. I will mulch those leaves once again and place them in the upper garden and winterize it sometime in the next two weeks before we head out for Florida.

The girls all took off on a hike(I might add that was only the second walk the whole week for them) and I loaded up GG(Nancy's mom) in the golf cart and we drove to the top of the mountain. We met with them several different times as they did their many photo shoots. It was going on two and my stomach was growling for food as the leftover pancake was quickly burned up with all of the walking back and forth and up and down in the yards blowing leaves and using the fertilizer spreader. GG and I came back and had a deli meat roll up with some fresh grapes. The gals finally came down the path from the top and decided they wanted to do the pizzeria in Sparta before heading down off the mountain. So they packed up everything and said their good-by's to me and took Nancy with them to town for pizza around 3'ish.

I met them at the mailbox as they dropped her off on their way south to Charlotte. What a beautiful afternoon with temps in the middle 70's and I read until it was time to head in for some supper around 6:30. We had a couple slices of leftover pizza for me and a fresh salad. Well it sure was quiet around last evening with everyone gone so we chilled in front of the tube with the Fox cable channel and then I watched the Royal's beat the Jay's in the final playoff game before the series start next week between the Mets and the Royals.

When I awakened this morning the fog was so thick you couldn't see off the porch and now as it's brighten up considerably I'm having a difficult time seeing any green grass from all of the fallen leaves since yesterday, yikes!! Well it doesn't seem to be as cold as it has been in the early mornings with the fog keeping the warm air trapped close to the ground, oh well, LATER

Here are a few pics from yesterdays photo shoot on the mountain.

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was one of those days that I didn't do a whole lot as I wanted to watch the hearing on the Benghazi fiasco with the former Sec of State, Clinton's testimony about why there was not enough security provided for our personnel that resulted in the death of 4 Americans. Well I came away truly convinced without a doubt she is a liar to the upmost degree and is purely a self interest person and she and the potus lied to the public about the cause of the terrorist attack to help with his re-election.

The temps warmed up again in the afternoon to close to 70 which made for a near perfect day. I awakened around 7 ish then quickly got the smoker ready for a pork butt. I fed the smoker plum and apple wood through out the day and when I took it off the smoker around 4 the meat pulled way from the bone, seriously delicious. I piddled around outside during the hearing breaks and found new beets seedlings emerging from the warmed soil. I will dig them up in a couple weeks for their trip back to Florida. I dead headed more Zinnias and now have lots of seeds for a winter planting and again for next years crop here in the mountain. They are still budding with lots of new heads to open in the next couple day. They didn't seem to mine the light frost as neither did the pepper plants. I'm amazed they are so hardy.

Well the gals took off down the mountain just before lunch and got back sometime around 6:30. They did the Sparta shops and then had a lite lunch at Becca's before heading down towards the State Road area. They did a tour of the Jones-VonDrell winery at the foot of the mountain and brought back a very nice bottle of red wine of which we shared before supper. I had cut fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley and had it ready for the potato wedges in the oven. We had pulled pork, taters and fresh broccoli and sautéed apples with cinnamon, Yikes what a feed!!!

After the cleanup we did several rounds of a game called Hit or Miss and then a round of 5 Crowns until nearly 11. It wasn't long afterwards it was shower time for me and then some horizontal lab. The company is  sticking around the cabin until 2 ish or so then heading down the mountain to the Charlotte area where they will spend the night with Austin, Meghan and little Tyler and then leave on Saturday morning for Seminole. Arianne will fly out late on Sunday night for Miami. Here are pics from yesterdays adventure with the girls.

Thursday Morning

Well I must say Spring has sprung for the day or maybe the next couple days as it was just absolutely a beautiful day in the mountain. I worked outside for most of the day an actually sought the shade a couple times as it was that hot in the sunshine, Yeah what a change from just a few days ago when ice covered the windshields and the wind had us down into the low 20's and even the teens with the wind chill. The gals all took off before lunch and spent the day Galax, Va. shopping. I had an absolute great time working outside and was visited by both Gerald and George at different times of the day.

I managed to to finish the raised beds after spending most of the morning blowing leaves from the yards. The grass is so green and growing like wild fires. It seems the cold snap perked it up and I also found some new kale seedlings peeking through the ground in the upper garden which will set me back a couple days of getting this garden ready for the winter until I can transplant them into smaller pots. After a lunch of the leftover venison burgers I headed up to the one area of the backwoods yard which just grows the best moss ever of which I'm constantly trying to get rid of. I raked and lifted several bushels of the nasty stuff from the yard then sowed grass seed and covered it with some old hay. Today I will drag out the hose once again as I had put it up for the winter due to the freezing temps. It looks as if these temps will remain around for a couple of days.

Well the gals all wanted a campfire so I got the fire pit ready for when they got home. I wanted to burn some old roots from the last tree and stump I dug out so I had a good blaze going when they drove up somewhere around 6'ish. After a supper of the left over Zuppa soup and the grilled chicken on a bed of salad along with some crusty bread we headed out to the fire circle. It was still rather pleasant out but the drop in the evening temps were becoming evident by 8'ish. I had cut some new sticks for marsh mellows but only Arianne did a smoors. We took lots of fire pictures and I managed to sneak up behind the gals in the dark and give them a small scare as they chatted on. They kept hearing the leaves rustle in the dark and was listening for bears, wolves and coyotes; all of which I'm sure were miles away. The moon and stars really began to shine as full darkness came about.

Well I tuned into the MLB game and the Mets were destroying the Cubs chances of winning any games in this division playoff. Joe Maddon our old Ray,s manager did a great turn around with this team in his first season as their skipper but they had no weapons against this powerful Mets team, Oh well. The Royals got beat bad by the Jay's yesterday so their is at least one more game in that series to see who plays the Mets in the World Series next week. It wasn't long after a hot shower I head to the bedroom for some read time with Erskine Caldwell's short stories and then some horizontal lab, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday turned out to be a very nice day with temps climbing back into the high 60's with bright sunshine after a chilly start. I actually exchanged long pants and sweat shirt for cut off's and a t-shirt by early afternoon. It was a work day for me as I'm starting to get the gardens ready for winter and next year's summer garden. The gals all took off before lunch to Old Salem where they visited the college, tavern, bakery and shoppes. It was close to 7 before they got back on the mountain.

I slept in with one ear listening for GG, Nancy's mom to awakened and then assist down our steep stairs. She insisted she was fine to sleep upstairs so we didn't quarrel about that as I love our bed with the flannel sheets. After my usual routines of a few quiet moments and the posting of this ramble from the day before's events I headed out on the porch to fry up a couple batches of bacon on the grill's burner. Wow does that accessory ever save your house from the splatter and smell inside the cabin, although I love the smell of bacon in the crisp cool morning air. Nancy had buckwheat cakes baking on the stove and fried dippy eggs ready for everyone to have a "mountain breakfast". I like my eggs on top of my cakes which is slathered with real Amish butter and raw honey so as to not lose any of the yoke to the plate but only on the cake, Yeow was that ever some fine eatin' and lasted me all day except for half a ham sandwich around 1:30 when I got back from scooping up horse manure at Kimberly's.

Kimberly is getting over a back operation and Eddie of course is still in the VA Hospital in Salisbury and she still has several horses of which they continue to mess up their stalls. So I thought I would do my good deed for the day and muck out her stables as well as bag the manure for my garden. It didn't take long for me to work up a sweat and soon I was shedding my long sleeve shirt. I had the back of the truck completely loaded with feed bags of manure which helps to keep the bed liner clean. It was after 1'ish before I left the stables and barn for the cabin. It had really warmed up to 65 degrees so it was time to shed the long britches and shirt.

After a quick half a sandwich I loaded up the golf cart with the now empty rain barrel and a trash can and headed out to the backwoods yard to gather up a couple loads of the leaves I had blown into the gully. I then took the riding mower and pulverized the leaves and then took the leaf blower and blew them onto the lower garden. After covering the garden with leaves I then spread several large bags of manure on top of the leaves and then took a bale of old hay that wasn't fit for the horses to eat and spread that on top of the whole garden. That should help with holding the leaves and manure as well as compost down to good food for my worms and that should make for building some good soil for my vegetables next summer. I need to repeat this process for the raised beds in the back yard and for the upper garden which still has some beets, Swiss chard and kale growing along with Zinnias. I will take some of those plants back with me to Florida and replant them in my winter garden.

Well it was after 4 when I finished and decided to read for an hour on the deck in the warm sunshine. I finally heard from the gals  who were wanting me to start the marinated chicken breasts on the grill around 6'ish but they were delayed so it would be closer to 7'ish before they headed up the mountain. I made up some venison burgers for me slathered with fresh Rosemary and Thyme and put them on the grill with the chicken. Give me venison any day over fowl. Nancy cooked up a pot of yellow rice along with black beans and we had fajitas loaded with fresh jalapeños from the garden with a little fruit of the vine while the rice cooked. What a feast!

After the cleanup the gals settled in the show"fixer upper" and was still watching it when I decided to shower and then retire to the bedroom for some reading. I watched a little of the Cubs losing to the Mets on the Mac but decided since I had no "irons in fire" that I would read about who won today, LATER
 Here are a few pics from Nancy's trip to Old Salem with her mother, sister and niece

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was another cold morning with temps down below freezing and lots of frost on the vehicle roof tops. The wind wasn't as strong so it felt a little warmer outside and that helped keep the cabin warmer during the night. A few moments before everyone started to awaken I was able to get in a few quiet moments and then the posting of this ramble. I noticed all of the ears of corn in the backwoods yard was gone so I know the deer are in the area. We had a light breakfast of cereal's and I stayed with just fruit as we ate big the day before. I needed to stay away from all of the desserts and my will power kicked in for the day as well with no cookies, brownies, pie or ice cream, yikes all of those are so darn good.

We decided to eat leftovers for supper so we ate large for lunch with salsa, spinach dip and deli meat sandwiches on bakery sourdough and multi-grain breads. Yeow where they ever good and really held us until around 7'ish. Nancy, Betsy and myself took a hike to the top of the mountain just before lunch and the views were fantastic again in the clear cold air. We didn't see anyone on top but did notice some cars at a couple of the summer homes. We came back and the girls all left shortly thereafter for a trip to Sparta to shop around. It was after 6 before they got back to the cabin. I managed to get a few things I wanted to do and then sat in the afternoon sunshine on the deck and read for a couple hours.

We heated up the leftover pot roast and veggies for a light supper. Most of us was still comfortable from the large lunch but we did clean up that delicious meal of leftovers. We got into a rather long game of dominoes which lasted until nearly 10:30 with nancy being the winner on the last round. It was a very competitive game while we listened to various types of music. It was nearly 11'ish by the time I got out of the shower and hit the sack. I could still hear the night gals in the front room talking until nearly 1'ish, oh well. I think the gals are heading to Old Salem for a visit today while I catch up on some chores, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was a very cold morning with temps down in the low 30's but the wind chill made it feel like the teens, yeow was it ever cold out. I noticed frost on the cabin roof and the car tops finally around lunch time the sun managed to warm the outside temps to the low 40's but the wind continued throughout the day. Finally around 2'ish Arianne and myself decided we needed to get out of the cabin and take a hike. We skipped out corporate worship in Sparta as we didn't want to leave out just arrived company so we did our individual quiet times while they slept in.

The rest of the day was devoted to eating, visiting together and getting ready for a visit from our nephew Austin, Megan and son Tyler who now live in the Charlotte suburbs. We ate rather lite for breakfast with oatmeal, cereal and toast. By Noon we were delving into the sandwiches GG had made and brought with them in a cooler of which there was a dozen or more. There was German bologna and chicken salad all of which were delicious along with pickles and several flavors of Cape Cod chips. Nancy had 2 large pot roasts out and ready to place in a roaster for our supper along with onions, carrots and potatoes. That smell permeated the cabin for the next 5 hours or so on this cold day.

Austin and his family arrived around 4'ish and they brought some cheeses, dips, a little fruit of the vine and a large pan of brownies. We hadn't seen them in over two years just after Tyler was born and he and Megan hadn't been here to the cabin in twelve years. What a homecoming for them as Meg's family and Austin family all came here together for a couple of days before they ever started dating. We took Tyler on a golf cart ride and then took several pictures. He finally warmed up and by the time they left somewhere around 9'ish he wanted to stay. We had to rope him and buckle him in his car seat he was so wound up.

We ate an awesome tasting pot roast and all the fixins' and then two kinds of desserts with pumpkin pie and a brownie with vanilla ice cream and real whipped cream, yikes my spare tire is starting to expand with all this fine eatin'. After supper we cleaned up the dishes and wanted to play the game Sequence. Well I had to play the Harvey Hand which means two hands to make it even and then GAB(Betsy) played on the guys team. Well it was a nail biter and went down to the final play in the third and deciding game when the guys won on the last play of the night. So we have bragging rights until next years rematch. It was a great time of kidding, cutting up and telling each other which card to play. We wondered where did the time go and we were still full from the supper especially all of the desserts.

After they left we tuned into the MLB game and once again the Mets were beating the Cub's and I hit the hot shower which sent me to the flannel sheets to read. GAB(betsy) was sleeping on the couch so I headed to read and by 10'ish I was ready for some horizontal lab. I don't know what time the gals finally headed for bed but Nancy said it was after 1 before they finally settled down, LATER

Here are a few pics from yesterday

Sunday Morning Brrr at 35 Degrees

Well Saturday was a busy fun filled day with getting ready for company and then an awesome time at Frank and Karin's wedding at the Pleasant Home Church in Alleghany County. Such a beautiful setting in gorgeous farm land and the folks who live in the area and work the land are fantastic. We met some GOD loving folks and who are truly the salt of the earth. My son Bobby always preached we need to be the salt of mankind and seek the light of CHRIST to be and make a difference for those who we come in contact during this lifetime and surely these folks represent both salt and light.

We spent the morning after a night with the flannel sheets which were so snuggly and cozy that we didn't want to face the cold temps which really considering the fore cast was for a hard freeze. The brisk breeze made it feel even colder. This is definitely winter time for Florida. We love the change in the seasons but after a few days of being cooped up in the house we are ready for some warmer temps.

I managed to spent most all morning outside blowing the fallen leaves and covering the tender plants with trash cans to ward off the possibility of frost. Thankfully the breeze stayed up which kept the white stuff away. We were being kept up to date on the traveling progress of Nancy's mom, sister and niece. They got caught up in a back up due to a crash on the southbound lanes from all of the rubber neckers when they were heading northbound. They got in here around 6'ish after leaving Seminole around 5:30 in the morning. What a change for them from the 80's with the a/c running while wearing shorts to the 50's when they arrived with a stiff breeze. It was down to 35 this morning at the cabin.

Well the 2 o'clock wedding was in a small quaint church where Frank the groom was raised in and was visible from the back porch of his cabin. The place was nearly full with family and guests and the ceremony was sweet and sacred. Karin was beautiful in her ivory gown and both of their children by prior marriages were in attendance. The music was beautiful and a song sung by a cousin of Frank's that had me in tears. It was a Rascal Flatts song about "broken roads bringing them together" today for this occasion. We saw lots of familiar faces and made lots of new acquaintances as well. Frank is a dairy farmer and his land is beautifully manicured which has been in the family for decades. They had an awesome and delicious reception at his cabin which definitely has a manly touch.

Well we supped on Zuppa soup and crusty bread around 7'ish and then setup and talked until nearly 10'ish for me. I headed in for some horizontal lab after a hot shower and read until nearly 10:30 before the warm flannel sheets set me up for sleeping, LATER

I will post some pics as soon as Nancy down loads them to the laptop  

Our Coldest Saturday Morning 10-17-15

Well Friday turned out to be a rather nice day as the sun was shining brightly and the temps eventually reached the 60 degree mark by late afternoon; however the strong breeze kept us in long pants. We took off for Sparta as we has several errands to run as well as pick up last minute groceries for our company which should arrive sometime before dark. The small portable heater is terrific in keeping the cabin snug and warm despite the early morning cold.

I awakened a little after 6 to start the day and after my usual routines of a few quiet minutes and the posting of this ramble I headed down to the basement to put in some laundry and then I headed out to the backwoods area to check on the ears of corn. Well the deer ate about half of the corn off the cob; it sure didn't take them long to find it. I've been noticing all kinds of fresh signs especially buck signs in the yards and around in the woods. I usually am able to see them occasionally but this buck is a big one and is very shy about letting us see him. I can already taste a good venison steak on the grill. Yeow that is some fine eatin' and never loaded with hormones or food supplements. It's just plain range fed(usually from my garden).

We took off around 11'ish and headed to the library for some new reads, picked up bakery bread at Becca's and shopped at the grocery and then a Walgreen stop for a script refill for Nancy before heading home to a lite lunch of a fresh deli meat wrap. Nancy spent the next two hours doing lots of food prep work. She made a huge pot of Zuppa Tas Cana(Olive Garden potato soup) and I helped with cleaning lots of store bought lettuces while she made a huge salad. I did pick some beet greens and Swiss chard from the garden to add to the mix.

We took off on our daily hike to the top of the mountains and the views were still great but with just a little more haze. We could still see the buildings in Winston. We stopped and chatted with Tommy Cahoon as Nancy saw Lee his wife in Sparta and she mentioned we should stop by on our next hike. They added a new porch roof over their deck as well as a new tin roof on both the house and garage. We chatted for few before we headed on back down the mountain and could really feel the change in temps as we descended. The fore cast was to be the coldest night so far but tomorrow night it was calling for a hard freeze and then a gradual warm up next week to the 50's, yikes this is winter in the Sunshine State.

Well we watched the FOX shows before I tuned into the MLB playoff game and the Royals were up by three over the Jays when I hit the shower and then crawled into the warm flannel sheets for the first time this year, wow are they ever comfy and warm. We both decided to read until it was lights out sometime after 10'ish. Today Saturday is a big day as our friend Karin gets married in the afternoon and then Nancy's mom, sister and niece arrive hopefully before dark from Florida, LATER

Friday Morning in the Mountains

Well Thursday except for the weather being just fantastic was a rather boring day. I actually managed to stay horizontal until nearly 7 AM which is very unusual for me but since I had a rather restless night the day before it caught up with me. We or I piddled around outside in the bright sunshine with the crisp temp's in the 50's while Nancy worked in the kitchen all morning getting ready for company for the coming weekend who will be here for the whole week. She was making dressings, cookie dough, salsa and all of her usual things she likes to do when entertaining especially for family. I wondered around outside up into the woods, putting out some ears of corn for the deer, gathering up "lighter knots" for fire building and using the leaf blower to clear the path of leaves and pine needles up the backwoods steep path to the top of the mountain. The fallen leaves have made the path very slippery as we skidded and slipped our way down yesterday afternoon.

Nancy made buckwheat cakes again with a banana in the batter for breakfast. These cakes stick with you and we both love them especially when slathered with Amish butter and I use raw honey on mine whereas she likes syrup on hers. I learned buckwheat is great for controlling sugar in your blood so folks who have a touch of sugar should eat them regularly. Luckily neither of us suffer from that condition but they do stay with you throughout the day. I just had a couple cheese and crackers for a late lunch after our hike to the top of the mountain. Well the views on top were awesome once again and the colors in the leaves are really "showing off"; but the leaves are falling off as well. The backroad is nearly completely covered in fallen leaves and so many trees are completely bare. The dull look of winter is becoming more apparent every day except for the bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine.It did reach the lower 60's by late afternoon but it was still quite chilly in the shade with the constant breeze.

We took an hour or so and sat in the sunshine on the outside deck out of the wind and read until it was time to start supper. I'm still getting a few green and jalapeno peppers from the garden so we had salmon cakes, buttered macaroni and lima beans. I of course doctored my plate with fresh chopped jalapenos which woke up the taste buds. After the clean up it was starting to get dark outside and the temps were dropping quickly so we turned on the portable heater which quickly warmed the cabin. I will have to light the gas propane heater this weekend as we are in for a hard freeze according to Ray's Weather.com, yikes in the 20's and we are having 3 family members from Florida who are use to a/c, shorts and sleeveless tops. Arianne is coming from Miami where it seldom gets below 70. What a shock she is in for!

Well that was about it for the day as we tuned into the FOX NEWS channel and once again see where this incompetent administration is leading us down the road to destruction. There will be no increase in our social security compensation that we all contributed to over the years The libs want to give it to the illegal immigrants and the radicals who want to kill us. How did we ever get this far from reality and now those who are here illegally will make a difference with the number of electoral votes each state will get for the next election. I'm wondering will the main stream media ever report the truth and enlighten the masses of what is taking place in this land. I wonder what next will have to happen to wake up Americans to the real truth that we have incompetent leaders in this administration who want the country to fail and to be weaken from within by racial divide, no respect for our law enforcement, lack of resolve and honor for GOD, major debt that will cause another depression and now the intention of taking away our right to have guns and the means to protect ourselves against criminals and the government. Our media except for FOX News is in cahoots with this inept administration on both sides of the isle, just sayin', LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday started out with chilly temps in the 40's but the wind made it feel even colder until just before lunch time when the wind died down and the bright sunshine warmed us up. It turned out to be a great day for handing laundry outside on the clothesline, hiking and just being outside in the warm sunshine after lunch. We took off on a golf cart ride to the top of the mountain to view the jets as they did maneuvers over these mountains. What an awesome sight as they approach you long before you hear the sound of them passing over head.

I started the day early as I had a difficult time sleeping for many reasons so decided to get up somewhere around 4:30 in the morning or at least that's when I first woke up. I did manage to remain horizontal until just before 6 but could not get back to sleep. After my usual routines of a cup of hot green tea, a few quiet minutes with my Creator and then the posting of this ramble I headed outside to check on the yards and gardens. I turned on the portable electric heater which quickly took the chill off of the down stairs. We still have a curtain up between the stairs to keep as much of the heat down here for now but will take it down once our company arrives on Saturday for a week.

Our hike to the top of the mountain was exhilarating with a clear view of the building in down town Winston-Salem which is about 70 miles away. The leaves continue to add more color each day and to the accumulation of their fallen friends in the yards and on the back road. They are ankle deep on the back road and make such a noise as we hike along. We watched the wind take several leaves high into the air and each one has a different motion as they twirl to their final resting place. We confused a couple with small birds as they flutter about on their downward descent.

We had a late breakfast of sausage, egg and biscuit so we ate very light for lunch around 2 ish. We learned decided to take off on a ride to the mailbox in the golf cart and once again the jets started their sorties in the area. The sound is just tremendous as they come over the tree tops so we stopped back at the cabin to grab the camera and head to the top of the mountain. The day before there were dozens of sorties but none during the morning hours. We headed to the top and saw 4 different jets as they seemed to travel in pairs. The photo we got was of two that was coming right near us over the top but their speed is so great they are upon you in an instant with sound a great distance behind. It was very hard for Nancy to get them into focus in the viewfinder and we were lucky to capture this one on film.

I grilled chops and deer burgers for supper and made enough for another supper on Friday along with tater tots, salad and canned peas. Delicious. Neighbor Gerald blessed us with some ground deer from last year and I found it to be awesome with a little barbecue sauce and rosemary. Nancy likes the fresh ground meat better, oh well! We tuned into the Fox News Channel and caught up on the big boring debate the democrats put on. About the only candidate that is honorable is Jim Webb from Virginia. The rest are socialist, big government spenders and isolationist with leftist ideologies and crooks; especially Hillary. What a sad bunch who want to be the president. This present president has left us in sad state as we are no longer a force for goodness in the world, LATER