Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a travel day with us getting up at 5 AM and we then got on the road around 6'ish. We stopped in W.Va. for breakfast at 49 degrees, yeow was it ever cold but this morning in Michigan its 38 degrees. We found our resident house and the owner is just a delight and very personable. We visited for an hour or so and unloaded our belonging then headed out to visit Eric and her mom. We stopped off at Krogers which is big here and picked up some snacks and vino before heading over to Eric's.

GG, Nancy's mom looked good as can be expected  and now that she finally has her glasses she can see much better. The rehab facility lost her glasses and so she has been without the ability to read for months. She was a prolific reader and now she will be able once again to enjoy her books. We snacked and had a glass of vino with her as well as I had promised once she was out of the hospital we would have a glass together and that promise was kept. We stayed until she became sleepy around 10'ish so they put her to bed and we left for the house in Whitmore lake which is about 20 minutes or so away. We had our showers and was soon in bed for the night, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was one of those days which very little was accomplished around the cabin except for a trip to Galax to shop for the shoe boxes for the Christmas Child program run by Samaritan's Purse. We filled three of them and had a fun time shopping for three girls between the ages of 5-7. Nancy managed to get all of our purchases from clothing, coloring books, hygiene products, dolls and some jewelry into each box. We hope the recipients will be as excited as we were shopping for them. Afterwards we met up with Jaime our DPT friend at Macadoo's for a delicious lunch of salads for them and fish tacos for me.

We gassed up at 2.37 before heading back to the cabin where I headed down the drive to scrape some of the loose gravel into the center as the truck tires were spinning coming up the hill. We sat around too full to hike plus it was in the 80's with bright sunshine and some humidity. The shade felt good as we digested our lunch. We were to meet up with the Tracy's for supper at their rental place around 4'ish for supper and games. It's no wonder I can not lose this spare tire with all of the good eatin' here in the mountains. Kathryn fixed a cod fish meal with black beans and rice and a salad which was very Columbian in spices and tastes. The meal was awesome and then we had home made short cake with strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream for dessert, yeow!! We got into the best of three games of Euchre and the boys smoked the gals for a change.

We headed out around 8 as darkness had fallen around the cabin. It was still in the 70's as we headed home. It was soon shower time and then some TV time before the sandman calleth after a few chapters in Stepen King's book IT. We are make traveling plans for our trip to Michigan and then over to see Paw Paw in Winchester before stopping overnight in Woodstock with Mike and Dee. Keep Mike in your thoughts and prayers as he is having a knee replacement on Monday and Dee for his recovery and nursing care, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well we could not ask for better weather with great temps and no humidity. It starts off in the high 50's and gets to about the middle 70's by late afternoon. Perfect weather for working in the great outdoors as well as hiking and just sitting on the porch doing a little reading before supper. We did all of that yesterday and I even worked in an hour or so of pickle ball as darkness fell. Have you noticed the days are getting shorter and the leaves are starting to change rather quickly. We see lots of color on the mountain.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out and to my morning routines that started with a cup of hot green tea laced with honey and turmeric while I posted this ramble and then I spent some quiet moments with my Creator in thanksgiving for another day and for our safe travel here from Florida. Prayers were answered for us and for GG as she is now settling in with Eric and his family in Michigan. She is regaining her speech and is eating better and now has lots of grand kiddos surrounding her daily. We are hoping she will get strong enough to walk again and regain some healthful living now that she is out of the hospital(s). She has a long way to go but we are amazed at her resilience throughout these past 5 months of not being on her feet from all of the major health issues. We are looking forward to celebrating with her on Sunday her 89th birthday.

After a lite breakfast of oatmeal I put the charger on the battery for the riding mower then weed whacked the total perimeter of the yards and the driveway as the grass was too wet from the morning dew to mow. That kept me busy for a couple hours then I fired up the mower and gave all of the yards probably their final mowing of this season. We just love the smell of the fresh mowed grass and the looks of the yards after being trimmed and mowed. There were lots of leaves already down in the backwoods yards and it definitely is falling leaf time so I will soon get out the leaf blower to clear the yards.

We got in a good hike to the top of the mountain and said Hi to Bertie who was on her front porch as well as stopped at the Brownings for a few. We got an invite on Thursday for supper with them before we head out on Friday morning for Michigan. The weather is supposed to turn much cooler starting this weekend which is normal for October but then warm up again later next week. Fall is upon us and we could use some much needed rain which will usher in the cooler temps. I have half runner beans at about 2-3 inches in length and the vines are loaded with blooms. Hopefully we will get enough to share before frost sets in. I harvested a nice mess of lettuce which is still growing despite the dang cutworms using my patch as a buffet and the slugs are back as well, anyhow we are getting lots of blooms on the jalapeno plant and a few small peppers are starting to form.

We had venison steak for supper, chicken fried style and it was so delicious along with taters and broccoli. I got ready shortly thereafter and headed over to Roaring Gap for an hour plus of pickle ball with 4 other guys. They are much younger and play for at least 2-3 hours and I did leave with a wet shirt and was whupped from all the up and down on the hills today. I had no trouble after a hot shower and few minutes into the King book IT for some horizontal lab, LATER

Just a note I'm throughly disgusted with the NFL players disrespecting our flag and our anthem so remind me to never mention any football teams or scores or who I'm rooting for because I'm over these crybabies who make way too much money, they sort of remind me of the Hollywood crowd who I detest with their anti American rhetoric.

Tuesday Morning in the mountains

Well Monday morning found us getting up at 3 AM for a 4 AM departure from hot muggy Florida for the cooler temps at the cabin; and it was perfect when we got here with the temps in the low 70's and dry air, oh my what a relief it was from 83 in the early morning when we headed out.

Sunday was a great day with our BridgePoint Church family as we moved from the Seminole Rec to SPC just across the driveway. Wow this place at the college was just great with all of the modern electronics and sound systems which will be less our production team will have to set up each week. We will still have to set up and break down the individual areas for the kids, coffee shop and prayer and care and some sound equipment and store it in our huge truck. Parking will be less complicated with the huge parking areas. We worked the front area greeting and then the putt putt area for those who wanted to try their skill at a hole in one for a new putter drawing. We can now watch the service as there are three large screens broadcasting in the cafe area of what's happening in the service auditorium. We had over a hundred volunteers making this production and change over a success. We had nearly 200 in the first service attendees and close to that number in the second service reaching folks and helping them get closer to GOD.

We chilled after getting Boston Market takeout. We met up with Dan and Carol but the eatery ran out of chicken at Pollo Tropical so we picked up our food across the street and headed home. I watched a little of the poor play by the Bucs on the tube then we started getting ready to head out on Monday. We went by GG's place and checked out the house and the insides which is just about wiped out of the furniture and furnishings. Nancy gathered a few of her personal belonging from school and then we headed home after topping off the gas tank.

We took a different route to the cabin this time which is about 40 miles or so longer but we avoided all of the construction on I-26 near Columbia and I-77 in Charlotte and northbound for 30-40 miles. What a mess that was last time which set us back nearly two hours in the stop and go and at times backups for miles. We continued north on I-95 north of Florence S.C. to route 38 which took us through a couple small towns to I-74 which took us to High Point then Winston Salem where we hit I-40 and then SR 421 over to I-77. What a nice drive and very little traffic and we got here at the cabin in about the same time than last time with all of the construction on I-77. We stop every hour and half to exercise our legs and we ate breakfast out at McDonald's and lunch at Zaxby's plus a couple of gas stops and we still did it in just over 12 hours. We even missed a turn and back tracked a time or two as this was our first time trying this route but will now be our route from now on as its so scenic and no congestion.

The cabin was just as we left it last Wednesday. The green beans are now a couple inches in length so I gave the gardens a good drink as its been dry with warmer than normal temps the past several days. The lettuce still looks great and the Swiss chard has gotten much bigger as well; it's just too bad the cut worms destroyed so many seedlings initially. Speaking of cut worms two of the four tomato plants I set out in my Florida were cut off at ground level yesterday morning when I checked them. My two largest and healthiest plants were dead. I was hoping they would have tomato's set when we got back to Florida in November, oh well.

We unloaded and then headed out for a hike to the top of the mountain where we visited with the folks who bought Ann and Sandy's cabin. I sat and visited a spell as they are from Jacksonville, Fl. They went home for the hurricane to check on their place and are now planning on spending the winter here on the mountain. We next visited with Bertie as she was out for a stroll in the beautiful mountain air and then we made a quick visit with our dear friends Joe and Jetta. They looked well and were happy to see us. We headed on back down the mountain as the evening shadows were falling. I popped some corn the old fashion way and then we settled into getting showers and catching up with some folks on the telephone before I turned in around 9:30, LATER  

Sunday Morning in Seminole

Well Saturday was a totally fun day as we visited with son Bobby  and his family in Brandon for a combined birthday/pool party for Gabe and Annsley. All of my grand kiddos where there as well as all of Katie's immediate family. There where nerf gun battles for the boys and men as well as art deco for the girls in their garage and all were in the pool even I was in there with 20 screaming kiddos as the pool was so refreshing. There were Nathan dogs, veggie trays and tons of chips of all flavors as well as cup cakes.

The day started much the usual with a 6ish roll out. I did my morning routines that start with the hot tea laced with turmeric while I spent some quiet time in thanksgiving and lifting up several and then posting this ramble. We got ready around 9:30 and headed out loaded with tons of presents and food for the party and then a salad for our supper that was accompanied by pizza as we stayed until nearly dark. The grand kiddos were in their own world playing and having such a fun time together. I was whipped after the pool party and had no problem hitting the sack after a hot shower around 9:30. What a fun day and the relationships between their friends and us have grown over the years as many are also Element Church attenders.

Today we head out to BridgePoint Church where we will meet for the first time at SPC which is next door to the Rec. Center where we have been meeting for the past year or so. There use to be a small gathering from another church meeting there but they decided to go back to the mother church and abandon the college; so we took over their space which means we don't have to unload at 6 AM and then reload at 1PM each Sunday. We now will be able to leave our set up there and also use their PA system. This is their initial Sunday for that occurring and we will get to be a part of that.

The Ray's won again but maybe too late to get in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Bucs play today so we will get to see some of that game in Minnesota against the Vikings. We destroyed the Bears last week and lets hope they will do the same this week to an old division rival. We will spent the afternoon getting ready for a 4 AM start on Monday as we head back to the cabin for a few days before traveling to Michigan to spent GG's birthday with her next weekend, LATER

I will be away from this keyboard tomorrow as we leave early so if you get the chance think of us in your prayers for safe uneventful travel and don't forget to worship today with other Believers, pray for our nation and for those who have lost everything in these storms the past couple of weeks.

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was another HOT and humid day with temps in the middle 90's, dang I'm ready for some 40's again. It was a special day for us as we celebrated later in the evening with dinner out with our close friends and neighbors, Dan and Carol our 38th wedding day, yikes where did that time go? I played pickle ball in the morning with some really good advanced players and even was asked to partner up with one player who is in my age bracket for the Good Life Games in February. That was an honor as Frank is a very good player and a year younger than me. I worked outside for the next couple of hours trying to stay in the shade of the oak tree in the back yard. I must have sweated at least a pound off but those darn scales are stuck in the "I'm over weight position", oh well.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to a cup of hot green tea laced with just turmeric as my honey is at the cabin while I spent some quiet moments with my Creator. We saw a picture of GG via Facebook where she was sitting out with Eric on his porch having lunch with him albeit in a wheelchair but that was great news. She is now starting to settle in with him and we hope finally on the road to some rehab and good health. She is one tough gal and we are amazed she had pulled through this ordeal in the first place. We are hoping to see her next Friday when we travel to Michigan for her 89th birthday.

Amy and Eliza Faye came for lunch and spent the afternoon while Nancy made 4 dozen of cupcakes for the combined birthday parties for Annsley and Gabe. We will travel over this morning and spend the day with a pool party and lunch with screaming kids and then a visit and supper with Bobby and family. Well that was about it for the day as after supper we came back to the house and played cards with Dan being the big winner in both games, LATER

Friday Morning

Well it still HOT and humid in Florida with temps in the 90's, yikes is all I can say. I didn't do a whole lot outside as its just too hot plus we wanted to attend neighbor Carol Heckman burial service at the VA Cemetery scheduled for 12:30. So that meant we had to stay relative sweat free until then so I did wash the the grime and dirt from the truck under the big oak tree. Still I had a wet shirt when finished. Today was Tyler's 39th birthday so Amy was having us over for supper at 6.

The day started much the usual as my internal alarm went off a little before 6. I could her the a/c running throughout the night which was a good sign compared to a week or so ago when there was no electricity in the hood. I spoke with both neighbors and it was very difficult on everyone with no power for nearly a week. I'm sure glad we weren't here as the humidity was unbearable especially at night.

The service at Bay Pines was very nice and it was just family down from Michigan and her sister who lives here plus pastor Mike Mott from SFBC who gave a nice service and Nancy and I. We were neighbors for 38 years and she was such a sweet lady. She was 90 years young. I was her go to guy when ever she needed help after her husband Bill passed away in '01. She always remembered my birthday with a card each year. She was cremated and buried next to Bill in the VA Cemetery which was very well kept and there were thousands of flat grave markers.

I sort of rested and read until it was time to head over to Amy's for supper as the afternoon sun was just to hot. The grand kiddos were so excited to see us especially Eliza Faye. Amy had roast chickens, smashed taters, green beans and corn as well as a gluten free chocolate cake with white icing and Vanilla ice Cream, Yeow what a feed. I stayed away from the ice cream but did have a sliver of the cake which was very good. It was hard to tell the difference as she used gluten free flower due to Tyler's intolerance for gluten. We had a grand time and headed home around 8:30 as it was a school night.I tuned into the Ray's game and they lost to the Orioles which put them back further for a wild card slot. It's beginning to look like they may not make it to the playoffs.

Today I'm heading out to play some pickle ball at Walter Fuller Park in St.Petersburg as our rec. has just about shut down for having PB daily until the winter visitors arrive. It seems the management isn't restructuring their daily costs which is twice what every other gym charges for daily play unless you live in the city. They don't seem to care whether there are players or not, oh well. Hopefully that will change later into the winter season when we have more players back from up north, LATER

Wednesday and Thursday Morning in Seminole

Well Wednesday found me up before 3'ish as I just do not sleep the night before traveling; it's like I'm a kid getting ready to go fishing type of excitement or adrenalin rush. I have no idea why but I never slept a wink the night before despite playing a good hour and a half of pickle ball on Tuesday evening until nearly 8, oh well that's just the way I function. We got away from the cabin a little before 4'ish and the drive down the mountain and through Charlotte was uneventful. I will not come back through Charlotte as the construction is for several miles around and north of there. It's unbelievable the amount of traffic on the highways at that time of the morning. We made several stops for eating, gas, and for walking a few minutes every hour and half as per the doctors orders since I suffered that blood clot in my leg years back and we still hit the Tampa city limits in 11 hours traveling time. I kept the speed just under what most troopers allow you on the interstate but had to maintain a good speed to keep the high rollers from running over you.

I must say leaving the 60 degree morning and then stopping in the 95 degree heat blast in Florida almost made me want to turn around and head north again. Wow what a shock to the body and the humidity was very high as well. It did not take long to work up a wet shirt just unloading the truck. The house was in great shape except for the yards and gardens. The evidence of piled down tree limbs throughout the neighborhood as we drove in was eye opening to say the least and our front yard was piled high as well. The big oak was standing but with a major hair cut. There are still large phone and cable lines down and across the garden area in the back yard. I lifted them up onto what is left of the back yard fence so I could set out the four tomato plants I brought back from my mountain garden. Tyler and Ava have been mowing the yards and keeping the garden weed whacked down so they looked great and I still have pepper and basil plants growing.

Nancy took off from the grocery soon after unloading so I set out to do some yard work. I still had several twisted and broken limbs inside the trees so I climbed the ladder and got them down to add to the pile out front. Some of these oak limbs were rather large and so twisted from the wind. I can't imagine the damage from a cat 3 or 4 storm as this was a cat 1 when it came by our area, oh well we are so blessed once again. I headed over to visit with Carol Heckmans family who recently passed away and there were relatives down from Michigan. There is a service at the Bay Pines VA Cemetery today so we will attend. They too were saddened to think the oldest sisters is planning on selling the house right away as this house was the vacation house for all of the family over the years when they came from Michigan, oh well. We know how that is as Eric,  Nancy's brother is planning on selling GG's house right away, now that she is living with him in Michigan. GG is doing much better and has been released from the hospital and Nancy spoke with her by phone while we were traveling.

Well that was about it for the day as it was good to be back for a couple days and check on the house but not to this heat. I don't remember it getting in the 90's here was quite some time. Amy and Tyler did a great job cleaning up the yards and securing the place when they got back from the cabin last week. We will celebrate Tyler's birthday at their house this evening with a dinner and then tomorrow and evening out as we celebrate 38 years together with our friends and neighbors the Botbyl's. Then on Saturday we travel to Brandon for combined birthdays of Annsley and Gabriel at son Bobby's house with a pool party. Sunday we will attend BridgePoint Church and renew old friendships with them and probably lunch out before getting up early on Monday morning and heading back to the cabin. It looks like a whirlwind weekend with much hugs, laughter, food and friends. We are so Blessed in so many ways, LATER

Tuesday Morning

Well Monday was a perfect day with temps into the middle 70's bright sunshine and blue skies. We were having guests for supper so the day was spent in preparations for that event except for a great hike to the top of the mountain and some garden time. I did manage a little read time towards the late afternoon. We booked through AirBNB a place in Hamburg, Michigan for a couple of days visit when we head there to visit GG who is now in the University of Michigan ER room after leaving Miami. The flight was uneventful for GG and Diane and when they got her home she showed signs that she needed oxygen so the ambulance transported her to the ER where she is responding to antibiotics for a UTI and once again on a catheter and oxygen.

The day started for me about the usual 6'ish rollout. This morning will be my last post for a day or so as we travel back to Seminole for a few days. We are celebrating Annsley and Gabe's birthdays this Saturday in Brandon so Nancy needs to make cupcakes with their respective themes, plus we want to visit the hood and our church family as well as check out the damage from Irma. This will be a whirlwind trip as we will head back the first of the week to the cabin for a couple days before traveling to Michigan to celebrate with GG her 89th birthday on Oct 1. We are hoping to swing over the Winchester, Va. on the way back and visit with Paw Paw as well on our way back south. It's over 9 hours without the side trip to Va. so we may have to spent a night there before coming back to the cabin.

Well we had a great hike to the top of the mountain and got in a short visit with the Browning's before heading back down. I fired up the grill and roasted veggies that included Zucchini and yellow squash as well as fresh button mushrooms, green and yellow peppers as well as sweet onions. When these were about cooked I grilled marinated flank steak as well as a couple of venison steaks, yeow delicious. We also had oven taters and a fresh garden salad. The Tracy's left just before dark and Jaime stayed until nearly 9 o'clock. We hadn't seen her for a couple of weeks and it was good to see her again. She now has her RV in a park near Fancy Gap, Va. where she is living until a decision is made sometime in October to where she will practice her Doctor of PT skills. She is such a sweet girl and very professional at such a young age. She calls us her "mountain mom and dad".

Well that was about it for the day as tomorrow this time I would like to be well on our way back to Florida. We will be traveling close to three thousand miles in the next couple of weeks to celebrate birthdays. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers for safe travel. If all goes well I will make this next post from Florida sometime on Thursday morning, LATER

Monday Morning

Well we couldn't ask for better weather as the highs were in the middle 70's and the lows in the 50's to start the day. Despite these great temps Fall is here as we have noticed several trees starting to change in color; one tree in our driveway went from just a few leaves being slightly yellow to almost full blown yellow over night. We got in a great relaxing kayak ride drifting down the New River with friends after church yesterday afternoon. A perfect ride despite a few rocks appearing from time to time as the water is just a bit low.

Well I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to a cup of hot green tea laced with my usual honey and turmeric while I spent some quiet time with my Creator and the posting of this ramble. Neighbor Gerald came by and left us a very nice deer ham he had harvested with a bow and arrow the evening before and left it in a cooler with ice in our basement while we were in church. Yeow what a beautiful piece of meat and we really enjoy the flavor as we "chicken fried" some for our supper after getting off the river.

We listened to our BridgePoint Pastor live via the internet while we got ready for worship at Cornerstone at 10 AM. We had loaded up the kayaks the night before so all we had to do was bring a change of clothes and our river shoes for after the church service. We met up at Mechelle's and loaded her kayaks onto ours and headed out to drop off her truck at our stopping point and then headed to the low water bridge to put in around 1o'clock. Wow what a beautiful day and the ride was perfect with lots of other folks on the river. We did about 2 hours or so on the water which was perfect for only our second time on the river.

We came back and I worked up the the leg of venison into a roast, stew meat and steaks of which we had a few for our supper. yeow so delicious. After the cleanup I settled into the NFL and learned our Bucs blew out the Bears in Tampa 29-7. The local favorite here is the Panthers who squeaked by the Bills 9-3. We will play these guys a couple times this year and if we continue with this play it should be interesting as the Bears nearly beat the Falcons last week and the Falcons blew out the Packers this week, of course all that changes on any given day in the pros.

We got word that GG was on a plane for Michigan to now live with her son Eric as the hospital no longer wanted to keep her in Miami. That gave us some ambivalence as we want her to recoup and get stronger but that no longer do we have to go to Miami, especially since lots of the area in South Florida is still with out power. We are planning a trip to Seminole on Wednesday so we can celebrate Annsley and Gabe's birthday at son Bobby's house with a pool party. We were planning on a trip to Miami for GG's 89th birthday but now that GG is in Michigan we will come back here to the cabin around the 26th before planning a trip to Michigan to be with GG on the first of October. We will stay for a couple days and then make a stop in Winchester to visit with Paw Paw before heading back for the winter.

Well that was about it for the day. We noticed there is another hurricane out there which could be on the same track as Irma; so we must keep an eye on this storm, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well things are starting getting back to normal for daughter Amy and her family yesterday as they finally got their power back on. What a relief that was for them and their neighbors as well. We've had ours on now for three days but there are still some thousands in our county without power and Duke Electric isn't looking good according to several outlets for their mandates especially in the city of St.Petersburg according to their mayor. We are still a blessed area with the lack of total destruction which could have happened.

I started the day with my usual roll out around 6'ish to dew dripping from the upper dormer onto the tin roof. It sure is quiet around here except for that with the kiddos back to their home in Seminole. They usually were up just a few minutes after I awakened to start the day. I did my usual hot tea while I spent some quiet moments of thanksgiving and intercessory thoughts and prayers for several who are hurting. GG is still in the hospital in Miami but arrangements are being made to move her to Michigan as the hospital is discharging her and there are no other facilities in Miami for her to go to due to the tremendous influx of folks from the Keys which was destroyed by Irma. Eric is making arrangements to fly her up to his home where he and Diane will be able to give her some care and hopefully get her back on her feet, literally. This process has been so long and drawn out and we can only hope for the best for her and in the home of her son.

Paw Paw is doing well as can be expected. I spoke with him and he seemed pleased to hear from me but he never calls me anymore like he use to every Friday. Sometimes he answers the phone but mostly it goes to voice mail. He is still in the old house with everything on the second floor which means he has to navigate the stairs several times a day to use the bathroom and of course at nights he sleeps up there a well. Hopefully there will be no more falls. He said he drives occasionally but only when necessary to shop or eat out.

We got in a morning hike to the top of the mountain which was perfect weather wise. We stopped and chatted with Hazel's son for a few and learned she and GG have the same birthday; she will be 102 this October whereas GG will be 89. Hazel is starting with some dementia and is now in a nursing home down off the mountain. We saw Joe with his leaf blower as they are really starting to fall plus lots from the remnants of Irma which went through last weekend. We notice lots of the Maples are showing some faint color change along with the Sumac bushes that are turning red as well. Fall is upon us despite the beautiful warm temps today and for the next several days with temps in the middle 70's for a high and the lows in the 50's.

I loaded up several bags of garbage as we headed to the town dump then spent a couple hours at the street fair with the main street closed down except for foot traffic. There were lots of vendors and different local bands performing through out the day. We saw our friend and doctor and had a good visit with him and his wife. He is semi retiring starting in October and will be in Sarasota for treatment for a prostrate ailment for nearly 6 months. Hopefully we can get together for a visit with him while he is there. We also saw several other old friends and then met up with the Tracy's for an early supper at the Pines eatery. Afterwards we picked up some flank steaks to marinate for a supper on Monday with them and Jaime who is now living in her pull behind RV in Fancy Gap, Va.

Well we got home around 5:30 and cleaned out the kayaks and loaded them in the truck to take with us for a river trip after church this morning with Mechelle and Caleb. The weather seems to be perfect and this will be only our second trip on the river this summer. Well that was about it except for an exciting finish to the Tennessee vs Florida football game with the Gators winning on a Hail Mary Pass with no time remaining on the clock, LATER

Don't forget to worship the Lord corporately this morning with other Believers. So many of us have so much to be thankful for and to lift us those who suffered greatly from the past two storms.

Saturday Morning

Well Amy and family still have no power after a week, luckily we got ours back on so they can at least stay cool at nights and take showers and cook what food they can find in the grocery stores. They did spend the day cleaning out their house and yards as well as ours which was very nice of them. They are hoping sometime today or Sunday they will be able to get back into their house but there are several thousands still with out power in our county.

Friday started out with Nancy getting ready to travel to Sparta to have her hair lightened and have the gray colored. I was surprised she had a 9 AM appointment but up here you take what is available and I guess that was the closest time she could get before heading back to Florida next week. We aren't sure if her hair dresser has power in Florida but since we are there just a limited time she thought best to get it done her. She was gone until around lunch time. I did my usual morning routines that started with my hot tea, some quiet time and then caught up on some social media while the washing machine ran for a couple of loads of sheets and blankets. The day was starting out with sunshine and blue skies.

I did some garden hoeing and then helped neighbor Gerald who was down for a day or so load a couch into his truck for his son Gabriel at college. We never did get in a hike as we met the Tracy's for a day trip down the mountain after a stop at the Old Beau Country Club. I had never been back in there and the gate was open so we ventured inside. Wow what a nice place with a huge club house and the vistas were awesome. The Tracy's inquired about rentals and learned there is always some available from the members and property owners. We met a man from Florida who is designing a huge motor coach area for the club and he too has a new rental cabin out on the parkway soon available for occupancy. We drove through the area and saw some beautiful houses and condo's. The golf course is amazing tucked back into the mountain side.

We took the Thurmond road just down off the divide into an area called Devotion. This land was once owned by the R.J.Reynolds Family and encompassed thousands of acres of land.  The hard road soon turned into a dirt and gravel road and we were deep into forrest land that was undeveloped except for a few nice places along with some run down trailers. We finally found our way back to Rt.89 which took us down towards Mt.Airy but first we wanted to go to the area in Virginia called Cana. We made a stop at this beautiful farm market which was on the state line between N.C. and VA. This place is the best in the area with all kinds of fresh local produce, candies, meats and flowers plus just about any kind canned pickles and veggies as well as buckwheat pancake flower. We loaded up on some fresh produce and a few other items before heading on into Mt. Airy for supper.

Well we saw this place called 13 Bones and while there were several eateries in the area this one was packed. There was a 45 minute wait but we lucked out as there were 4 seats at the bar where we ate a delicious meal of salmon, steak, barbecue chicken, fried pickles and a very tasty homemade dream sickle cake. The bar tender was very personable and the meal was one of the best ever and reasonable in cost. We will definitely go there again when in the area. After waddling out of the place we headed over to gander at Andy Griffith home place which was nothing spectacular. Just a plain one story house in a lower social economic section of the town. It was available to rent for the night if one desired as the info was posted outside.

Well we got back on the mountain before dark and said our good bye's for the night then made plans to visit Sparta today (Sat.) as it Heritage Festival in town with local bands, food and vendors as the town shuts down to only foot traffic. We will meet in town after lunch then share in the local festivities and eat out again at one of the local eateries or grab something from one of the many vendors. The weather is supposed to be beautiful with the highs in the lower 70's and bright sunshine and blue skies, LATER

Friday Morning...(post Ross Family leaving)

Well it sure is quiet around here after 7:30 in the morning when we watched the Ross Family leave down the driveway. It was close to 11'ish last night when they made it to our house in Seminole which just got electricity that evening. We are so happy they got there safely and can at least rest in the a/c and have hot water for showers as well as have drinking water. They still haven't got their power on at their house which is about 5 miles away.

We headed back to our normal routines after wiping away a few tears. I did my quiet time with a cup of hot green tea laced with honey and turmeric while lifting up several, especially them for safe travel and plenty of gas and food on the way home. We got word around 8 PM that power had been restored to our 'hood so we diverted them to our place for the night. I'm sure they were all exhausted after a long nearly 18 hour drive. We will get the scoop today on what our back yard looks like and how much damage was done to my equipment like bikes, mowers and power tools in the shed that had a huge neighbors tree limb smash down on it. Hopefully I can salvage most of it as both of our bikes were in the shed plus my mower. I was thinking of replacing the old tin shed last year but held off which now I'm thankful for not doing.

I pulled weeds after a lite breakfast of Cherrios. I need to stay away from the "mountain breakfasts" for awhile as we ate them nearly every morning while the Ross's were here. The Zinnias in the circle bed have grown considerably with all this rain and were tall enough to finally weed around them with out pulling them up. I spent a couple hours weeding all of the flower beds as the grass grows well in them but not so easily in the back woods yards, oh well. Nancy did laundry but the overcast skies kept the drying to a minimum outside on the clothesline and we eventually used the clothes dryer. I vacuumed the whole house while Nancy dusted. The temps weren't to bad at 65 degrees and perfect for a before supper hike to the top of the mountain. We saw no one except for a short visit with Joe and Jetta who once again blessed us with tomatoes from her garden. They were so enamored with the grand kiddos and we had such good laughs as we reminisced about Eliza Faye and her giving hugs for chocolate. Such a character she is.

Well we finished up the last of the leftovers which were delicious. We did eat some great meals the past week and I have a large spare tire to show for it. The fridge is finally bare. We will keep it that way as we are planning on leaving next Wednesday for Seminole for a week or so to celebrate Annsley and Gabe's birthdays and then down to Miami for GG's 89th birthday. We aren't sure if Miami will have any accommodations for an extended visited; so it maybe only a day trip which will be a long one to say the least. GG is still in the hospital as she recovers from a mild stroke that left her speech somewhat affected. She is slowly recovering from that but is back on the feeding tube and catheter.

Well that was about it for the day as we were in constant contact with our neighbor about the power being on in the hood. Carol stated they were nearly dying from the heat and humidity and still no power. There was no ice available or any perishables in the grocery stores and just think we were about a Cat 1 or 2 hurricane. I hate to think what a 4 or 5 would have done to our area and how long it would take to recover, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well the Ross Family just pulled out for Seminole, Fl. I sure hope the electric power is restored for them as of last night those who came back to the area were still without power and for those whom didn't leave in the wake of Irma it's been absolutely miserable. There is no ice in the area an no perishable  items in the grocery store of which many are still closed down due to the lack of power. We tried to talk them in to staying another day but they wanted to get back and check on their house after being away for a week. It was sad to see them as we really a vacation style week with some great eatin', lots of hikes and golf cart rides as well as fun bug catching and just playing outside for the kiddos. Tyler worked from here in the upstairs bedroom usually from 8 to 5 so he didn't miss out on his job.

Well Wednesday saw the sun come out after a rainy day on Tuesday which kept all of us inside throughout the day. We had 3 1/2 inches of rain in my gauge and it did rain a little last evening. The forecast is for nearly perfect weather this next 4 to 5 days with the highs in the middle 70's and lows in the 50's at nights. Everyone got to experience some 40's which required the heat being on for several mornings to take the chill off the cabin. I took the kiddos on several rides and we found three newts during the day which gave everyone some pleasure. We got in a late afternoon hike except for Tyler who worked late. The vistas were beautiful on top of the mountain and we found a new way to get Eliza to walk the total distance; we found a nice stick horse for her to ride and did she ever have fun making a trail in the road with Sparkle her stick horse.

We cleaned up the leftover soup along with fresh bakery bread and a garden salad for our supper as well as pork barbecue sandwiches for lunch. It was the week for pork as we had sausage, bacon, soup with Italian sausage, smoked barbecue butts and spareribs with sauerkraut, yeow all of which was excellent in taste. Well it's back to the routine for the mornings for another week before we head back for Annsley and Gabe's birthday celebrations and to visit with GG if she is still in Miami. We aren't sure if we will be able to find a hotel or a BB to stay while visiting her for her 79th birthday on Oct first, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well we felt the effects of Irma as she passed west of us with the wind and rain which was constant through out the night and day. We had over 5 inches of rain which is really uncommon in one sitting. The rain and fog was upon us from daylight to dark and even before and beyond. The kiddo's were getting cabin fever as was I. They finally headed down to the basement for a couple hours where they could run and play to some extent.

Son Bobby called mid morning and he was on the road checking out properties and did go by and check on our place. The power was still off and the freezers on both appliances had thawed the meat so he was able to bag the articles and remove them before they rotted and exploded. He saw the huge power line down in the back yard from the neighbors tree which damaged my shed beyond repair. Hopefully my bike and mower are usable. Lots of the neighbors helped each other picking up limbs and cleaning up yards.

Well it was not only wet but a cold damp so Nancy made a huge pot of vegetable beef soup for our supper which fit the bill nicely on this miserable day; but we were all thankful for the minimal damage to our properties and no injuries. Amy and Tyler are thinking about heading back home on Thursday if power is restored to their neighborhood. It will surely be quiet around with them gone, LATER

Tuesday Morning post Irma

Well Monday was a beautiful day in the mountains albeit overcast and chilly for the most part. We didn't see the sun as the clouds from Irma permeated the area and during the night(Mon.) the wind and rain became evident in our area with gusts of wind and hard downpours. It's pouring as I make this post.

We got word on our house from our friends and neighbors the Botbyl's. The damage was minimal except for my garden shed which was cut nearly in half by a huge tree limb from a neighbor's tree behind us. My oaks held up except for lots of limbs mostly dead ones which were cleaned out by the wind. We are still without power at the house and in the neighborhood. Hopefully the freezer will stay good and cold until the power is restored but that is a small price to pay compared to others who lost some much as a result of the storm. Our fences in the rear of the yard will probably need to be replaced as they were old and wobbly to begin with. We got word that one neighbor was cutting up limbs and clearing our yard last evening, many thanks to John Perry for this task as he is a fireman and was on duty throughout the storm.

Bobby called and said he had no damage except for the normal leaves and small limbs from trees in the 'hood. They never lost power in the Brandon area which is just east of Tampa. We are so thankful for these reports of little or no damage to our homes and no reports of any injuries to any we know of in the path of the storm. I just got word a friend in western Carolina is without power as a result of the storm which is now in the mountains and heading our way. Hopefully it will blow itself out before any real damage from Irma comes our way. Amy and Tyler's place also suffered no damage according neighbors but they too are still with out power in their neighborhood. They are hoping to head back on Wednesday to check out their home for any damage or water leaks.

GG's house was boarded up and a friend of Betsy's hunkered down there during the storm that she works with. There was no report of any flooding as the house is in a flood zone and no report of any damage. We have been fortunate with the results to any of our family members as I write this AM.
We had a great time yesterday with the kiddos as they ran and played every where in the woods and yards. I had a campfire burning all day with a pot of raw peanuts cooking as all of us love them, especially the kiddos.

I made a cardboard sled from the hot water heater box and pulled them around in the yards with the golf cart. They were loving that. We decided to eat leftovers for supper and they were delicious. Nancy and Amy headed to town to shop for the necessary items for a pot of vegetable beef soup today which will be perfect for these cold temps and now a rainy day. It's looking like a total inside day. We all took a hike around 5'ish to the top of the mountain and were greeted first by Billy and then Joe and Jetta. Eliza has Jetta wrapped around her finger as she gives hugs while asking for chocolate candy kisses. She is such a charmer. We had a great hike and Sam and Ava tried to hide and scare us several times on the way back. Well that was about it for the day and it will be quiet here after they leave on Wednesday. We are hoping they will delay another day as thousands of Floridians will be trying to get home and the roads will be clogged with vehicle traffic and trucks carrying supplies to the state, LATER

Monday Morning

Well Sunday started out awesome with cool temps and some what overcast but by late afternoon we had some very nice weather with bright sunshine and blue skies. We had a lite breakfast before we got everyone ready for our corporate worship service at Cornerstone in Sparta. Afterwards we ate lunch at the new Pizzeria in town then headed out to the Dalton/Luffman Farm where Mechelle and her folks entertained the kiddos with horseback rides and farm animals. We were there for several hours then made a stop at our "mountain mom" cabin so she could visit with Amy and the family. The kiddos were so cute with her and of course we all were concerned with IRMA as it plowed into the southern Florida coast.

Thankfully the storm had been somewhat dampened from a Cat 5 to around a Cat 3 or so when it came ashore around 4'ish. We were glued to the TV after getting home and likened the predictions of the storm losing strength the further it came inland and northward towards our area a couple hundred miles north. It was around midnight or so when the eye passed into our area and somewhat weakened further but the pictures this morning show lot of damage to trees and power lines and thousands of folks were without power in our areas. The structure damage didn't seem to be as significant as once feared from the pictures we saw on the internet. Hopefully that holds true.

The storm is continuing northward but the winds and rain are still in the Tampa Bay area as well as north Florida. The storm should be down graded today to a tropical depression as it moves northward and we may even get some of the wind and rain here in the mountains later today and tomorrow. There are curfews in most of the Florida counties until damage assessments can be made to make sure the areas are safe from down power lines. We are hoping to get some word on how are abodes weathered the storm as I have two large oak trees at our house. I saw pictures of where large trees were uprooted and lots of limbs laying about but no word on if any damage was done to them. I hope the trees caused no damage to the neighbors homes and I'm sure I must remove them when I get back to Florida if they made the it through the storm.

There were lots of power outages in the area but as of now no real damage to structures as I write, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well it looking more and more like Irma will impact the west coast of Florida in a big way after leaving Cuba. We are not looking forward to a visit from her but its inevitable our county Pinellas which is surrounded by water will be struck with a severe blow by this now once again Cat 4 hurricane. Our daughter and her family are safe here in the mountains and we are hoping our son and his family which is on higher ground in Hillsborough County is taking precautions to this monster storm. I have a bad feeling about the destruction she will cause to both life and property.

Well Saturday was another beautiful day to say the least, weather wise here in the mountains. It started out with a low of 45 and did reach the lower 70's by late afternoon with lots of sunshine and blue skies; but the thought of this storm but a damper on all of our feelings throughout the day. Tyler and I took Eliza and Sam over to our "mountain moms" pond for some fishing and they both caught several small bass and sun perch. We threw them back in but got some cute pictures of them with their catches. Their attention span and interest lasted about an hour or so which was longer than I thought.

The girls all went to town to pick pork for our supper which was very tasty. Spareribs, sauerkraut, kielbsa and Nathan dogs in a slow cooker in the oven with smashed taters on the side  and pumpkin pie for dessert. The awesome aroma permeated the cabin and had our taste buds salivating throughout the afternoon hours. There were several golf cart rides and lots of bug and toad catching throughout the day as the kiddos explored and ran care free in the woods and yards. This atmosphere is perfect for kids and keeping them away from the electronic games and TV. They ran and played all day outside and took a nice long hike with everyone but me. I stayed back and helped with watching the stove and hanging laundry as Nancy missed the hike yesterday. I had plenty of trips up and down the yards throughout the day for my exercise. I did get in some reading while everyone was gone.

Well we were glued to the TV after supper hoping the storm would be somehow knocked down from the furious winds and possibly blow itself out in the mountains of Cuba but that didn't occur; so we are awaiting its arrival on our friends who are staying in the county and our humble abodes sometime today and tonight. Keep All in your thoughts and prayers for survival, LATER

Don't forget that today is corporate worship day with others at a church near you.

Saturday Morning.. Pre Irma

Well Friday despite a cool or cold morning of 45 * turned out to be almost perfect with temps reaching the upper 60's and bright sunshine and blue skies. Everyone spent the day outside as much as possible especially the grand kiddos. Wow where do they get all of this energy and it never stopped until I was ready for bed as they still were watching a movie when I hit the sack. around 10'ish.

We started the day with a "mountain breakfast" of bacon, eggs, grits, juice, toast and coffee(tea) for me. I took the kiddos on a long adventure on the golf cart as we took some old trails and then we found a newt which is small orange lizard like critter. Well the kiddos played with that for hours until it played dead then we found a tree frog which kept their curiosity for hours as well. The bug hotel was filled with crickets, grand daddy long legs and other insects. I started a fire for some boiled peanuts which now became the new obsession for the kiddos. A fire is the best baby sitter ever as long as I was with them. I have a huge stack of oak firewood so I split up a nice stack for the campfire and then I put a metal cover over the fire pit and put a pot of raw peanuts on to boil.

There were several golf cart trips throughout the day and then all of us except Nancy took a hike to the top of the mountain. Kathryn and Patrick came by for supper around 5 and brought lots of pre dinner snacks like guacamole, salsa,  con casio and chips which went along with our chicken fajitas, black beans and rice. It was so nice out that half of us sat outside on the deck. Afterwards we then all headed for the campfire and I built up a nice campfire which felt good as the evening shadows approached. The kiddos all had smores and then we had campfire stories until it was time for showers and baths.

Well the hurricane is heading straight up the west coast of Florida where our houses are located. Its not looking good for our abodes but at least we are personally safe from any danger of the wind and water. We continue to pray for the personal safety of those folks who are riding out the storm in their beach homes. It looks as if Pinellas County will be hit head on as it now looks. Our county is the most densely populated in the state area wise. It starting to look like this event is larger than predicted and the devastation could be even greater than ever. It will take some divine intervention to turn this storm out to sea and blow itself out as well, LATER

Friday Morning

Well the Ross Family has arrived and are safe from this storm which now looks as if it may go up the middle of Florida. Our homes are in jeopardy of the storm damaging winds and high water as we are about 30-40 feet above sea level. Lets hope this storms energy dissipates as it heads in land.

Thursday was a much more beautiful day with bright sunshine and blue skies but the temps were in the low 40's to start the day. We did our morning routines, quiet times and caught up on social media about all that is happenings with this storm. We got ready to head to town around 10'ish with a trash stop on the way.  We did make a stop for gas which has gone up 40 cents a gallon during one week. Walmart was packed with people shopping. We once again had a full cart of goodies as we stocked up for the family.

The update on Paw Paw is good as I spoke with him. He did not have to go to Walter Reed as the Cat scan was somewhat promising but he was admitted to the VA hospital in Martinsburg, W.Va. He seemed in good spirits. There was no word on GG this day but the night before she was in good spirits and resolved to the fact she was going to stay in Miami during the storm.

Nancy had a great cold weather supper of Supa Toscana soup, salad and garlic bread with homemade cookies for dessert. The kids love this soup and everyone had at least a couple of bowls. It was close to 8 before we every sat down to eat. Well after the cleanup we settled into visiting then everyone got baths and showers. The kiddos love being here and especially the stairs as they all ran up and down the stairs throughout the evening. Eliza was so fascinated with going up and down the stairs.

Well it sure different around her with three grand kiddos. Things are definitely lively and its started again around 7'ish this morning, LATER

Thursday Morning

Well it looks like Florida is going to get slammed by this hurricane which is deadly and causing so much destruction in the Caribbean. Amy and family are on the way and we haven't heard what steps Bobby and Katie are taking with regard to getting Annsley and Gabriel out of harms way. The last we heard there was some issues with their mother which is always the case about their leaving the state.

Wednesday here was a nearly a total washout except for late evening when the front moved through bringing nearly 2 inches of rain with much colder temps. It didn't get out of the 50's and we had the small potable heater all day and evening. The sun finally broke through around 6'ish so I ventured out after a supper of leftovers to check on the driveway which fared rather well considering some of the down pours where gully washers. I rode out to the mail box then raked over some of the washed out areas and once again opened up some of the cuts in the gravel so water would run off into the ditches.

It felt so good to get outside after being cooped up all the day. I did get in some US Open Tennis and read at times in between checking on Irma as she continued with 185 mph winds on a westward track but was leaning a little to the north which just possibly would take her out into the shipping lanes and away from land where she can blow herself out in the colder waters, HOPEFULLY.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to rain beating on the tin roof; no more leaks from the upstairs bathroom as the rain was straight down. When the rain blows horizontally it goes up under the roof cap and then runs down into the bathroom. There hasn't been any visible damage thus far but when and if I ever put on a new roof I will make sure the roof cap is larger to hopefully avoid that happening in the future. I spent my usual quiet time and posting of this ramble with a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and honey and I popped a raw garlic as I'm starting to get an annoying sore throat. It seems worst at night but then goes away during the day. I'm not sure if its from a post nasal drip or what as I'm just about over that aggravating cough which has plagued me for weeks.

Well here is the latest on GG and Paw Paw. She is doing somewhat better as of last night which our niece Arianne visited around 9'ish showing her to us via face time. She seems to be getting back her speech and was lucid and ate well as well as did some PT. There is some promise there for recovery. On another sad note Paw Paw showed signs of once again having some fluid on the brain and he was transported back to Walter Reed Hospital for further tests and procedures. We haven't and update on him as I make this post or what caused this last incident. We continue to lift up several for comfort and prayers for safety as they are traveling to stay out of harms way from this latest storm as well as for those who last week were inundated with death and destruction in Texas and Louisiana. Thankfully we have a great response team from the Fed's who have done a great job thus far with this president who is personally involved in the recovery from these natural disasters and not on the golf course.

Well we are heading back to Galax this morning to stock up as we eagerly await the arrival of the Ross Family from Florida. We are excited to see and love up on them but only wish it wasn't because of this fierce storm. Hopefully there will be no death an or destruction of our homes in Florida, LATER

Wednesday Morning

Well Tuesday started out beautiful but that changed dramatically and very quickly from blue skies and bright sunshine to clouds then rain, then gusting wind blowing rain sideways with thunder and lightning. It pored off and on all evening an as I make this post this morning it's still raining .

Well it looking more and more like this horrific hurricane Irma will come up through the middle of Florida. We are hoping our family and friends get out now and head north. Amy and her family are making arrangements to head here for who knows how long and we are hoping Bobby can get here as well with his family. It looks as if GG will spend the occasion in a Miami hospital which is usually built to with stand these kind of storms as she is not healthy enough to be evacuated. Hopefully the storms will be only a glancing blow with less wind than projected after it leaves the Caribbean. The mountains in Cuba should take some of the energy away from the eye and its circulation.

We did get in a hike around noon to the top of the mountain and visited with the Avants(Billy and Paula) and then the Brownings(Joe and Jetta) before heading back down the mountain trail to a lite lunch of salad. I was scheduled to play pickle ball around 6'ish but when the evening storm moved in around 4 'ish and stayed with heavy rain we cancelled until another day. After lunch we settled on the front porch and read for the next couple of hours. I did piddle around in the garden and harvested some beautiful radish tops with just a handful of developed radishes and then sowed more Swiss chard seeds. Hopefully they will mature enough for me to take back to Florida for my winter garden; of course that depends on it we still have a house and a garden to plant after this hurricane passes through.

We may be spending the winter here in the mountains. We are fortunate to have this second home where our family can have a roof over our heads and a warm bed to sleep in. It's been years since I've spend a winter away from Florida; how about since 1963 when I last spent a winter in the north, oh well. I left home in the summer of '64 and never went back to the frozen north except on occasion only when my grandmother died in January and was buried during an extreme cold frozen snow storm. I vowed to myself then I was through with the cold weather, now its kind of fun to get a snow before we head back in November to Florida.

If this storm is anything like Andrew that hit the Miami area years ago it will be devastating to say the least. Huge areas of the lower part of Florida looked like a large lawn mower went through neighbor hoods leveling homes and infrastructure. It will be unbelievable the damage. We troopers where dispatched to the area to keep looters out of the area for months. It wasn't a pretty sight with all the destruction.

Well after my usual morning routines and some quiet time we had a late breakfast before I headed out to check on the gardens. Once again I found a couple fat cut worms who are plentiful this year. Usually it slugs who cause so much havoc with my garden plants but so far they have been null and void. We were on the phone with Amy as she made some small preparations to our lawn furniture moving them into the garage and making sure the garage door is secure as well as picking up a few items to bring with them. I think they are leaving Thursday before the roads get too clogged with folks heading north. Hopefully it will be just a trip for precaution and the storm with turn eastward into the Atlantic and away from land, LATER

Tuesday Morning

This was the day we all started back to school when I was but a wee lad but now all of that has changed since many areas of the country are already back in the class room, oh well how I always dreaded the day after Labor Day weekend.

Monday was just almost perfect with bright blue skies, lots of sunshine and a slight breeze with temps in the 60's to start the day and didn't get much over 75 if that. A perfect day for working outside and then having friends and neighbors over for a cook out in the afternoon.

I started the day with my usual rollout around 6'ish to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and honey while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name for comfort and healing in the name of Jesus.  The update on GG was a better one today as niece Erica went to visit with her and said she had improved over the day before. On a sad note the brother of one of our guests for supper was killed in a kayak accident the day before.

After breakfast I headed out to charge up the mower battery and get the smoker ready for two large butts which had been in the oven overnight on a slow cook. They looked beautiful and ready for the smoker a couple hours later. I fired up the weed whacker and gave the yards a nice trim which always make for a complete beautification after mowing. It took me about an hour and half and then I was ready to relax on the mower. I must say a freshly mowed yard is such an eye appeal and the smell is delicious as well. Anyhow I loaded the smoker up with applewood and hickory for the butts which permeated the porch.

Well our guests arrived round 4'ish and we could smell the butts on the smoker which brought the taste buds alive. I pulled them off and let them set for an hour or so before we pulled the meat from the bone. Yeow what a tasty meal that made with tater casserole, collard greens, Cole slaw, chips and salsas and three desserts that started with strawberry ice cream, chocolate eclair and apple pies(I'm having my piece for breakfast).

We got into corn toss games before and after putting on the "feed bag" thats an old term we often used for horses and mules when we gave them grain, for those who have no idea what I'm talking about. Our new neighbor on top of the mountain surprised us with his corn toss game as he and Mechelle's friend Allan whipped me and Gerald consistently. We teamed up with different partners through out the afternoon then Kay and I teamed up to beat Caleb and his girlfriend Courtland in badminton. It was close to dark when ever pulled out for home.

After the cleanup I settled into the tennis tournament then hit the shower. I was whipped and was soon ready for some horizontal lab shortly thereafter, Later

I slept in for only the second this summer until 7'ish..the extra activity made it difficult to roll out.

Monday Morning ...Labor Day 2017

Well we finally saw the sunshine after two days of fog, rain and overcast skies. What a joy to see and feel the warmth. Sunday was another day of worship, giving thanks and being with other believers in a group setting as well as our own live service via the internet with our home church, BridgePoint in Florida. We did our morning routines then got ready to head out to Cornerstone in Sparta. We had a load of goodies for the 'family night" Cornerstone was sponsoring at the local city park in Sparta with food, fun and a movie all of which was free to anyone who came. We never made it in as we had the Tracy's with their daughter and son in law visiting around 6'ish.

After church we ate alone at the Pizzeria as every one was either sick or away for the day. There is a bug of some kind of which I personally still am coughing at times despite staying with homeopathic remedies. We made a couple stops in town after lunch to pick up two Boston butts for smoking today(Monday) as we entertain several friends and neighbors for supper. We put the butts in the oven for an overnight slow cook at 225* and then I will put them on the wood smoker this morning for about 5-6 hours with some Hickory and Apple wood smoke flavor. I'm also cooking a pot of collard greens and others are bringing side dishes as well as desserts.

We got in a good hike around 3'ish to the top of the mountain and then later when our guests arrived I took Otis and Lauren on a golf cart ride to the top of the mountain as it was their first time to our humble bode. They were quite impressed with the vistas and with our little cabin in the woods. We had their French bull dog, Rouie with us and he loved the area and rode well in the bed of the cart. We showed them the unfinished cabin next door and they seemed quite interested in possibly purchasing it and then turning it into an investment and for a summer vacation place for them and family. I certainly hope they do as its an eye sore plus its such a waste to see this "dried in" dwelling rot away.

We had a campfire and the girls made smores and we shared some popcorn with Rouie. He is such a sweet puppy at almost a year old. Well they stayed until nearly 9:30 before heading out and then it was hot shower for me before starting a new read by Stephen King. I've gotten into reading him and while I've stayed away from the creepy stories of werewolves and the occult I have enjoyed the brilliance of a mind to write such twisting scenarios.

The update on GG is about the same as yesterday as she is still in the hospital in Miami and it was confirmed she had a mini stroke that has left her speech affected. She is able to communicate and is able to get out of bed with some help which is a blessing. The sad part is she is back on the catheter. We saw her via face time and she expressed she was fine which she has done from the get go, even when she was in what we thought her condition wasn't anywhere near fine. We are still hoping she gets out of the hospital and to Michigan before much longer. I'm not looking forward to a week long stay in Miami or to the drive down there; but we will do what we have to do as Nancy wants to see her mom around her birthday which is the first of October.

I haven't any news on Paw Paw as he doesn't call or answer the phone so I suppose all is well there. Two of his three daughters are within an hour or so except for Pat who is in Pa. I suppose he is doing OK with getting up and down the steps as we haven't heard different. We know how difficult it is for the girls as we are experiencing much the same with Nancy's mom in doing what is best for them in their last stages of life. Its very stressful and only being here at the cabin has given us some relief but still on the phone daily for hours keeps you wondering if your doing the right thing. On a lighter note our dear friend Joe is back in his house along with a son for a short while. He will have to use the senior services available to him as driving is a no no until he regains his strength plus he has two younger sisters to assist him to some extent. We were saddened to learn our dear friend from Cornerstone, who once owned the Pizzeria has stage four cancer which has now spread into his lungs. Carroll is an awesome Christ follower and was at church on Sunday and we have grown to love him as family. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers as well as for our nation and our president which is being torn apart from within as well as on the world scene. I'm beginning to wonder about the prediction of what our world is under going toward the end times, LATER

Sunday Morning

Well Saturday was an exceptionally chilly, rainy, foggy day with no sunshine. It barely made it to the high 60's. We of course had the portable heater on for most of the day which kept the cabin comfortable. I ventured out only a couple of times as it was just too wet and damp which seems to have brought back that nagging dry cough once again. I go for several days not even noticing the cough then all of a sudden its back. We did get on the golf cart around 3 or so to head to the top of the mountain to check for a package Jaime had sent to the rental cabin she stayed in a couple weeks ago. The package wasn't there and we noticed the group of mailboxes that was in front of Eddie's place is gone and with that news we learned the mail carrier will not deliver any packages without a mailbox.

There isn't a whole lot to write about today as we hugged the heater, the TV and a book plus Nancy was on the phone for hours with Miami regarding GG's updates. We did see a live face time with her and she looked about the same and some of her words despite being mumbled were recognizable. We received over an inch and a half of rain and while that doesn't seem like much it was in the form of a heavy mist which was a soaking rain.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout. I was hoping for another 7:30 but the internal alarm was working this morning. I did my routines that started with the hot tea laced with turmeric and honey while I posted this ramble, did my quiet time and then checked the social media status. I was close to 9 before Nancy made her way out from under the warm covers. I had the heater going as the cabin had chilled down over night. Your breath was so evident when I headed out to check the thermometer on the back porch and it was just barely out of the 40's yikes. Nancy spoke with her cousin who lives near Lancaster, Pa. and it was 39 there this morning. Fall is upon us and maybe that will be a blessing as hopefully cooler temps will help with stopping these storms like Harvey. This new storm Irma looks like it too could be a major destruction heading towards the mainland. Lets hope it stays out in the Atlantic away from land.

Well today is corporate worship day as we will listen to our pastor at BridgePoint in St. Pete/Seminole via the internet before meeting with other believers at Cornerstone in Sparta. Our nation needs some healing both physically and spiritually. We have let a few in the "politically correct"  crowd destroy our mores and now they are doing their best to change our culture with their radical violent protests while destroying our history. I have never seen so much hatred in the main stream media(msm) for our duly elected president who has promised to make the nation great again and he is doing just that. The attempt to discredit him and his chosen cabinet is beyond belief and I fear there maybe another class war between those who are lawless and those who uphold our constitution and the law therein.

 Anarchy is on the horizon with all of these fringe groups who are being paid to hold violent protests against the police, free speech and for the illegals who are criminals that prey upon upon our citizens. Academia has gone beyond civility with their indoctrination of the minds of the youths who attend their institutions. The disrespect for our law enforcement family, the flag, our military and Judeo-Christian values is unbelievable while being publicized by the main stream media as correct. This disrespect has even infiltrated the athletes and pro sports teams which is an outrage; we all know Hollywood is a left leaning bunch of whiners who has no love for this potus but adhere and love the crookedness of the past administration. We are finding the FBI is not without rancor as well for this Potus and his message. Trump is beholding to know one but to we the people who elected him to "drain the swamp".

Well I've ranted long enough and I fear for what this do nothing congress will do next. The attempt to undermine Trump and his agenda is egregious to say the least. We need some folks with guts and love for the nation to stand up to those who care only about getting re-elected and filling their bank accounts with "pay for play" money. The divide is unconscionable between the liberals and the conservatives to the extent civil war is on the horizon, LATER

Saturday Morning

Well Friday was a complete wash out with fog and rain all day long and it continues this morning as I post this ramble. The temps have dropped considerably as well with the low 50's last evening on the way home from The Tracy's cabin. We did get in almost a full day of reading and then we stopped by the library and the post office on our way into town. The fog was so heavy in areas we could barley creep along. The town cancelled "music on the main" for Friday evening due to this rain which is part of the devastating hurricane Harvey which destroyed parts of Texas and Louisiana which flooding. We have another major storm brewing in the Atlantic which deserves watching as well as it churns westward.

I started the day with my usual 6'is roll out to a cup of hot green tea laced with honey and turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator. The update on GG is a little better as she is able to mumble a few words for communication, plus this hospital she is in, is noted for treating stroke victims and that is their specialty and they will give her some rehab. She apparently was able to get out of bed and sit in a chair which is some progress. There doesn't seem to be any major disability with her limbs which is a good sign; just the loss of her ability to speak clearly. I haven't heard from Paw Paw on his progress with being home, I will try again this day. We did learn our dear friend Joe, Helen's brother is home for a few days from Tennessee where he is being looked after by his daughter the doctor. There are some stipulations he must adhere to for being able to be back in his home which has enlightened his mood.

We had a delicious supper of salad and baked chicken in a cream sauce with dried tomatoes and bowtie pasta, Yeow what flavor. We started with some homemade bruschetta and a glass of vino to get the taste buds activated. We played a few hands of Euchre, Golf and Oh -ell and the boys were victors through out the evening for a change. We left just before it got totally dark as those mountains roads are nearly invisible in the heavy fog with some steep drop offs. The Tracy's are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their daughter and son in law with their bull dog for the long weekend. Hopefully this rain will pull out of here today and give us some bright sunshine. We noticed that neighbor Gerald and his bride Karyl arrived last evening. It seems when ever she comes they too are greeted with wet weather, hopefully they will see some of the daily beauty we see with clear skies.

Well I haven't checked the rain gauge as it hasn't stopped raining long enough but I would say we have had a couple inches. The runoff's in the gravel I made on the hill have helped with keeping it from washing out so far despite some heavy "gully washers" at times. College football starts today which is always a plus but tells us Fall is not far away. We are planning on a trip back to Florida around the 20th for grand babies birthdays and then a trip to Miami to celebrate GG's 89 and then come back to close up the cabin for the winter. I'm not looking forward to that long trip but we have to do what we have to do, LATER

Friday Morning

Well I must confess on Thursday morning it was close to 7:30 when I rolled out to start the day. I'm not sure what happened to the internal alarm which usually goes off at 6 but not this morning, oh well. Anyhow Thursday was a shopping day in Galax once again with lunch out at Macado's and then a fill up which saw gas prices rise by as much as 20 to 30 cents a gallon at some stations above last weeks prices.

I did my usual morning routines albeit an hour and half later that started with my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric and honey while I posted this ramble and then some quiet time with my Creator. The update on GG isn't good as it's now confirmed she has suffered a mini stroke causing her to lose the speech part in her brain. Everything else seems to be working at this time but now she is unable to communicate by speaking and is also back on the catheter which is another set back. It seems she has two great days and then a setback of several days. She is still in the hospital in Miami. We are planning on heading down sometime in the next couple weeks for her 89th birthday unless she has some good days and gets to go to Michigan to live which at this point looks doubtful. Paw Paw seems to be doing OK as I haven't heard anything to the contrary.

We took off around 11 for Galax and made a garbage stop on the way. We shopped the super Walmart and loaded up once again with goodies before heading over to Macado's in the old part of the city. It had started a steady rain and cooled things down to the middle 60's. We had an enjoyable lunch that started with their Thursday lunch special of spinach artichoke dip, yeow one of my favorites and its a meal in an of itself with chips and flat bread. Nancy had her cheeseburger with fries which is huge and the fries are the best ever. We split the three items and left full to the brim. That held us until a lite supper around 6 of a fresh garden salad with a leftover chicken breast cut up on top. The lite soaking rain had finally come to our neck of the woods so I decided to burn a large pile of brush, stumps and debris that's been accumulating since last summer in the gully behind the cabin. I managed to get it going with some newspaper and lighter knot or fat wood as some folks call it which is turpentine from aged pine limbs. That worked great and I spent a couple hours burning.

We started out on a hike a couple times but the lite rain drove us back inside so we sat and read for most of the evening after supper. We did take a golf cart ride to the top to look for a package our friend Jaime had sent to her once rental address. Somehow or reason it wasn't delivered so we will check tomorrow for her. Well the hot shower felt good and then I tuned into the US Open tennis tournament and watched a little before heading for some horizontal lab. This morning the rain is softly dripping onto the tin roof which looks as if the day will be a wash out, LATER