Thursday Morning..Last Day of June

Well Wednesday saw us with a mixture of jobs and chores before we traveled to Galax, Va. for shopping at Lowes and Wal-Mart then lunch out at Mcadoo's. We got back on the mountain around 2'ish and commenced to working once again as we make ready for Bobby and family later today(Thur.) and then Amy's family on Friday. I fired up the weed whacker and spent the next 2 hours on all of the yard, gardens and driveway. Afterwards the weather held as there was a chance of thunder storms but it remained clear so I mowed for the next 2 hours and got done around 7 PM.

The day started with my usual 6'ish roll out and then my morning routines with my cup of hot turmeric drink, a few quiet moments with my Creator and then a lite breakfast before heading out to wander the yards and gardens. Everything looked great and the morning temp's were in the high 50's, yikes it was rather chilly despite no breeze. Nancy was even awake as we wanted an early start before heading out around 10:30. She had two loads of laundry on the line and I had the trash that won't burn loaded up in the back of the truck for the dumpster.

We stocked up once again and both fridges and freezers are packed full as well as most of the cabinets and pantry's. We put the plastic orange mesh fence up around the porch pailings to keep the kiddos from slipping through especially Eliza faye. The ground is a good 12-15 feet below the deck. That is one job we do not like to do as our finger tips become raw from twisting the wire ties that hold the fence in place. We have been using the same orange construction fence for years and it does a great job and still doesn't take away from the esthetics of the cabin porches.

Well lunch was awesome and next time we will share an entree as the portions are so large. Nancy has a cheeseburger the old fashion way and prepared perfectly and I had the club which was huge and so good and we both had fries which was a mistake as we left about half on the plate. We both decided to use Patrick and Kathryn playbook for eating out and sharing plates plus we need to cut down on our portion. That sandwich held me the rest of the day except for a handful of peanuts about 8 PM after mowing.

Well the yards and gardens are just beautiful after mowing and Nancy took a couple of photos. It's hard to describe the serenity and peacefulness as well as the smell of fresh mowed grass when a place is manicured and nestled back into the rugged mountain woods. We continue to pinch ourselves daily when admiring this beautiful part of God's Creation and that we get to share it with family and friends, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was a day that had us working, hiking and then me on the outside pickle ball court for a good workout(not that I needed one as these hills have been kicking my you know what) but the 5 of us worked up a good sweat. I left after an hour and half so the 4 of them who were much younger some as much as 40 years could wear each other out. We did see lots of rain in the morning hours but by lunch time it was clear with bright sunshine and blue skies with warm temps.

I started the day with my usual roll out at 6 or a little before to a soft rain. Nancy slept in until after 7 and then I did my routines of a hot cup of turmeric drink for the knee joints, a few quiet moments to honor my Creator and lift up those we know of on our prayer list for healing and comfort in this their hour of need and then posting of this ramble from the day before's activities for posterity. After a breakfast of egg burritos I headed down to the basement to make sure our small air compressor would pump up a queen size air mattress for when Bobby and family arrive on Thursday. He and Katie want to stay in the basement on this new mattress. Well it took over an hour to get this thing blown up. It was still very wet outside and clouded over so I decided from the mesh onion bags and another mesh bag to make butterfly nets for the kiddos. Well, I'm pleased how they turned out and I'm sure they will have fun collecting insects and putting them in a large bug carrier that we have.

After a lite lunch and with the sunshine out and clear skies we took off on a hike to the top of the mountain. Nancy had made two kinds of cookies; chocolate chip and chocolate mocha walnut for when our company arrives on Thursday. We took a mixed dozen with us to share with Joe and Jetta on our hike. They were pleased with them and they shared some summer apples which are green and must be cooked; they are not for eating raw. We will try them tonight(Wed). After our hike I needed to rest for the pickle ball match later in the evening so I finished A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. I found out about this book as it setting is the early 1900's before WWI and that our soldiers were reading this novel on the battle field and in their foxholes. It is a story worth reading and told from a young girl becoming of age in a poor family. A good read.

Well we had a chicken pot pie made by Marie Callendar that we buy at Sam's Club and I must say they are delicious along with a salad for our supper around 5'ish. I didn't need a heavy meal while chasing a pickle ball especially as the temps heated up. We started out with 4 players and then a fifth showed up which gave me a chance to bow out leaving the group with 4 players. Needless to say a couple of these men are in their early 20's and athletes and here I am nearly 70 and starting to show a paunch, oh well we had some great matches with nice long rallies and my experience helped with winning most of the games with different partners. I sure miss the competition.

Well when I got back somewhere around 8' ish Nancy was working in the flower beds so I loaded up the golf cart with a sack of organic fertilizer and fed all of the flower and vegetable gardens. We worked outside until nearly 9 and it wasn't dark yet. We did watch a little of the Fox News channel to learned the radical Islamic terrorist's killed another bunch of innocent folks in Turkey at the airport. The world is getting a preview of what to expect from this religion of peace which is just down right idiotic to believe that is true. Their book and ideology is to kill if you don't conform and we have a potus who is sympathetic to their cause and will not identify them as such or even use the term. The USA has always stood to defend the weak and innocent but not with this administration as I firmly believe he is a follower of their ideology. All of his closest advisors are muslim and they now are in important positions within his administration, Wake Up America...LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was another work day and then we received a lite afternoon shower which sent us to the porch to read until supper time and then the skies opened up with a tremendous thunder storm and a deluge of rain which could best be described as a "gully washer". The town of Sparta according to some pics sent on FB was a roaring river.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish or a little before roll out. Nancy slept in as in her custom once I got up until nearly 7:30. I did my usual routines that started with a cup of hot turmeric drink, a few quiet moments and then the posting of this ramble before I headed out to check on the gardens and flower beds for slug and deer damage. So far I've squashed a couple dozen of slugs but with this rain they will be out in force and can eat up a plant is hours. The deer have stayed away "knock on wood".

I had a healthy breakfast of oatmeal, banana, cinnamon, pecans and topped with locally grown raw honey. The sun was out brightly in the tree tops and while the forecast was for evening showers the morning was clear and beautiful with 60's temps. I decided to clean out the area under the back porch which was perfect for storing the kayak's. I did have a bunch of gardening junk that needed to be gone as well tons of fall leaves that had blown up an under the porch so I spent the next couple of hours cleaning and making some saw horses to hold our kayak's. We will store them in the basement this next winter but for now under the porch is great. Nancy had two loads of laundry outside on the clothes line which for some reason is a down home symbol much like comfort food, oh well the millennials have no idea what that means or entails.

Nancy made a superb guacamole for our lunch using fresh cilantro from the garden. Her concoction is better than the one I make. I did add a fresh jalapeno to my side of the dish which added some zing which I like. I actually used my finger to clean the bowl it was that tasty. That was our lunch as we ate it with tortilla chips. Caleb Dalton had given me 5 trout he had caught in the river a few weeks ago and had them frozen in water so we had them for supper along with grilled fresh; cherry tomato's, yellow squash, fresh whole mushrooms, onions and zucchini in our new veggie basket for the grill, yeow, was that ever delicious as Nancy had tossed them in a little olive oil. This cooking basket is one of our best investments for use on the grill. I fried the trout fillets in olive oil to a golden brown and they too were very tasty but not quite the flavor of fried bass. Many thanks to Caleb for blessing us with the trout and we sure hope he does well in Nebraska this week for the national junior competition in skeet and trap shooting with a 12 gauge shotgun. Not only is he a great fisherman but a "dead eye dick" as the saying goes with a gun.

Well we didn't get our hike in as the heaven's opened with a much needed rain which lasted beyond dark and even into the night. We had an inch and half just before dark in a little over an hour and the streets in Sparta looked like the New River had made a detour down main street. We spoke with son Bobby and he and his family are excited about arriving here on Thursday evening and we are planning on meals and events in advance. Amy and her family will be here on Friday evening and what a reunion that will be with all of us, LATER

 

Monday Morning

Well Sunday saw us at Cornerstone for worship and then we met up with friends Mechelle, Marcia and Sam for brunch at the 21 Tavern(old River Rock Grille) and then around 3:30 we headed over to the New River with Mechelle for a kayak trip for about an hour and hour ride on the water. What a gorgeous day and perfect for being on the water and then we bought the last two kayak's from Mechelle's warehouse where she manages KSN Liquidations.

The day started out with my usual 6'ish roll out to a quiet cabin. Dawn had broken and the peacefulness of this place is awesome. There was just a bit of ground fog and mist in the air which made it even more quiet. I did my routines and a few quiet moments to honor my Creator, give thanks and lift up those I know and love and then posted this ramble from yesterday activities while having my proverbial cup of hot turmeric tea. Afterwards I heated up some oatmeal added a fresh peach, cinnamon, pecans and honey for my breakfast to start the gastric juices flowing.

We had a good crowd of folks at Cornerstone and Pastor B had a good message and the praise music was much better than normal. Afterwards we met at the 21 Tavern for a brunch which I now have had for the second time and I find the breakfast buffet the tastiest but did have a rib and a piece of fried chicken as well as some salad and of course the quiche was awesome, oh well needless to say we always sample most everything on the table which was very good for such a small place. We saw our mountain top neighbors, Joe and Jetta as well as several folks we hadn't seen since last year and the hugs and handshakes were plentiful. We were very pleased and full which held us until about 7:30 when we got home from the river and had a couple fresh buttered corn on the cob and a small salad for our supper.

We met up with Mechelle after she closed her warehouse at 3 and then loaded up 3 kayaks onto her pickup and headed to the New River in Va. We left my truck at the extraction area or get out of the river place and then headed upstream for a couple miles to the low water bridge where we put in. It was just a perfect day and we saw many other canoe's and kayak's as well as inter tubes on the river. We floated down stream for about and hour and half and Nancy fell in love with the kayak over the canoe which we had used many times. The kayak is so much easier on your back and the paddling is very easy as well with great maneuverability. She was so impressed with her first time in one that she thought it a good investment for us to purchase a couple and have on hand when company comes and wants to do the river. Mechelle loves the river and has four kayak's and made it known they were available for our use as well. She even blessed us with a tail gate extender which is great for the 12 foot kayak's.

Well I must say we were excited about not only the river ride but now having our own and enjoying the river with Mechelle, Caleb and their friends. When family and friends come we can save bucks from renting the equipment for a one day's ride that will eventually pay for the

cost of these two and go whenever we want to. Well after eating a quick lite supper I hand watered some of the veggies as we were hoping for some rain. The temps were awesome with lots of sunshine around the middle 70's for a high and its supposed to be that way for the next several days. We just about have everything stocked up for the family and eager await the arrival of Bobby's gang on Thursday and Amy's on Friday. I will make one more trip to Galax, Va. to exchange out my grill cover which did not fit into a 55 inch cover and to get some Boston butts from the meat market at Horton's, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was a mixture of both shopping, hiking and work and we couldn't have asked for better weather as we had a very lite rain shower just before dusk. The low hanging clouds were around throughout the day giving us some rather nice overall temps whereas the bright sunshine at times was down right hot.

I started the day with my usual before 6 'ish roll out. It seems no matter what time I turn in at night that internal alarm goes off at 6 or within minutes of it, dang I'm retired and want to sleep in at times, but No. Anyhow I made my hot cup of turmeric drink then settled into my morning routines of a few quiet moments with my Creator to honor Him and to humble myself as well as lifting up those I love and know especially those who are hurting and to give thanks for my many blessings and to pray for our nation for competent leadership that honors our Judeo-Christian faith.

I posted this ramble from yesterday's activities as we want to share our cabin or mountain experience vicariously through this blog and some day after we are gone hopefully our children and grand kiddos will remember these memories we have made and shared and will do the same. Each day Nancy and I remark that we had no idea this place is ours to use and share and how unique it has turned out to be. We are truly humbled by this blessing of this mountain cabin and by ALL of our friends we have made here over the past few years.

We got ready nad headed to Galax, Va. for some severe shopping once again at the Super Wal-Mart, Lowes and the local meat shoppe and grocery called Horton's. I wanted to finally get screens for the two small windows on the bump out where the dining room table sits. The salesman at Lowes mention they had a kit where you could make your own as ordering screens without the name of the window manufacturing except for the dimensions would take weeks(of course I've been waiting years). The kit looked simple enough to make so I bought two, one for each window. Nancy was at the Wal-mart with a cart full of necessities as she calls them as we anticipate the arrival for a week of our son, daughter and their families.

It was close to two before we got back on the mountain so we ate bass fish sandwiches which were awesome. I think we also made believers out of our mountain top friends the Browning's as well about the taste of bass fish as they were both thrilled with the taste as well.  After lunch I settled into putting this screen kit together and I did achieve success finally after having to make some modifications as the height of the window at 54 inches made for a floppy screen but the basic construction seemed great and now we have screens for those two windows, yeah!! Anyhow after an hour or so for our lunch to digest we took off on what is now becoming our daily hike.

The hike up the steep back trail is becoming a little less steep as we finally are getting our mountain legs sturdier. They still scream at times as we are making that climb after just one rest stop. We saw a few family members visiting Gordon and Sonja and stopped to chat awhile before heading on across the top to the Browning's. We sat on their porch and once again they blessed us with a piece of home made chocolate pie with meringue, yeow what flavor and so delicious(I wanted to lick the plate clean). Well, that piece of pie held me until 7:30 when I popped a bowl of popcorn which took the place of supper.

We headed back down the mountain and I worked on the other window screen and completed that project. We got a 5 minutes big rain drop shower then the sun came back out and we wondered around the yard until dusk until Nancy mentioned pop corn. I really was satiated from lunch and the pie but the thought of corn popped on the stove in olive was too much to resist. We got into American Pickers as we both love that show and all of the interesting things from the turn of the century and the history behind the items. Americans were very creative in art, machines and themes from years back an some of the artists who created them were just so interesting as well. One place was where the owner was building his wife a castle which after his death became a Bed and Breakfast and his creativeness was unbelievable.

Well it was nearly 10 before I realized it and headed for the showers as I was late for my horizontal lab, LATER

Don't forget to take a couple hours and join with others to give thanks and worship our LORD today at a place where two or more are gathered. Pray for those who are in need, hug some one, especially the widows and widowers and lift up your family then ask for healing for land and for competent and honest men and women who want to make the country great again and not fill their bank accounts with money at the expense of the nation, wow that's a lot to ask for but with GOD anything is possible.  

Saturday Morning -last Saturday in June

Well Friday was mainly a fun day as we fished at our "mountain moms" lake but having all that fun did cause me some hot work and then we hiked to the top of the mountain which is also another event that causes work. So we did a lot of physical activities which gave the muscles a work out.

I started the day much the usual way with a before 6 ish roll out, a cup of hot turmeric drink while I spent a few quiet moments with my Creator and then the posting of this ramble before venturing out to check on the gardens. It is so quiet here in the morning when there is no breeze and the only sound is the dew dripping from the upstairs dormer onto the tin roof or off in the distance a lonely crow cawing and sometimes we can hear a cow bawling for her calf. As the morning progresses the birds come alive with their beautiful singing and yesterday at the lake they were giving us a symphony while we fished.

Speaking of fishing Nancy was on fire using live fishin' worms as she pulled in the biggest and the most bass and blue gills. I in turn was using an artificial worm trying to entice one of those bucket mouths to take the bail but I did have a rather nice one on for sometime until he headed for the wire grass and I lost him, oh well. Nancy provided supper and we had enough to share with our friends on top, Joe and Jetta. They had never eaten bass and were very pleased with their mess of fillets. We want to bring all of the grand kiddos over to the lake so they can make memories and have fun with fishin'. I took my weed whacker with me and after Nancy tired pulling in the fish I weeded the edges and banks of the lake. I did find my first tick on me later in the day and I'm not sure where I picked it up but we came down the back trail on our hike during the afternoon and the grass there was very high.

We got back to the cabin around lunch time and had just warmed up some leftovers when our old friend and builder of the cabin Ray Todd came by for a visit. Well his health has deteriorated in the last years first with open heart and then back surgery and now his legs are giving out on him as well. His color isn't good either and we were very concerned with his ability to maneuver while walking and even getting into his truck after an hour or so visit. Wow has he really suffered with poor health this past year since we last saw him. He filled us in on all that's going on with his family and now he has three grandson's and we laughed at the character his oldest one Carson was when he was but a youngen'. That boy was wide open and now he has settled down and become a really good athlete while living down off the mountain in Mt. Airy. It was great to reminisce with Ray which seemed to have brought some joy to him as we talked. He did tell me he registered to vote for the first time in his life as he is worried that Hillary will be elected. His whole family were Roosevelt Democrat's but in good conscience he couldn't vote for her and another four years of Obamas influence on the country.

Well after he left I filleted the bass and got them ready for the frying pan and wow were they ever delicious. I like trout but bass are the tastiest fresh water fish ever in my opinion. I did them on the new grill's side burner which doesn't allow the fish smell to invade the cabin. I have enough leftover for a lunch of fried fish on a bun with a slice of sweet onion, tomato, mayo, dill pickle slices and lettuce, Yeow what a gastronomic delight for me. After our hike and visit to the top we sat on the front porch and read until nearly 6 'o clock. The time just flies by here and we ate our supper outside on the deck. A perfect evening with delicious food and not one bug as we sat in the shade on the deck.

We wondered around the yards and gardens until after 8'ish pulling weeds and accessing the growth of our plants and flowers. We should have plenty of flower blooms by next weekend when the family is here and we should be eating fresh lettuce from the garden and maybe even a yellow squash as well as Jalapeno peppers for salsas's and guacamole's as the herbs are hardy and plentiful. The three small rows of beets I planted a couple days ago are up and should be ready for transplanting in a week or so. I sow the seeds really close as we like the beet greens better than the actual beets which are marvelous in fresh garden salads. Well, we headed in to catch the last of O'Reilly and Fox News channel which tell the real news and pulls no punches and then Megyn Kelly really unloads on the real stories which the national news media fails to deliver because it may embarrass this inept administration. The media is so biased towards this present government that its allowing the enemy because of political correctness to drastically leave us in a state of vulnerability. I really think at times those who own these media outlets are treasonous for not vetting and reporting the actions of their candidates of choice especially those in the democratic party and on the left.

England did the right thing to opt out of the EU in my opinion as the folks wanted to once again be in charge of their nation and not be under hegemony of some world order proponent in Belgium. The folks spoke and now the elitists are really scared as they see that Trump's influence in trying to make our nation great again is also having an influence on them and their idea to make Great Britain great again as well. Our inept leaders as well as Hillary tried to influence the out come of that election and were soundly defeated now if only the voters see how they have been so influential in making US(A) less secure from their failed policies. Maybe the voters in this country will Please Wake Up and see the corruption so evident with Hillary. If a country boy with just a 6th grade education see's this lack of honestly in a candidate why would not the rest of America see it as well and that's because the main stream media continues to prop her up with biased reporting or lack there of reporting the facts, LATER

Friday Morning

Well Thursday was part work day and then an evening out at the Dalton/Luffman Farm for a get together with family and friends as young Caleb heads to Nebraska for the National Finals for shotgun shooting in trap/skeet contests. We are so proud of him as he has grown into a fine young man.

The day stated much the usual with a before 6 roll out for me to my morning routines of a hot cup of turmeric, a few quiet moments and then the posting of this ramble about the day before's activities as I want to leave a journal, so to speak of how we spent out time here in these beautiful mountains of North Carolina and the folks here that we call family for about 5 months of the year. There have been a few changes and of course we are always meeting new folks that come and some of the older ones move on or away; but the hospitality is constant and the generosity it for real especially among these God loving folks.

I headed out to check on the gardens for damage but mainly to be outside in the early dawn to see how the plants and veggies have grown overnight. Many of the cone and daisy flowers are starting to open and bless us with their amazing beauty. We are excited to see if any of the new recently planted flower roots with send out shoots. The honey suckle is sending out new shoots from the main stem and the morning glories are sending out runners that will attach itself to the arbor. Their beautiful blue color is majestic and we are soon hoping for some flowers despite starting them from seeds this year instead of a plant. I'm about ready to harvest some lettuce to add to the store bought one and Gerald Luffman blessed us with some green scallions from his garden as well. I'm a lover of onions in any form.

Our neighbor Gerald came up from Blacksburg for the day and night to work around his place. h
He and his new bride Karyl will be down for a long weekend over the Fourth while our family is here so we will have a big cook out. He brought up a couple of small tents so the grand kiddos could have a special place where they can play in and or camp out, we'll see about that as I'm sure grandma Nancy will scare them with bear stories, oh well!!! I loaded up the back of the truck with old grill's and garbage as we headed to the landfill and recycling area in Sparta in the late afternoon and then to the library for new reads and then a stop at the grocery for a couple of their specials as we make ready for the family next weekend.

I had the privilege to pitch corn toss with Gerald, Andy and Caleb who are the best tosser's I've ever throw against. Katie's dad Bruce would be right up there as well. Gerald Luffman is probably the most consistent tosser I've ever encountered as he makes 3 out of 4 toss's at will. Caleb also has improved his game and is following in his grandfather's footsteps. He now has his own truck and drives around in the pasture as he perfects his driving skills for the hard road in a few months.

We dined on delicious grilled burgers and dogs, baked beans and Nancy made a suburb Cole slaw to accompany all the fixin's for our supper. We met two new families with their kiddos as well.

Well it was after 9 before we got back to the cabin and there was a forecast for severe storms heading our way. We did get some rain about the time I headed for some horizontal lab after a hot shower, LATER

Here are a few pics from last evening!!!

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday once more was another work day and I did my good deed for the day as I helped my "mountain mom" with a chore and we were blessed by the Browning's with some flower plant root stock. After our trip over to Helen's and then to the top of the mountain for the roots we worked around the cabin until late evening when we finally got in our hike for the day.

Well the morning was a repeat of most morning with a before 6 roll out; I spent a few minutes with my Creator to honor Him and humble myself and lift up those I know and love in thought and prayer as well as those who need some extra consideration. I had my proverbial cup of hot turmeric drink then posted this ramble before heading out to check on the gardens. We had about .2 tenths of an inch of welcomed rain last evening which perked up all of the new seedlings but did bring out the slugs and cut worms of which one cut off a very nice tomato plant in the side garden. I put the top back into ground and I have seen where they will take root again, oh well!!!

After a lite breakfast of oatmeal, cinnamon and honey I headed down to the basement as I wanted to finish the floor which meant scraping, scrubbing and then using a primer called Lock Down to help hold this epoxy paint to the floor. While that was drying we headed over to Helen's as she had dislodged her shower doors. Well I finally got that back together and then I noticed a small fawn walking across her back yard. Well we took some pictures as it stood and watched us and then it must have got a smell of it's mother and it took off down into the woods. It was very curious of us and even made a small crying noise as we approached within a few feet. It could have been just born, anyhow that is the third contact I've had with a new fawn this summer.

The Browning's gave us lots of extra dried root's for flowering plants that had been shipped to them as a make up order for some she had ordered and they never grew. There was so many they couldn't plant them all and we spent an hour or so planting the ones they gave us. Now we will see if they grow as some were in poor condition, oh well!! After a lite lunch of salad I headed back down to the basement to put on the final coat of paint with the added dried paint chips. That kept me busy for a couple hours and I must say turned out very nice. We then hung two large sun shades on the front porch to help during the evening sun that streams into the cabin bringing the heat. They really make a difference and now we can sit on the porch during that time frame and not be overly hot.

It was after 5 so it was time for a 30 minute rest with a glass of vino before starting the grill for a couple Salmon fillets. I gathered fresh dill from the garden along with a Jalapeno pepper for my rice and beans that were left over from last nights meal, yeow was that ever some good eatin' along with a salad. After the cleanup and while we waited for digestion I piddled around in the gardens when I noticed one of my largest tomato plants was looking droopy and then I noticed that at ground level it had been cut in half by a cut worm. I looked around in the dirt but could not find the critter. I'm sure he is looking for the next plant to cut off but I will find him eventually and squash his body, oh well. All of the lettuce and kale seedlings transplants look good but something got one of my okra seedlings, probably another cut worm over night, oh well. I may have to use some bug killer as much as I hate using pesticides for a one time shot.

Well after the hike were we stopped and visited with Eddie Harris for a few and then sat and visited with Joe and Jetta for half an hour or so. It was starting to get dark with the cloud cover so we headed back down the mountain to the cabin. There was no air moving and it was so still. We watched the O'Reilly Factor then I hit the showers and was soon reading in the horizontal position which lasted to a little after 10 and then it was lights out for me. Nancy the night owl was still watching the tube, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday was a work day that had me in the basement for the biggest part of the day as I resurfaced about half of the floor. In between that I managed to transplant some seedlings and then we entertained our "mountain mom" Helen and her brother Joe for supper. We did get some rain in the late evening which helped with the grasses and gardens to get a good soaking.

The day started out with my usual before 6 roll out to my routines of a hot cup of turmeric,  few a quiet moments with my Creator and then the posting of this ramble before I headed out to check on the gardens for any deer or slug damage. Everything looked great and I now finally see some good growth on many of the garden veggies and the Zinnias in the front circle bed have four leaves and are about 3-4 inches in height. Hopefully they will be as beautiful there as they have been around the upper gardens.

I ate a lite breakfast of oatmeal, cinnamon and honey before heading down to the basement to start on the floor. I scrape it, swept it, scrubbed it and then vacuumed it before I got ready to give it a coat of Lock-Down which is like a primer that is supposed to help hold the paint to the concrete. The first time I ever painted the raw concrete I should have done that process but I just painted it and it looked OK but eventually stated peeling and bubbling which made for an unsightly look. Well I gave it a good coat of grey floor paint with added dry paint chips to give it that finished look and wow did it ever turn out nice. I want to do the other side today which will encompass the same procedures.

While waiting for the wet cleaned floor to dry I headed out to both gardens and transplanted some lettuce seedlings which lived while in individual 9 packs(which is the way I do it in Florida). Usually I've had very little luck with growing them it into heads here for some reason but these look decent and already had several leaves. I transplanted some in both gardens as well as about a dozen Kale seedlings. They didn't look as good as the lettuces but hopefully they will make as I lost about half of them during the move up into 9 packs. I found out all but one sugar pea seedling died or the seeds rotted in the ground. oh well!! My experiment with starting seeds in a wet paper towel only worked with the radishes and not the peas or okra.

Nancy had pork chops thawing for our supper with Helen and Joe along with black beans and Jasmine rice and a fresh salad, yeow what a feed that turned out to be. I grilled the chops to perfection on my new grill and they were done in no time. We had a glass of my homemade blackberry vino from last years batch that I had picked the berries from her fields. They stayed until nearly 6 when the skies began to cloud up and eventually it rained for a quite awhile. I cancelled on the pickle ball outing due to the weather.

Well that was about it for the day except I misplaced my one pair of reading glasses and finally after searching inside and on the porches I headed out to the truck for a spare pair. I have no idea where they went or what I could have done with them, oh well. Nancy and I finished up some ice cream around 7:30 and that kept me awake until 11'ish which is very unusual for me and so I need to read and could not find them, oh well, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday turned out to be a complete surprise for us as we had planned on a trip to Elkin for some blood work but found out this facility was not affiliated with our lab in our health program so we had to go to Winston-Salem to have Nancy's blood drawn for analysis. Well that turned out to be a big shopping day as we visited several places in the high heat of the lower 90's, Yikes!! It was such a relief to get back on the mountain where it was close to 79 when we got home which was our highest temp so far this summer.

The day started with me awake at my usual before 6 with a cup of hot turmeric drink then my quiet time to honor my Creator and the posting of this ramble. We spoke with a daily reader to this ramble and she really enjoys this ramble when we are in the mountains as we are always doing something interesting and are busy bodies. I headed out to check on the gardens and had to don an extra shirt as it was a cool morning with temps still in the high 40's and low 50's yikes did it ever change as the day progressed. There was plenty of sunlight in the tall trees surrounding the cabin and the the gardens looked great as well. I have noticed some significant growth to the tomato plants, finally and the yellow squash is setting fruit, yumm fried squash is a favorite for both of us!!. Nancy was doing a fast for her blood draw so we headed down the mountain around 8:30 to the hospital in Elkin when we learned despite this facility using the name Quest it wasn't what her doctor in Florida was use to.  We pay nothing using that lab at home but here a couple years ago it was a bunch of money out of pocket for the same labs so we decided what the heck lets go on to the big city which was another 40 miles or so away but worth the couple hundred bucks compared to a tank of gas.

Well we finally figured out how to program the GPS which we hadn't used in a year and low and behold it took us right to the facility somewhere around 10'ish. Nancy was a walk in but we only spent a half hour despite the gal working the front desk was also drawing the blood. She was a hoot as Nancy was mimicking her the rest of the day with her sayings; one of which was "they were working her like a Hebrew slave". She was a character and very friendly. Well after the draw we found an IHOP eatery because I had a two year old gift card I needed to use and the GPS took us to one that was very busy which was a good sign. The food was fantastic and plentiful after we hadn't eaten since Sunday evening for Nancy and Sunday lunch for me. You would think I would be a stick with all of the up and down these hills and not eating for 24 hours, but NO!!!

We headed to an Aldi's which is also a very busy store which we use frequently in Florida. They had the best fresh corn in the shuck and we load up on their chips, crackers and can goods for when our company arrives in less than two weeks. The vino is also cheap as well and comes from Napa Valley. I was surprised they have two stores in the area and both have an officer working off duty during hours of operation. We chatted and learned this is a company policy and they pay good as well. We then headed to Sam''s Club for more goodies and some necessities as Nancy calls them. We needed new sheets and frozen Salmon fillets as well as more goodies for the kiddos. We then headed back towards the mountain for another stop at Lowes in Elkin and Wal-Mart.

The Lowes store in Elkin was extremely hot as their a/c was not functioning so we got what we needed and headed for Wal-mart just a couple blocks away. There is was so cool and refreshing as we once again picked up some necessities before heading back up the mountain where the temps dropped precipitously the higher we went. By the time we got to the cabin it had dropped from 91 to 79 in degrees, Ahh!!! Well we spent the next hour or so unloading and putting away necessities and goodies then decided to make several missed phone calls. I hadn't spoken with Paw Paw as he was gone on Father's Day so I caught up with him, then Amy called and then my pickle ball buddy called as well as the Orkin bug man who wanted to set up a date to where we would be at the cabin for some inside spraying.

Well I had eaten such a big breakfast/lunch we just decided to have a couple ears of fresh corn and a small salad for supper. Afterwards we headed out to the top of the mountain for our daily hike and on the way up I spotted what looked like the fawn I nearly ran over a few days ago.  It was standing so still in a small copse of trees alongside our path and we were within just a few feet of it. It was so tiny and beautiful with its spots. It watched us as we walked along both sides of the trail until we were out of sight. We never saw the mother but did see her tracks where she had abandoned her baby in the trees.  It was gone when we came back through on our way back to the cabin.

We did stop and chat momentarily with Jetta who was pulling weeds and an overgrowth of flowers from her beds. The gnats were hungry so we didn't visit long before heading back down to the cabin. Well we checked out all of the flowers and I hand watered the new okra seedlings I had transplanted yesterday and they looked like they might survive. It was nearly 8:30 when we headed in for the night and watched a little of the Fox News channel. I soon headed for the shower and then curled up with my book and it was lights out for me by 10'ish, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was a great day of worship as we first listened to our church service live from St.Pete at bridgepoint.org as we got ready to worship with the folks at Cornerstone here in beautiful Sparta. Both services appreciated and gave credence to the role of the father as the spiritual leader in the family when one was available. I think a huge problem with this now generation is that many of the fathers bow out on that responsibility; thus leaving a huge vacuum in their children's lives, oh well!!!

We started the day with a 6'ish rollout for me and Nancy followed a little later. I did my usual morning routines; a few quiet moments, the posting of this ramble and then a walk around outside to check on the gardens. It was chilly at 48 degrees and it finally warmed up to a very comfortable 70 by late afternoon with lots of sunshine which really felt great as the shaded areas brought out the goose bumps especially for Nancy.

We met up with some friends from church at one of the local Mexican eateries for a delicious meal which held me the rest of the day. It was very tasty and plentiful and reasonable in price. Afterwards we ran some errands in town then met up with another friend to set some dates for this coming week's activities and get togethers and then we stopped at the local veggie stand for some more flowers for an area where the seeds didn't germinate. We made a stop for a visit with our "mountain mom" Helen's for a spell and sat out on her porch in the warm sunshine. Her place is just gorgeous with vistas of the mountains several miles away. We made plans for her and Joe her brother to have supper with us on Tuesday.

We got back to the cabin some time after 3'ish then sat on the front porch and read for a couple hours before chancing a hike to the top of the mountain. We stopped and visit with Shawnee for a few minutes who is still a nurse in the Raleigh area and then visited with Eddie who bought the old Shalley place and has fixed it up as well. He lives down off the mountain and has a successful silversmith and leather business who sells worldwide. We then headed on over to the Browning's to return their empty pie container(rhubarb pie now is one of my favorites) but they were out for the evening and was probably at their place of worship. What a beautiful evening and when we got back we transplanted the Cosmos seedlings into different flower beds.

We spoke with both Amy in the afternoon and Bobby later in the evening as they wished me a Happy Father's Day greetings. Amy sent me a beautiful card which brought tears to my eyes for her gratitude and Bobby put a picture on FB with words that once again brought the same results as Amy's card. We have been blessed with great kids who love the LORD and show it in their daily lives and have been such outstanding people as well as parents of their kiddos. They have made me as a father and not the other way around. Never could I have chosen finer kids and now they are setting the example as well for their kiddos. They are such blessings for us.

Well after a hot shower I channel surfed for a few and saw the final few minutes in the NBA game seven where the Cleveland team came back and beat the San Fran team in a nail biter after being down 3-1 in games. I'm not a big NBA fan but did enjoy a few minutes of this final and I'm glad this team finally won a championship, LATER  

Sunday Morning and Happy Fathers Day to ALL

Well Saturday was a work day and did we ever get a lot accomplished and just before lunch we got in a second total hike this season. It was a beautiful outside with cool temps to start the day and it may have reached the 70 mark on our back porch in the late afternoon. nancy had a sweat shirt on most of the day but I found it just right for working. The sun was hot but the cool soft breeze kept it very nice and even helped to keep the gnats and deer flies away as well.

I started the day with my usual roll out a little before 6 to cool temps but the birds were singing in the trees and and dew drippings onto the tin roof from the upper dormer. The peace and serenity is just unmatched as our cabin is nestled down in the trees with a clear view of the blue skies overhead and the view of sunshine just touching the tallest tree tops. Yeow, what ambiance!! I spent a few quiet humble moments with my Creator while having my cup of hot turmeric drink and then posted this ramble from the day before's activities so our grand kiddos will experience some of these moments we have after we are gone. Hopefully they will grow to love this special place that we have been so blessed with to share with family and friends and they too will keep up this tradition as they will bring their kids to this beautiful place.

Nancy was still sleeping in so I headed out to check on the gardens and despite the loss of one cabbage plant everything looked great. After a breakfast of egg sandwiches on toast with sliced tomato, onion and dill pickle with mayo I headed outside. It was prepare your own as I wanted to get started. Nancy is a night owl and a sleep in gal and I'm just the opposite as I'm usually in the horizontal lab position by 10'ish and wide awake a little before 6, oh well!!! The grass was very wet from the heavy dew so I decided to work with my black raspberry plants that Jetta had given me last Fall. I have four that are doing quite well and hopefully if they are like hers I will have some berries next summer. Her bushes and new plants are so healthy and she will again this year have a harvest of what I consider the "cadillac" of berries.

I build a trellis and installed it for when the berry bushes begin to really branch out. Jetta has hers on a fence which is ideal but I didn't have the space by my garden so I located them near the backyard flower gardens. I then put wire cages around the tomato plants which have started to grow and staked my peppers especially the Jalapeno pepper which I brought from my Florida garden which is over waist high and just loaded with peppers. It was going on noon so we took off for the top of the mountain and the knees for both of us held up nicely. We did wear out braces which really helps when coming back down. We stopped and chatted with Joe and Jetta and with our visit it always turns to food and the preparation of it.

Well, Jetta mentioned she had baked a fresh rhubarb pie from her plant and asked it we would like to try it. I remember eating some years ago and wasn't all that thrilled but her recipe was the best in flavor ever and she blessed us with a piece to share and then gave us two to take with us. Wow, if that is not the best ever pie with just enough tartness along with the sweetness I don't know what is!!!. I didn't know but the leaves of the rhubarb plant is poisonous and only the stalks are used in food preparation. Well I must say I will always remember how great this pie tasted and I may try to grow a plant or two. Actually, when we got back to the cabin and after out lunch we ate those two pieces as well, yikes!!!

The grass had dried out so I fired up the riding mower and for the next couple hours really made the place look manicured. After mowing I added another coat of lime and fertilizer to the backwoods yard which still has an ever presence of moss in some areas. Hopefully this application will help with bringing the soil back so as to keep the moss away. The grass has done better but still not enough to keep this moss away, oh well!!! We worked around the yards and gardens pulling weeds and I replanted some seeds in the bare areas of the beets and beans which didn't germinate. The squash is setting little fruits and hopefully we will be pan frying some by the time the kiddos get here in two weeks. We are so excited to have them here all together so it should be a mad house but a fun one.

Well since I had a large lunch with the extra piece of pie afterwards I wasn't hungry for supper so I skipped it and around 7'ish popped a large bowl of corn, yeow one of our favorites, done the old fashion way on the stove with olive oil. Very tasty and that served us except for Nancy had some salad so she could take her scripts earlier in the evening. Well we watched American Pickers which is really a very good lesson in history as most stuff they buy and resell has a story and we watched that until was shower time for me around 9:30 and then I curled up with my book until lights out, LATER

Don't forget today is Sunday and a day we take to worship corporately with others and pray for healing for our country. The WORD say's if we repent and ask forgiveness he will heal our land and believe me we need some healing as the terrorist have infiltrated out country bringing their ideology and false religion to change our way of life and kill us if we don't acquiesce. America needs to wake up and expel those in our government who have allow these false teachings and ideals to even exist here that are contrary to our Judeo-Christian values and mores that we were founded on. This is a good example to those lib's and left leaning in their political views of what will happen when we take away the ideals of our very constitution upon which we were founded on. This present administration is the very essence of the disregard for what made US(A) a great nation and a light for the world.

Saturday Morning

Well Friday saw us up and awake around 5:30 as our guests , the Tracy's were leaving for their road trip to Indiana so we got up and saw them off. Since it was close to when I normally awake we just stayed up and started our day. This was another workday as we had loafed the past four days eating, reading, a road trip and very little exercise except getting up from the table. We ate lite today for a change and got lots of work done.

I got in my quiet time with a cup of hot turmeric drink then the posting of this ramble before having a bowl of cereal with some fruit that needed eating. It was a bit chilly with temps into the high 50's but the birds were having a song fest in the neighboring trees at such an early time in the morning. It looked like it was going to be a rather nice day for working outside. Nancy got two loads of laundry out on the clothesline and I burned trash while checking all of the gardens for any slug and deer damage. We have been having some much needed rain and the slugs love wet cool temps especially with a heavy dew in the mornings. I smashed a dozen or so but didn't see any real damage to any of the plants except the egg plant which still has a bunch of tiny pin holes. I'm not sure if slugs are causing this but I will use some spray today to see if that helps while they recover.

All of my herbs are doing fantastic as is the squash and now the green beans are up putting on some leaves. The Walla Walla onions seedlings are doing quite well as are the cabbages and cukes. Hopefully we will have plenty to share. I'm still not happy with the tomato's as they are taking their sweet time growing but I haven't lost any but a couple volunteers Jetta gave me. I'm thrilled with the Morning Glory seedlings as they continue to grow up and will soon become a vine on the arbor and rail fences. I can remember on the farm as a kid hating these vines which seemed to come back each year in the corn fields and I had to dig them out as they will soon smother corn plants and use them for a trellis.

Well I worked down in the wine berry patches and pulled lots of the ferns which seem to really love the lower section of the garden area. The berries are starting to head up into their shucks or caps and hopefully we will have plenty when the kids arrive two weeks from today for a weeks visit. We are so excited that both Bobby and Amy and their families will be here together. This will be a memory making week for the kiddos together. Nancy and I decided to trim and shape up the 15-18 feet tall Blue Spruce trees in the front yard. They have really grown in the last couple years so much so I had to use and extension ladder to get to the top. We cut and snipped and had a golf cart load of clipping by the time we were done and the trees looked great despite our inexperience in this field. We aren't sure when you prune evergreens but we did it and they look like a huge Christmas tree with their cone shape.

We had a lite lunch on the front porch and the setting was awesome with the fresh air and the bird symphony in the back ground. Nancy cleaned and vacuumed while I worked outside and then we decided to take a golf cart ride out to the mailbox and then to the top of the mountain where we sat and visited with the Browning's for a spell. We left them and headed across the top and then saw the Cline's who were visiting their place. They don't spend much time here as Sandy has some serious health issues and doesn't feel comfortable staying overnight. They have put their cabin back on the market completely furnished and have dropped the price as well. It has beautiful views and three acres to go with the cabin. Sarah, a neighbor who has a small place across the road was visiting on the porch as well so we sat and visited for nearly an hour with them.

 We got back to the cabin just in time to gather in the clothes as we had a rain shower which didn't last too long but it sure dropped the temps. We closed all of the windows and doors and Nancy donned sweat clothes. We sat and read for a bit until it was suppertime around 6 and the sun had once again appeared so we tried eating out on the front porch hoping the sun would warm us up. Usually in the evening sunlight we have to let down our large shades on the front porch to deter the evening heat and sun shining onto the front porch but today we welcomed the sun and the heat which wasn't a lot. After supper I fired up the weed whacker and worked the next hour and half on the yards and backwoods area which was starting to see some mountain laurel, galax and small pine tree growth. The weed whacker does a fine job keeping them in check.

Well it was nearly 9 o'clock when I came in as the daylight is longer at least until the 21st which is the longest day of the year with the summer equinox. After a hot shower I decided since I was bushed I would read until the sandman calleth, LATER

Friday Morning

Well our friends and guests for the past 4 nights just left for Indiana which is a 10 hour drive. We had such a great time exploring country roads, eating outside on the deck and just relaxing like tourists do. We did have a couple special moments like yesterday when our electrical power suddenly flickered then went completely dead. That has never happened like that before as occasionally it will flicker and maybe off for a few minutes but this was about a couple hours or close to. I will explain what took place later in this ramble.

Thursday was a stay at home day except for a mid morning ride on the golf cart to the top of the mountain for Patrick and I. I was up at my usual time of 6'ish and spent a few quiet minutes with my Creator then posted this ramble and had my morning cup of hot turmeric drink. I'm finding turmeric is a special herb as now its been shown to have brain and memory benefits and I noticed on several of my Nutrilte Supplements that turmeric is listed in the ingredients. That was great to learn that not only am I getting some in my hot drink but also in my daily supplements. (By the way just an FYI moment All of the Nutrilte products are BOGO this month of June only from our store at www.amway.com/JNTriplett) It's great time to stock up and our team leaders purchase the Bogo's and send to you at the end of the month free.

The cabin began to stir with Kathryn arising first for a change around 7:30 then Patrick and Nancy came forth. We all sat around on our electronic devices when suddenly the lights flickered and all power was gone. Well I called the power company and we were the first to report any issues and they said a truck would be heading our way shortly. We decided to cook breakfast on the new grill and it did a perfect job; we had frozen biscuits baking in the grill which quickly heated, sausage patties on the side burner and then in the drippings Kathryn made a delicious sausage gravy which we kept warm in the grill after the biscuits were baked and then scrambled eggs. We lit a candle and had a candlelight breakfast which was very tasty. The skillets had to wait for cleaning until the water pump which needs electric to operate as we ate on paper plates.

Patrick and I decided to check out the power lines after breakfast to see if maybe a tree or some limbs shorted out the lines but just as we were leaving the hill we noticed a power line truck approaching and the men explained the whole line into our area was dead. Wow were they ever quick to get on the problem and by the time we got back from our ride to the top of the mountain the power was back on. We rode around some of the residences in the area and I nearly ran over a small fawn(baby deer). I never saw it in the driveway of a cabin and only heard the fawn give out a noise much like a baby calf or sheep and then it trotted off into the under bush. We were so startled as the fawn ran from almost under the front of the golf cart. It surely had been born within hours or maybe a day as it looked that young. Both Patrick and I watched the little deer trot away with our hearts racing with complete surprise and amazement that neither of us saw this animal in the roadway.

Well we visited The Browning's on top for a few moments before heading back to the cabin. We wanted to see if they had lost their power but they hadn't. We took a trip across the mountain and then down the back trail. We could see the buildings in down town Winston-Salem as the air was that clear. When we got back the lights were on and we relayed our experienced to the girls about the fawn. We were still in wonderment how we never saw that fawn in the road and how close we were to actually running over it before it gave out a cry.

Well the rest of the day was doing some laundry as it was perfect for the clothesline. I did a few small garden checks and the nice rain from the day before was instantly obvious to the growth to the veggies, flowers and the yard grasses. We sat on the front porch and read throughout the rest of the day with an occasional nap thrown in. We had such a filing breakfast that we only snacked with some salsa later in the afternoon until it was time for our supper which was so tasty. Kathryn made a brown rice dish using fresh basil, rice wine vinegar, olive oil and tomatoes, yeow was this ever tasty and it complimented the grilled fresh Salmon steaks and sauteed spinach washed down with some fruit of the vine. The ambiance was fantastic on the deck in the shade of the tall trees surrounding the cabin.

Well the Tracy's were in the packing mode after supper as they wanted an early start on their trip to Angola, Indiana. They decided to call it a night around 9:30 so we watched some Fox News for a change and it wasn't long after a hot shower for me that I turned in with my new book by John Irving. The eye lids became heavy around 10:30 and it was lights out for me when about 11:30 or so Nancy awakened me with a severe storm approaching. The wind and rain felt like a tornado was raining down on the cabin with rain blowing up and under the porches. We closed all of the windows and rode the storm out which lasted a few minutes and this morning we had an inch of rain in such a short time. We noticed no trees down in the backwoods yard but it sure felt like the wind was blowing hurricane speeds, oh well. We have a lot to be thankful for, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was a vacation touristy type of day that took us about 75 miles south on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then over to the neat town of Blowing Rock/Boone and then back up through West Jefferson where w made a quick shopping trip at the infamous Wal-mart before getting back to the cabin somewhere around 6:30. We were gone 8 hours and saw some beautiful country, met some very nice folks and ate a delicious meal at the Mellow Mushroom.

The day started with me up at my usual 6'ish time despite some gastro issues the night before. I'm not sure if it was the smoked ribs or the ice cream dessert neither of which I eat very often but I did have to take a glass of ginger laced drink which calmed the tummy down almost immediately and let me sleep rather well the rest of the night. It's amazing the use of the spices and herbs in the cupboard that will alleviate many health issues and the ginger spice is great for any stomach discomforts, oh well. I did my morning quiet time to honor my Creator, lift up those I know and love and pray for those who need some special consideration due to issues of health, traveling mercies and life decisions. Our guests were still sleeping and we were thrilled the issue of heat in the upstairs was not a factor as we have no a/c. The chill is great that envelopes the cabin overnight and most mornings we awake find us closing the windows until sometime mid morning. We finally got some rain while we were away to the tune of nearly and inch. It has been many days since we last saw some of the wet stuff from the skies and it perked everything up immediately.

We encountered some road work on the parkway south of the exit to Boone and there was a delay for about a half hour so we came back a different route. We reached the Moses Cone House somewhere around 12:30 and it looked as if rain would keep us from walking around but it held off until we reached Blowing Rock then the skies opened up. This Cone House was built 115 years ago and was very majestic at the time nestled in the woods just off the parkway. It's 14000 square feet with ginger bread moulding and the porches are magnificent. There are around 3600 acres in this estate which was given to the park service to care for and while its still awesome in its splendor it needs some paint and renovations. We weren't allowed in the upstairs area as it's only by an occasionally tours. It's free to visit the house and the grounds and there are horse back trails as well as carriage rides when available.  We noticed lots of out of state cars in the parking lot and several from Florida.

The ride over to Blowing Rock is awesome with great vistas. We stopped and parked on main street and saw where the beautiful Bob Timberlake building was now a restaurant called the Mellow Mushrooms. I spoke with a few folks leaving the place and they informed me the food was very good and plentiful; just our kind of eatery. We shared a bowl of their mushroom soup and then shared red potato pizza which was the best ever as well as a calzone and a very nice salad. We all partook of a little of each others dish and were able to watch the pizza chef throw the dough into the air while enlarging the pizza dough. We should have taken a picture as he was very talented and never missed with his throw and catch. We had great service and the food was very tasty and unique. We had no idea this eatery was a chain.

Afterwards the gals tour the many shoppes on main street and Patrick and I did some errands into Boone. We decided to head out in the rain shower around 4'ish towards the town ofWest Jefferson. We noticed what appears to be new construction all along the 321 RT which takes us back towards Sparta. That will be nice as the two lane road is often slow due to farm equipment and the wood industry prevalent in that part of the country. The scenery is always beautiful with some very majestic homes in the hills as well as some old farm houses and of course the ever present mobile homes with hunting dogs tied up outside. We stopped at a super Wal-Mart to pick up a few items before taking a different route to the parkway which brings us to our turn off towards the cabin.

Well since we had a late lunch I passed on anything the rest of the evening while Patrick and Nancy finished the left over dessert. We decided to get in some Euchre games and the gals squashed us two games in a row( we were just being nice, but they weren't) . We spoke to our third party in this Cool Peoples Club, the Botbyl's in Florida and its down right hot and muggy there. They are wanting to retire so they too can play around here in the mountains and be a tourist. Dan is looking for a buyer for his successful auto repair shop in Seminole, oh well!!! We then face timed with Patrick's brother, Howard out in Arizona where it was over a hundred degrees while he was playing golf today but that was cool as compared to other days. We had a nice chat with him and oh how he loves the greenery here in these mountains. Well it was going on 10'ish when we decided hit the showers and call it a day, LATER

 Here are few picture from the smoked ribs, trip to Moses Cone House and the eatery in Blowing Rock.

Wednesday Morning

Well I must say Tuesday was one of those days that were like a vacation day as we did nothing but relax, ate "high on the hog" and caught up on some reading then celebrated with our Elk Creek friends Sam and Marcia's 42nd wedding anniversary(which we had no idea). They came over around 6'ish as they too were friends of Patrick and Kathryn and stayed until almost 10 o'clock as we played a couple of different games.

The day started with a 6'ish roll out for me as my internal alarm had me wide eyed as dawn approached. It's just so beautiful here in the early morning and temps had dropped overnight into the low 50's which was just fabulous. I actually had to don an extra shirt as I made my morning rounds outside after my usual routines of a few quiet moments to honor my Creator, then  a hot cup of turmeric drink which by the way Nancy is now a believer in for alleviating the pain in her aching knee joint. I'm a firm believer this herb which has been used for centuries in India for many ailments as well as in culinary dishes is for real. Lets hope it stays true in its natural form and not diluted with fillers. It's not the best tasting drink so maybe that will keep its popularity under control. It's also found in all of your mustards and there is nothing like mustard, onions and relish on a good Nathan hot dog.

We leisurely spent the early morning hours with the Tracy's sleeping in, me on the internet and then after posting my blog I headed out to walk the yards and also work up an appetite. Just walking up and down these hills is a work out. The gardens look good despite the lack of rainfall and rather warm breezy temps for the last week or so. I have been hand watering the herb gardens and the patch of leaf lettuce is looking good which is almost big enough to harvest and add to our store bought lettuces. I'm really disappointed in the Bib lettuce seedlings as they never got much past the transplant stage into the 9 packs. Maybe its my compost soil or possibly the heat but they pretty much all died in the packs. The kale is also somewhat suspect with it growth in the 9 packs as well. The okra is finally pushing through in the packs and will need to be put in the ground in the next couple of days.

The egg plant seedlings don't look all that great as well for some reason and although I don't notice any insects on the leaves they are dotted with little holes. Maybe I need to spray them but I'm not a big user of any insecticides except maybe a little Sevin dust once in a blue moon. The tomatoes aren't growing as well as I would have liked them to be. Our "mountain mom" Helen's tomato plants  had fruit set on her plants and to think I repotted her plants with my compost. So I don't think the compost soil is the culprit for the new seedlings, oh well. The two different types of green beans are doing OK with what appears to be about a 90% germination. I must say the two pepper plants I brought from my Florida garden which had been in the ground there for months is doing quite well except for a little wilting in the late afternoon sun. The Jalapeno has a dozen new fruits and they are big enough to use as I write. They are one of my favorite and it was such a large plant that I hated to leave it to die in the hot Florida sun. It was so tall it was bent over in the back of the truck as we hauled it with us and then re planted it as soon as we got here.

Nancy's flower beds are looking so good with lots of flower heads opening daily and the new Zinnia bed is showing lots of green as well. We will have to rotor till it again this Fall as some of the clover and grass is showing up with the hand watering. I'm excited the Morning Glories seedlings are growing and hopefully will begin to vine shortly up the rail fences and arbor along with the Honey Suckle. That's about all the update on the gardens as we could use a little rain. I finished a John Irving book THE LAST NIGHT IN TWISTED RIVER and it's a good read with lots of separate story lines. I like the way he writes. About noon I loaded up the smoker with apple and hickory wood and then two slabs of baby back pork ribs slathered in a brown sugar rub and we smelled that awesome smoke and aroma for the next 6 hours, yeow were they ever delicious and we licked the platter clean, literally!!!

Marcia and Sam brought a lasagna and a salad to accompany the ribs, crusty bread and ice cream pie for dessert. It was another grand evening for dining outside on the side deck. Afterwards we played a new game called "deer in the headlights" The Carlan's brought. It was a game of chance with no real strategy except for the luck of the dice and Kathryn won big time. We think she loaded the dice somehow. Oh well!!!We then played an old card game called 5 Crowns which uses some strategy and it was close to 10 before we finally finished. It was a close finish with me barely edging out Marcia by just a few points; of course it was mentioned the score keeper won and I was the score keeper, oh well there are some perks to keeping score!!!

It wasn't long after the dishes were done and showers were taken that I hit the sack somewhere around 11:30 which was way past my bed time but that made no difference to the internal alarm as I was wide awake before 6 this morning. We are heading down the parkway today for a visit at Moses Cone Park down near Grandfather Mountain and then into Blowing Rock/Boone area for an early supper or late lunch. The Tracy's have never been there so it will be a new adventure for them and many years since we were last there, LATER
    

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was a work day until about 4 'ish when our dear friends the Tracy's arrived from Florida for a four day visit. Once they arrived it was time to catch up on all that's been happening with them as they now are "homeless" after selling their beautiful three story condo on the beach. They want to travel before deciding if they want to live here in the mountains part time and back in Florida for the winter or where ever the winds blow, anyhow we put on the "feedbag" with fresh guacamole and salsa to start with and I broke out a bottle of my own created vintage blackberry vino that has been aging in the cellar since last July. It was rather tasty and had beautiful body and the smell was awesome. Not bad for a country boy.

The day started much the usual with a 6'ish rollout and then my routines with a hot cup of turmeric drink, a few quiet moments to honor my Creator and lift up those I know and love and also those families who were needlessly slaughtered by a religious Islamic fanatic. It's unbelievable this is occurring in our land because we have a weak, inept and I feel an enabler of these fanatics who are of this Muslim persuasion as our leader. I pray those who choose this man are now seeing his idea of "change for America"is not for the good of the populace but to destroy us first from within and now with the zealots of this radical Islamic faith. America had better wake up to this ever present danger from these who want to kill us and our way of life.

After a lite breakfast and the posting of this ramble I headed out to check on the gardens and then did some hand watering. We haven't had any rain in nearly a week and hot dry winds have really dried the ground in the gardens. I took some old hay and used it to mulch many of my plants hoping to hold in some of the moisture. There were some piddly jobs as we got ready for our guests then we settled in around 3'ish to await their arrival. I did spent an hour in the basement getting it

ready as well and moved much of my "man cave" things to the lower shed.

Well we feasted on grilled marinated chicken breast along with fresh corn on the cob and a fresh salad outside on the deck. The sun had moved behind the trees and the shaded deck was awesome with a gentle breeze and temps in the middle 70's. It really was a pleasant evening for outside dining. We got into a game of Eucher and then had a dessert of ice cream pie midway in the game. Wow was it delicious and the gals won the game on the last hand. The pie is made from crushed oreo cookies as the crust then filled in with soft vanilla ice cream and then frozen and then served topped with roasted pecans and whipped cream, yeow so tasty and just perfect.

After the cleanup I drug out the garden hose and gave everything a good drink especially the now tender lettuce which will be big enough in the next couple days to add to our salads. The herbs are doing great and we've used them in our salsa and guacamole's. Well it was 9 'o'clock when I came in from outside. Patrick was bushed and was in the shower and the gals were curled up on the couch watching a movie. It wasn't long after a hot shower I got ready and read until 10'ish then it was lights out for me as well. I'm not sure what time the gals turned in but I never heard them, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday was a day of rest with good worship service at Cornerstone but prior to attending church we listened live on line to our Bridgepoint Church in St.Pete. We really are blessed by Pastor Tim Whipple's teaching and the worship music. Youth pastor Daryl Blevins spoke at Cornerstone as our regular pastor was away. He had a fantastic message and the band did an awesome job as well. Afterwards me met up with our dear friends the Carlan's for lunch and then visited for a couple of hours.

Well the morning started much the usual with a 6'ish roll out for me and then my routines of a few quiet moments, my hot cup of turmeric drink and then the posting of the day before's activities in my daily ramble. We both ate oatmeal for breakfast as we knew we would eat the buffet at the pizzeria where the salad bar is the best in town as well as some really good thin crusted pizza's. Needless to say we really enjoyed the meal along with Sam and Marcia's company. They looked great but gave us some sad news as they are selling their old historic log cabin and moving back to Tennessee to be nearer to their son. Their house is the oldest in the local area and at one time was a Pony Express station and stop over for way fare travelers. It is unique and they have it decorated to the nines and have 7 acres to accompany the house with a free standing old barn as well. Wow it is just gorgeous but we will miss them the most. We met them through church a couple years ago and have had many meals as well as played games with them at both of our places. They are true Virginian's!!!

Well the food was excellent at the eatery and then around 2' ish we said our good-byes and planned on a cook out at our place on Tuesday. Patrick and Kathryn arrived today (Mon.) from Florida for about a 4 day visit before they head to Indiana for wedding. The six of us always have a raucous good time together as we eat and play games when we are in the mountains. On Wednesday us and the Tracy's are traveling down to Blowing Rock/Boone area for a visit with our new daughter in law, Katie's family and then out to lunch with them. The rest of this week is play time with some hiking involved to keep the muscles tuned up and work up an appetite for some fine eatin'. It seems everything tastes better in the mountains.

We did make several stops before getting back on the hill around 4 o'clock. Nancy was busy making an ice cream pie for Patrick, putting chicken in a marinate and making salsa for tonight's feast. I managed to put a new electronic starter on my grill as well as hand watered the gardens and then we transplanted some new Cosmo flowers into a couple of the beds after the sun settled down into the trees. It was nearly 9 before we decided to come in from outside as the temps began to drop. It was rather warm during the day but not unbearable and by bedtime it had cooled considerably enough so a blanket was needed.

Well we are eagerly awaiting our first guests for this year and Nancy has the cabin spotless and with the new TV and cabinet we are getting back into the modern age. It's funny I haven't watched much of the TV despite the addition of HD as I usually stay outside until dark, then hit the shower and curl up with a book until 10'ish, oh well. LATER  

Sunday Morning

Well its been a busy two weeks since we left Florida and wow have we accomplished a ton of things that beautified the grounds and the cabin. Its been non stop and Saturday was no exception as it was a total work day, I was mainly outside and Nancy inside however we did take a few moments and watched the horse race while eating supper.

The morning started much the usual with a 6'ish roll out for me. I did my morning quiet time to honor my Creator and then posted this ramble. Nancy awakened sometime around 7 as she is a night owl and comes to bed some time around midnight whereas I'm usually between the sheets around 10 after reading sometimes a chapter or two. The TV is beautiful with the new HD picture but by the time I come into the house its usually close to 9 so its shower time and then I'm so relaxed I just want to read a few pages then out like a light, oh well. Nancy was watching the movie Castaway when I got out of the shower and I did watch about 10 minutes of that before turning in. Now I could have done that in real life as I thrive on man vs natural elements.

After a breakfast of buckwheat pancakes with a ripe banana in the batter and a couple of over easy cackleberries on top I headed outside to check on the gardens and then took the golf cart out to the mailbox. It was cool in the hollers as I headed down toward the small creek that runs along the drive for a short distance but eventually it warmed up to be our hottest day yet. The highest reading was close to 75 and very muggy but in the shade it was quite pleasant. I worked in the lower garden as two rows of pole beans had broken ground and I wanted to get posts in the ground to hold the chicken wire which they will climb making it much easier to harvest them as well as saving space for the next crop. I checked on my sugar peas of which I had started between wet paper towels for germination and that didn't work as the one's I had sowed never came up except for one pea, oh well nothing ventured nothing gained. The radishes did OK with that start but the okra hasn't done well at all either, so maybe I will forego that experiment in the future.

The recent transplants from my Florida garden are doing fantastic and the Jalapeno is producing tons of small fruit and will be ready to eat in a couple of days. The herbs are doing great as well. I did lose a couple Morning Glory seedlings for some reason as maybe a cut worm like their taste but I still have several surviving. The Zinnias in the front bed are doing nicely and showing lots of good green as that germination is working from last years seeds. I took down most of the upper garden fence as the railing and supports were rotting. I headed up into the woods with my chain saw and took down a couple small pines that were less than stellar in growth for the replacement rails. That kept me busy for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon.

After an apple for lunch( as I had a huge 3 cake breakfast) I burned a pile of scrap wood, limbs and trash from the replacement of the new wood on the benches and garden fence. Each day it seems lots of dead limbs from the trees in the backwoods yard liter the grass so its necessary to keep them off of the grass. My work horse the golf cart is very useful in saving me lots of steps daily as I traverse up and down these hills. Well, it was honey-do jobs the rest of the day until we stopped for a delicious supper of spaghetti, yeow we had brought some sauce and kept it frozen for a day when we just wanted a quick no frills meal. Nancy had been busy inside with cleaning the wood floors and general house cleaning as we get ready for the Tracy's on Monday.

It was a busy day and we both were whipped by evening time but did manage to check the garden after supper; hand watering and pulling some missed weeds. The flowers are pretty already and the major ones haven't bloomed yet; the cones, daisy's, bee balm, corral bells, zinnias, black eyed Susan's are budding up and when they do bloom there will be such a sea of color. We are excited for our kids and grand kids to see and be a part of this beauty that we have created in the middle of the woods. Wow, such beauty from small seeds. Well that was about it for a Saturday in the mountains at the cabin and today we head to Sparta for worship at Cornerstone Church then out to lunch with some friends from Elk Creek, Virginia who we haven't seen since last October. We will make several stops while in town at the library, grocery store and veggie stand, LATER