Monday Morning August 31st

Well this month is gone and with it the last of the summer days. We noticed yesterday the back road is just about covered in fallen leaves. We may not have much of a Fall leaf color with so many falling which is quite unusual for this time of the year. I saw in the Farmers Almanac a hard winter is proposed for the northeast with lots of snow and even a blizzard is forecasted for February. It was really pleasant here yesterday(sun) with the 60's to start the day and now this morning (mon) there is a light rain on the tin roof.

Sunday was a great morning of corporate worship with our Cornerstone Family in Sparta. Pastor B had an awesome message on being real as opposed to just acting like a Christ Follower or faking it. Are we the same every day or just different on Sunday morning. The attendance is picking back up now that school is in session and many folks are seeing this pandemic going away except in the biased MSM and the democrat party. We personally haven't met anyone who has acquired this virus and succumbed to its effects however I must say if you have health issues and of age this could be very dramatic for you as it is with all virus, especially the flu and the H1N1 which was contributing cause of death for many folks years ago, but nothing to the effect of shutting down the nation to ruin one political party for nefarious reasons.

We skipped eating after church because we were having the Luffman's over for a large evening meal around 5. We came home and made a guacamole with some jarred salsa for lunch. Nancy was in her kitchen mode for cooking and put together a meatloaf of ground chuck and ground pork as well as peeled taters for smashed ones and then a huge pot of half runner green beans which are the best ever. Kay was bringing a broccoli salad and Mechelle a box cheese cake; both were delicious and the cheese cake was tasty and easy to make as well. I had the job of vaccuming the house in between honey-do's.

We took off around 2'ish for a hike up the back trail and then along the back road. We skipped part of the upper trail but did walk across the top and came back down through the new building site. We cut off just a small portion of the hike but got in the main nearly straight up hike. I can tell we are starting to get back into shape with only one breather on the steep backwoods trail where it use to take at least 2-3 more rest stops.

We had experienced a loss of the internet over night and it affected my e-mail especially, so after lunch I spoke with son in law Tyler who walked me through retrieving it. I'm so computer illiterate that its shameful but with just a few keys on the laptop it was restored immediately. Thank You, Tyler not only for helping me through the electronic world, but for looking out after our Florida home and being a great father to our grand kids. You are a great example of the American Family with the man at the center. Its a shame the radicals are promoting the breakup of the family which is the glue to our society and especially a Christian family. We will see how many folks who love the family will come out and vote these radicals out of office and keep this Potus Trump for at least another 4 more years.

The supper was superb once again and afterwards the gals were bragging on how quick they were going to whup Gerald and I in sequence. Well it started to look like that would be the case at 3-1 in their favor but we came back with 3 straight game wins to win over all 4-3. They were stunned to say the least as I played a second hand(Harvey Hand) as we were a guy short. We did play 5 rounds of domino's with Nancy being the big winner there until 9'ish. That was the longest they have stayed and played in many moons. We won't see them again for weeks as we have company coming for two weeks and then a trip to Virginia and then 2 more couples coming for two weeks and then it will be time to head back to Florida in time for the election in November. We will be busy entertaining to say the least, LATER

A view on our afternoon hike.

Sunday Morning August 30th

Well after the rain to start the day on Saturday it cleared off and became very pleasant the rest of the day. The temps stayed down in to the 70's despite the bright sunshine. There was a nice breeze through out the day which helped. We stayed around the cabin except for a golf cart ride later in the evening to the mail box and then again to the top of the mountain.

The day started with my 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator and Lord giving thanks and lifting several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem as well as can be expected due to ages and health issues. I checked the news and find two different versions of everything that reported. There is the sad biased fake reporting to make our nation and our potus look bad and then there is the real networks that tell the truth. I have no idea why folks in the msm are so dead set against the nation and this potus who has done everything possible to make US(A) safe, secure, wealthy and independent from the one world order crowd which will destroy the nation.

Well we got in a good hike just before lunch and it was rather quiet on top as we saw only Dave and chatted for just a couple. He and his son were doing some renovations. We came back later in the evening on the golf cart and the views were much better as the fog and haze had cleared out enough to see the long distant views.

Nancy did some porch setting while I watched the Lightning beat the Bruins in hockey and are now up 3-1 in games. With another win they go on to the next round of 7 games. I did tune into the Rays and they won again in Miami. Nancy fried up a green tomato, a yellow squash and a zucchini for our supper and they were delicious, All came from the garden except the yellow squash. I did piddle around in the garden transplanting some lettuce seedlings early in the morning. I cut some firework for the campfires we will have with company this next week. That kept me busy for a couple hours after lunch.

Well not much else to write about except today is corporate worship day. Our potus and our police folks need some divine coverage as they both are being excoriated in the vile msm. Never have I seen so much evil in this nation against those who keep us safe from the criminals who are being honored by the liberals. The signs of the end days are upon as everything once good and decent is now wrong and just the opposite with the evil and bad as being held up in esteem and honorable, LATER

Saturday Morning August 30th

 Well it's raining here in the mountains after 3 to 4 days of no wet stuff. It rained rather hard last evening which kept us from getting in a hike and its looking like this maybe the same for today; at least thus far it's not a gully washer rain. There isn't much to write about as yesterday we were in Sparta for 3 hours or so as Nancy got a hair cut and a coloring. Wow, I thought I had a different woman when she came out of the hair dressers shop.

The day started much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. Everyone seems to be on the mend or holding their own. Mike is home and Little Huck was back to day care the past two days and seems to be healing as well. He is crawling now on all fours and has by passed the one leg scoot which Ryder started initially. No teeth have come through yet on either boy, which is strange for their age at over 8 months, must be a twin thing, oh well.

Bobby passed his 3 days of testing for his contractors license which was quite a feat according to him. He mentioned he studied more for these three open book tests which were over a thousand pages each than he did while in college; but this accomplishment will help him with his job and be a large asset for the company he works for and will give him added salary as well. Katie is busy with her company and works from home which Bobby has basically been doing for the last couple of months. He will have to start flying around the nation next week as the economy picks up thanks to this potus Trump and his policies. The nefarious dem's are not thrilled with the nations economy being restored and are still pushing this virus lock down to ruin the nation and thus him. Despicable of them to say the least. They have become enemies of this nation and we can only hope and pray all of them are defeated this next election.

I sat outside while Nancy was at the hair shop and read a book Bobby got me for my birthday titled THE SON. Its a flash back from the 1800's to modern day lineage of a family that settled in Texas and beyond. Its a tough read at first but now that I'm about half through it very interesting. The main character was captured by the Comanches Indians as a young boy and eventually became a leader in the tribe before being released back into the "white man's" world. 

Well we shopped Food Lion for a few items on sale and then brought home a rotisserie chicken for our lunch/supper which we ate around 3'ish along with a fresh garden salad. Very tasty and I would do that again as our friends coming next week are on a diet which doesn't include carbs and sugars. We must keep this in mind when shopping to fulfill her wishes for Keto style eating. Since we couldn't hike I piddled around outside until the rain started before dark and then we played some cards and Boogle until it was shower time. I hit the sack before 10 and read for an hour or so before calling it a day, LATER

Friday Morning August 28th

Well Thursday was a shopping day as we traveled to Galax, Va. We made several stops in town for clothing for Nancy at Cato's (as if she needs it), groceries, hardware and fill up's with gas at at 1.98 for the truck, mower and golf cart. We decided since it was going on 3 before we got back on the mountain to go ahead and grill our deer burgers which constituted our lunch/supper. Speaking of deer they have been in the gardens the past several nights and have eaten down our sun flowers, heads and all as well as the honey suckle vine and all of the new cone flowers. I can not wait until Fall when hunting season arrives and neighbor Gerald blesses us with some meat and we get even with them. We used up our last pack of ground deer(venison))today and oh my it was so delicious.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my cup of hot tea while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator and Lord in thanksgiving and lifting several up for comfort and healing. Uncle Mike as we call him was discharged from the hospital after having shortness of breath and a rash which looks like swelling. He must have had an allergic reaction to some meds for this to occur as its not an ordinary rash. It has spread to different areas but the most pronounced seem to be on his face. He is still in therapy with his knee replacement and on meds and we wonder if that isn't the cause. Everyone else seems to be as well as can be expected. Our little Huck is doing much better as well after his surgery and overnight stay in the hospital.

We got in a good long hike to the top of the mountain around 6 and the views were nice and the breeze was awesome. We noticed the foundation and wall for the new construction looked completed. The area for the new cabin is huge with the crawl space below being 4-5 rounds of blocks in height. We stopped and chatted briefly with Dave who bought the Browning place and he and his son are doing lots of renovations. We headed on across the top and spoke briefly with Billy and Paula before heading down the back trail. 

I had purchased some grass seed for those bare spots which are filling in slowly. This new seed had built in fertilizer and mulch in small balls which I hope take root in these bare spots that have lots of stump mulch. I did transplant some grass seedlings and some have taken root but I want this new grass to take over by summers end. That kept me busy for a couple hours loosening up the soil so these balls could root. 

Well we settled into the Fox News channel in anticipation of the final night of the Republican Convention and it was an awesome testimony by several patriots and finally with the Potus himself. Many folks spoke of the nearly 50 years of the ineptness of Biden while being in the government and while being VP under the last potus. He has no record of doing anything good for the folks of this nation. He has profited immensely along with many in the gov't with their "pay for play" to enrich themselves and their family. He is a great example of why we need term limits along with Pelosi and Schumer. These career politicians have done nothing to help the American folks during this pandemic and violent unrest created by those who advocate destruction of our culture and then to institute their cause for socialism.

This election will determine how the nation is either destroyed by the democrats or moves forward with the American dream that Trump proposes and has implemented in just 4 short years with absolutely no help from the democrats. He has achieved so much for the folks of this nation while being completely bombarded by the fake hoax impeachment in the vile MSM and the turncoats within his own party. We must choose between law and order by funding our police, the rule of law within the justice system with NO double standards for the elites, preserving and defending the constitution and for life itself with doing away with the abortions on demand paid for by our taxes. America will never be the same if we let those radical terrorists in the dem. party steal this election, LATER

A couple of recent pics of our twin grand sons who are now 8 months and in day care; Ryder is the dark haired one and Huck has the lighter hair.

Thursday Morning August 27th

 Well yesterday Wednesday I cut this ramble short because I was heading down the mountain with neighbor Gerald to meet up with a group of his friends in Elkin at the sports and rec. complex for some pickle ball play which would be the first time since leaving Florida in May. We were meeting at 8 to play with another dozen or so of players, most of which were seniors like myself and some nice players and very friendly.

I must say the back and leg held up nicely for the several games I played with different partners and when we left I had a wet shirt and felt exhilarated with the good play but the endorphins from the exercise was amazing. I managed to win with every partner during the several games played through out the time we were there. Hopefully I can make this a weekly ritual until the end of October. I was a little stiff after the half hour ride back up the mountain but Nancy and I soon took off on our daily hike to the top of the mountain and then across. The views were distant but the sun was bearing down on top so we took a different route which eliminated the one long gradual hike in the open. We got our steep hike in the trees with the shade out of the way first and then breezed down the rest of the crossing which is in the bright sunshine. Oh those trees make such a difference when the sun is shining brightly.

After the hike I didn't do much the rest of the day except have a beautiful chef salad for lunch which just about held us the rest of the day. We did have a couple left over's ribs and an ear of corn for our supper around 6:30. We took off on the golf cart, after the clean up to the mail box and stopped and chatted up with Grant for quite a spell. He and Shirley are going through some difficult times with family members health issues so he just comes every couple of weeks and mows and spends just one night before heading back to assist with them. They have such a beautiful place with the small stream of water which we love to bring our grand kiddos to play in when they are here. It runs constantly with the coldest water ever from all of the springs in the mountain.

Well I booked our Alaska trip for next May since it was cancelled this September. Our friends from church who are going with us on the cruise next May are coming next month here for the first time for a visit. We are getting excited to show them all of the area and the many things we do over the summer while here. They have never been to the mountains so we will have plenty to do to wear them out and show them why we love these Blue Ridge Mountains.

Well we are heading over to Galax today for some shopping. My clock on the wall with the quartz innards quit working after installing a new battery but we love the face of the old grist mill which our friend and electrician gave us years ago. I'll look for the innards and hopefully save the clock face. Nancy wants to look for clothing at Cato's and we do need a few items from Wal-Mart and Lowes.

We watched the RNC last evening and the speakers were so awesome with their personal stories and their love as do we of our Potus Trump. They paint a picture of hope for US(A) and for our grand children with the policies Trump has instituted to put America first and keep the dream for the nation alive as we once knew it. There is no globalism with Trump and he proudly tells everyone that with putting the working men and women first over this idea the dems promote of global socialism. He has worked tirelessly to save this nation while the dem's work to destroy everything he puts forth in the name of destroying out heritage, our culture and now our cities with rampart rioting, looting and the destruction of life and property as well as promoting the radical belief of no police protection from the criminals.

It's unbelievable there are actually Americans who want the dem's to succeed in their destruction of the very rule of law which our constitution guarantees our freedoms and liberties. How they ever think their lawlessness attracts patriots is beyond my comprehension, but the biased and vile MSM promotes such anti American thinking while being a front for the party and for their hate for Trump. He stands for what is best for the folks of this nation and puts the enemies of this nation in their place. We who love our way of life had better vote this November every democrat out of the government and re-elect Trump or we will forever be destroyed from within by our own corrupt democrat leaders. Their attempt to change US(A) I hope will back fire on their radicalism, LATER

Wednesday Morning August 26th

 Well Tuesday was finally another day with out rain, thats two in a row and the gardens and yards are drying out. I managed to do some garden work as I loosened the packed muddy soil around the plants and then transplanted some lettuce seedlings. The deer have been back nightly as they have eaten off the new shoots on the black raspberry bushes as well as many of the flowers in the backwood gardens.

I'm cutting this post short this morning as I'm hooking up with neighbor Gerald and heading down the mountain to meet some of his friends and play pickle ball for the first time since being here in the mountains. We are playing Elkin around 8'ish. I'm going to take it easy as I'm trying to get back into the groove after the back issues and then the clot as a result of the medicine I was taking for the back issues.

We are playing in the morning which is what I prefer and when I usually play in Florida. It's a half hour trip down the mountain so that is a little different. I've been hiking without any issues with the back so I'm hoping this will be good for me, oh me, LATER

Tuesday Morning August 25th

 Well Monday turned out to be an O.K. day despite threatening rain clouds at times during the day and evening; but we were skipped on the wet stuff. We did see enough sunshine to dry 2 loads of laundry outside on the clothesline and to get in a long hike to the top of the mountain. Little did we know when we passed the new building site we saw an old friend and church member laying the blocks for the foundation of the new house being constructed. We got to know Sandy and his family when we first came here back in the 90's. He is also a volunteer fireman as well as having his own masonry business, a good feller and a hard worker.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my hot tea and quiet time with my Creator and Lord giving thanks and lifting up several by name. All seem as well as can be expected at this point in time. I was so pleased and filled with hope for our nation after staying up and watching some of the speakers on the RNC last evening and hearing our Potus Trump give a rousing speech earlier in the day. There is hope and promise for our nation if we continue with this administration in the leadership of this country. There will be a future for kids and grand kids and for All who are patriots. I was so honored to hear some many great speeches by so many who have been touched by this Potus and his policies to make the nation once again, the way it was intended to be for all who are its legal citizens.

Wow, was I ever impressed with hearing stories of this man's compassion and love for this nation while being excoriated daily by the Left and their biased criminal MSM. Trump is not a politician but a man with a backbone who loves this nation and I'm certain GOD put him here to exposed the duplicity and the complicity of the dem's to destroy this nation with their attempt to socialize the nation, destroy the very fabric of our republic and constitution with a take over of the government and seize power for themselves and this one world order ideology with them as the head. I continue to pray daily for his safety and health and that GOD's will, will be done for this place called America which was founded on the Judeo-Christian principles. Do not let anyone tell you differently, especially those we now see in the MSM who hate this nation and her rule of law. They are the racists with their identity politics, they let the cities become ghettos for certain groups who have no hope, they are so hypocritical with their double standards for the wealthy and they are so full of hate for what was once right and good. These are the real internal enemies of this nation who are so corrupt they will gladly burn, loot and murder to get their power back from this Potus and see him defeated.

We had a great hike speaking with Sandy the block layer for a spell, then we headed on across the mountain and down the back trail. There must be some folks looking to purchase some of the mountain top property as we noticed more property markers and some brush being cut along the trail. I guess now is the time to have a place here in the safety of the mountains away from all this violence in the cities run by the dem's. I would never feel safe for my family in these metro areas with all these radicals who want to destroy people, property and defund the police who keep them safe from those corrupt and violent criminals. The dems have lost their minds if they think the average American will put them in charge of running our nation. Sure we will have many who are uniformed who listen to the vile MSM and will think socialism is the way to go, but this nation wasn't build on followers who stay in their basements and live off their parents, but on leaders who work for their keep, make a difference in their families with being there teaching them right from wrong, honoring GOD,  the flag and anthem and going to war against the very people the dem's want us to become. It's unbelievable what has happened to this nation since the last potus and his administration divided us and installed corrupt folks in high places.

Well we finished up some delicious leftovers for supper. I harvested the last of the romaine lettuce and cleaned it for the salad bowl which we had for lunch. I have many new seedlings that did not wash away and moved them into 9 packs for transplanting in a couple days. I'm hoping these gully washer rains will stay away for a few days and even weeks until they get established, LATER

Monday Morning August 24th

Well here we are with just one more week to go in this month. We have noticed the days are getting much shorter as the evening darkness falls around 8:30 whereas a couple weeks ago it was 9:30 and we could still see light into the backwoods yards. However the morning light is coming much earlier than before. Oh well.

Sunday was a great day of worship both on line and at Cornerstone. We had the largest crowd since this virus started with several new faces which is unusual for this area. The message was right on with the events that are leading up the prophecies of these being the days of the end times. We certainly are seeing those events becoming evident with all of the destruction, the natural calamities and the loss of morals and corruption in our government. Wow, we just need to pray for the righteous to come out and stand up to these less than honorable people who now promote the demise of our Judeo Christian principles this nation was founded on.

We decided to not eat out after church but did make a stop at the grocery for few items to tide us over this week before we stock up with company coming in about 10 days or so. We had been invited over to the Luffman's for supper and games around 5:30 so we didn't want to eat big at lunchtime. We ate some leftovers and let that digest before we took off on a hike to the top of the mountain. We had some dark rain clouds at times but did have enough sunshine to make the trip and it turned out to be a beautiful hike with a nice breeze. We stopped and chatted with the older couple who is building on top. They will have a grand view of Pilot Mountain and beyond all the way to Winston-Salem. We came on back down the old trail and then neighbor George came by on his ATV. We sat and talked for a spell on the back porch while Nancy put her spinach casserole together we were taking to the Luffman's around 5'ish.

Well the supper was delicious with salmon cakes/gravy, corn on the cob, Nancy's casserole and biscuits and very decadent chocolate layer cake with rice Krispies, peanut butter and brownie mix, yikes was that ever tasty but we could see the inches added to the waist while we ate it. We got into a raucous game of Sequence and the gals whipped us big time as I had to play a second hand since we were a guy short. I think Gerald and I won 1 game out of 5 as the gals were merciless. We got a strong rain and wind shower that came through their place but no tremors as they are right on the epicenter. We love to watch their beautiful Gypsy Varner Horses eat in the pasture just below Mechelle's back porch. They are such a strong beautiful breed and very gentle. We didn't get down into the pasture as the dark rain clouds were evident throughout the evening.

We got back on the mountain before dark and saw several deer out feeding on the way home. I tuned into the Lightning hockey game and they were losing when I called it a day and hit the showers around 9:30. I read a little until 10'ish as the sandman called soon afterwards, LATER

Sunday Morning August 23rd

 Well Saturday started out raining in the early morning hours then a break for a few hours before we had some lite showers and then another gully washer around 4'ish for a couple hours. Sure wish the wind would blow some of this out to the Left Coast of California and Colorado as they are having some large dangerous wild fires caused by lightning strikes.

I stared the day out much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my morning routines that start with the cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then to some quiet time with my Creator and Lord lifting up several name and giving thanks. Little grandson Huck is healing and doing much better after an over night stay in the hospital due to some complications from a minor surgery last Thursday. Everyone else seems to be doing as well as can be expected due to ages and prior health issues. I have just 2 more days of this Eliquis script for the minor blood clot in the left leg. I'm back to hiking daily and doing a little more physical activities and feeling all most new.

We did some piddly house cleaning chores as we were having the young family of Katelyn, Jake and baby Skylar for supper and games. We have grown fond of them and we are now getting smiles from Skylar. Jake will become my go to guy for when I need some muscle and help with issues arising from being here in the mountains. He is planning on taking out another dozen or so large trees around the cabin this winter when the sap goes down which will benefit him with heating his house and then benefit me will getting rid of these potential trees falling or being blown down on the cabin.

I did some baby backs on the grill and they turned out delicious and the meat fell off the bones. Nancy made a potato salad that was superb and then we had half runner beans and crusty bread. Katelyn made a very delicious key lime Pie and it was as good as a store bought one. After the cleanup which I did while she breast fed Skylar we settled into some game playing. We taught them Hit or Miss which is a fun game once we understood the scoring and then the best of 7 in Sequence. The girls were winning 3-1 but we gave back and whupped them 4-3. It was going on 10'ish when we called it a night and they headed home in the dark, rain drenched atmosphere. We will see them for church this morning as they attend Cornerstone.

It wasn't long until the shower was calling my name and then some horizontal lab, LATER

Saturday Morning August 22nd

 Well its raining again this morning much like yesterday morning. We had nearly an inch yesterday and the way it's coming down now there is a chance of having water front property again today. We did get in a hike yesterday once the skies dried up and our company left for the east coast of N.C.

I started the day with a sleep in for a change as the rain beat down on the tin roof which can be very comforting at times unless its rain extremely hard then its an eye opener, oh well. Tammy and Rich didn't seem to mind the rain on the roof as he came down much later than the rest of us had awakened. They hung around until 10 ish before heading out for home and got there while we were on our hike to the top of the mountain. We saw no one out and about except the workers on the new building site and they waved briefly.

The woods were quite wet as was the back roads from the morning rain but we didn't see any of our orange newts which is quite unusual after so much rain in the past week or so. The mushrooms/toadstools were evident every where in the woods and long the roads. We took a golf cart ride out to get the mail and saw 2 bucks and doe crossing the road in front of us. The one buck had a really nice rack of 4 to 6 points and the smaller buck looked like a 2 pointer at best. The doe was as large as the big buck. They just took their time as they crossed the road up into the woods.

Well we ate leftovers for our supper and then got into several games of Kings on the Corner. Nancy beat me again 2 out of 3 games then I settled into some sailing videos and the Ray's game on the laptop. Sure is quiet around here after having guests but we will be having a young couple for games this evening so that will help with the loss of excitement from having guests. Sister Dee called as she was entertaining her dad, Paw Paw for the day so we spoke with him. He sounded good as it was the first time in quite a spell since we spoke with him. His hearing is very bad and of course his short term memory is nearly gone as well but he is still getting around with the help of a cane.

We didn't hear today how little Huck was doing, but no news is good news at times. Everyone else was getting over their first full week of school and it must have gone well, LATER

Friday Morning August 21st

Well here it is the end of another week and its been raining all night; at least we had 2 days with family here with awesome weather, and Thursday was one of those days. We got in a mid morning hike and did some porch time in the afternoon as well. The forecast was for rain both days and it missed us but is now catching up to its forecast. I hate they have to drive for about 4-5 hours off the mountain in this kind of weather.

I started the day on Thursday much the usual while everyone else slept in. I did my routines that start with the hot tea while I did my quiet times honoring my Creator and Lord giving thanks and lifting several up for healing. We got work little Huck was being released after an over night stay in the hospital due to some complications from his day surgery on his private parts. We face timed with him last evening and he seemed to be back to normal with being active and smiley. We are so thankful he is recovering after a very unrestful night for both Katie and Bobby.

Nancy cooked some bacon in the oven after baking muffins. Rich doesn't eat or drink anything in the mornings which is some what odd but the rest of us took some food. It was around 10'ish when we took off on an hour or so long hike to the top of the mountain. We didn't see anyone out and about except for the workers on the new building site. The distant views were a bit hazy but the ambiance was delightful. Just being out in the woods and the fresh cool air was delightful. The temps were down into the 50's to start the day and never got much above 70, so we open the cabin up to air it out for most of the day until bedtime.

We did get in some great card and board games through out the day with different winners except the team games which the guys finally claimed victory over the gals in Euchre. We took a break around 5'ish and visited the outside deck while we had a glass of the fruit of the vine. It was just such a delightful evening but as the sun set behind the trees there came a lite rain for a few which drove us in the house for our supper instead of eating outside on the deck. I grilled boneless rib eye's and along with corn on the cob, steamed broccoli and fresh garden salad we dined high on the hog and once again had some carrot cake for dessert later in the evening while playing Sequence. Well I must say the gals slaughtered us 5-2 in that game. We did do another game of Kings on the Corner until 10'ish and then it was a shower for me and then some horizontal lab. I was a wakened around 5 with the rain pouring down on the tin roof but decided to head back under the warm covers until nearly 7'ish which is a change for me, LATER

Here I am with Tammy and Rich. Tammy is my mothers younger brother Uncle Junior who passed away last year. She lives down near the Shallotte, N.C.

  

Thursday Morning August 20th

Well Wednesday started out with a light rain during the night which had everything wet and a little fog moved into the area as well. The temps were down into the 50's once again but as the day progressed the skies cleared and the bright warm sunshine came to be with a gentle breeze. We were expecting my first cousin and her husband to arrive in the early afternoon so we were doing some last minute house cleaning chores and getting ready for them.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my morning routines that start with the cup of hot green tea while I posted this ramble, my quiet times to honor my Creator and Lord and to lift up several for comfort and healing. Our little Huckston had some surgery and was having some complications with swelling and discomfort so he was taken back to the hospital later in the evening as a result. Poor little feller needs our prayers for comfort and healing.

We managed to get in a mid morning hike to the top of the mountain and the views were nice. The hikes have become a daily must for us as we try to get back into shape and I so look forward to them. We came back around noon and had a lite lunch as I'm trying to shed a few pounds. The cabin was in good shape and Nancy had everything planned out for supper. Tammy and Rich arrived around 4'ish just as the Lightning came back to eliminate the Blue Jackets from the NHL playoffs after being down 4-2 at one time. They won in the first overtime period and now will go on to the next round of 7 games.

We caught up with all thats been going with them now that they have an empty nest since their baby Brooke is now at Virginia Tech for the fall semester. Brooke wants to go into interior design specifically for hospitals and new borns. This program leads the nation in turning out graduates who are guarantee placements in the business world and the number of students are limited because of their expertise. Seems she has chosen a good profession.

We sat around and had a glass of the fruit of the vine while having some cheese and crackers until it was time to start the grille around 5'ish. Nancy had a nice vegetable grill basket and I put on marinated chicken breasts and along with yellow rice and a fresh garden salad we dined deliciously outside on the deck in the very pleasant evening air. Afterwards we headed in to play some Euchre and the gals beat Rich and I,  2 out of 3 games in a squeaker win on the final hand. We had a slice of homemade carrot cake which is a favorite of everyone while we played a game of Kings on the Corner to the score of 200. Nancy smoked us all on that game. 

The NHL teams the Kesky's root for were all eliminated from the playoffs yesterday, but the Lightning will go on. It wasn't long after 10'ish, Rich and I were whupped, so I headed for the showers and then some horizontal lab by 10:30. Both Nancy and Tammy are night owls so I don't know what time they called it night. Please keep little Huck in your thoughts and prayers for comfort and healing, LATER

Wednesday Morning August 19th

 Well Tuesday turned out to be another gorgeous day here on the mountain until early afternoon when the skies clouded up and threaten rain, but none fell until some time during the night. It was one of coolest mornings since early June with temps down in to the middle 50's.

I stared the day with my usual 6'ish roll out to my routines that start with the cup of green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then honored my Creator and Lord with some quiet time giving thanks and lifting several up by name for healing, including myself. I'm so thankful I'm back to my usual physical activities working in the yards and gardens and hiking. I'm just being a little more careful and not over doing it. I'm still on that drug Eliquis for another 10 days or so as I'm doing half of the initial prescription. I'm due back for a followup visit on Sept 3rd when they will check my blood's viscosity for clotting. I still believe the use of prednisone for two in a row scripts was the culprit but it sure knocked the inflammation out of my back muscles. Thus far they have been just fine, thankfully.

We decided to make a run to Sparta as I needed to pick up a garbage dump pass which for some reason I never noticed was in my tax bill or they forgot to put one in, anyhow I walked in and they handed me one at no extra charge and then we headed to Food Lion for a few items as we are expecting a first cousin and her husband for a couple of days and nights. We were going to eat lunch out but decided to come back to the cabin and have a late lunch of leftover delicious deer burgers which held me through the rest of the day. I decided after getting on the scale at 190 I needed to cut back in hope's of reaching at least 185 by the time we have friends here for two weeks the first of next month, which will be nothing but fine eating and doing touristy things. Hopefully we can get in some hiking, maybe the Creeper Trail which is physical and a walk on the New River Trail.

Well did get in a hike around 5'ish to the top of the mountain and it was a beautiful evening with a nice breeze. Everyone was locked up inside except we did see Rick and a golfing buddy enjoying the views with a cold one. We chatted briefly and learned he will be gone on a new job in a few days. He had been refurbishing his mothers old cabin as had it looking good on the outside. The views from his place is awesome and one we love hiking daily to see. We came back down and Nancy decided she needed a snack so I stay out and piddled around in the flower beds once again pulling weeds and grasses until nearly dark which is now coming at 8:30. Yikes summer is quickly slipping away into the Fall area. We have noticed some of the gum trees leaves are turning and falling off.

Well I tuned into some of my sailing shows on You Tube and live vicariously through their adventures visiting some awesome vistas both on land and underwater. I had the Rays game on which is live but animated and they were clobbering the Yankees who were in first place. I checked on the Lightning and they too are up 3-1 in hockey playoffs against a team that swept them last year when they were supposed to win the Cup, oh well. It wasn't long before 10 I hit the shower and was soon ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Tuesday morning August 18th

 Well we got a beautiful day on Monday after a cloudy start that actually looked like the wet stuff was back in the area until mid morning; then it changed to an absolutely beautiful day. We actually open the cabin up and aired it out. Turning the a/c off until close to bedtime when Nancy seems to have taken a liking to closing the windows over night which we never use to do, oh well.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my cup of greet tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator and Lord in thanksgiving and lifting several up by name. All seem as well as can be expected and there has been no changes that we know of. Uncle Mike continues to improve with his knee replacement and now Paw Paw has a helper who comes in to assist in whatever at the home while giving Pat a break as she too has some issues she's dealing with. This is a big break for everyone especially Paw Paw who can be a handful at times. We haven't any updates on an associate Tom, who is dealing with throat/mouth cancer or any word on other close friends in Florida. We all must continue to pray for our nation and our Potus Trump who is dealing with these radical thugs and criminals who continue to ravage innocents in these large metropolitan cities. The lawlessness is completely out of hand with the killing of our police, kids and elderly all within the cities run by the corrupt democrats. There are a few rino's in the mix that are just as bad.

We headed out after Nancy hung a load of laundry outside on the clothesline, to the top of the mountain. It was turning out to be a beautiful day and the visibility was improving for long distance views as we hiked across the top. We chatted briefly with Billy but saw no one else out and about. Many of the summer homes were locked up as it was the first day of school for a couple places who still have kids in school. It was just a beautiful mid morning hike. We came back and had a lite lunch before I fired up the riding lawn mower and spent the next couple hours mowing all of the yards. With the removal of those backwoods trees and stumps the mowing has become much easier. I'm still mowing on a hillside which is a little tricky at times so as to keep both rear tires flat on the ground which does require some backing down the steep slopes. Nancy gets a little worried but its much easier with the riding mower than the push one which we did for years. I piddled around in the gardens squashing worms which seemed to take over during all this rain. It amazes me they could live when the rain was pouring down so hard, but they did and just about ate up my kale plants.

I did pull some weeds which are so much easier to get out with the ground being so soft from all the rain. The flowers are beautiful and the cucumbers and zucchini are still producing in the circle drive. We are planning on what to do with a couple of the beds next year as we sowed wild flower seeds which kind of disappointed us with their selection of flowering plants. Next year we will order through Burpee seeds as they usually have better seeds especially wild flower seeds, Oh well. We had made arrangements with neighbor Gerald about playing some card games after supper as he is back on the mountain full time. He brought a dessert which was very tasty and just the right amount in a coffee cup per person. It was perfect for when you have a craving for something sweet but do not want it staring you in the face for days and adding to the spare tire which I'm inflating it seems much easier with age.

We got into our 3 handed game of Spade which is fun especially since you don't a have a partner. I won the first time we played last week and was the big loser last night as Nancy edged out Gerald with some good play. We taught him the game of Kings on the Corner for a couple rounds before he headed out for his cabin next door. He is back to working a few days a week at Lowes in Elkin and seems to really enjoy his job. He put up a nice fence along the driveway and it really added to his cabin. He is a fantastic neighbor as is always eager to assist in any way. We depend on his grading the driveway ability to get in and out of the road when we have these gully washer rains. I use to handle that with a rake and hoe but his tractor does such a much better job and its so much easier on my now limited back muscles.

It wasn't long after he left I hit the shower and then read for awhile until the eye lids fell down over my eyes around 9:30ish, dang if I'm not getting as bad as the old timers when we use to kid about them going to bed with the chickens, LATER 

Monday Morning August 17th

Well we finally saw some sunshine by lunchtime after being under cloudy rain filled skies for what seems like days. We did get over 8 inches here at the cabin within 48 hours, washing out the driveway and most of my new garden seedlings, but we got a reprieve Sunday after church when the blue skies once more appeared and the bright sunshine lightened up the skies and our spirits. It was also a good day of worship at both our on line church and at Cornerstone and afterwards we met Jake, Katelyn and baby Skylar at the Pizzeria for lunch.

I started the day much the usual with a 6 'ish roll out to my morning routines that start with the cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet moments with my Creator and Lord in thanksgiving and lifting several up by name. All seem as well as can be expected. We had a light breakfast then got ready for church and headed out around 9:30 for Cornerstone. We had the largest crowd yet this summer since all this pandemic started and people are starting to realize this is more political than necessary when you use common sense to prevent any virus whether its the flu or whatever by using good hygiene precautions. There is no doubt if your elderly with some health issues this is very scry but that is the same with any virus that is contagious. 

This has been a MSM scare tactic to destroy this economy and this potus with the help of the democrat party and those who are hoping this will have an effect on him being re-elected in November. They are enemies of this nation and want to see the economy tank and along with that the folks who support capitalism, the love of GOD,  Family and our heritage. We are seeing just how desperate the Dem's are by using radical groups like the BLM and Antifa to riot, loot and destroy the very fabric of our society disregarding the rule of law all in the name of systemic racism. We can not change our history but we sure can learn from it which they want to destroy by attacking it. It's all a ploy by those who want this nation to be under the One World Order and Trump is refusing to bow down to these socialist/communists with his Make America First approach and nationalism. Big money folks like the Soros, Gates and many other wealthy folks hate that he can not be bought and now they are attacking him daily with the help of the criminal MSM. I do see more folks getting on the Trump Train with these attacks on our police officers and the destruction of property as well as the indiscriminate killings of innocents especially kids. 

Well we headed over to Galax after lunch to make a Wal-Mart stop where we loaded up once again for company coming on Wednesday for a couple of days. Everyone there is still stooping to the mask ordinance but we noticed several eateries were now open with in house dining. We loaded up and made a veggie stand stop before heading back to the cabin which was somewhere around 3'ish or later. It's at least a 2 hour or more trip when we head over to shop there. Neighbor Gerald had scraped our driveway which had washed over the last couple days of down pours. It was back into good shape. We took off some time around 4'ish for a good hike to the top of the mountain since we missed a couple days due to the rain and the views were awesome. We could see the building in downtown Winston Salem for a change which are 70 miles away.

We stopped and chatted a few with Ben and Laura as they too were on a hike and said hello to Debbie and Joey who were up as well celebrating 29 years of wedded bliss. We came down the old golf cart trail and we could see where the water ran off the top of the mountain and into our backwoods usually dry gulch. The woods were still very wet but the stream from the top had basically stopped flowing. We had water front property for a couple of days with all that rain. I finished up the beans for supper after the big lunch out and Nancy had a garden salad. The yards were still soaked and squishy so we didn't do much outside. I did watch a little NHL for a change until it was time to give up the TV for HGTV. It wasn't long after 9, that I hit the shower and then read until I couldn't keep my eyes open. LATER

The bottom pic shows the buildings in Winston-Salem around 70 miles or so away, the top pic is of the long distant view with the pointy top of Pilot Mountain and the buildings are off to the right of it.

Sunday Morning August 16th

 Well Saturday was basically a wash out as the rain gauge showed nearly another 2 inches after emptying it to start the day; it had 3 inches over night. We now have water front property as the dry gulch behind the cabin had a creek flowing down from the top of the mountain. There were a couple times the skies stopped the down flow but just briefly at best for a few minutes; but not enough time to get in a hike other than walking around the yards. The garden beds are washed out of the new recently sowed lettuces and beet seedlings and those pesky worms seem to love this weather as they multiply on the kale(s). My fingers were green from squashing them in between the rain showers.

We did spent a lot of time at the kitchen table; eating, playings cards and last evening we played a game which has been in the closet for 20+ years; Boogle. It was kind of fun and you make words our of bunch letters within a 3 minute time frame and we played several games for a couple hours. If you were a cross word puzzle kind of person this is right up your ally, but we did alright and had a good time. We were getting burned out on Kings on the Corner and Gin Rummy which are a two person game(s) as is the new game Boogle. All of these games can be played with more than two persons.

I started the day with a 6'ish rollout to my cup of hot tea, quiet times and then catching up on the news and social media comments. All seem well with those I pray for each morning as we spoke with youngest sister Dee whose hubby Mike under went knee replacement on Tuesday. He was home in a day and has started therapy already and is walking around the house with just a cane. Wow, that is awesome. We spoke with several on the phone and Ava Mae our oldest grand daughter is playing basketball with a traveling team and they lost one and won one on Friday and Saturday. She has turned into quite a player and loves the sport. Hopefully with her height and tenacity she will get a scholarship to some college after high school. Although I'm not sold in higher education unless it a Christian college as academia has changed from teaching to brain washing our youths into being radicals; who are hating the nation, hating GOD and hating everything that made this nation the "city on the hill" as a symbol for freedom and the rule of law.

Well we cleaned up some leftovers which were just as good as the day we first ate them. I sure did miss our hike up the steep back trail and across the top. We read were there was another recorded tremor but we neither felt or heard it. Our good friend Mechelle made mention of the aftershock as well as heard the noise. She is probably a good 8 to 10 miles from us and she is right on the epic center of the big one that occurred last Sunday. Hopefully we are over those forever as Nancy is spooked. Well, not much else to write about as we did catch up with Bobby and Amy's families on the phone. All seem well there and we loved watching the boys on face time Friday evening, LATER

This was the view for most of the day on Saturday and a glimpse of the new(old) game called Boogle

Saturday Morning August 15th

Well I'm beginning to think maybe I should draw up some plans for building an Ark as we've had nothing but rain since the night before and again last evening as well as all night long and now I can hear water rushing down off the mountain into the dry gulch behind the cabin. The rain barrel was over flowing, so I dumped it yesterday and its looking as if it close to being filled again after the down pour over night. It washed out our driveway and thankfully Gerald has a tractor and a box blade and is great at scraping the driveway. It also washed out the the new lettuces and some of the new beets seedlings in the back gardens, oh well, at least its not an earth quake.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my morning routines; cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric, some quiet time with my Creator and Lord giving thanks and lifting up by name several and then checking the world news and social medias giving my opinions. All seem as well as can be expected but the sad stories on the news front is that so many folks or at least the bias msm portrays many folks are embracing this radical leftest movement of defunding the police and embracing the lawlessness we have seen in the big cities all over a made up issue of systemic racism. The only racism I'm aware of is with the race baiters and those in the leadership of these cities that have been looted and burned which now look like a third world ghetto. All of this is being done to put the blame on Trump so that he will not be re-elected and to keep him from exposing the real systemic corruption in the democrat party.

The rain did cease for a couple hours mid morning and we got in a hike to the top of the mountain. We noticed their driveways on top was also washed out with deep ruts from the heavy rains over night. The woods were throughly soaked yesterday and I imagine water is laying on the backwoods road above the cabin as it too will add to the water coming off the top of the mountain and down into our usually dry gulch. I did manage to weed whack the whole property just before the rains started again after lunch. I did some piddly inside chores before we settled into some "Kings on the Corner" card game which is a very good game for just two people. Yesterday was the first anyone had been skunked in the game and I did it to Nancy which is very uncommon, 100 to 0. Wow, I'm only mentioning it because that is rare to occur as she usually whups me consistently.

We did some face time with Bobby and the boys, Ryder and Huck and they gave us some smiles. Both were squirming around trying to get to the screen and both are now progressing with crawling and sitting up quite well on their own. Both have filled out and maturing and we just wanted to squeeze and love up on them. It was a pleasant  surprise to see them both in person via the screen. We have been eating leftovers along with a fresh garden salad daily and decided last night to have breakfast for supper with fried taters, ham and eggs with toast. I did check the Rays score and at one time they were winning but the final score was a blow out by the Blue jays. The Lightning play again today Saturday and if they lose this one I do not see them advancing to the Cup against a really good Columbus team, oh well. Thats about all the news or what's happening here in the mountains on this wet soggy, foggy morning. At least the temps are mild down into the 60's so thats nice, LATER

This was our view yesterday on our hike across the top of the mountain. Usually our views are of 70 miles away to the vistas and down town Winston -Salem. The fog was thick and made for such quietness.

Friday Morning August 14th

 Well this month is half gone, wow is not time moving along very swiftly and summer will be about gone in a few weeks. It was a bit foggy and very wet outside to start the morning but around mid morning it cleared off and we saw some sunshine. We did receive nearly an inch of rain during the evening and over night; at least the earth quake tremors have stopped for now with over 20 since Saturday and again on Sunday when the big one hit the area.

I stared out the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to a cup of hot greet tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet moments with my Creator and Lord in thanksgiving and lifting up several by name, all seem as well as can be expected. I did my social media updates and remarks then headed out to check on the gardens and yards. All seem as well except for few small worms on the kale plants which I squashed. Those little light blue butterflies are the culprits as they lay their eggs on the leaves and they must hatch out over night and then begin their eating frenzy which creates little holes in the leaves. I hate to use any insecticides but may have to use some Seven dust which usually does the trick. With all this rain I'm just wasting time and product, so daily squashing is best. The grasses and weeds love all this warm wet weather especially in the backwoods yards.

We took off on a hike around 10'ish. I blessed neighbors Benny and Laura on top of the mountain with some cucumbers and zucchini's before we hiked across the top. The workers on top were working on the new building site and had the footers poured with concrete sometime during the morning. I wonder if all this rain affected their strength and curing process. We came on back down after cutting through to the back road due to what looked like a rain cloud coming our way. We got the hardest parts completed going up the two steep trails and just shortened the level walking areas. It started to rain again off and on through out the evening when it down poured about bed time. We got in a good card game and Nancy came from behind to win again. I found some Patsy Cline music on You Tube and we listened to it until I was ready for some horizontal lab(bedtime).

I did watch a little of the Lightning loss which has them at 1-1 against a team which swept them in 4 games last year, oh well. They didn't look good after their marathon win on Tuesday with 5 overtimes which set some records. I checked the Ray's score on line and they swept the Red Sox with some mighty home runs scored. I'm not in favor of most of the pro sports teams because of their disrespect for the flag and anthem but hockey doesn't seem to be one of those sports, oh well. I'm still basically boycotting pro sports except for checking the home town teams scores.

Well we have a frozen pizza for lunch which I mistakenly but in the fridge the day we bought it but it was fine as we doctored it up with fresh mushrooms, basil and oregano from the herb garden and then we ate some leftover zucchini pie meat on a wrap for our supper along with some guacamole. We ate well this day as we try to cut back on the carbs, sugars and things that make us fat, oh well. The daily hikes are helping with getting back into some shape. The back and legs for me seem almost normal and while I've now on half the dose of the script of Eliquis I'm not seeing any of those many side effects from the drug, thankfully.

We did get in a golf cart ride to the mailbox after supper in between the rain showers and then played cards until shower time. I did notice its now dark at 8:30 whereas a couple weeks ago we could still see the backwoods yards at 9:30, LATER

We saw these mushrooms on our golf cart ride to the mailbox in the evening and then the bear picture was a birthday gift from friend Kimberly which fits right into our black bear ridge motif we once called our cabin.

Thursday Morning August 13 th

Well Wednesday was a beautiful morning until late afternoon when the skies turned dark and then opened up with a gully washer down pour that lasted for a couple hours. I had hand watered in the morning hours as the gardens were very dry but this rain took care of any hand watering for a couple of days at least. The fore cast is for evening showers throughout the weekend.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator and Lord Jesus in humble thanksgiving and then lifting up several for comfort and healing. All seem as well as can be expected me included as I continue to get back into shape or form. We took a nice long hike up the steep back trail and I felt good through out the hike. The back still has some stiffness and it will always have a dull ache especially after being sedentary from sleeping or sitting for any amount of time; that seems to be one of the old age attributes. I've telling myself I'm not of old age but a look in the mirror and all these adjustments I'm making is telling me different; at 74 I still think young but many of my friends and classmates are gone forever and many are in such sad shape health wise, Oh well, sure beats the alternative.

I did a few outside chores in the gardens after a lite breakfast of fruit and peanut butter. I'm trying to alternate between eggs which I seldom eat in Florida but do love them here with grits and a jalapeno pepper cut up in the mix and or fruit with cereal or peanut butter which is fantastic with an apple or banana. I of course wash down a handful of the Nutrilite vitamins and supplements each morning before having my cup of tea. The hike was awesome as we took our time heading up both the backwoods steep trail to the top of the mountain. We saw no one to chat with but did see where the workers were digging the foundation and footers for the new place on top. What gorgeous view they will eventually have.

We headed back down and had a lite lunch of fresh garden salad I had just harvested earlier in the morning while the dew was still heavy on the lettuces, kale's, Swiss chard and beet greens. I had cleaned and then used the spinner to take away the moisture and then broke up the mixture in a large stainless steel bowl which keeps the greens firm. I had plenty of cucumbers to add to the mix along with sweet basil which is every where this year. The wild flower seeds had it mixed in and the flower beds are just full of them. I do love the smell and taste of basil. After lunch we chilled and I took a 5 minute power nap as lunch digested.

I vacuumed the house for Nancy as we were entertaining neighbor Gerald for supper since he is back here full time after cutting the ties to Blacksburg. We are thrilled he did not sell out as at one time he was thinking of doing so. Nancy put together a zucchini pie, corn on the cob and a cucumber and sweet onion salad for our supper; all of which were delicious. Afterwards we played a 3 person game of spades which had

us playing for a couple hours as we all got set a couple times and I did the first two hands but eventually came back at the end in the final hand to beat out Nancy as we were tied on the final hand. I set both her and Gerald to win for a change. You have no partners in the 3 person game which makes it quite challenging.

After Gerald left we did the dishes and then I settled into watching on line the Rays vs Red Sox and then it wasn't long I hit the shower. Bobby sent me a new book for my birthday and I read on it for about 30 minutes few the sandman called a little after 10. We haven't heard of any more tremors in the area which is a good thing but our "mountain family" the Luffman's had some devastating damage to their house with a chimney being knocked off and some cracks in the walls. I think they moved out and in with Mechelle the last we heard, LATER

Wednesday Morning August 12th

 Well the tremors are still coming to this area but so far we personally haven't heard or felt any since the big 5.1 on Sunday morning. Our friends who live within a half mile of the epic center are bombarded with these mini quakes or after shocks and I believe the last count was over 20, yikes. Their animals are going crazy as well.

Well Tuesday was another beautiful day here on the mountain with lots of cool morning temps, bright blue skies and plenty of sunshine with a few large white clouds at times. Little or no humidity and while the forecast is calling for evening showers we have been past by and could use a shower. I'm thinking I may need to hand water the gardens this morning if it doesn't rain but there is a 60% chance of rain, oh well. Nancy had a load of laundry on the clothesline which is a comforting sight to me as I grew up with that being the only method of drying our wash even during the winter months.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my routines of a cup of hot tea laced with turmeric while I post this ramble, then spend some quiet time with my Creator and Lord giving thanks and lifting up several by name for comfort and healing. Sister Dee's husband whom we call Uncle Mike had his knee replaced yesterday which was a success and is being considered for heading home today. Wow, a major surgery in one day's stay in the hospital. Great to hear he is doing so well and prayers were answered once again. I'm continuing to heal and doing a little more each day of physical activities. We took another hike up the steep back trail and across the mountain top yesterday afternoon. We had gone over to our "mountain moms" for a short visit to pick some peaches from her tree for her and take a taste of the ham and dried beans soup Nancy had on the stove cooking. Dee brought me some October beans which are what we grew up on but we called them bird egg beans. JoAnn my aunt who raised me canned them each year before they dried out and they are the most flavorful bean ever as matter of fact that was my Christmas present for years; 6 quarts of the beans she had canned and had them shipped to Florida for me. That's how much we all in the family loved them.

I piddled around in the gardens after a lite breakfast of oatmeal and fruit. I tied up my tomato plants in the upper garden which are setting fruit and the okra plants are growing as well and look like they will give us a mess. I picked a couple more cucumbers and they seem to be loving the spot they are in. I did transplant the 3 gallon lantana plant into the ground as it was becoming root bound. I spent an hour or so hoeing the plants in both gardens. I'm still waiting to see it the lettuce seeds I sowed will make. I sowed them in the light of the full moon which is what is best for plants that make fruit above the ground, but we need a little moisture I believe to germinate.

Well not much else to write about except the area in inundated with these tremors. Hopefully the big one is over with which we experienced on Sunday. All seem well with the grand kiddos as they get ready to head back to school finally. I think this virus is being too political and not nearly as bad as the msm makes it out to be. The common flu kills more yearly, however if you have any health issues you are more susceptible and should use common sense, but the lowlife dem's are trying to use this to destroy Trump and the economy which is showing signs of recovering. We the USA desperately needs for Trump to win again in November and send these radical loving dem's packing for good from the gov't, LATER

Tuesday Morning August 11th

 Well I see where blogger has a new format so let's hope it works. Monday was a little bit of both work, play and shopping. We made a special trip to the Walgreens in Galax to pick up my scripts of Eliquis because the Walgreens in Sparta was closed due to the earthquake on Sunday and then we just made a circle of the area and came back through Sparta to take advantage of the specials at Food Lion which was closed Sunday as well due to the quake.

I started the day with my usual roll out before 6 to a cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some quiet time with my Creator and Lord in thanksgiving and intercessory prayers for many by name including myself as I continue to heal from both the back issues and the blood clot. I'm doing better and out of any serious pain and the swelling has abated in the leg which drew my attention to the clot in the first place. Everyone else seems as well as can be expected due to age and prior health concerns. My biggest concern is for the nation and the out of control rioting, looting and the destruction of life for our police and the destruction of both public and private property; all in the name of quelling racism. It's no longer about that issue but a definite act of radically destroying America for socialism/communism promoted by the liberal dem's in the congress and the deep staters that started under the Obama administration to regain power. They want to destroy our culture and heritage and put the nation under the globalist ideology and do away with our constitution. never would I have thought this was possible but the dem's are behind this and if Trump is not re-elected it will happen swiftly. Academia hates the capitalist economy  and they are brain washing our youths to destroy it under the guise of racism which is only among those who are racists themselves.

Well the trip to Galax was a success, we made a trash stop, a bank stop and gassed up again at a 1.84 but the cost of this script would be 3.83 if I had the medicare part D, but since I didn't with a discount it was still $241.15, Yikes. We made a trip through the back way to Sparta and the Food Lion was back in business. We picked up some nice rib eye's which were a steal at 7.99 a pound whereas the last time we bought them at a local meat market they were 13.99 and these were delicious to say the least. I grilled a couple and along with an ear of corn we ate high on the hog. We had a large mountain breakfast of fried taters, sausage and eggs which held me until suppertime. We piddled around the cabin during the hottest part of the afternoon and Nancy whupped me again in Kings on the Corner. We caught up on the news and social medias and Nancy was on the phone with neighbor Carol in Seminole for what seemed like hours.

We took off around 4:30 for a total hike up the steep backwoods trail and then across the mountain top. We stopped and chatted with a brother in law of the Roberts who was down from Pittsburg and then headed on across the top. There was a nice breeze which made for a great hike. We chatted with Laura as she too was hiking and then a brief stop with Bennie before heading back down off the top. That was my first complete hike since I developed the clot and the leg showed no pain or swelling. I grilled the steaks and afterwards headed out to check for those large green horned tomato worms which nearly ate away my tomato plants. I pulled 9 of them on Sunday evening from the 6 plants in the upper garden and they were huge. I didn't see any new ones but they are so well camouflaged its very difficult to find them. I did pull a few more weeds and grasses from the flower beds as well as hoed around the plants in the upper garden. I did noticed a few blueberries are turning so we will be picking them for cereals. I piddled around outside until 8:30 thinking it might rain but despite the clouds at times the rain passed us by.

We did learn there were  several aftershocks near the epicenter with some where around 15 since these tremors began on Friday. We only felt the one big at 5.1 on Sunday morning as we are close to 8 miles or so from the center which was east of the town of Sparta, LATER

Nancy saw these foot prints in the mud on the hike and wondered if they were bear or bob cat or mountain lion. I think they were some one's dog as well as some deer tracks and one may have been a lion, the one in the middle

Monday Morning August 10th..Day after the 5.1 earthquake

Well needless to say Sunday was a day of excitement, concern and a first for many as an earthquake of 5.1 shook the surrounding area of the epic center which is around 8 miles from our place. I will discuss a little more in this ramble but first the morning started out with my usual before 6 roll out to my cup of hot tea while I posted the day before's activities and then spent some quiet time with my Creator and Lord giving thanks and lifting up several by name and then several in groups such as our "badge families" and those in the military for safety. They are what and who keeps us safe and are a first line of defense from the radical domestic terrorists which are being supported and encouraged by the democrats and those who are globalists like the Soros folks who want a one world order. The destructive riots are evident on the national news and not being condemned by the msm who want them to succeed in destroying the country to bring condemnation on our Potus Trump and cause him to not be re-elected.

I headed outside after doing my usual checks on social media and the world news through the Fox network, who despite their new ownership are liberals and now support the democrats with their millions. They have allowed bias pundits who give their liberal spin on the news but they aren't as criminal as the msm networks like cnn and msnbc who are totally controlled by the liberal democrats. Anyhow I headed out side a little after 8 and walked around the yards inspecting the plants for insect or deer damage. I had spread some poison granules around the one blue spruce tree in the front yard on Saturday which was being attacked by a stream of huge black ants when suddenly I heard a sonic boom out of the clear.

At first I thought one of those fighter jets which occasionally come zooming over the cabin had broken the sound barrier or had crashed in the woods when suddenly I felt the earth move under my feet along with the trees and then the cabin. It was surreal to say the least and while it took a second or so to realize from past experiences while living in California;  I recognized this phenomenon was an earthquake. Nancy came out of the cabin and yelled for me and then I heard neighbor Gerald yelling from his place below us if we were alright. The power poles were swaying along with the power line wires. The wires continued to sway for quite sometime.

Nancy yelled that things were falling off the walls inside the cabin and she was quite spooked. Gerald mentioned he noticed some cracks inside his basement foundation so I checked ours and noticed nothing. All seemed well except for the two wooden stars which were knocked off the lip of the wooden bean which runs across our living room. I managed to glue them and they will resume their place once again. We were very fortunate in that our damage was minimal as we noticed and saw some real structural damage as we headed into Sparta later in the morning. Several building were damaged along Rt 21 leading into town and the Walgreens and Food Lion were both affected and closed by the quake, so we headed back to the cabin where we spent most of the day except for a trip to the top of the mountain later in the afternoon.

We stopped and spoke with Eddie Harris who was up visiting his man cave and we had a good chat with him. We also walked across the top and met the Hand's, Debbie and Joey's  sister and hubby who both graduated from FSU. We stopped and talked a few with Billy before heading back across the top to finish a hike. The leg and back seem to be progressing favorably from all of the attention they have received this summer. That kind of attention I'm not in favor of as its resulted in pain and discomfort and scripted meds which I'm not sure how my body will react once I'm off them, oh well. Nancy made a shrimp pasta for our supper as we had to cancel our family supper with the Luffman's as they had too much excited at their places which are located in the epic center. They both had interior damage from falling objects off the walls and some cracks in foundations, as well as the loss of power, but nothing major thus far. Their horses and dogs were quite spooked and the area did suffer some after shocks through out the day. We felt none of them out our way.

Well the town of Sparta was on the national news and we got several calls through out the morning from well wishers and those concerned for our well being. I can report we seem to be O.K. thus far except for some mental shock. I remember a couple instances in both California and in the Philippines when I was introduced to earthquakes while stationed with the USAF. Its a hopeless feeling and usually only lasts for a few seconds; by the time your mind realizes what is occurring the event is over, LATER

Just a few pics Nancy took in the evening hours of the blooming flowers which are exploding with color. We did find some of those large green horn tomato worms on the tomato plants and sent about 9 of them away for ever. They were huge with some 2-3 inches in length and very fat and
big around. They had decimated some of the plants in just a day.