Thursday Morning August 31st

Well Wednesday was mostly wet, foggy and overcast but no measurable rain for a day which was great for a change as we were becoming mildewed. We actually saw the sun for a few minutes at different times. The hurricane that slide along the west coast of Florida caused little damage to our home but when it crossed the big bend area I'm sure there was destruction. That area is not densely populated. It turned out to be a major storm but thankfully it moved quickly along its path which seem to change from time to time.

I started the day much the usual with a 6 ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. We found out a former church member and associate we have known for many years passed away at the young age of 50 yesterday. Everyone in our small group knew him and his family very well. All of us were shocked with this news. Everyone else on my list are doing as well as can be expected. 

I finished the book on Andrew Jackson life and who saved New Orleans from being taken over by the British in the War of 1812. What a great read about a real patriot who spent the best part of his life for his country as a general and as president. He is and was a hero in my book and while he was from the backwoods of Tennessee, he wasn't as refined as the northern elites, but he was dedicated to saving America with his raw talent as a leader and one who loved this nation. Brian Kilmeade is the author so if you see it, read it, its a non stop page turner and I read it in a day.

Well I did harvest some half runner beans, cucumbers and peppers as well as the last of the lettuces. I'll take most of these along with some 'maters and blue berries to Virginia today as we leave the cabin over this holiday week end to visit family in the northern part of the state where I grew up. Not sure how much visiting we will do to the old places of my growing up but we are always thrilled to spent some time in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley with youngest sister Dee and Mike. They have some a beautiful place surrounded by the the blue ridge mountains.

Well it cooled off over night and hopefully will dry up to some extent while we are gone. I will need to make hay in the yards when I get back as I haven't mowed in nearly two weeks as it been just to wet, LATER

Wednesday Morning August 30th

 Well we are watching this hurricane that is hitting Florida with tons of rain and wind. We are hoping it passes to the west of our place. It's now a major Cat 4 storm and doing lots of damage. Pray for those in harm's way.

I started the day on Tuesday with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as of now. It was another wet foggy day until late afternoon when we finally saw the sunshine briefly at times. I did manage to walk a couple of times around the property for exercise and even Nancy joined me for the afternoon walk. It felt good to use those hiking muscles. I was able to harvest some peppers and cucumbers and another pint or so of blue berries but the rest of the gardens were too wet to get in. I need to harvest half runners and October beans today if it dries off enough and then to mow the yards. If not it will have to wait until next Tuesday when we get back from Woodstock, Va.

We did a lot of reading through out the day as well as watched the weather channel with this storm in the Gulf. Nancy made a delicious zucchini pie for our supper which is not a dessert but an oh so good main dish. We used our peppers, zucchini and tomatoes and we have enough leftover for our early supper today as we have our small group at Cornerstone at 6. We will run some errands before hand and then tomorrow Thursday we will head out for a 5 day adventure, LATER

Tuesday Morning August 29th

 Well we are just soaked with all of the rain and fog and no sunshine. I know we are hard to please, but when your restricted to being inside most of the day its not pleasant. You can play only so much card games that after awhile even that gets old, oh well. We are ready for some sunshine but now the hurricane in the Gulf could possibly head this way as well which hopefully takes it away from our residence in Florida.

I started the day with an early wake up because of the lack of power until around 7'ish. Nancy freaks out and worries and of course that keeps me awake, oh well, plus when she does fall asleep she snores so loud which takes away from my rest. I need to get back to wearing my wax ear plugs again which usually helps. I did my usual routines after the power came on starting with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing. All are holding as of this time.

It was raining with heavy fog for most all morning until around noon when I ventured out in the mist and fog to check on the gardens and the driveway. Neighbor Gerald had scrapped the road which was a muddy mess, so I took the golf cart and tried to pack it down by running up and down the drive several times. He called and planned on getting a load of gravel and wanted to know if I would go halves, sure I said but thought hopefully not until it dried up somewhat as the mud was very deep.

We played cards until sometime in the afternoon when it stopped raining long enough to get in a couple walks around the perimeter of the property which has its ups and downs, just not as strenuous as the hike up the backwoods trail, but it does give us some exercise which with the wet soggy ground on the trail isn't the best conditions to hike. I did harvest more tomato's and cucumbers as well as 5 nice bell peppers. I need to harvest beans again as the rain has knocked down the bird egg's to the ground and the half runners need harvesting as well. We will take some with us on Thursday to sister Dee's.

Nancy cancelled her Bible class as the road was just too muddy and slick for her to travel with all the rain especially coming back in the dark. We had a huge mountain breakfast and skipped lunch and had a garden grown supper with both kinds of beans and some pork chops, delicious. After the cleanup it was raining again so I read until dark on the back porch then settled into some true crime videos on You Tube until shower time. Afterwards I read until lights out at 10'ish. Hopefully it clears off today Tuesday, LATER

Monday Morning August 28th

 Well another first for here at the cabin this summer NO POWER which started sometime during the night but was restored a little after 7 AM. Wow, that sure makes you thankful for the things you take for granted and appreciate this modern convenience. We at least had a burner on the gas grill for cooking and I heated a pan of water for tea for me and instant coffee for Nancy(which she didn't need after all) and a rain barrel full of water for flushing the commode and for drinking if necessary after boiling it(which we didn't need).

Sunday started out with sunshine but the rain set in after lunch time and continued off and on through out the evening and most of the night and its still drizzling here this morning as well. We needed the rain but just not this much as we had some gully washers during the night and evening. I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. Nephew Justin is home from the hospital and recovering and daughter Amy is doing much better with meds and everyone else is holding as I make this post. We watched the early service on line at Cornerstone Chapel with Gary Hamrick then headed out to our local Cornerstone Church for corporate worship as well. Afterwards we met up with the Frankis Family for lunch at the Pizzeria and saw several of our members there as well, one member picked up the lunch tab for both the Frankis Family and us. He is an old pickle ball buddy, church member as well and is the manager/owner of a local business which is exploding here in Sparta. Many thanks to Rick and his generosity.

We made a couple of stops first at the library, then at Walgreens and finally at Food Lion for some items for our "mountain mom" and us before heading to her place to deliver the goodies. I also had a mess of beans, cucumbers and peppers from the garden for her as well. We then headed home to settle into the afternoon LLWS game and California won the game in the bottom of the last inning with a home run after the other team came from behind with a grand slam homer. What an exciting game and the Ray's came from behind to once again beat the Yankees at the Trop as well. The rain let up so I headed out around 6'ish to do at least some exercise with walking around the property several times. Nancy decided to join me as well. I sat outside on the back porch until it got too dark to read, finishing up a J.A. Jance novel. She writes a good story with many twists and turns.

I hit the shower around 9'ish then started a new read on the spy's that helped George Washington defeat the British during the war. It's a true read written by Brian Gilmeade who use to be at times on the Fox News network. It's a well researched book and draws the evidence from long ago letters found many centuries after the war. It's quite interesting and I love history, LATER

Sunday Morning August 27th

Well this month is nearly gone with this being the last Sunday of this month and next week we are supposed to be attending Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. where Gary Hamrick is the pastor and who we listen to every week as well as our pastor at S.R.B.C. Time is flying by and we will soon be packing up and leaving this awesome place for hot, sunny Florida in about 9 weeks. Our stay here for the summer is winding down with less than half that time to go.

Well Saturday was a first for us as we saw our first black bear on the property in over 30 years and while it was what appeared to be a juvie it was still something to gaze at and it really showed itself for several minutes after I spotted it just off the back porch. It was trying to get into the compost pile where I had dumped a bunch of grease and drippings from the pork ribs I had prepared for yesterday's supper. He must of smelled that from wherever and wanted to get into the compost which I had covered with chicken wire. Anyhow Nancy got some great shots of him from the deck before he scampered off into the woods. I eventually took the garden hose and washed off that smell and then later on in the evening we had several hard rain showers which also washed off that smell. We really needed this rain as well as I've been watering with the hose daily.

I did my morning routines after all the early excitement with some quiet time time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name. All are holding with no change that I know of. I headed out to walk the property finishing up my talk with my Creator but keeping an eye out for this bear just in case. I'm sure he is long gone and except for smelling unwanted scraps we won't see it again. I had a lite breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries, pecans, cinnamon, honey and a banana which held us until we made BLT's for our lunch, yikes were they ever delicious and we ate lite for supper with just a salad and the leftover ribs which weren't many from the night before.

I harvested another pint of blueberries from my two bushes which obviously the bear hasn't spotted as its one of their favorite foods and then harvested a peck of 1/2 runner beans; giving neighbor Gerald a sack of them along with some cucumbers and tomato's. I have a sack of beans for our "mountain mom" Helen as well and we will drop them off after church for her. They are starting to come in and we will take a sack with us to sister Dee's next week as well. The slugs ate everyone of my new lettuce seedlings off over night so I resowed them again in another pot, oh well. The day started out rather nice temperature wise but by the afternoon it really warmed up with high humidity so on went the a/c for the rest of the day. We had a couple lite rain showers during the afternoon and we thought it was over when a huge storm hit us with thunder and lightning and a gully washer down pour, thankfully Gerald is here this weekend with his tractor and will scrap the road.

We watched the two little league world series games and then I settled into the Ray's game and they beat the Yankees finally after losing the night before. The Orioles continue to lead the division which we at one time held. I read until lights out at 10;ish for me another J.A. Jance novel, LATER

Saturday Morning August 26th

 Well we had a first this morning; A small black bear came out from down below and was attempting to dig in my compost pile. Nancy got some good pics of it. We have seen evidence of one but NEVER actually saw one on this property in over 30 years. He weighed around a 100 pounds or more and really looked to be in decent shape.

I started the day on Friday with a 6'ish rollout to my usual routines that start with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be doing well at this point in time. Amy also seems to be doing better with meds with her racing heart issues. I piddled around outside in the gardens before we made a trip to town to hand out posters for the conference on Faith and Family coming here to Sparta on October 14th. Hopefully we will still be here.

We stopped and made a quick stop at the Food Lion for a couple items and then at the Foley's chicken place for a couple sandwiches before heading back on the mountain to get ready for the Luffman Family at 6 for supper. I had two racks of ribs in the oven which I eventually grilled for an hour to give them a smokey flavor and a pot of collards on the stove. We also had a garden salad and baked taters with all the fixin's. Kay brought a yummy cake and a sack of dinner rolls.

We didn't play any games but did sit and chat until dusk when they headed out. It was clean up time and then I watched the Ray's lose to the Yankees at home 6-2 after sweeping the Rockies in 3 game, oh well. The Yankees are out of it for the playoffs this year as they are in the cellar or last place. The Rays have to keep up with the Orioles who are still in first place.

I did some reading on the back porch while the ribs grilled. I did harvest another couple of cucumbers as well as a bowl of blue berries and a half bushel basket of bird egg beans. I sat and hulled them for over an hour and now I'm going to let them dry out in the hull. My fingers are sore from hulling that bunch which keeps the beans soft for cooking, LATER

Friday Morning August 25th

 Well Thursday was a due your good deed of the day as we visited our "mountain mom", then an old friend who is in a motorized wheelchair that is paralyzed from the neck down and then made a couple stops to businesses and friends house to give out info on the up coming conference to Sparta that brings Faith and Family issues to the fore front for Americans. It's time folks to wake up to what the progressives are doing to destroy our culture and take away our freedoms all in the name of wokeism.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, to give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as of now. It was good to see Eddie but also sad to think he has been in this paralyzed condition for over 9 years and there is no rehab happening for him. He said he either watches TV in his room or go outside to breathe air all in his motorized wheel chair. He no longer can feed himself or take care of his personal needs, so sad. He just exist and get to come home to his farm usually once a month as his wife Kimberly can not handle his situation.  I hate to see him in this condition but what can one do except pray for him for comfort.

I did harvest another mess of lettuces and cleaned them as well as a couple more cucumbers. We blessed Helen with both and then visited with her. She is the exception to Eddie as she still lives alone at 95 and manages with a walker and cane to still have the freedom of mobility and living life to the fullest, albeit slowed down. I understand where she is coming from by wanting to live in her own place after hearing what happens in institutions like nursing homes.

Well I didn't do much except hike around the property to finish up my morning talk with the Creator and harvest some veggies. It was rather warm when we got back at the cabin around 4'ish so the a/c went on while we watched the LLWS games and had supper. Nancy had made earlier in the day a squash casserole from squashes from the garden and we had that along with some leftover chicken for our supper, after a tomato sandwich for lunch on pumpernickel bread, yeow was that ever delicious.The Rays are winning again at home and are still in the race for the playoffs. Our daughter is doing some what better with meds to her racing heart issues; keep her in your thoughts and prayers for continued healing, LATER 

Thursday Morning August 24th

 Well Wednesday was almost the perfect day for weather with cool temps to start the day and it remained on the side of coolness with a nice breeze most all day long with overcast to start the day and then bright sunshine later on until sunset. Just a very nice day.

I started the day with a 6'ish rollout to my usual routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. That lists grows with each small group meeting and we met last evening at Cornerstone for the second night in a row. We have a great group of concerned Believers who are watching and learning about the prophecy found in GOD's WORD about the days of Noah or what now is referred to as the end times and the destruction of this world. Most folks are not concerned of how this pattern has developed over centuries but its real, starting with the great flood when man was warned of their wickedness. Government wants to take the place of GOD and thats where the wickedness starts in mans heart and we are seeing that today and will until continue to grow until the end times.

I headed out to check on the gardens and to see if there is any deer or slug damage. So far the deer have basically stayed away but the pesky slugs do show up almost daily damaging squash and tomato's, oh well. The Japanese beetles are still present but do seem to be lessening in their appearance; of course I've dispatched hundreds. I decided since it was such a cool morning I would fire up the weed whacker and trim the property which kept me busy for a couple hours. It's supposed to rain some today so maybe I'll mow over the weekend. 

We have been watching the LLWS games and they have been starting at 1 PM so we turned on the TV which is very rare during the day and watched a couple of games before heading out around 5'ish for Sparta and a stop at the Food Lion before our small group meeting at 6. We decided to eat our lunch/supper around 3, so I grilled fresh garden grown zucchini along with chicken breasts and fresh carrots. Delicious. I like that we are just eating two rather large meals a day and the big one earlier in the day. We have been walking or hiking around our property instead of the big hike to the top for a change as I love looking at the beautiful flowers and deciding what project I want to do next during the walk. There is plenty of ups and downs on the walk but just not as long as the backwoods trail hike, LATER

Wednesday Morning August 23rd

 Well Tuesday saw us with some very warm temps in the afternoon after a pleasant start to the day. We did the town run to Galax, Va. for shopping and errands to run, with even a hair cut for me thrown in as well. We hadn't been in a couple of weeks for major shopping which we have been doing locally in Sparta. We did go back to Cornerstone for a 6 PM meeting with our small group from church which is the start of a movement titled Culture For Christ. We are hoping to get it associated with this conference coming up in October titled Faith and Freedom movement which has some nationally known speakers, one of which is the Lt. Governor of N.C. Mark Robinson. Wow, what an opportunity for Believers to make their voices heard once again to battle the evil that is evident in our world today and take back America to the Judeo-Christian principles she was founded on. It's a start and we are visiting with businesses in the area for sponsors as well as individuals to sponsor this event which is free to all who attend.

Well I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet times to honor my LORD, to give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. Amy is home and back to work at Keswick school which is an answer to prayer. She still has more tests to determine her issues, so keep her in your prayers as well as nephew Justin. I haven't anymore word on him and his prognosis. Everyone else is holding as I make this post. I harvested more cucumber and tomato's and another zucchini and now more peppers and half runner beans need harvesting today. We are in need of some rain as the heat and breeze has really dried things out. Thankfully we are getting heavy dews each morning which is good for the grasses.

After getting back from town we ate a late lunch or early supper of a rotisserie chicken from Wal-Mart along with fresh corn on the cob and sliced cucumbers and tomato's, Yeow was that ever delicious and better for us than Wendy's which what we usually get when going to Galax. That held us the rest of the day. We tuned in to the LLWS and watched out team from Tennessee beat Nevada as they have the only girl on their team in all of LLWS this year. She scored the winning run as well. We headed out around 5:30 and got back on the hill after 9'ish. It was shower time and then some reading until 10'ish and lights out. We have another meeting tonight at church with our weekly small group we call the prophecy class as we delve into what the Bible is telling us about the end times or what is reference as the days before Noah, LATER

Tuesday Morning August 22nd

Well Monday turned out to be rather warm and humid so after lunch so the a/c went back on after our morning hike to the top of the mountain. We didn't do much after lunch except watch the LLWS games which started at 1 PM and lasted until 9 PM. We did take a ride before supper out to the mail box on the golf cart and stopped and visited with first Grant on the way out and then Keyes as we headed in. I did do some reading in between our hike and lunch but basically it was a do nothing kind of day. 

I started the day with a 6'ish roll out to my usual morning routines that start with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name including daughter Amy who spent the night in the hospital awaiting tests to determine why she was having all of these heart flutters and some arm and leg issues. We spent a lot of the day on the phone with her and thankfully the tests all showed no major issues, so they released her late in the evening. I believe at 40 she may be having some menopause related issues, thats just my opinion thus far; as she hiked the mountain with me often waiting up for me and she is always on the go picking up after three kids, oh well.

I checked all of the gardens and harvested more cucumbers and tomato's. It seems the slugs love both the yellow squash and tomato's this year as I tossed several 'maters in the compost pile along with a couple yellow squash they eat on over night. The lettuce seedlings are showing some color and I'm hoping to move them up into 6 packs later this week. We cleaned up some leftovers for supper and had a salad for lunch and ate lite for breakfast. Our teams we were rooting for won in the baseball games for what ever reason. I did harvest another pint of blue berries from my bushes which are still loaded with fruit to ripen. Seems they ripen every other day.

That was about it for Monday and today we headed to Galax for some shopping both at Wal-Mart and Lowes with a trash drop off on the way. We have meetings at church both this evening and tomorrow evening and then next week we head to Virginia for a long weekend at sister Dee's place in Woodstock. I'll get my ears lowered while we are in town today as well and probably have lunch out. Today was a retirement day but we were anxious about Amy's issues. Prayers were up all day for her and for many others we know who are hurting. One of our dear friends lost a close friend overnight and the doctors say it was a direct result from taking the Covid shot, LATER

Monday Morning August 21st

 Well Sunday was another beautiful day with moderate temps and tons of sunshine it also was a great day of on line worship with both Cornerstone in Leesburg, Va. and at our S.R.B.C. church in Florida . Our local church here did something different which I found unappealing with none of the usual volunteers doing duty so the whole morning was basically boring because the sound of the pastor's voice was muted to some extent. I understand the need of volunteers but that was a poor way of showing it especially if any visitors were in attendance, oh well.

We skipped lunch out and ordered Chinese food after church and brought it home to eat as well as picked up some for Helen as well. We also brought her a bag of veggies from the garden and she was pleased as well. That lunch held us the rest of the day except for a handful of mixed nuts about dark. We decided to get into the LLWS and watched three games on TV throughout the afternoon. I did use the garden hose in the late afternoon to hand water the gardens as we could use some rain. The breeze and sunshine have really dried out the plants despite the heavy dew every morning.

 I had started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my usual routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD and to give thanks for another day as well as lift up several by name. We now have to add my daughter Amy who spent the night in the hospital with some weird symptoms that may require a cat scan to determine whats going on. Anyhow she seemed in good spirits when we spoke with her last evening as they needed to keep her overnight for these tests. Hopefully its treatable as she is anxious about the same heart issues that Nancy is taking meds for.

I read until dark and then listened to some old time country music on the web before hitting the shower and then reading until lights out at 10, LATER

Sunday Morning August 20th

 Well it was down right chilly with temps in the upper 40's to start the day on Saturday but it eventually warmed up by late afternoon to shorts and t-shirt temps. The stiff breeze made it feel even colder so I donned a flannel shirt for most of the morning, yikes this is still summer and August is usually one of the hottest months, oh well. We did notice on our hike lots of colored leaves already falling to the ground.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out to my routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. I have to add another to that list as my nephew Justin who is son Bobby's age, has an infection in his leg and has been admitted to the hospital in Winchester. Everyone else on my list is holding as of this post.

I harvested tons of lettuces, kale and beet greens and cleaned them for the salad bowl. I recently sowed lettuces seeds which are breaking ground in a pot which I hopefully will transplant into 6 packs before we head up to Virginia next weekend. Its been a great year for a change for lettuces here in the mountains which is unusual due to the clay packed soil but since I've added so much compose to the gardens its finally staying rather loose which is great for growing lettuces, beets and most leafy greens.

I harvested another zucchini and several cucumbers which have done fantastic out in the new bed along the deep ditch. The zinnias continue to add so much beauty to the front flower bed and they are waist high which is just what we wanted in that bed. I'll be saving their seed come this fall when I close down all the beds and gardens. I picked another pint of blueberries with more to pick another day. Such a bumper crop this year.

I finished another J.A. Jance book and the author tells a good story, so I started another one of her books. I'm usually not in tune with a woman author but she tells a story with many twists and turns. I finished FLYBOYS by Bradley which was a true declassified account of WWII events with Japan. Wow, the atrocities which happen during this war is uncivilized and the Japanese were the most awful when it came to survival to fight until death as they were brainwashed by their leaders. Do not read this book if your squeamish about what happened to our captives who flew missions over Japan. It's barbaric to say the least and while we destroyed much of their nation with our bombing by the fliers of the B-29's they took such horrible acts of retribution towards those who were shot down and captured as well as their Chinese prisoners when they invaded China.

I grilled some deer burgers for our supper with a mess of fresh green beans given to us by our neighbors and after supper we tuned into the LLWS series games and I had the Ray's game on at the same time on the laptop. The Ray's lost the first game of a double hitter in LA and the Canada LL team won and then the Nevada team whupped the Ohio team big time. It was an afternoon and evening of sports as I watched a couple UFC matches after the base ball games before shower time and then some reading until lights out at 10'ish. Well today is corporate worship day at Cornerstone in Sparta with some online worship before hand. Pray for our nation that we will find favor with GOD and He will turn this ugly scene around to where we will see good once again and that evil will be kicked out of our gov't and culture, LATER

Saturday Morning August 19th

Well Friday started out on the chilly side with a stiff breeze to make it feel colder yet, but eventually once the sun came over the tree line it warmed up to be just a near perfect day with tons of sunshine. We are still getting heavy dews over night which the yards and gardens love since we've had no measurable rain now for close to a week. I did hand water the upper garden last evening before sunset as the green beans are loaded but not maturing fast enough. I did harvest about a gallon of beans for the first pickings last evening before watering.

I started the day with my usual before 6 roll out to my morning routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble to lift up several for comfort and healing and to worship my LORD. It seems the more I see on the news the closer the end times are upon and either the world will be destroyed or we will be raptured for those who are Believers. Anyhow after lifting up several I headed out to check on the gardens. I did dispatch a couple of slugs in the circle drive bed that love my yellow squash. The zucchini's are still blooming and producing as are the cucumbers, peppers and lettuces. I need to harvest all of these today once again. The tomato's are a big disappointment this year as I planted only volunteers that came up in my compose pile in Florida and while I'm getting some, the flavor is not what we are use to except in the small tomato's. I'll stay away from volunteers this next year and plant only from seeds.

We took off on a mid morning hike to the top of the mountain after walking down by the Nymark's campground and then back up to the top. We saw a lone doe near their place but all looked well there. They should be back up in a couple of weeks for an extended stay. We had an early lunch since I just had a protein shake for breakfast and Nancy some cereal. Her tummy was bothering her after the big meal at Bruce and Normas's on Thursday evening so she ate lite most all day. I of course suffered no ill effects and ate hardy for lunch and supper, cleaning up some leftover Mexican rice with hot peppers for my supper. One disappointment this year with my jalapeno's is they are NOT hot or spicy enough. I'm eating them on everything and adding hot sauce or dried red pepper flakes to most of my dishes, oh well.

I did harvest another pint or so blue berries from my bushes which are still loaded with fruit to ripen. I do believe this will be the best year yet for our sun flowers which I'm growing next to the upper garden. Some stalks have 5 and 6 heads and they are nearly as tall as I am, we finally will hopefully see them bloom before the deer eat them off, as are the morning glories I have growing on the garden fence. I piddled around outside in the flower beds after supper pulling some unwanted grasses and weeds and hand watering. It started to cool down quickly as the sun got down behind the tall trees surrounding our clearing. I read until dark then came in and Nancy found the little league world series on the TV and watched that until close to 9. I soon hit the shower and then read until 10'ish in bed when the sandman calleth, LATER

Friday Morning August 18th

Well Thursday was a fun day that took us to a new place to visit old friends and former family on my side. It was also a shopping day as we visited a Sam's Club in the area and stocked up on non perishable items in bulk. The weather was near perfect even for off the mountain which had cool temps to start the day snd tons of sunshine. I started the morning with my usual before 6 roll out to my routines that start with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding at this point in time.

I loaded up the cooler with some veggies from the garden as well as some blue berries and we headed down the mountain to I-77 and then over to I-40 at Statesville towards Hickory for a first stop at Sam's Club. After loading up with items and gassing up at 3.38 we headed over to the Keys household. Sandy and Bob have lived in this neighbor hood for 19 years and then her dad came up from Tampa about 9 years ago and live just a couple streets over from them in the small town of Newton. They each have huge lots of an acre or more with very nice houses, yards and out buildings. Sandy is my niece by my first marriage but has no contact with her mother and aunts. Its so sad but her dad whom I met while flying in the USAF has long been a former brother in law but also a dear friend since 1966 when I first started my tour in the military. We were married to sisters at one time but both he and I were divorced from each of them. He had two children but luckily I had none. I actually raised his son Junior for a couple of years when I first came on with FHP while Bruce served overseas during Viet Nam. His mother wanted nothing to do with Junior and to this day she has no relationship with her daughter Sandy, weird to say the least, oh well.

We visited first with Sandy and Bob and she is an awesome artist and is now a grandmother. She and Bob had 3 kiddos and all are well adjusted despite no contact with her side of the family. Bob comes from a large family who grew up in Maryland and moved to Florida where he and Sandy met and married and they have retired to Newton. They are sweet folks and we love getting together with them and Bruce and Norma his second wife of 50 some years. Norma is from the Philippines and she is always fun. We had a delicious supper and then played a new game which is fun they taught us after eating. We headed out around 6:30 so we could be back on the mountain before dark and the chance of having deer run out in the roadway. It was a great day both weather wise and visiting with close friends. We are hoping to make this at least an annual get together, LATER

Thursday Morning August 17

 Well Wednesday started out on the chilly side once again but as they day wore on it became very nice to be outside and especially on a hike to the top of the mountain. It was the first time we have been able to see the buildings in downtown Winston-Salem in many weeks due to the haze from off the mountain. What a beautiful clear day for a change. We had our small group at Cornerstone at 6 PM with 9 of us in attendance and once more we watched Jack Hibbs with his sermon about the end times prophecy and how the current culture here in America is fulfilling it. Evil has presented itself much like the days before Noah which Jesus spoke of, and how GOD took them out. Wake Up America and the world.

I started the day with my usual routines after a rollout around 6 to honor my LORD after posting this ramble. All seem as well as can be expected who I daily lift up for comfort and healing. I piddled around outside in the gardens after a lite breakfast of oatmeal, cinnamon and honey, pecans, banana and blue berries. That held me until around 3'ish when we had our big meal of the day that included Mexican rice and salad as we had our class at 6. I harvested bell peppers, jalapeno's, lettuces and kale to take with us today to our family and friends in Hickory as well as some blue berries.

We took a hike to the top of the mountain and I checked on Billy's garden patch to see if anything needed harvesting as they will be gone for a spell. The yellow squash was ready for pickings so after we got back from our hike I took the golf cart to the top and harvested a nice mess of yellow squash. His tomato's are plentiful but slow to ripening so I'll harvest a few this weekend. My tomato's are even slower than his ripening but now I'm seeing some rot for some reason in a few.

I did some reading during the afternoon both before we ate and afterwards. Ann and Frank came by and blessed us with a mess of green beans from their garden. My beans are still growing but not large enough to harvest yet. Well it was after 9 before we got back to the cabin and I hit the shower and then read until lights out at 10. The Rays lost the night before as they are playing in San Francisco and it a late game. I'm glad I didn't stay up and watch when I see where they lost 7-0, oh well, LATER 

Wednesday Morning August 16th

 Well Tuesday started out wet and soggy with some early morning rain and cloudy skies but by late afternoon it was a near perfect day with low humidity and temps in the 70's. We spent the biggest part of the day doing retirement things like going to Sparta for Nancy's hair appointment and I spent a couple hours reading at the library. Then we headed out around 4'ish for the Frankis Place and ventured out to the top of the mountain to see some beautiful mountain property close to their spread. We brought supper to them as it easier to play games once their kiddos are down and in bed for the evening as it was our turn to entertain for supper.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. I headed out to check the gardens and finished up my quiet times on my walk around the property while getting in some exercise. The gnats were awful this morning and I had to carry a switch to beat them back on my walk. I did harvest another cucumber and noticed several more small ones on the vine. The tomato's are ripening and finally we have several ready for eating. I did harvest another pint or so of blueberries and we are now getting enough to freeze for future cobblers.

 We headed off to town around lunch time and I dropped Nancy off to the hair folks then headed to the landfill to drop off some garbage and then to the library for some new reads. Nancy was through around 2'ish so we headed home after filling up at 3.49 a gallon for a snack lunch as we were eating big for supper. Food Lion had N.Y. strip steaks on sale so we bought 4 and along with a fresh garden salad and cheesecake we had supper at the Frankis Place. Katelyn had baked taters both regular sweet taters in the oven. 

We took a ride in Jake's 4 wheel truck up to the top of this mountain which is almost next door to their place where some investor bought 160 acres. There are two lakes on it and it mostly fields where they made hay this summer but the views were awesome and for being on top of a mountain it was almost like a golf course with open fields that was farmed at one time. We saw where a chimney once stood with heavy huge limestone rocks. Going up through the steep woods road you would never imagine the lay of the land that was easily farmed and what long distant views. It borders the Blue Ridge Parkway near Doughton Park.

We had a delicious supper and then the kiddos went down for the evening and we got into a game of Hand and Foot. Well Jake and I were finally winning until the last hand and the gals pulled it out for a win once again. What a grand time we have with them and we so enjoy their kiddos. It sure was a dark ride back from their place which is about a 30 to 40 minute ride. We saw some critters along the way as well. I soon hit the shower and read until 10:30 then it was lights out for me, LATER

Tuesday Morning August 15th

Well Monday started out with cool temps and a heavy dew once again but we did see some rain clouds and some lite showers by the afternoon and then again over night. It's a nice soft soaking rain this morning as well which was not in the forecast, oh well. I started the day with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name after posting this ramble. All seem to be holding as of this post. I headed out to check on the gardens and to finish my morning praises to the LORD on my now several laps arounds the property. It's just as exhilarating as the steep backwoods hike but not as long at one time, plus I get to see the gardens and then decide what I want to do outside after breakfast. Its at least a tenth of a mile around the outside perimeter and I do anywhere from 2 to 5 laps depending on how many stops I make to pick off the beetles on the flowers. I'm liking this better since Nancy put a stop to the early morning hike up the back trail because of the threat the bear maybe lurking to get me, oh well.

I did some tree trimming with the long pole saw in the front yard as the maples have grown so much this summer and was shading the grasses and then I put out another sack of pelletized lime on some spots that were showing green moss in the yards but mainly in the backwoods yards. I piddled around in the gardens hoeing and pullings some weeds and unwanted grasses in the flower beds until noon. We had a large mountain breakfast with bacon, eggs and grits plus we finished up the last couple of slices of the zucchini bread which was delicious and that held us until around 3 when Nancy wanted to eat an early supper/late lunch as she had her women's Bible class at 7.

I finished up the leftover October beans and had a bowl of leftover collard greens which held me the rest of the evening except for a few dark chocolate pieces. After eating I sat outside on the back porch reading and watching some you tube videos about travel to Alaska. Once she left around 6:30 I walked the yards and checked on the gardens and flower beds then sat outside on the deck in the sunlight as evening fell until 8'ish reading. It was a beautiful evening with pleasant temps. I read until she came home around 9'ish and then hit the shower and read until lights out around 10:30, LATER

Monday Morning August 14th

 Well Sunday was an awesome day of worship first on line and then in person at our local Cornerstone Fellowship in Sparta and then again later in the evening with our home church in Seminole at S.R.B.C. However every day I worship my LORD to start the day to give thanks and to lift up several by name for comfort and for healing, all seem to be holding as of this post.

We went out to eat after church with our dear friends the Frankis Family to the Pines once again for the buffet but it didn't seem to be as tasty a last week for reason. I did get my fill of fried chicken and real taters but they didn't have banana pudding this week and maybe that is the reason as chocolate cake was there instead, oh well. We got our fill which held us the rest of the day and evening. We did stop at the Food Lion for a few items before heading back to the cabin. I settled into the Ray's game which was a blow out for the other team 9-2. Unbelievable, we play decent for two games and then let down completely against the same team. The Bucs also lost their preseason game so its not looking great for our teams in the area once again.

I finished up a Charles Martin book titled THE RIVER ENDS and it was a slobber knocker to say the least. Nancy had ordered it from the library, but she had already read it and I was out of books so I read it and its an interesting read, but a real sad ending which was expected as the story progressed. I watched a little preseason football games which really are useless in the over all scheme but it does let coaches see  beginning players show off their skills. This will be a busy week for us as we entertain at the Frankis Place on Tuesday and have two small group meetings and then a trip to Hickory to see old family and friends on Thursday. I'm really looking forward to that trip, LATER

Sunday Morning August 13th

 Well Saturday was near perfect day with cool temps to start and then lots of sunshine and a gentle breeze until the late evening when it clouded up and we saw a lite shower. We headed over to visit with our "mountain mom" for a few before heading over to the Luffman Farm for supper, some horse petting and then a rowdy game of Sequence with the gals winning the rubber game 3-2. We got back on the hill just before total darkness.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing. All seem to be doing OK as I make this post. I headed out to check on the gardens and harvest another zucchini and a few small tomato's that were starting to show some colors. Nancy had a load of clothes on the outside line and I piddled around transplanting some seedlings into larger containers. I did piddle around on the backwoods trail cutting back some bushes and fixing another step as you make that last push and step up to get on the back road from the trail. I worked up a sweat with that chore and came back and settled down on the porch and read until lunch time.

I harvested another pint or so of blue berries which are ripening now almost everyday and add much flavor to my oatmeal for breakfasts. We ate lite for lunch after a bacon, egg and fried leftover taters for breakfast to start the day. Other than some small piddly chores it was another afternoon of reading until time to head out around 4'ish, LATER

Saturday Morning August 12th

Well Friday turned out to be a very nice day with cool temps to start the morning and by late afternoon a gentle breeze kept it quite comfortable on our late afternoon hike to the top of the mountain. We did get a lite rain for just a few minutes before dark but most of the day saw the low 70's for the highs. I started the day with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD and to give thanks for another day while lifting several up by name for healing, all seem to be holding at this time.

I headed out to check on the gardens for any over night deer damage and since I shot towards a large deer a couple days ago in the backwoods yard I haven't seen her around. I'm hoping the shot scared her and the young one she has away for good, oh well. They due taste delicious on the grill which my neighbor  blesses us with through out the year. Speaking of him he is back on the hill after being away for over a week as we don't communicate much since his new companion doesn't care for us for some reason, oh well.

We met us with a dear old friend Kimberly and her neighbor who attends church with us for lunch at the Saddle Mountain Cafe. Well that place sure does a business as the parking lot was full and the one next to it as well. The food was tasty and plentiful and then we came back here for dessert. Nancy had made a pumpkin cheesecake which was awesome and a loaf of zucchini bread. We blessed them with some veggies, blue berries and baked goodies. Betty Lou had never been here before and we have known her from church for over 20 years and her first husband who passed away several years ago. She is a widow once again and is very young for her 81 years of age. She still lives alone as she was a farm girl back when with milking 140 head three times a day. She now leases her farm out to one of the big enterprises here in this area.

Well after they left around 3'ish we sat on the porch and read until close to 5 when we took off up the mountain. It was just a perfect evening for hiking. We didn't see anyone on top but Rick, who works for FEMA and mentioned he maybe going back to Hawaii due to the huge fires there. He spent some time in northern California a couple years back when they were on fire. After getting back we checked on the garden and flower beds before settling in to reading until the Ray's came on the laptop with the MLB network. Nancy was on TV and I was on the laptop. I skipped any supper except for a slice of the zucchini bread as the lunch, a Fatboy burger was plentiful and some fries. Well the Ray's played minor league ball throughout the game but did eventually win it after blowing a 3 run lead in the 9th inning with walks, wild pitches and errors. Its unbelievable they were at one time the best team ever to start the season but now they look terrible at times, LATER

Friday Morning August 11th

 Well Thursday started out on the chilly side but eventually it warmed up by lunchtime and we did some porch setting by the afternoon reading. It was cloudy with some sunshine and blue skies but a breeze kept it from becoming too warm through out the day. We did see a few sprinkles at times but mainly it stayed rain fee. We didn't do much outside to start the day as the rain from the day before and heavy dew over night had it just too wet to work in the gardens, but I did harvest a nice mess of collard greens and then lettuces, kale and beet greens for the salad bowl. That kept me occupied for a spell.

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for healing. All seem to be holding as of now. We decided to watch some sermons on line as it was too wet to do anything outside which kept us busy until it dried up enough to piddle around in the gardens, hoeing and weeding. I did harvest another couple of tomatoes and we had some for the first time on our salad for supper and of course now the cucumbers are coming in daily. I did picked another bowl of blueberries and they too with soon be ready for a total harvesting. I'm very pleased with the gardens despite the weird weather this summer. 

I sowed more lettuce seeds in hopes we will have a continuous supple up until we leave in October and then I gathered another bucket of beetles from the bean plants and flowers which they seem to like best. I dispatched them with my foot. Next year I may try one of those bags that seems to attract them, but I like the hunt, knocking them off the plants into a little water in a bucket which they in turn form a ball, making it easy when dispatching them.

The afternoon was busy reading a new author which I like his story line thus far. Nancy had a pot of dried October beans on the stove along with a pot of collard greens with bacon and the smell had waken up our appetites. What a country feast around 6 with these two dishes and there are leftovers as well which are a favorite of mine. It seems dried beans and collards are best the next day as I was use them growing up on the farm, oh well.

I tuned in to the Ray's game and they were getting blown out by the worst team in their division so I cut it off and hit the shower and then read until lights out around 10:30, LATER

Thursday Morning August 10th

Well time moves right along as this month is 1/3 gone already and yesterday was just almost perfect with cool temps to start the day with tons of sunshine for drying clothes outside with a gentle breeze to help with keeping it pleasant to be outside working. I spent the morning outside and most of the afternoon doing just that after starting the day with a before 6 rollout to my routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my Lord and to give thanks for another day while lifting several up for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as I make this post.

I headed out after a hearty breakfast of ham, grits and eggs doctored up with a jalapeno pepper from my garden, to weed whack the entire property and then fired up the riding mower and mowed all of the yards. That kept me busy until after 1 o'clock when we decided to have our big meal of the day around 2'ish, because of a small group meeting at 6. Nancy had fresh parsley taters, fried ham and a cucumber salad. I added a fresh jalapeno to my taters and that held us the rest of the day and evening. After eating we sat outside on the porch reading until it was time to head out to Sparta to the library and Food Lion before heading over to church for our meeting. We were a little lite in attendance as several were on vacation before school starts but still had 8 of us to watch the newest update on the civil unrest in Israel which is all part of the unrest in the world that is happening here in America as well with this corrupt Biden administration. We can only hope its a wake up call because it Israel falls so will the rest of the world to this one world order which is on the horizon and evil will become predominant. This administration has already given up our health to this order which many folks are clueless about. We see the blatant evil in our culture and now politics. These are definitely signs of the end times as predicted by in the Bible.

Well on a lighter note we are guest free for the rest of this month except for some local day only guests and then we visit with the Frankis Family on Tuesday for food and fellowship and then down to Hickory, N.C. for a day visit. I won't have to mow for at least 10 days or so. We are back to hiking as much as possible and we did notice on our trip on Tuesday many trees are showing some colors along the New River. It's looking like an early Fall this year but you wouldn't know that in the south and west as temps are rather hot in the triple digits, LATER

Wednesday Morning August 9th

 Well Tuesday was a special day as we took an adventure with our "mountain mom" Helen to new territory and then out to lunch to a place she had never been to to. More on that later. I started the day with a before 6 roll out to my usual routines that start with some quiet moments after posting this ramble to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All are holding as of now.

I headed out to check on the gardens for deer damage and thus far it been very little this summer but last evening in broad daylight a huge doe walked into the backwoods yard and began eating so I scared her off with a single pistol shot as she jumped into the brush, I'm hoping that will keep her and others away, oh well. I had a breakfast of oatmeal with fresh picked blue berries from my bushes along with a banana, pecans, cinnamon and honey while Nancy had cherrios with a banana. That held us on our morning adventure until lunch time at the Crave eatery in Sparta.

We headed west after picking up Helen towards Grassy Creek where Nancy saw on line this old store which has been around for over a hundred years or more and while the picture showed it to be a lot larger in real life it is nestled in a very picturesque setting but much smaller. We travelled into an area where the 2 lane road would not bring much traffic but it seemed to be thriving, although we were the only customers on the drizzly damp morning. The prices of things were unreasonably high with a sweat shirt at 60 bucks as was most everything, but the gal who was running the place was from our area in Florida and moved up here to this beautiful peaceful setting. It carried some food items but mainly a curio touristy shop. I would not go back despite the friendliness of the clerk who she and I graduated the same year. It was a beautiful ride out to that area which was about 50 miles away on some curvy roads towards Damascus.

There was no place in that area to eat lunch but there was a place for dinner only, that was just down the road called the River House which cantered to high end cuisine according to the clerk at the store. I can only imagine the prices at the eatery if she thought they were high end, oh well. We decided since Helen had never eaten at the Crave eatery in Sparta to give it a whirl as the Muddy Creek place was closed for lunch. We had a delightful waitress and while the place was jumping with a large lunch crowd, she was it for the day, but she served us quickly. The food was delicious and plentiful and we all had the banana pudding for dessert which was tasty. Nancy and Helen had sandwiches and I had the fettuccine alfredo which was very tasty. It's always one of my fav's at the Olive Garden and this was just as tasty.

We took a couple of never travelled roads which Helen loves to do and then by our place to see the flowers in bloom before taking her home and seeing her safely inside. She is getting around very well with a cane for being 95, but the steps entering and existing buildings is her biggest obstacle to getting out. We had a grand time and I could tell she was worn out by the time we got back to her place around 2'ish.

Well it was a bit chilly for this day with the overcast skies and a stiff breeze. I did set on the back porch and finished up another read until close to 6 when we decided to have a lite supper of a rollup with some leftover chicken. I had my glass of red wine to accompany and then we played cards until dark. I had the Ray's game on the laptop and they finally came to life in the 8th inning and beat the Cardinals 4-2. It was shower time for me after the game and then to start a new read which we picked up at the library on our way out of town to Grassy Creek. It seems we are entertaining Kimberly and Ms Betty Sutton on Thursday for lunch. Betty has never been here so I 'll manicure the yards today if the weather holds and then we have our small group at church this evening at 6,  LATER

Tuesday Morning August 8th

 Well Monday was a rather nice day despite it beings so wet to start the day. The evening rain and the heavy dew kept it very wet outside in the grasses until close to lunch time when the sun and wind finally dried it out enough to not have wear gum boots and then we got about a tenth of an inch of rain after lunch. Thankfully thats all with the forecast for a strong storms, hail and even tornado warnings. It did thunder in the distance for an hour but we got none of the severe weather here, but other areas were hit hard, enough so Nancy's Bible class was cancelled for the evening.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet times after posting this ramble to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding as I make this post. After a lite breakfast of just a protein shake I headed out to check on the gardens of course wearing my gum boots and everything looked great. I did harvest a couple cucumbers and a couple small tomato's that are turning, finally. The garden is doing so well and hopefully the deer stay away. I need to harvest some lettuces as its really taking off once again with all this rain, as is the kale and finally some Swiss chard and beet greens which all make for a great salad.

I picked a small bowl of blue berries as they start to ripen. It seems all of our friends have finished up their season on them but ours is just starting. I don't get as much sun for them which is the reason they are usually late from our friends bushes. We took off before lunch to the top of the mountain and saw just one person on top. The distant views were not visible once again due to the haze. It was quite pleasant on the hike and we came back and had tacos for lunch around 1'ish. We were going to make that our big meal of the day as Nancy was scheduled for her 7PM Bible class but due to the forecast of this severe storm the leader cancelled which I was pleased because of the threat of high winds on the parkway which is subject to trees being down blocking the road.

After the storm passed, which we just got some rain, thunder and lightning I sat outside and read the afternoon away. The book by Charles Martin is a page turner and I read over half of it during the afternoon and evening right up to bed time. It's a sad story on sex trafficking but very interesting on the waterways along the east coast of Florida from N.C., LATER

Monday Morning August 7th

 Well Yesterday was a special day as I celebrated 77 years on this earth and I was just overwhelmed with all the greetings that were showered upon me, via social media, phone calls and face time, cards, gifts and especially hand shakes and hugs. WOW. I'm just blessed and it fills my heart with tears of humility.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out to my morning routines that first honor my LORD with some quiet moments to give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as I make this post. We tuned into Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg and heard a great message by a interim black preacher before heading out to our local Cornerstone Church to hear another good message on prayer and fasting. Pastor B challenged us to take one meal this coming week and fast and while doing so be in prayer for things that are heavy on our heart.

After church we met up with the Frankis family at the Pines eatery for a change and had a delicious lunch from the buffet, but many I was in the mood for their fried chicken which is so good and they serve real smashed taters of which we had two helping and then banana pudding for dessert, wow we waddled out of the place and while I wanted to treat everyone, Jake turned the tables on me and picked up the tab. We got burned out on the Pizzeria and last time there they messed up the orders, oh well. I loved the change yesterday.

We made a stop at the Food Lion for some goodies before heading to our "mountain moms" place and dropped off some goodies for her then headed to the cabin, beating the storm which was heading our way. It rained all afternoon with some heavy down pours at times and when it let up just before dark we had received another half inch. The gardens and yards love this weather and I harvested 4 tomatoes yesterday, albeit they were on the small side, a couple of cukes and peppers and a large bag of kale for Helen.

We got back and I chilled with the Rays game and their bats came to life and they took 2 out of 3 games against the Tigers in Detroit. They are still 3 games behind the Orioles but are ahead for the wild card slot in the upcoming playoff's. They still have around 50 games to play and anything can happened this late in the season.

I got in touch with and old friend and former in law who lives about a hundred miles away in Hickory N.C. and we decided to get together later this month for a visit. They have been here to the cabin a couple of times over the years but we have never been to their place. I was always her uncle and her dad and I flew together back in the 60's while stationed together in California. I even raised his son for a year while he and his former wife were divorced and he was in Viet Nam. We have always loved them and their family and their company. Looking forward to this adventure on the 17th as its been years since I was in Hickory while I was in college at Garner Webb in 1964. 

Well that was about it as I finished a novel last evening and started another book that Nancy finished and thought I should read by Charles Martin. Its supposed to be another wet day here today so maybe I'll read, Thanks once again for ALL who remembered me with well wishes yesterday, LATER

Sunday Morning August 6th

 Well I made it to another year on this date. It's the 38 time for celebrating another 39th birthday, WOW am I ever blessed. Many thanks to ALL who remembered me with cards, gifts and phone calls.

Saturday was another gorgeous day with cool temps to start the day with tons of sunshine and a gentle breeze. I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish roll out to my routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as I've heard nothing to the contrary.

I headed out after a breakfast of oatmeal with cinnamon, honey and pecans to check the gardens and then to do some dirt digging and hauling as I'm trying to smooth out the sharp drop off that use to be where the old garden was located in the lower yard. I then turned over the compost pile which still had some remnants of the decaying fish carcasses from a couple weeks back. That makes good fertilizer for next years potting soil along with all the scraps from the table. The fishing worms are working it down as well as is the composting process.

We decided to take a mid morning hike and headed down the driveway for a change and then up to check on the Nymark campground and back up towards the top of the mountain when Nancy's phone rang. I had forgot the Orkin bug man was coming and he was at the cabin so we cut the hike short and headed back. So much for another attempt at hiking for this day, oh well. We had a lite lunch then settled into reading on the porch and I tuned into the Ray's game which they were losing with a new pitcher they just acquired, oh well.

We headed out around 2:30 for the Frankis Place to help celebrate with other friends and family young Seth's first birthday. He is such a sweet happy boy who loves playing in the mud and of course he and all the kiddos were in the creek. That is such a great entertainment in and of its self. The area along the creek is shaded and just so great for huge gatherings and picnic's. What an awesome venue and both Jake and Katelyn love having folks over. We met new folks and I even played my first real game of corn hole with one of the Galyean twins who is now a high schooler and taller than me. We had finger foods and while we were going to get Chinese food on the way home we decided we weren't that hungry so we postponed until another day and came back and finished off the layered taco dip we took to the party. It was check out the gardens and then we both are into a new read so that what we did until bedtime around 10'ish, LATER

Saturday Morning August 5th

Well Friday turned out to be a very nice dry day with a gentle breeze that saw cool temps to start the day and it may have reached the middle 70's by day's end. Just almost perfect except for the wet start from the all day rain on Thursday. I did some piddling around the cabin, yards and gardens but no major project except for a hike around mid morning and then some porch sitting and reading during the afternoon. I did harvest some some kale and collards for neighbors and dropped them by their place.

I started the day much the usual with a before 6 roll out to my usual morning routines that start with some quiet moments to honor my LORD, to give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name. All are holding as I make this post. I did notice this morning that instead of it being light outside at a little before 6 the darkness is staying longer with the shorter days and now longer nights which means fall is approaching and summer is on the wane.  I headed out after breakfast to access the damage if any from deer and slugs as the rain is just perfect for the slugs, but so far this summer the damage has been minimal. I harvested another cucumber and noticed several more starting to mature. What a blessing moving them out to the backwoods patch along topside of the deep gully. The added couple of feet stayed put and seems to be holding as well despite the inch and half rain on Thursday. This added dirt area will give me more room for planting next years squash and cucumbers.

I noticed three tomato's showing some color as well and the blue berries are ripening albeit slowly. I'll pick some this morning for my oatmeal. I must say the flowers are just absolutely gorgeous despite being a couple of weeks late due to the late freeze in May, the week of 8 plus inches of rain and the cool temps to start the growing season. They are just brilliant in colors especially the new zinnia/dahlia plants which are growing to the height of a couple feet tall which is just what Nancy wanted for the bed off the front porch. I definitely will head them come October and save their seeds for next years planting. It's looking like a bumper crop in the bean department with the half runner starting to add fruit and the October (bird egg) beans are maturing as well. The deer did do a number on a couple plants last week but thankfully didn't eat them down. Its been years since I've ever grown them and we love their taste. They are similar to a pinto but oh so much better when cooked. 

My aunt Joann who raised me, use to send me 6 quart jars of the bird egg beans she canned for my Christmas present each year when my kids were little and when she was able to before she passed. We all loved their flavor especially as a bean soup. You can harvest them out of their hull when they are still soft or let them dry in their shells or hull like a pinto. When cooked they resemble a pinto but when soft they look like a birds egg and thats how I always remembered them. I'm excited to harvest them and freeze them in bags for the pot come this winter.

Well we cleaned up the delicious zucchini pie made from our garden for supper and it is just so delicious and hopefully we can do another one before the plants die. It's not been the best year for squash due to all the rain and fungus that is ever present because of where I was growing them. I'll move the squash next year to where they get more sunshine to the backwoods patch near where the cukes are growing this year, but I'm pleased with all we are harvesting. The garlic was great this year and I'm back to daily eating a small kernel which is a super food for the body. It's too bd Nancy is having some reaction along with Tyler, my son in law who is allergic to it which makes no sense to me, because its so good for the body and good health, oh well. I'll replant come September for next years crop and harvesting in June.

I tuned into the Ray's game in Detroit and they won 8-0 over the Tigers and are still in the race for the playoffs. Hopefully they can be the Orioles out for a division win, LATER

Friday Morning August 4th

 Well Thursday was a total wash out with rain and fog ALL day long starting when I rolled out around 6'ish and still raining when I hit the sack around 10'ish. I never went off the porch except once for just a second to make sure the truck windows were up tight and then to check the rain gauge on the side of the deck. That was around 10 when the rain slacked just a little to a heavy sprinkle and by then we had about 3/4 of an inch. Thankfully there wasn't any real gully washers.

We spent the day doing some piddly inside chores and then played cards, watched some videos and read. I finished a fantastic true story titled UNMASKED about a criminalist Paul Hole who eventually solved who the Golden State Killer was after several years as a cold case in California. His killing and raping spree lasted several years and moved from north California to the southern area of the state before being identified using ancestry and DNA. A very interesting page turner story of his life and his job and the many cases he investigated in the state.

Nancy had a pot of dried baby lima beans on the stove which smelled good all afternoon on this cool damp day. We ate healthy with oatmeal for breakfast, a salad for lunch and the lima's with left over scalloped turnips and a slice of ham. I did get a surprise delivery from UPS around 2'ish in rain. I opened it to a very nice pickle ball bag and no idea who sent it, but someone knew I play the game in Florida daily. Well it turns out it was sister Dee and Mike who just got back from being in Nebraska with their oldest daughter Hally Jo and family for the month of July. We had a nice conversation after we figured out it was her who sent the bag. Mike is now retired and she works part time with the county gov't office in Woodstock as they now travel out west and then down to the Tampa Bay area for their other daughter Kelly and family who is stationed at the MacDill AFB. We hope to see them in September when we venture up to Woodstock for a long weekend. That was about it for this rainy, damp day, LATER

Thursday Morning August 3rd

 Well Wednesday was another chilly morning with temps in the upper 50's to start the day and it never made it out of the 70's with mainly sunshine and a slight breeze. In the shade it actually kept you on the cool side throughout the day. I started the day with a 6'ish roll out to my usual morning routines that after posting this ramble I spent some quiet moments honoring my LORD, giving thanks for another day and lifting several up for comfort and healing. As of now all are holding due to ages and health issues. I headed out to check on the gardens and finish up my quiet time while walking around and viewing such beauty in the flower and garden beds that can only come from the Creator.

After a hearty breakfast of ham, eggs and grits with a jalepeno pepper cut up in the mix I headed out to finish my small project of enlarging the new garden patch in the backwoods yard area. So far its starting to produce some cucumbers and zinnias. It was a large area of weeds and ferns for years that border the dry gulch which occasionally has running water, that comes down from the top of the mountain during extremely heavy rains. I decided to wall up a portion of the bank with down trees and rocks to hold the dirt that I hauled in yesterday in golf cart. I dug and hauled 4 loads and spread it alongside the existing plants in hopes it will hold until next season when I'm moving squash and cucumbers back to this area away from the circle drive bed. This area get tons more sunshine than the circle drive bed which is just what those veggies need to become more prolific.

The blueberry's have yet to ripen but I did see the robins hanging around to eat a few that are starting to turn so I covered them with a mess covering to save at least enough to eat and freeze for Florida as all of the family love cobblers. It was close to 11 when  I finished with the dirt hauling so we took off on a slow mountain top hike which was deliteful. The views while being hazy in the distant were awesome with the many ridges and the birds were having a fun day as they raised their families with loud chirping. Such a beautiful day and the hike warmed up our appetites as we skipped lunch for an early supper. I did stop at the widow Laura's house on the way down and helped her replace the screens for her down stairs windows. We chatted with Billy her neighbor for a few before heading back down to the cabin. We just love the view coming down the back trail into the yards and pinch ourselves that GOD has let up have this beautiful place to call our own and to share it with so many. 

We had seen a large backhoe working down below the old Todd place on our hike so I jumped in the golf cart to explore while Nancy put together a zucchini pie for our early supper. It seems the new camper area that was built this past year is getting FIOS and the backhoe was digging a trench to their parking spot by the local TV, phone and internet company. It's wild that we have FIOS here out in the woods and not in our neighbor hood in Florida.

Well the pie was delicious, so much so I had two helping and that held us the rest of the day and evening. We headed off to Sparta around 5'ish for Nancy to shop at the Food Lion while I ran out to the library for some new reads. We then headed to Cornerstone for our small group with a great discussion after watching a Gary Hamrick video from Cornerstone, Leesburg, Va. on what is happening with the promotion of Jesus and christianity in the world beside here in the USA. There are many leaders who are not in tune with this globalism and one world order and we especially here in this nation must be fervent in our hope and prayers this does NOT become law or the way of life that we know will forever be changed to the rule by a few elites who want rule our lives.

It was nearly dark when we got back home and I tuned into the Ray's game and we lost 7-2 against the Yanks, but the Orioles also lost so we are still close in the standings. The forecast is for rain and fog the next two days so we are in good shape with food and things to keep us busy inside the cabin, LATER

Wednesday Morning August 2nd

Well for the first day of August I wore a flannel shirt outside until nearly 10 o'clock as the temps were in the upper 50's, yikes it was cold but great for working outside for most of the day and I did just that. I started the day with a before 6 roll out which is normal for me since I hit the sack at 10'ish. I'm blessed to get close to 8 hours each night, despite sleeping with a snorer. I did my usual morning routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD, to give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding except Grant who is having some issues with blood in his urine. We visited with him and Shirley yesterday on our way back from the mailbox for an hour or so. He had his bladder removed last year because of cancer and has a small port with a bag which comes straight from his kidneys. Its awesome what doctors and modern medicine has done for this kind of issue. Anyhow keep him in your thoughts and prayers this blood issue is nothing serious. He is a strong Believer and isn't afraid of the outcome if its a serious issue. Everyone else seems to be holding as of this date despite ages and health issues.

I headed out after a breakfast of cereal and fruit to check on the gardens and decided I wanted to expand the area where I now have cucumbers for the first time ever growing along side the steep embankment in the backwoods yard. The plants are doing good and we are picking one every other day and the plants are loaded with blooms. I want to expand it a couple feet so I cut down several dead pine trees and trimmed them up to help hold the rocks I'm going to place along the bank and the dirt I'm going to haul in. That kept me busy all morning until it was time to take a hike to the top of the mountain. What a beautiful mid morning hike with no humidity and temps in the upper 60's. By late afternoon we reached the middle 70's with a gentle breeze. We visited with Billy for a few on top of the mountain before heading on across and down the back road. Nancy did so much better on this hike and now we are determined to do this every day as we need this cardio going up to the top.

We came back and had some leftover dogs for lunch and an ear of corn that was leftover. All were delicious as the day we prepared them. Nancy bought some turnips the other day for a casserole which she prepared for supper but the top of the turnip showed some greenery, so I planted them in an area where the lettuce once grew in hopes they will make and we can add turnip greens to our salads. The casserole was delicious and we have enough to add to another meal. I did some more chain saw work after lunch as a couple of large limbs were evident in the upper woods by the fire circle. I sawed them up and hauled them to the fire wood pile. We piddled around in the flower beds dead heading and pulling some weeds after supper and the clean up. The evening air was cooling off as dusk approached so we closed up the cabin.

Well it seems as of now No More Bats as we have closed off every space they could roost in and or made a safe place to live. They do a great job with eating the many insects but are nuisance. They find the smallest holes to live and breed in and of course their poop looks like mice droppings. There must have been 25-30 bats in that small area in the a/c coverings. It was very expensive to rid them but hopefully they will find a hollow tree in the woods instead of a dwelling. I didn't see any in the air after supper.

Well the Ray's won again in the big apple against the Yankee's but so did the Orioles and we are still in second place, Later

Tuesday Morning August 1st

 Well July went out with a much cooler day with tons of sunshine after a wet morning that had dew dripping off the tin roof. The day started with me with a well before 6 rollout. I was disappointed in thinking about the presence of those pesky bats once again finding refuge inside the a/c covering alongside the driveway side of the cabin; but the bat lady came and now they are gone, hopefully forever.

I did my quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and lifted up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding as I make this post. I headed out to check on the gardens and flower beds and the deer had eaten the beet greens tops off and ate some of the October bean bushes. They weren't ruined but it was evident they had eaten them as well as their hoof prints in the bed.

I pulled another cucumber and noticed the dahlia/zinnia buds were opening a little and while they aren't the dahlia's I was thinking of they are beautiful and all the same color and have height which Nancy wanted. They sure look like zinnia plants and must be a cross breed of them but were advertised as dahlia's, oh well. Everything is looking great but no ripe tomato's yet and they are loaded and when they start to ripe I'll be giving them away. The blueberries are starting to turn but still tart and they too will be plentiful when they ripen. 

I piddled around in driveway cutting some low hanging branches and picking up large rocks that neighbor Gerald had loosen after scrapping the driveway on Sunday while we were at church. The heavy storm down pour had washed it out and we are so grateful for him and his tractor for maintaining the driveway and the main road in from the hard top. We decided to take a mid morning hike to the top of the mountain and I stopped to help widow Laura with putting the screens back into the upstairs windows I painted last week. She was so thankful and full of gratitude. We saw Billy and Paula her neighbors and spoke with them for really the first time this summer as they help with caring for her aged mom who is 104. She lives in Winston/Salem and they are down there for two weeks at a time.

We came back and piddled around the cabin until we decided to eat a late lunch early supper as Nancy had her Bible class at 6'ish. We played cards out on the front porch for a couple hours as it was that nice with temps in 70's, and a slight breeze. Perfect mountain weather and the reason we leave hot Florida in the summer. The bat lady came with her brother in law around 6'ish and she removed the tunnels on both side of the bump out and caulked those areas and then removed the covering of the a/c lines which had at least 25 or more bats that flew out at them nearly causing them to fall from their ladder. I'm sure glad despite having to pay extra it was them not me. I had cut spacers to put in the cracks of the boards during the afternoon and had them place them in between the cracks in the covering which had allowed the bats to get in their in the first place; so now hopefully the cabin is totally bat proofed. What an expensive threat they were, oh well.

I tuned into the Ray's vs Yankee's game and sat out on the back porch until dark as it was that nice outside. The Ray's won big in N.Y. 5-1 with the bats finally coming back to life with 4 homers. It was dark and after 9 before Nancy got back on the hill from her class. The moon was big and beautiful on the night as well. It wasn't long after a hot shower I was ready for horizontal lab, LATER