Well Monday found me with tons of birthday wishes, cards, cards with gift certificates, phone calls and even a birthday song over the phone from grans as well as an awesome cheesecake. I'm humbled by all of those who took some time to remember me on such a special day. Thanks!
I started the day much the usual with a 6 ish roll out to my routines that start with washing down a handful of vitamins and supplements with a cup of hot green ta laced with turmeric and fresh ginger while I post this ramble and then spend some quiet time with my Creator. I'm so blessed at this age to still be able to function as I did in my younger days and still have a clear mind. So many of my classmates have passed on after suffering some terrible calamity and many are living in terrible times with their health issues; all I can say is Thank You GOD.
After my morning routines I wanted to get two whole chickens ready for the smoker of which I did a little before 10. I stuffed their rears with fresh rosemary and thyme from the garden and then set them on a stand which holds a beer can about half full for the next 5-6 hours in my smoker filled with applewood and some hickory all from here in the mountains. That combo leaves such a beautiful color but the taste is so delicious as the bird pulls apart when preparing for the plate. We had the Tracy's and Botbyl's from Florida over for the occasion and Kathryn made my favorite cheese cake with blueberry topping, yeow.
After getting the birds in the smoker I decided since the sun was shining and such a beautiful morning to fire up the weed whacker and do the yards which kept me busy after a semi mountain breakfast of bacon, eggs and a waffle. The sun had started to dry out the yards so I fired up the riding mower after an hour of weed whacking and mowed until nearly 1:30. Nancy had two loads of laundry hanging on the clothesline in the bright hot sunshine which is now in the low 80's and felt so good for a change. Around 2'ish just after finishing up all the yards but the backwoods yard the skies began to darken and thunder was present in the distance so we got in the clothes of which most were dry but needed touching up in the dryer when the skies opened up with torrential down pours, lightning was cracking around the cabin and the power flickered a couple times but stayed on after one very close strike that shut the clocks off. Anyhow we had an inch of rain in 30 minutes which is usually a gully washer; I was looking to see if hail was in the rain as it was that loud on the tin roof.
After an hour the sun was back out and it was around 4'ish and the time our company was due. We had some appetizers, a little fruit of the vine and then we settled into a game of OH -ELL while waiting for the twice baked taters to cook as well as the cream corn off the cob. The birds in the smoker were resting and looked picture perfect. OH_ELL is a fast game with 16 rounds and if you make your bid you get that plus 10 pts. By making your bid is determined by how many tricks you take each round which changes starting with one card added per round and the dealer determines if you want a wild card. Its a fast game that goes up with 6 people for 8 rounds then back down again to just one card as there are just 52 cards in a deck divided by the number of players. It a game where the nickname come from when you don't make your bid; you must follow suit but if none then a wild card can take the trick.
We dined on delicious smoked chicken, twice baked spuds, cream corn and fresh garden salad, yeow what a feast and then afterwards we cut the cheese cake with the blueberry topping. One of my favorites and it was so creamy the way Kathryn makes it. We have enough leftover for another sitting or two. Well Nancy and Carol took off on a golf cart ride as it was her and Dan's last day here on the mountain this year. The rest of us played Spades which is different from the 6 player game. Kathryn and I teamed up and whupped up on Patrick and Dan who were determined to go Nil almost every round. I think its easier to go Nil with 6 players than 4 because you have 17 rounds or tricks instead of 13 in a 4 player game and you use only one deck as opposed to two decks; anyhow they were minus for most of the game and I did manage to go Nil twice and won.
Well they all left around 8'ish and we said our good byes as the Botbyl's were leaving in the early morning hours around 4'ish for Seminole. They have lived 3 houses up from us for nearly 40 years and our kids grew up together and Nancy and Carol are often confused with one another where ever especially at church. They were here nearly three weeks and they spent last week at the Tracy's rental cabin. We have eaten way too many dinners both out and pulled together and the spare tire has started to expand especially from the desserts which seem to find us at the end of our meals and or during card games. It has been a fun three weeks and now it time for me get back to some cabin chores.
I want to paint or stain the high sides of the cabin as I've finished with the front and back porches and then saw up a large downed oak tree for neighbors Joe and Jetta on top of the mountain who burn wood during the winter for their heat plus a couple of small chores for our "mountain mom" Helen. I'm throughly blessed to love to work and stay active. I have pickle ball at 6 this evening with a couple other players at the Roaring Gap Club and so look forward to it for a couple hours, LATER
No comments:
Post a Comment