Well Monday started out with a drizzle and fog but by lunch time the rain stayed away except for a couple passing showers and we actually saw the sun for the first time in what seemed like weeks but in reality for almost 3 days. I put the rain gauge out after it had rained for a day and we measured over 8 inches; now that isn't all that much for Florida but here in the mountains it was a lot and we did see some creeks and streams over their banks and of course they were all muddy.
I started the day much the usual with a little after 5 roll out. It seems this higher elevation, fresh air and delicious water has me working overtime with an appetite that is increasing. I've eaten more eggs, pancakes and bacon this past week than all of the last 7 months in Florida. I need to increase my apple consumption as I've let that slip which was my main breakfast for 6 days a week as I rode out to the rec. on my bike. I'm getting as much if not more exercise and most of it has produced a wet shirt from the sweat without hiking the mountain. Tearing that upstairs bathroom down to just the floor and walls and even some of that is gone has kept me busy when I haven't been digging holes for planting flowers and shrubs. This soil here is very rocky and a shovel is useless unlike Florida where I turn my garden over with just a shovel.
I did my morning routines, quiet times with my Creator while having my cup of green tea laced with turmeric and fresh ginger then I headed down to the basement to turn on the dehumidifier and open up the basement and then check on the gardens for deer damage. So far the rain has washed away one jalapeno pepper plant and caused two tomato plants to either rot off at the stem or a cut worm has found the seedlings but the deer have not found the hydrangeas by the front porch. The onion sets have sprouted so we should have scallions in another week or so. In the pots that I sowed seeds I see some green in the lettuces and kale pots and now I need to sow some Swiss chard seeds. The herbs seem to have acclimated to the clay rocky soil and I noticed the garlic bulbs I sowed last fall now have nice stems about a foot tall. I'm hoping for a good crop of raw garlic.
I'm sitting here looking out onto the backwoods and yards and the trees are blowing in a stiff breeze. That certainly will help with drying out the yards and gardens. I noticed while digging a foot or more into the front flower beds to set the hydrangeas, the ground was wet at least a foot deep. We bought a couple more yesterday while in Galax as well as more flowering plants for the front beds. I did manage to move up the flowering bedding plants into pots and set them out around the porches and decks. We both are into the flowers and also the Zinnias seeds I sowed less than a week ago are up in the circle drive. They are one of my favorite flowering plants and are very hearty here in the mountains plus the deer will not usually eat them.
We headed to Galax after a mountain breakfast of cakes with raspberries in the batter, smoked bacon and a couple cackle berries(eggs for my new readers). I loaded up the garbage for the dumpster on the way to town. We made a Lowes stop which included purchasing the Subway style tile for the walls, for the shower floor and then the trim plates, Nancy wanted a fridge like we have in Florida so that was next then we ordered the vinyl plank flooring for the upstairs and finally more plants. We then headed over to the super Wall- Mart for more groceries as she likes to stock up. We saw neighbor Gerald on the way out the lane and invited him for supper. We marinated chicken breast for fajitas along with a fresh salad and refried beans and of course some salsa, sour cream and grated cheese and my Florida garden grown jalapeno's. Delicious and enough leftover for another supper.
After Gerald headed for home in a light rain shower, it finally cleared off for the night and I was whupped from carrying the 40 pound boxes of tile up the steep stairs and then all of my trips up the yards through the day plus the stairs. I get more overall physical activity here than I do on the pickle ball court, oh well. I settled into the Ray's game on the internet and they were beating the A's 6-0 when I hit the showers and then picked up a novel by Robb I started last year and left here over the winter. I read about two pages and the sandman was calling at 10 PM, LATER
