Wednesday Morning Sept 30th

 Well Tuesday was a wash out day except for an hour or so in the midmorning hours which allowed me to get in a good solo hike and then Nancy and I tried in the afternoon and got in shorten hike due to the rain coming once gain. With the rain in the afternoon it brought a sudden drop in temps and by night fall it was in the high 40's with a brisk wind. This morning it's 40 on the nose and very damp outside.

I started the day with a now becoming usual around 7ish since we have had our guests. They sleep in so we try to stay as quiet as possible until it time for a nature call which I must confess is regular as soon as my feet hit the floor. Oh well. We have been staying up a little longer at night to watch some sporting events as well as the debate last night between Trump and Biden. I'm much more convinced Biden is not up to leading anyone or the nation despite Wallace constantly giving him the floor to voice his comments and interrupt Trump. Anyhow I'm more convinced Trump is the man we need for the times as Biden is influenced by the radicals in the democrat party.

We didn't do much inside except play on our devices until lunch time then we got into a long game of Spades which the gals won at the end. The weather was horrible with heavy down pours and once again we got no drips in the basement; so I'm under the impression its condensation from the drain/vent pipe especially when the cabin is warm and the outside temps drop to cold. I'll check it this morning after everyone gets awake and stirring about.

Nancy had a nice bone in pork loin roast roasting throughout the afternoon and evening and the smell permeated the cabin. Everyone was doing laundry and then we settled into the Space Challenger documentary about the accident with the days and weeks leading up to the launch. It was a real factual traumatic event which showed the accident could have been avoided by certain folks who was responsible for the rocket solid fuel booster's o-ring which didn't function proper in cold temps. That was the reason for the space shuttle to blow up. I never remembered them finding any of the body parts but according to this along with pictures they did.

Well the pork with sauerkraut and smashed taters was excellent and the apple pie with ice cream was even better later in the evening, oh my what a great cold weather meal and we have a little leftover for lunch. The eatin' has been fabulous to say the least and that's why I'm doing at least one hike weather permitting a day and hopefully two hikes.

Well it seems they have another property that just came on the market and they want to look at it, today Wednesday. They have looked at more houses for sale and none of them fit their idea of what they want. I mentioned they should buy land and build what their idea of a mountain house should be, but that went over like a lead ballon. Anyhow, I'm really not sure if they will buy anything this year or ever, oh well, LATER

Here is a pic of the leaves which are changing over night due to the rain and cooler temps. We took this on our shorten hike before the rain started again on the back road.

Tuesday Morning Sept 29th

 Well I must say Monday was another beautiful day with temps that allowed for shorts and tee shirts, there were a few clouds around but now wet weather however that has changed overnight. The fog and overcast skies are back with rain all day in the fore cast, oh well at least its not really cold yet.

I started the day on Monday with a 7'ish roll out as we have been burning the candle late into the evening and last night was no exception. Some of us stayed up late to watch out Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup with a rugged win over the the Dallas Stars 2-0. It's been since 2004 since we last won the Cup which we were slated to last year with our best season ever but were denied when we got slaughtered in the opening round of the playoffs. Anyhow it was a great victory but it took 6 games to do it and it was a rough hard fought final win.

The gals took off around mid morning for a shopping trip to Galax, Va. I took off on a solo hike to the top of the mountain then we guys took off for the same town as the gals as there were several chores Patrick wanted to complete; a car wash, a hair cut and buy some ammo. It seems all the gun shops were closed on this day in Galax some we tried Hillsville and the same results. We did catch a lite lunch on Wendy's before finishing up our chores and some shopping at Wal-Mart before heading back to the cabin. We did some shotgun shooting, 22 pistol and 22 rifle shooting for an hour or so before setting down to watch a Netflix documentary on the Challenger event that occurred in the 80's when it blew up just moments after lift off. The gals came back just as we got into the movie. We will have to start over as they want to watch it as well.

Most of the dinner prep was done on Sunday evening as it was Kathryn's turn to prepare the meal and it was a delicious one with chicken enchiladas, refried beans, yellow rice Nancy made a guacamole. It was a late to dinning evening and after the cleanup we settled into one game of 5 Crowns before the hockey playoff game came on at 8:20. Nancy was the big winner despite Carol leading most of the game with the lowest score. 

Well it supposed to be a rainy day all day so we will be stuck in the cabin so that means games and movie watching, Oh well, LATER

Monday Morning Sept 28th

 Well Sunday was another beautiful day with very nice temps. We neither have the heat or the a/c on at this posting with a few windows open during the day until darkness falls which is now some time around 7:30. I sure miss those 9:30 evening when you could still see into the woods. This is a sure sign winter time is upon us, oh. Maybe in about 40 days or less all this hysteria will go away about having to wear a mask in public because either the MSM and the dems who promote this hysteria will be defeated by Trump and they will become meaningless, hopefully forever.

I started the day with a 7'ish rollout to my morning routines as everyone else was still in the sack. I posted this ramble before I could hear movement coming from the upstairs. We ate lite for breakfast as we had planned on the Muddy Creek after church for our lunch which usually lasts us for the rest of the day. We did make a guacamole with salsa and a bunch of our frozen jalapeno poppers around 7'ish for our evening repast.

After lunch at the Muddy Creek we headed over to Laurel Springs to look at a cabin high on a hill that is for sale. The insides of the place are very nice but the land is like having to have one leg shorter then the other just to walk around plus all of the box woods have developed a blight and died. There must be literally hundreds of them on the property dead plus we did notice a few small cracks in the concrete blocks in the basement that must have come from the earthquake. They did n't seem a major no for me but the land around the cabin was not usable in my opinion especially for over 300K.

We came back to Sparta and stopped for groceries at Food Lion before heading home. We watched a little of the NFL before Nancy and I took off on an afternoon hike. The ambiance was very pleasant as we hoofed it up the mountain. Kathryn was in the kitchen preparing food for todays supper and everyone else was napping or just chilling. After our evening repast 5 of us played a round of 5 Crowns as Kathryn was too tired to play. Carol and Nancy were the low scorers and I was the highest which means I lost, oh well. They wanted to want this documentary on social media about social devices and social media which in all reality was frightening on how these tech giants are storing and using your info from Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. They are changing how we think by what they gather from our likes and our posts which is somewhat startling and then they are using this info in other ways as well.

I soon headed for the shower afterwards and headed to the bedroom to read until 10'ish then it was lights out for me as a couple others had retired as well, LATER

The leaves are starting to turn.

Sunday Morning Sept 27th

 Well we finally got some beautiful weather starting Saturday morning and at times during the late evening the temps dropped back to sweater weather with plenty of sunshine, blue skies and no humidity during the day. We headed out after a huge mountain breakfast to visit several homes for sale and I must say these were way out of our market as the cheapest or least expensive was close to 300 K or more; but some were amazingly beautiful home sites and buildings. The Tracy's are looking which they have been doing ever since coming to this part of the country but needless to say not buying, oh well.

We started the day with a 7'ish roll out as I did my routines while most every one was in the sack. Everyone filled up on Nancy's egg casserole, biscuits and juices plus coffee while I had my green tea. I did managed to get in a solo hike after getting back to the cabin around 2'ish. They all had some lunch but a had one too many biscuits with honey and was still satisfied from the huge breakfast. I did the whole hike and it was such a pleasant hike with great distant views for a change. I spoke with Billy for a couple, and Debbie as well. They will start the framing the walls on her folks new home construction this week. This is going to be the master piece of buildings when finished.

I did do a little gravel raking on the hill as I'm still not getting great traction coming up due to the depth of the gravel so I raked some of the deep gravel into the middle of the drive to get better traction, anyhow I did work up a sweat for an hour or so. I noticed the new grasses are showing more color where the stumps were grounded down. Hopefully by next year those areas will be covered. I'm still faced with the leak in the roof which doesn't leak when raining but does when dew and frost drip down the roof; I'm stumped at what is causing that and I'm hoping to get it fixed before we leave in October.

I grilled rib eye's for supper and along with sweet taters and a salad we feasted. Nancy baked the last of her cookie dough after supper for dessert. We played a game of Euchre while waiting for the Lightning game to come on around 8'ish and the guys finally took a win for the first time this week. I sure wish the Lightning had won but they lost in double overtime 3-2 to Dallas. They are still up 3 games to 2 and with a just a win will close out the season and bring the Stanley Cup back to Tampa.

Today is church day so we will all attend Cornerstone then have lunch out at the Muddy Creek and then off to look at more houses in the Laurel Springs area with me as the chauffeur once again, LATER

Saturday Morning Sept 26th

 Well iFriday has been a rainy, overcast, foggy damp kind of day that makes you wish for some of Florida's hot, sunny blue skies, yikes I know that's not usual but I'm ready for some sunshine. Our guests started arriving some time around 2'ish with the Tracy's first and then the Botbyl's by 3'ish. It was raining rather steady by then and continued for most of the evening and night. The drip which only seems to happen during cold temps from the drain pipe in the basement stayed dry, whats with that. There must be an issue somewhere in the roof but we haven't figured it out yet.

Our day was spent getting ready for our guests so after they arrived it was a reunion as we hadn't seen any of them since May. The cabin was nice an toasty as the outside temps were in the 50's but with this much "hot air" it soon became too warm even for these flat landers so we cut the heat off. It was in the 90's where they came from in the early morning and they were loving these cool temps.

Nancy had made a huge pot of Zuppa soup so we settled into dining on a garden salad, soup and crusty bread around 6'ish. She also had a double batch of chocolate chip cookie dough and then during the game she baked a couple dozen which were soon devoured. After the cleanup we played 2 rounds of Euchre and the gals won both so they were content to let us watch the Lightning play in the finals but by the end of regulation game is was tied at 4 a piece. I decided to read about who won later this morning and so did everyone else as we all headed to bed some earlier than others, LATER 

Friday Morning September 25th

Well this month is in it's last week and of course the way the temps are its the fall days leading up to winter. It's been wet the past day and then again this morning as we are awaken with a steady rain on the tin roof. Speaking of rain on the roof I'm at a loss why after light rain all day on Thursday there was no leaking in the basement down the drain pipe, yet when there is a frost on the roof or a heavy dew I get moisture coming down the pipe. Oh well.

I started the day on Thursday with a sleep in for a change until nearly 7:30 of course I had been up an hour later watching the Stanley Cup finals with a Lightning win, so maybe that was the reason for the sleep in, also I'm getting ready to be up later in the evenings as our company arrives today and hopefully we will be game playing each night. We played Sequence last night at Mechelle house after a supper out at the Muddy Creek and once again the guys won 3-2 which was the second time in a row this summer we won.

We have the fridge and freezer stocked up and this morning (Fri.) I will give the cabin another vacuuming and wax the floors once again as there will probably not much cleaning going on except for vacuuming the next two weeks. We hope they clean up stairs after themselves in the bathrooms as we stay out of their domain when here. Fortunately Patrick likes to shower in the basement so that shower is ready for some attention. I really like how we have the basement set up as a fourth bedroom when necessary with the bathroom at hand. I cleaned the area good yesterday and except for my area with tools and work bench its like a small apartment flat.

I did sneak in a hike after lunch in the light drizzle of rain which Nancy passed on. I'm probably not going to get much hiking in as the gals don't hike because of health and physical issues, so I'll sneak off early in the mornings for a brief hike to the top weather permitting. The highs this coming next week are in the 60's with cool and cold mornings. I did start the day much the usual after sleeping in with my quiet times honoring my Creator and Lord while lifting up several by name. All seem well except our nation which is being inundated with domestic terrorists funded by those who hate this nation, our heritage and GOD. It's such a shame we have those in the other political party which has given in to the destruction of our way of life in order to achieve political power brought about by the fake and fraud potus Obama. The dividing of our nation using the systemic racism issue was his biggest achievement and its evident as we are seeing the violence in our streets. Academia has now become a bastion of radicalism with their programs of destroying our very economic system and our constitution to achieve their goal of socialism/communism. We are at the cusp of our civilization if these radicals get the power and control in the government.

Well I'll close for now as we once again make way for friends to enjoy our small piece of this beautiful Creation and share in our blessings. Theses posts will probably be few depending upon how late our guest sleep in, LATER

Thursday Morning Sept 24 th

Well Wednesday was another very nice day with plenty of sunshine and warmer temps which allowed me to wear shorts and tee shirt for the first time in several days. I did get some work in removing all of the wine berry bushes that had died so next year all of the bushes will be newbies. I'll cut back the black raspberry bushes before leaving next month as well. I did some honey do's inside the cabin for Nancy as she had me vacuuming the upstairs once again as well vacuuming the window sills. On a sad note all of the work I did on the roof did not stop the minor leak coming down the vent pipe into the basement, so its looking like I will need to replace at least some of the tin roof.

I did my usual morning routines that start with a cup of hot green tea, quiet  times with my Creator and Lord giving thanks and lifting up several by name. I learned I lost another classmate yesterday, we are down about half of the class of '64. I took a hike by myself after breakfast and then we took one together later in the afternoon. The temps had made it pleasant for the hike across the mountain. We saw no one out and about except 4 workers on the new construction site on top. We did take a golf cart ride out to the mail box and then stopped and visited with the Russ and Linda who sold out and were packing their trailer with stuff to take back to Ohio. We also met Jamie Williams and his two sons who own the old cabin down the way from where Sheri and Steve just bought property. They were helping Russ pack his trailer. 

We came back around 6'ish and had delicious lamb burgers along with a gravy and rice and canned beets for our supper then we settled into the news and then the Lightning hockey game. Well I must say the Bolts turned on their talent and won 5-2. If they continue to play like last night and now with their leader back from injuries who scored the second goal they should bring the cup back to Tampa for the second time in their history. I actually stayed up and watched the whole game for a change as well.

Today we are meeting up with Mechelle at the Muddy Creek for supper as it's been awhile since we last saw her or her mom and dad. We will probable head back to her house for games afterwards. Our company arrives tomorrow for two weeks and then its two more weeks and we head out for Seminole after winterizing the cabin, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 23rd

 Well I must say the 41 year celebration of marriage was done on a beautiful sunshine day thats started out chilly and eventually warmed up to tee shirt temps by the afternoon. It also was a work around the cabin day that started with a 6 ish roll out to my usual routines of a handful of Nutrilite Vitamins and supplements washed down with a 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. The Dillion Family went through a traumatic few days of losing their mom who was buried on Monday in a beautiful celebration of knowing she is home with the Lord and with her deceased husband Ken. What a grand gathering of family and friends in a peaceful setting and the renewing of relationships and love of those who she was responsible for as we all gathered to say goodbye.

First after a breakfast of oatmeal with honey, pecans and fresh blueberries from my bushes I headed out on this beautiful sunshine morning on a quick hike to the top of the mountain without stopping. We would later take a hike together, but I wanted to start getting back into shape and build my stamina up before our company arrives on Friday. The temps were in the low 40's with dew dripping from the roof top which reminded me I had a couple screws in the tin roof that needed to be replaced and caulked. I would eventually get around to that chore after the sun dried the roof, but first since the truck was covered in dew which helped to loosen the dirt and grime, so I decided to give it a bath. That kept me busy for an hour or more as it really was dirty and needed to be cleaned.

I decided since I had removed all of the weeds and few flowers in the fire circle bed to give it a good coat of mulch which hopefully will help keep the weeds down from next years planting and give it some compost as it will have the whole winter to break down into plant food. I still have plenty of leftover mulch and I'm considering putting some in the other flower beds out by the back yard, but will delay that for now. After loading and unloading two golf cart loads of mulch I had worked up an appetite and it was noon.

We settled into a fresh salad with some greens from the garden and some tomato' as well. They didn't do great this year with all of the rain but what few I did get are tasty and I still have some green ones turning. After giving the lunch some time to digest I put up the ladder to the back porch are and heading up onto the roof which was now dry and it reflected the heat from the bright sunshine. I replaced several screws that were not grabbing the wood and inserted a larger and longer screw and coated the holes with a silicone caulk. Hopefully this will stop the slow leak that follows down the PVC vent pipe into the basement. many years ago the snow and ice broke off that vent pipe and ripped the tin roof. Myself and a friend replaced that section of the tin roof and did away with the vent pipe to the outside since we have another vent pipe in the upper dormer which vents the drains to the septic tank; anyhow just the past year or so we occasionally get a little water coming down the vent pipe into the basement. I learned the tin roof does move a little due to the heat and cold expansion and when we got our first cold snap we got a little drip, Oh well. Lets hope this chore solves the water coming into the basement which is very little but still coming in.

After fixing that issue I fired up the riding lawn mower and spent the next two hours mowing the yards . I must say mowing all the yards is a chore but with the loss of the several trees in the backwoods yards its so much easier. The grass in that area has really surprised me with its growth whereas before it was mainly green moss due to all the shade. The new grass seeds are starting to show some color and will hopefully take over by next spring/summer when we arrive for the summer. I'll give it a good coat of fertilizer before leaving for the winter and then some lime next summer. Well Nancy had been busy inside and mentioned it was after 4 so lets take our daily together hike. We headed up the back steep trail and walked across the top to the new construction site and there we saw Bertie, Ed, Bennie and Laura and the new owners Lanny and Dorothy. We kidded them about building a hotel as the base or floor plan is around 2300 sq. feet not counting the huge front porch or garage area. We had a good time sharing and taking pics and mentioned it was our 41st togetherness. Once again we were the talk of the gathering as many shared their years together. Bertie of course was sad since her Barry had passed a few years ago and we knew him a well.

We headed on down the mountain and I fired up the grill as Nancy had a couple boneless rib eye's thawing in a marinate. Bobby called to wish us well and to congratulate us while we grilled. It was a delicious supper with tater tots and broccoli to accompany the medium rare rib eyes. Well I must say it was an eventful day with most of it spent outside for me. I just love being outside working, piddling and smelling the fresh air even when the temps get down to Florida wintertime temps, LATER

Tuesday Morning Sept 22nd

 Well Monday started out rather chilly but did warm up to the middle 50's by late afternoon with plenty of sunshine and blue skies. There was a breeze which at time made it feel even cooler but we really enjoyed the late afternoon hike to the top of the mountain. We headed up to Dublin, Va. to attend the funeral of Mike's mom who had passed away last Monday while we were visiting with him and sister Dee. She was battling pancreatic cancer and she went down hill fast and was laid to rest at the Veterans Cemetery with her husband Ken. It is a beautiful serene final resting place in the mountains for the military only.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my usual cup of hot tea while I posted this ramble and then spent some time with my Creator and Lord in thanksgiving and lifting several up for healing and comfort. All seem as well as can be expected. The drive up through the backroad found us traveling a couple new roads we had never traveled before Nancy hates I-81 due to all of the big truck traffic so we took Rt 100 which we had never traveled on before. It is nestled in the mountains but there were some good farm land along the way as well.

We saw our sister dee's two girls Halley and Kelly  with their families. We had never met Halley's two boys and they were just so cute and smiley. They came in from Nebraska to honor their grandmother. We also met some of Mike's nieces as well as Mike's brother for the first time as well as many of his relatives on his dad's side of the family. It was a solemn occasion but also a celebration knowing she was no longer in pain and in heaven as she was a Believer in Christ and in the Word. That is our real hope to know that judgement had been taken care of through the blood of Jesus for all of us sinners.

We stayed around after the ceremony and visited for a few with family taking pictures and sharing our love for all before heading back to Galax where we shopped and and had a late lunch at Applebee's. I must say their grilled chicken sandwich was excellent and I would order that again. We both got the same and it filled the bill for me the rest of the day except for a glass of the fruit of the vine around 6'ish and a handful of nuts. We shopped at Wal-Mart, Lowes and gassed uo once agin at 1.97 a gallon before heading back to the cabin. It was going on 4'ish when we finally unloaded and got ready to hike the mountain. We saw no one to talk or visit with and took and extra trail before coming back to wonder around the yards and gardens. 

The flowers are just about gone except for those in the circle drive bed which are vibrant still, especially the lantana and the zinnias that came up volunteer. I think mulching the bed has really added to their well being. The veggies are about gone except for some of the leafy greens and peppers. The tomato's never really did very well this year but I still have a few green ones that I may pick and left ripen in the basement. The frost didn't help them at all.

We settled into the Lightning game and saw a hard fought game with them tying up the Stars at one game a piece. They play again tonight which is not the usual way for this roughed physical sport that usually allows a day of rest between games. I did flip around and watched a little of the NFL between periods despite them not being a favorite any longer. I'm closet watcher and NOT proud of it as they should just stick to playing ball and get out of politics.

Well we are staying home today and catching up on some chores and honey-do's. We will celebrate 41 years of marriage today with just us as we get ready for friends arriving on Friday for two weeks and then we have 2 weeks before winterizing the cabin and heading back to sunny warm Florida, LATER

 

Monday Morning Sept 21st

 Well Sunday found us with ice all over the truck windshield and the roof of the cabin as the temps dipped down close to freezing. My thermometer read 38 on the back porch and then it dropped even lower a sunrise approached. It truly was a winter morning for Florida as last year we never saw any frost at our place. It did finally warm ip to the upper 50's and may have reached the 60's by late afternoon. The sun was shinning brightly throughout the day which make for pleasant hiking in the afternoon but the heat has been on since Saturday evening.

Sunday was a great day of corporate worship at Cornerstone. The crowd have gotten larger each week and few of us are back to hugging and handshaking. The chairs for seating are still separated but we have seen some new faces and many old faces we hadn't seen in many moons. The sermon was spot on as we face these uncertain times that we as a country are seeing for the first time in my lifetime. Our nation was once a christian nation which was openly an easily proclaimed, but since we had a muslim in the white house with Obama as president he changed that with his 8 years of division which we now are seeing the results with rioting, looting and lawlessness. If we allow the Left Democrats to get control of the government we who are patriots are doomed forever by those who do not work(socialists).

We met up with Jake and Katelyn at the Muddy Creek which is now open Thursday through Sunday for dining in. Baby Skylar is now so alert and beaming with smiles and is getting so cute especially with that hairdo. We had delicious burgers and fries as they offer a brunch style menu on Sunday's. The service was a little slow but the place was packed and they had outdoor seating as well but the chilly wind was too cold for the baby. The sunshine was gorgeous. We mad a couple stops at Food Lion and Walgreens before heading back to the cabin around 2'ish.

I turned on the TV and the Bucs were playing the Panthers in Tampa where is was very hot and humid. I flipped between the Ray's game where they were losing to the Orioles by a close score. While I'm not a fan of the NFL because of their stance on the flag and anthem, but I did watch the last half of the game(s). The ray's ended up losing by a run and the Bucs won is a close contest towards the end of the game. We decided to get in our hike after the game and it was a pleasant hike in the cool air of the afternoon. We did see Bertie on top wit her older sister out walking and saw Dave at the old Browning place before heading back down the mountain. We decide to walk through the woods on our way back looking at the next door lot as a prospect piece of property for Steve and Sheri. They are seeking a piece near us and this piece adjoins our 7+ acres. I called the owner who willed it to his grand daughter to see if she was interested in selling but he said she probably was not going to sell until he passed; anyhow that is all mute because Daisy wrote me to say she was selling her place if our friends were still interested at the tax value, wow was that ever a surprise and so quick.

Steve and Sheri accepted her selling price and are now making arrangements to settle with the purchase and having the land transferred into their name. That surely went smooth and they will soon be neighbors within a 1/2 mile or less. Anyhow one never knows the answer unless asking and thats just what we did with our friend Daisy who has never done anything to the property she bought 20 years ago or more. I settled into some more football as Nancy could NOT find anything interesting on the tube before our shower and eventually bed time around 10'ish. Today we are traveling up to Dublin to attend the funeral of Mike's mom who passed while we were visiting him and Dee last week. She will be buried with Mike's dad in a military cemetery in that town which is an hour and half from here. We will shop afterwards in Galax on the way home and probably celebrate our 41st anniversary which is tomorrow with a supper out while there, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 20th

 Well Saturday was chilly with temps in the upper 40's but this morning(Sun) its 38 degrees outside. A cold winter day in Florida. It was over cast all day long but no rain for a change despite the cloudy skies. I believe we saw the outline of the sun for a second or two before dark but by late evening the stars were brilliant in the clear skies.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my cup of hot green tea while I posted this ramble and then did some quiet time with my Creator and Lord giving thanks and lifting several by name for comfort and healing. All seem as well as can be expected. I had a mountain breakfast of grits, eggs, a sliced tomato and a jalapeno pepper to get the juices flowing. I knew I would be working outside most of the day and would need plenty of calories.

I fired up the weed eater and headed down the driveway to give it a good grooming which is a feat in its self just walking up it let alone using the weed eater. I also trimmed a bunch of the bushes that line the driveway and protrude inwards. That kept me busy for an hour or more before weed eating the rest of the yards. It was close to noon by the time I finished with that chore and headed in for some much needed lunch. After eating I decided to clear out the flower bed by the fire circle which had a good crop of weeds and grasses.

I pulled a golf cart load of them then turned over the soil in hopes to lessen the weeds growing next year. I want to put a lot of mulch in the bed as the soil is finally starting to look good for growing flowers. The mulch will help keep down the weeds from growing over the winter and give the soil some compost. Nancy decided she was ready for a hike as I finished the flower bed around 4'ish. We took off on a good long hike to the top of the mountain. We saw deer, squirrels and tons of crows as we ventured across the top. There must have been a crow convention in Roddy's yard as tons of them left the area as we approached. We saw the large doe again and she is a big one for this area. She never seems to have any young with her.

We saw no one on top as we passed several houses with cars in the driveway. It was a rather chilly afternoon and I wore long pants on my first hike of the year. We were both bundled up with extra clothing as the breeze and lack of sunshine made it seem colder than the 5o degrees. We did take a golf cart ride and it was really chilly on the ride to the mail box. We were planning on attending the outdoor christian concert in Sparta but since it was so cold we skipped on that event and decided not to go. We did some face time with all of the grand kids at Bobby's place and the twins were being loved up on by all the older kiddos. It was a celebration supper for Gabe's 10 th birthday and the older kids were having a fun time with Ryder and Huck.

We settled into the Lightning game against Dallas and they played great the first period but let the first of seven games get away from them in the third period. I switched back and forth as I found the Rays playing the Orioles on the tube and they were winning when I hit the shower around 10'ish.

Well its corporate worship day at Cornerstone and we will head out around 9:30. We have the fireplace going this morning again as we did last evening. It puts out some heat and gives us the ambiance of a real fireplace with the faux flames. The cabin was a bit chilly this morning with outside temps in the 30's but the fireplace is making it feel cozy, LATER

Saturday Morning Sept 19th

Well Friday was a total work day outside around the cabin that started with a 6'ish roll out. It was great to see the skies clear out and the bright sunshine once again despite the chilly start with very little humidity during the day. I did my usual early morning routines that start with the proverbial cup of green tea after washing down a handful of the best vitamins and supplements made by Nutrilite and processed on American soil in Michigan.  I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my Creator and Lord in prayer, thanksgiving and lifting several up by name; especially our potus Trump, the men and women in law enforcement and in the military. All seem as well as can be expected that I know personally. I forgot to mention our grandson Gabriel turned 10 yesterday and we sang to him via the phone after school.

We ate oatmeal loaded with fruit for our breakfast's then I headed outside to check on the gardens. The deer have been feasting on many of our hydrangeas, puff ball bush and the many cone flowers as well as black eyed Susans. There isn't much left in the gardens for them to eat or what they like, oh well. I did start out hoeing around the few veggie plants which was soaked from all the rain and then dusted the kale plants the green worms were feasting on. I picked several tomato's which were turning and falling off the vines and hoed around them to loosen up the wet packed soil. I empty the gauge of another inch and half of rain since we got back from our trip up to Virginia that added to the several inches before got before we left last Sunday. What a year for rain. I wish some would go to the west coast as they need it to help with the wildfires.

I decided to clear out the squash vines which were no longer producing and starting to rot as well as the flower bed filled with zinnias that had turned brown due to the rain and now was showing lots of weeds and grasses. I pulled everything out and turned the soil over and then loaded it with mulch from those piles I had stored from the stump grinds. That mulch looks good and should help with building up the soil for next years planting of wild flower seeds in June. I turned over the soil in the circle drive and then hauled several loads of mulch into it as well. I did notice lots of earthworms in both beds. I want to get rid of the flower beds by the fire circle as well and mulch it sometime this coming week as it is also filled with grasses and weeds. The wild flowers in that bed are just about over with blooming.

 We took off on a good long hike to the top during the afternoon and checked on the new building site. Wow, what a floor plan and they are moving right along with construction. We saw only Tom and Sarah who had come up from Charlotte for the weekend. The sun felt good on this day where the temps didn't get much out of the 60's but it was at least dry for a change. We took a ride to the mailbox and saw Ray Todd who was checking on his mail. We stopped by Daisy's place and took a couple pictures of her downed trees and sent them to her. We are hoping she will sell to our friends Steve and Sheri who are looking for a place to park their motor coach next summer. She has about an acre and half of land not far from us and would be perfect for their needs except it will need some work with all of the downed trees and excavations, oh well.

We worked outside until supper time and now its pitch black by 8'ish or before. The temps started dropping as the sun set and its obvious Fall is on the way. I'm spending another work day, today doing some weed whacking and flower bed cleaning and mulching. We are planning on attending a benefit for the earthquake victims Saturday evening at the fair grounds in Sparta and then we will travel up to Duplin, Va. on Monday to attend the funeral for Mike's mom who passed away while we were at their place last weekend. We are expecting 4 friends from Florida on Friday so we will be busy getting the place in tip top shape as well as stocking up on goodies. I won't get much done outside except some hiking and maybe a river float while they are here. Both of the gals have some physical issues on hiking and just plain walking so we will have to do that whenever we can; but we are hoping to stay some what in shape while they are here because we all like to eat and play games which is very sedentary, LATER

Just a few pics from our hike on the back roads and trails as well as some on Daisy's property with the huge trees that are fallen blocking her road into her property.

Friday Morning Sept 18th

 Well I must say Thursday was one of those days I sure miss sunny hot Florida because we never ventured outside the cabin due to rain and cool temps. We actually had the heat on during the morning hours once again as the cool dampness was evident inside. I actually hung the sheet between the upstairs to keep the heat down stairs, it was that chilly. Part of the cabin warming back up again was due to the fact it was closed up for 4 days with temps down into the 40's, oh well. I do see signs of an early Fall this year.

I started the day with a sleep in until nearly 7 as we caught up on sleep while being in a strange bed for 3 nights at sister Dee's place. It always takes me a few nights to get acclimated to a strange but a very comfortable bed at her place. I did my usual morning routines that start with the cup of hot tea while I post this ramble about the day before's activities and then some quiet moments with my Creator in giving thanks and lifting several up by name for comfort and healing.

The rain had awakened me early in the morning hours and it never stopped all day long until the late hours of the evening. I decided since I was cabin bound to catch up on some chores inside like vacuuming the walls of the cabin which are wood and do hold some dust as well as areas missed during normal cleaning and dusting. Nancy has a blood hound nose and she thinks there is a musty smell in one cabinet so I took out all of the pots, pans, platters etc. and painted the inside with some Kiltz. Next I hung some some paintings and "what nots" in the upstairs bathroom and then a painting Dee specifically painted for the cabin. It's the half face of a bear looking around a corner and I'm surprised at her talent.

We did a mountain breakfast since we had our big meal around 2'ish on Wednesday at Applebee's in Galax and we were ready to have some of that delicious bacon we purchased in Virginia in 4 pound vacuum packs. Nancy now like to bake the bacon in the oven and it turns out delicious and perfectly uniform. Along with that we had grits, eggs and a biscuit. I also chopped up a jalapeno pepper to accompany mine with a home grown 'mater from my garden. They aren't the prettiest 'maters but did taste great. That meal held us the rest of the day until supper time which was a meatloaf and beets.

Uncle Mike blessed us with a sack of his home grown jalapenos which were huge so we made close to a 100 jalapeno poppers and froze them for when our guests arrive next week. My pepper plant is still producing as well so we should have plenty to cook with until we leave in October.

We settled into the Fox channel until the Lightning Hockey game came on and while it was a tough game they won in overtime against a tough Islander Team who kept the pressure on the whole game. The Bolts next play the Dallas Team in the Stanley Cup Finals starting Saturday night. I think we will miss most of that game as we are attending a Christian Music benefit for the earthquake victims here in Sparta. Our praise band will be one of the groups who will be entertaining us with good Christian Music.

Well that was about it for Thursday as the rain has ceased this Friday morning. It's supposed to clear off later today and once again bring us some clear sunshine weather with cool temps from now on out this Fall season, LATER

Thursday Morning Sept. 17th

Well Wednesday was basically a travel day back to the cabin in N.C. I must say traveling down or maybe it should be traveling up the mountains is a beautiful site with those blue mountains on both sides of the valley. I sure miss those surrounding mountains. It was a rather chilly morning to be heading out with temps in the 40's but it did warm up to the middle 60's by the time we got back at the cabin which was so cold inside we had the faux fireplace on for a couple hours to take off the chill.

We had such a grand time visiting family and exploring the surrounding area for the final resting place of many of my relatives. The area where I grew up has changed so much with so many new folks building houses and moving out of the cities into this rural setting. Dee and Mike live in the small quaint town of Woodstock that has so much history and is beautifully nestled in the valley with much farm land surrounding their place. They are such great hosts and we so enjoy our time with them.

We made a stop at her work place for a home grown watermelon by one of her co workers, which was huge to say the least and then again at Wholesome Foods for a couple 4 pound packs of the best bacon ever. Mike had loaded us up with home grown jalapeno's so we will make poppers and freeze them for our company coming next week.

The trip was uneventful although Nancy constantly questions my driving ability with all the truckers on I-81. She is a nervous wreck when surrounded by the big rigs but they are better drivers than most of the idiots who swerve in and out of traffic and we saw a few of them. We made a couple stops for walking every hour and a half for a few minutes and to potty, but other than that, it was a smooth sail down the valley.

We made a grocery stop after a lunch at Applebees in Galax which held me the rest of the day and evening except for a cup of tea around 8'ish. We filled up with gas and groceries then got back to the cabin around 4'ish. Dee blessed me with some shirts that no longer fitted Mike as well as many other articles for the cabin plus a painting she made of a bear which will fit right in with our decor. The sun was shining which was a blessing after leaving Sunday in the fog and light rain. I had a few 'maters turning but the rain has not allowed them to look very appealing. It was good to get home and back into an evening hike to the top of the mountain. We saw no one on top and the hike was good for our lack of any physical activity the last 4 days.

It took us awhile to get the cabin cozy after being locked up from any sunshine while we were gone. The deer had a feast on our hydrangeas as well as other plants in the circle drive. That was about it for the day as traveling seems to tire you out more than physical work. We have a week without any guests before two couples arrive next Friday for two weeks and then we have a week or so before heading back to Florida, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 16th

 Well Tuesday was rather chilly to start the day and with no humidity present if seemed much cooler than usual, but there was plenty of sunshine and blue skies. It stayed in the low 50's until the afternoon when it finally reached the upper 60's. We took off on a trip to some of my old stomping grounds and then we explored an area I had never been to before and found the old church and grave stones of some distant relatives in the Rock Enon area which was almost in West Virginia.

I started the day with a 6'ish rollout to most of my usual routines that always start with the cup of hot green tea while posted this ramble, did some quiet moments with my Creator while looking out on the beautiful blue ridge mountains that surround this Shenandoah Valley here in Woodstock.. There is no doubt this is such a serene place to observe the majestic of His creation in the valley.

We picked up Paw Paw in Wardensville. W.Va. and visited an old friend of his and ours who is close to 90 but has had some physical issues the past few months. Her son now lives with her and helps out with her care. We had a grand visit with her then took the scenic route back to Mountain Falls where I as a small child lived with my grandmother until the age of 4 or 5 when I went to live with Paw Paw at what we call the old home place where I stayed until leaving home after graduation. We took some old gravel roads and ended up at the old store which use to house the post office, one gas pump and some groceries. The building still stands and my grandmothers house is still standing although needing some much needed maintenance behind the old store. 

We headed over some more old roads and ended at a local diner on the mountain for a light lunch before heading back to try and locate and old church north of the Gore area. But before we travelled the back roads we made a circle drive around the old school where I attended until the 7th grade. It's no longer a school but the brick building looks as if its been maintained and now houses some kind business as several vehicles were in the parking area.

We found the old road which led to a gravel road and the now abandoned church building and overrun with weed filled cemetery. We found several headstones with the distant Triplett relatives one of which was an indian maiden brought back to this area as a bride of one of the young men who headed west. Most all of these died before the 1900's with a couple exceptions and they were a link to our part of the family which settled in the Mountain Falls area. It was very interesting and brought some closure to that side of our kin folks who we met some for the first time ever a couple years back with a cousin reunion. It was cancelled this year due to the virus.

We dropped Paw Paw off at sister Pat's then headed back to Woodstock to sister Dee's for a delicious supper of corn on the cob, Cole slaw, sliced 'maters and barbecue ribs. Wow they fed us high on the hog while staying with them. We head out for the cabin this morning and hopefully to warmer temps but Fall is coming and this cols snap is a good indication of the season changing. It was such a grand visit seeing all three sisters, Paw Paw and some of the old places that are and were near and dear. On a sad note the Lightning loss last night but are still ahead 3-2 in the playoff's, LATER

Tuesday Morning Sept 15th

Well its nippy here in Woodstock this morning (Tue) with temps in the 40's, yikes that's winter for us flatlander's from Florida. Yesterday on the other hand was just gorgeous with bright sunshine and mild temps that stayed in the 70's. We had some sad but not unexpected news for Mike as his mother who was under hospice care passed away during the morning hours. It's always sad but her health had gone down so quickly that it was a blessing she didn't have to suffer any longer from the cancer.

Mike came home from work which unfortunately was his first day back after a 5 week recovery from knee replacement surgery. He is still doing physical therapy but he is able to function and work with his job that doesn't requite much physical activity. They took over to Front Royal which is the beginning of of the Skyline Drive which eventually becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway down our way in N.C. which we live about a mile off of near mile marker 226. Such a beautiful highway along the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains created during the great depression by the WPA. It just celebrated an anniversary opening of 85 years ago this last week.

We did some shopping at some different stores and one that featured everything from hunting supplies, to hardware, live chicks, groceries and whatever called Rural King and then we did a grocery stop for some seafood at a Martin's Store which we had last evening for our supper. Wow, what a feed with snow crab, shrimp, kielbasa, taters and corn all cooked together  with spices. We waddled away from the table. Such a delightful treat as we never think to make this feast. They of course have the perfect cooker which is huge for this many ingredient meal.

I did harvest some jalapeno and green peppers from Dee's garden so we will bring some home for our consumption. It's amazing the rich soil found in her back yard that hardens like concrete and grow such fantastic vegetables. Today we will head over to Watdensville, W.VA. to pick up Paw Paw and take him for a couple hours to give Pat a break from his daily care, LATER

We talked until we all got sleepy around 9'ish then I hit the shower and was soon watching some TV in the bedroom until Nancy came in some time later.

Monday Morning September 14th

 Well we made it to Woodstock, Va. safely after an uneventful trip up I-81 and then a small distance on Rt.11. We made a Walmart stop on the way in to Dee and Mike's Place which is snuggled in between the mountains. Such a beautiful place they have and so generously share with family and friends.

We finally saw some sunshine on the trip after leaving the cabin shrouded in heavy dense fog and wetness. It was great to see such greenery in the Shenandoah Valley as they too have had much rain this summer and then again a rain shower occurred while we ate supper with family at the Cracker Barrel in Woodstock. All the girls with their husbands were there along with Paw Paw for a delicious supper and the gabbing never stopped for what seemed hours.

We came back and got into a game of Euchre and the gals won and then Mike had to get ready to go back to work this morning for the first time since his knee replacement, so we played a round of Kings on the Corner and then stayed up for awhile chatting and watching the movie "Overboard", LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 13th

Well this month has just about reached the half way mark so that means just 6 weeks left for this summer visit here at the cabin before we head back to Florida for the winter, yikes where did that time go. After not getting out of the cabin except briefly to empty the garbage below the porch due to constant rain for the last 24 hours I was contemplating a brief hiatus away from here, but we are leaving this morning (Sun) for 4 days as we travel up to the Woodstock/Winchester area to visit with family. It will be our first overnight trip away this summer and it couldn't come at a better time as we are saturated with rain and its still raining as I'm making this post. The fog is awesome for about an hour but after that its gloom and doom to me as I'm a sunshine kind of person and one to not be locked up inside for 24 hours.

I started the day on Saturday with rain pouring down on the the tine roof which really is a comforting sound at times, but after so many hours its gets to be annoying. I must say I'm thrilled the roofer who came to check out the small leak we had after our guests left on Thursday found a couple holes from the screws that had holding the tin down, had worked themselves out leaving room for rain to seep down into the basement following the drain pipe. I checked the area several times during this rainy day and the silicon caulk held and the area stayed dry. That was a quick fix and now I know what to do next time if ever this happens again.

We did our morning routines that start with hot tea for me and coffee for Nancy and we both had plenty of quiet times in separate parts of the cabin. She likes to head upstairs and I stay down usually giving thanks while looking out into the woods behind the cabin, but since it was so foggy I could barely see off the porch. Afterwards it was catch up on emails, social media and the news. Nancy now has her own facebook page which thrills me as I'm often down right cruel on these radical leftest's who are attempting to destroy the nation, all because they hate our duly elected Trump, who has done more for this nation in 47 months than Biden did in 47 years and yet I have family members and friends who do not recognize the corruption in the democrat party and him in particular. Oh well.

We cleaned up some leftovers and salads that we don't want left in the fridge while we are gone for a few days for both lunch and supper. We will stock up again on our way back on Wednesday in Galax. We still have plenty in the freezer for when our next guests arrived around the 25th and will be here for close to two weeks.

I did some piddly honey do's in the basement before spending the afternoon on You Tube. I love to watch those sailing video's that take you all around the world. Many of them are of families with small children sailing into various ports and exploring the country side as well as some great underwater scenes. Some are gone for years sailing all around the world. I live vicariously with them on their adventures and I love experiencing the sailing part using only wind to transport them. Most of these folks catch fresh fish daily for their food as well which I'm all about as well. Living off the land or off the sea.

Well I did fine that college football had started and found FSU playing a tough and eventually the winning team from Georgia Tech, who came back from a 10 point deficit at half time. I'm still out on the pro's with their political disregard for our flag and anthem and could care less if they stay above board. Well that was about it for the day as I read before calling it a night around 10'ish, LATER

Our views all day Saturday and believe it or not water is standing on the down slope in the yards. We had 3 inches of rain on Friday night and into Saturday morning when I emptied the rain gauge and I haven't checked it this Sunday morning as its still raining.

Saturday Morning..Sept 12th

 Well Friday started out wet and then it turned absolutely beautiful by late afternoon and evening. We were still catching up on chores from the past week when we spent so much time with our guests whom we had such a great time with. It sure was quiet around the cabin and we got word they are back safely at home in Seminole. What a great time we had and they love this area which is not hard to understand and are looking at property to buy for their motor coach if the grand kiddos agree they would like to spend some summers in the mountains.

I started the day with a 6'ish roll out to my usual routines that start with the cup of hot green tea laced with turmeric while I posted this ramble then spent some time with my Creator and Lord in thanksgiving and lifting several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem as well as can be expected. I headed out to piddle around in the driveway moving a few piles of the loose gravel Gerald and I had delivered on the driveway a couple weeks. The gravel was so loose I couldn't get traction coming up the steep driveway at times. I had a couple large piles so I raked and shoveled them into the upper portion of my circle drive which now has some gravel. Gerald had smoothed them out with the tractor but there were a couple piles that needed some attention. I worked up a sweat which felt good since we hadn't done much physical work except hiking the past week.

After a lunch of leftovers I headed out to do some repair work on the red shed and then painted those repairs. I headed down to the pile of split wood that I busted up last week before our company came and hauled it back to the fire circle in the golf cart. It took two loads to haul the one last cut from the huge oak that Jake had taken out last winter. I work on some lighter knot which is a petrified pine knot that I use to start camp fires. It works great and the woods are full of them from the last big cutting of pine trees 25 years or more ago.

We headed out on the golf cart to the mailbox and noticed the new owners of Russ and Linda's place had been there and already it looks great with a good mowing and trimming. We are anxious to meet them as they are friends of the Heglar's who have a beautiful place on the way into our area. I took off on a hike to the top and down the golf cart trail to get in some exercise. Nancy stayed back and did laundry as it was too hot for her and too close to eating lunch. I must say Fall is on the way if the number of spiders is any indication. I've never seen so many building their webs along the trails and around the out buildings as they are doing. It's usually a sign of a hard winter with so many already storing up for the winter. I must have knocked 10-15 webs on my hike and they build them back so quickly as well.

We had a salmon fillet along with some peas and mushrooms for our supper as they needed to be used up. We are planning on leaving Sunday morning for Woodstock for a couple days visit with family and want to clean out any unused veggies. I'm getting a few small tomato's finally but nothing to brag about. I ate the first one for breakfast along with grits, eggs and a jalapeno pepper. It had a little taste but not as much as you would expect. This has not been a good year for gardens.

I tuned into the Lightning hockey game and they were losing 3-1 in the third period so I headed to bed around 10'ish and will find out how it ended after finishing this post, LATER

 The flowers are fading except for a couple which are beautiful and brilliant. We aren't sure what these are called as they were in the wild flower seeds we sowed in June.

Friday Morning September 11th..A day in infamy

 Well Thursday morning started out with us seeing our house guests and dear friends off around 8:30. We were up by 7 ish after a sleep in for a change. They were heading over to Pigeon Forge area to see an old family friend before making the trip back to Seminole today Friday.

I started the day after they left with my blog then helped Nancy clean the cabin once again with vacuuming both the up and down stair floors. She cleaned the bathrooms and refilled the paper products for the both bathrooms when she noticed some water on those products in a corner of the basement where water shouldn't be. I investigated and noticed the insulation around the large drain pipe and floor area it protruded from had some dampness and evident of water. At first I thought maybe the earthquake had cracked the pan in the new shower floor in the upstairs bathroom as both of our guests showered this morning but after further testing of filling the shower with water and flushing the commodes there was no evident of a leak or moisture on the drain pipe. 

We got a downpour around 5'ish so I headed down to the basement and checked the pipe area and sure enough there was wetness coming down the pipe, so that made it a roof leak. The leak must have just started because the wood around the pipe is almost new with no rot and the insulation isn't rotted either. I know metal moves with the heat and cold and those cold morning must have caused the roof to open up a small crack where I had replaced the roof years ago when the ice and snow caused a drain vent to break off. Myself and Andy had replaced the sheet of the tin roof that had a large rip in it and it seems now it needs replacing the correct way by a roofer, oh well. It's amazing with all that rain a week or so ago it never leaked until a day or so ago as we never saw any evident of water in that area until yesterday, oh well. 

We did get in a morning hike to the top of the mountain for our daily hike and we stopped and chatted with Ben and Laura and their neighbor Billy for a few. Everyone else was either gone or closed in as the views were somewhat cloudy. We headed back down and had a bite of leftovers for lunch and then leftovers for our supper. It sure was quiet around the cabin with no one but ourselves after having guests for nearly 8 days. After supper we settled in to the Fox News channel for a change and then watch our Potus in Michigan rallying those Americans who still love this nation and want him for 4 more years. I love his desire to save this nation from the socialist, the foreign enemies of this land, the democrat party and the radicals they support who are destroying our cities and committing violence against our police, our citizens who oppose their ideology by burning, looting and rioting. We who love this nation, our culture and heritage are fed up with these thugs who maim and kill and spread terror to get their way. It's time we took up arms against them.

A friend posted there was some disrespect to the anthem and flag by the players for the opening night of the NFL. I didn't even turn the channel to see their disrespect. I'm over these high paid thugs who hate this nation with their political actions when they should just play ball. I could care less about them and their cause of disrespect. It wasn't long after a hot shower I was ready for some horizontal lab by 10'ish, LATER

Thursday Morning September 10th

 Well its raining this morning as our dear friends and guests for the first time ever to the cabin headed out for their journey to Pigeon Forge area to visit with some family before heading back to Seminole. It's been a busy, fun filled, game playing and "eating high on the hog" for a week or so. Wow, did we ever enjoy showing them the area here in the mountains and they throughly love it here and are pursuing the possibility of purchasing some land for their motor coach which they have purchased and plan to use to travel around the nation in.

I started the day on Wednesday with a sleep in as did our guests until 7'ish. We did our morning routines which included some quiet times and a breakfast of omelets and fruit. Steve is quite the chef as he was in the restaurant business for years; cooking, managing and being married to that profession for years and Sheri accompanied him in it as well from waitressing to the business end. They both are very active but Steve is an animal when it comes to hiking up the steep trails with me trying to keep up. I did manage but at times he left me behind. Steve and I spent the morning hiking and exploring several properties to see if there were any viable for what they want to accommodate their motor coach which they are picking up later this month in Minnesota and will drive it back to Florida.

Nancy and Sheri headed to the big town of Sparta to do some shopping in a few of the stores that have managed to stay open due to the virus and the reshaping of the towns main traffic through fare. Many of the merchants are hurting and some have closed their doors forever. It's such a shame to see how the closing of so many businesses because of this virus which has been politicized to destroy Trump and the nation. Despite the attempts of the vile democrats and the MSM the economy is coming back and folks are going back to work much to the chagrin of the left.

We had a late snack lunch of leftovers and then we settled into some game playing until supper which was absolutely a delicious zucchini pie around 6:30. After the cleanup we settled once more into the game we played the most; spades and the gals whupped us once again. I think after we destroyed them in the beginning games they came back with vengeance the last couple of games and won. We taught them Phase 10 and they picked up on that games quickly with Steve winning the first game and Nancy barely squeaking a win in the second game over Steve. Sheri and I were out of the running in both games.

Well we did have the Lightning game on in the back ground and I got to watch the final 3 minutes of the game before hitting the shower. They won with just seconds to go in the final period and now have 2-0 lead over the Islanders in the conference title game. Go Bolts. Well that was about it for the day as the rain kept us from a final evening hike and one this morning. The grass and the woods were just too wet to attempt a hike especially since they were leaving. I did get a message from the doctors office on my follow up visit because of the blood clot in the leg and all of the blood tests came back normal. Thank You Lord for seeing me through this event that started with a severe back issue in June and then to a blood clot in August. I'm finished with the doctors care hopefully this summer as I've taken more prescriptions this summer than in years, LATER 

Wednesday Morning Sept 9th

 Well Tuesday was just another perfect day all around as the weather was just remarkable with low morning temps in the high 40's to low 50's and it stayed around the upper 60's until late afternoon when we saw some low 70's with bright sunshine, blue skies and a gentle breeze. Wow, just perfect temps but all of that is supposed to change Wednesday with overcast skies and the threat of rain. We took our guests for their first ever kayak trip on the New River and it too was a perfect trip with plenty of water that made for a nice float with very little paddling.

I started with a 7'ish rollout to my cup of hot tea while I posted the day before's activities and then a few moments to honor my Lord and Creator with thanksgiving and lifting up several by name. I learned I lost another James Wood classmate from 1964. Seems my class is about half gone. I'm blessed with good health after a few issues which I made for myself. Steve and I hike daily and while he is 5 years younger he nearly runs up the backwoods steep trail. It is taking me a little longer since I had the month or so I was inactive, anyhow I'm back to eating healthy and to vigorous exercising.

We had a light breakfast then headed out to load up the kayaks in the truck and then to Mechelle's to borrow two of her kayak's. We met the girls at Twin Oaks store so they could follow us to the pickup point at the end of the float where we left their car and then headed up to the low water bridge to put the kayaks in the water. The water was flowing nicely and while the water wasn't totally clear it was still clear enough to see the bottom in most places. Our float was about 2 hours or close to it and the sun shined throughout the time. 

We headed back to drop off the kayaks at Mechelle's around 2'ish and then headed home for a quick lunch of leftovers. After a digest time we headed out on foot for another hike to the top and the evening was perfect. We stopped and spoke with Bertie Moore about her property she is wanting to sell not too far from our cabin. Steve and Sheri are interested in a place to park their recently purchased class A motor coach which they plan on using as a cabin if and when they buy here. We are hopeful things work out for them as we love their company.

We had planned on zucchini pie for supper but since we ate such a late lunch we decided to have the corn chowder Steve had planned on preparing for us which fit the bill perfectly with some crusty sourdough bread. Afterwards we got into a hotly contested game of spades and the gals prevailed after I made some bone head plays. Steve made it seem as if we planned on letting them win for a change, but that didn't appease them. We got a good laugh until it was time to hit the shower around 10'ish for me. What a great time with these folks and we will be sad to see them leave Thursday morning, LATER

Our float on the New River.