Well Saturday was a work day for me as I had several projects on the books while Nancy went with friend Mechelle to the Mt. Airy horse sale for the biggest part of the day. The weather was perfect here on the mountain with temps in the high 50's to start and it reached maybe 75 during the hottest part of the day, but there was absolutely no humidity which made for great working conditions through out the day and later for a hike to the top of the mountain.
I started the day with my customary 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble which is really the day before activities and some random thoughts and then some quiet time with my Creator giving thanks and lifting up several by name. Most all seem as well as can be expected due to their ages and health issues. I wanted to start on the deck before the sun got on it so I started with the wood sealer soon after a breakfast of eggs and sliced tomato's, grits and a jalapeno pepper. The directions on the sealer was do not apply in the direct sunlight and I had the whole morning with shade on that side of the cabin. I used a roller for the flat areas and then a brush for in between the railings and I finished just before lunch. I did have to stop around 11'ish to drive Nancy over to meet Mechelle which is about 20 minutes each way.
After the cleanup of the roller and brush I transplanted some lettuce seedlings into both gardens as the sun had not quite made an appearance. With the rotation of the earth with fall coming on we now get no sunshine on the gardens until after lunch and then its on them for about 6-7 straight hours which is plenty for growing vegetables. I had a lite lunch of a fresh cucumber dipped in ranch dressing and the last of the rice and beans which was leftover from a couple days ago. I did some piddly chores then headed off to the top of the mountain and made the climb without stopping. With Nancy in tow we usually stop at least twice so she can rest but I love to do it without stopping and can do the whole circuit in less than an hour whereas with her its take at least another half hour.
I saw the new neighbor Ed out and about and stopped to chat then met his wife Carole and we chatted for at least an hour or more. They were interested in the town of Sparta, eating places and where to shop as well as what to expect from the seasons and about their neighbors on top. They seemed very interested in the local area as they are from Buffalo, N.Y. initially but now live in the Raleigh area for the past several years. We shared family stories, kids and grand kids. They are a few years younger than myself but have been married for 34 years with one child together. Each have children and grand children from previous marriages. I saw their grands a few weeks back as they were visiting on one of my evening hikes but did not stop to talk as they did not see me. It was a pleasant visit and I gave them directions on how to hike down to our place for a visit. I knew the previous owner of their place and shared with him about an expensive weed killer that Joe used on their front yard area and he stopped by Joe's place and picked it up. The front yard and bank looks great after using the weed killer and he thanked me for telling him about this product which Joe had mentioned to me. Joe had no use for the weed killer and it was something 100 bucks a quart and he wanted the new owners to have it.
I headed on across the top and came down the back road and it was absolutely gorgeous. We do need some rain as I hand watered once again. I noticed a couple more large cherry tomato's ripening and I still have some small nubbins on the turning yellow cucumber vines. The new lettuce seedlings are looking good and I think will make as they love the cool nights. The jalapeno peppers are starting to set some fruit but the bell peppers are losing buds and leaves. I'm not sure why but there must be a reason. I did lime the gardens in hopes to sweeten the soil but maybe I was too late for this growing season. The dill seeds I sowed are up and showing some color as well and all of the herbs are doing just fine especially the rosemary and basil as is the cilantro and oregano but Nancy is not a big user of fresh herbs. I use them all the time when possible .
Well I tuned into the US Open women's final and was surprised to see Serena lose in straight sets to this Canadian gal. She did attempt a come back but made too many unforced errors. The Ray's won again over the Jay's which keeps their playoff hopes alive. The NFL starts today (sun) with the first really big day of games and I hope the rad's keep their political beliefs off the field or I will boycott the season again, LATER
