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
