Saturday Morning Sept 30th

 Well Friday morning started out on the cool side with some fog but by noon the sun appeared and with lots of blue skies and nice temps up into the low 70's. In Galax, Va. it was 76 when we left Wal-Mart and headed back on the mountain around 2'ish.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout 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. All are holding and our little 3 year who fell to the pavement is doing much better after a sleepless night after the fall. She seems to be back to normal or is at least sleeping through the night again. I headed out for an abbreviated hike down and back up our steep driveway before breakfast as I need to keep up this hiking regiment and that driveway is about as steep as they come. I can do it without stopping to rest but it a chore and Nancy doesn't worry about the bear so much as if I were hiking through the woods. Anyhow the black bears here would run away if they come in contact with a human but she is a worry about me hiking alone. When Steve is here we do it together with out a thought about a bear.

I fired up the weed whacker and cleaned out the gully and around the perimeter of the yards for a couple hours before it was time to get ready to head to Galax for some shopping and a hair cut. We were supposed to take our "mountain mom" out for lunch but she forgot, so we will try another day before we head back to Florida the end of October which is fast approaching. We decided to use a gift card for Subway in the Wal-Mart and had a really fresh and delicious sub for lunch before shopping there and then again at Food City where Nancy picked up 4 mums and some fresh salad fixin's.

Our neighbor through the woods needed help moving a large new door inside their cabin so after getting home and unpacking we decided to walk over to their place so Nancy could get in a hike. The door was huge and heavy and the three of us got it inside and stowed, as they await our friends who did work for us come next week and put the door in for them. While we were there visiting another neighbor on top of the mountain came by and we all visited for a few before we headed back home to have some supper.

We had picked up a fried chicken from Wal-Mart and along with some fresh broccoli and a salad we ate well. After the cleanup I settled into the Ray's game in Toronto and they were winning big over the Ray's when I decided to call it a night and hit the showers. I was ready for some horizontal lab, LATER

Friday Morning Sept 29th

 Well Thursday was a total work day and just being outside as the weather was perfect after a chilly start with lots of sunshine and Carolina blue skies. I did get in two hikes with Steve and did take a ride out to the mailbox in the late afternoon for the weekly local newspaper with Nancy in the golf cart.

I started the day with a 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 several up by name for comfort and healing. Nothing has changed in their status except now we have a 3 year old who fell out of a shopping cart and cracked her head, she at least has a concussion and lets pray nothing more. Steve called just as I finished with my morning routines and we took off on a long hike up to the top of the mountain. It was a starting to warm up but still quite chilly as we headed to the top. I came back and made a mountain breakfast of chopped jalapeno, green onion and tomato and made a 3 egg omelet and along with some sausage patties and grits an ate hearty which lasted me until supper time when we had the Nymark's up to eat with us. Nancy baked some chicken thighs and along with a fresh garden salad and some half runner green beans from the garden as well as some cranberry muffins which were excellent to accompany.

After breakfast I fired up the golf cart and headed for the backwoods to harvest some large rocks to line my new garden bed along the dry gully and then to dig a small path below the patch to walk along and access the patch from below. That kept me busy for a couple hours then I hauled pine needles to cover a couple of the front yard beds after removing the flowers which were dying and to loosen up the soil with a hoe. The large dahlia type zinnias are still blooming but many of their heads are drying up as well, so I harvested several for drying for their seeds for next years planting. Steve called around 4'ish and wanted to hike again so we took off to the top on another much warmer hike. I need to do this daily and try to get back into shape and maybe drop a pound or two.

After supper we played 3 games of hand and foot and the gals prevailed tonight for a chance winning all three but they were close in scores except for one game. It was going on 10'ish by then and I hit the shower after they left for their campground. Seems they will be tied up with their family for the next 4 days or so. We will have to entertain ourselves at supper and afterwards until we entertain the Botbyl's who are coming a week from this Saturday for a whole week and then the Tracy's come the same day but will stay only until the following Wednesday. 

Well that was about it for the day and my muscles are sore but feel great from all the physical work and exercise, LATER

Thursday Morning Sept 28th

 Well Wednesday saw us with rain and fog for most of the morning and with cool temps down into the low 50's and not much sunshine at all until late afternoon. I started the day with my usual 6'ish roll out to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD, to give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as I make this post.

We headed into Sparta after a lite breakfast of oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, pecans and blue berries from my bushes to drop off some Faith and Freedom brochures at the Episcopal church. There met the church secretary and made sure their pastor/priest were invited to the prayer breakfast in October as well as to let their congregation know they also were invited for program. She was very receptive to our invite and then we headed over to Sparta Methodist where we met Donna Meyers the secretary and gave her the same invite and their pastor. As we spoke I mentioned I was from Winchester, Va. and we struck up a conversation about her in laws who lived in the same area where I worked during high school and I remember her father in law who shopped occasionally at Cather's Farm Market in the Round Hill community, such a small world.

We then headed over to the ER at the hospital where we found Steve in the waiting room as Sheri had broken the tip of her ring finger while moving a mattress earlier in the morning. Seems she really did a number on the finger and x-ray's showed the tip was broken in several pieces and now she must see an orthopedic surgeon to see if its set right for healing, oh well. She is doing well with OTC pain meds but has a large splint and bandage on the hand. They came for a supper of pasta fosule soup which was very tasty. I of course pulled green onions, a jalapeno pepper and some fresh rosemary from the garden to add to mine. Sheri added some as well but Nancy and Steve kept their's plain which was very delicious and we have enough leftover for our "mountain mom" to have some and for another lunch. What a perfect meal on this cold damp evening.

Steve and I did get in a late afternoon hike to the top of the mountain and it was a great hike after being cooped up with the inclement weather. Before eating we played spades and the guys won both games and then after eating with the Ray's game on in the back ground the guys won both hand and foot games and the Ray's won as well. Men ruled last night. It was going on 10 when we called it a night as it was raining lightly with lots of fog when they headed down to their "bear cave" campground. I soon hit the shower and read until 11'ish, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 27th

Well it was a soggy foggy start of the day on Tuesday and cool with temps in the low 50's but it did warm up enough by the afternoon for shorts and a t -shirt. I loved the cool temps as it keeps the pesky gnats and bugs away plus I was doing some physical work outside. I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing, at this time all are holding.

I headed out to smooth out some ripples in the driveway where vehicles spin causing ruts and then headed out to work in the gardens as I want to get them ready for a load of pine needles to keep the weeds out for next summer. I still have peppers what the deer haven't eaten maturing so I covered them with a mesh that I use on the blueberry bushes which are just about coming to a close for the season. Another week or so and they should be finished, but what a year of abundance. I then headed up into the backwoods with a rake and began raking down the pine needles into a pile so when its time to winterize the gardens all I have to do is load them into a trash can and transport them via the golf cart to the many flower beds and gardens.

I noticed the burn pile still had some smoldering log pieces so I added some kindling and got it burning again. I then cleaned out some fallen limbs and debris from the backwoods and burned them up. It was such a wonderful working day that I fired up the chainsaw and sawed down a pine tree that had the top broken out during a wind storm and used it for a border for my additional garden patch along the back yard gully. I extended the area where I grew cucumbers this year which produced tons of fruit and oh my were they delicious. I want to grow my squashes there alongside them next year and stay away from the circle drive bed for growing veggies. I still may sow some bean seeds in that area as they did quite well.

Well we decided since we were having our Culture For Christ monthly meeting at 6 to eat our lunch/supper meal around 3:30. I'm liking just two meals a day after a mountain breakfast and then holding off for the typical lunch, but combing the two meals. Nancy made pasta and shrimp which was delicious and had a fresh garden salad to accompany. We headed out around 5:30 for the meeting at church and decided to cancel tonights prophecy class as most of us were in the meeting tonight. It was going on 9 before we got back to the cabin and I tuned into the Ray's game in Boston and they won 9-6 after having a 7-0 lead when we got home. Oh well. The Bucs lost to the Eagles at home after making too many errors and drop passes. I'm not totally sold on them this year, but they did have a 2-0 start, LATER

Tuesday Morning Sept 26th

 Well Monday started out with overcast skies and stayed that way until late afternoon when we saw the sun briefly, but the temps weren't bad with a high somewhere close to 70. Nancy had a couple loads of laundry outside on the clothesline which eventually dried and I worked outside all day except for a mid morning hike to the top of the mountain. We had a delicious large breakfast of sausage, eggs and toast which held me until suppertime when we finished up the stuffed green peppers and smashed tatters with a garden fresh salad.

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 us several by name. All seem to be holding as I make this post although a couple are hurting from illnesses. I headed out after breakfast and dug up the couple of lettuce seedlings from the back yard garden and transplanted them into the upper garden patch which the deer seem to leave alone as they have been in the former garden almost every night eating the green pepper plants as well as the beet plants. I had sowed some lettuce seeds a week or so again and they had matured to a couple of leaves so I transplanted them as well in the upper garden in hopes they will continue to give us leafy greens for the salad bowl.

All of the tomato plants have died but I still have several ripening which will supply us with fruit for another week or so. They sure did well this summer all coming from volunteer seedlings I brought from my Florida garden last winter. The rosemary is still doing quite well and I'm hoping it will come back next summer but it usually dies from the cold here at the cabin. The kale and parsley as well as the cilantro are still doing fine but the cucumber leaves from those couple of cold morning are showing signs of dying. I still have hundreds of blooms but I'm not sure they will make.

I harvested another pint of blueberries which just keep on producing and there are another couple of pickings that are still turning. What an abundant harvest this year from just two bushes and the other two haven't started producing for some reason this year. I had a brush pile down below the gardens in the gully and decided to see if it would burn and I got it started. It burned which took nearly all day as there were some old decayed logs pieces in it as well as old berry bushes and lots of tree trimmings. I love the smell of burning wood.

Well that was about it for a Monday as Nancy's Bible class was cancelled due to several showing signs of illness, so we settled into the Bucs game for the first half which was a bust for the home team so I hit the shower and found my book more interesting than the game and turned the TV over to her. The Nymark's are coming back today so I'm sure we will play later tonight some cards, LATER

Monday Morning Sept 25th

 Well Sunday was mostly overcast with cool temps but no rain on the first Fall day. We are starting to see some leaf colors and lots of leafs on the ground from this last rain and wind. Steve and I took a late afternoon hike to the top of the mountain and we were surprised at the number of leaves on the ground. Sunday also was a corporate worship day at Cornerstone and then lunch out at the pizzeria in Sparta with the Frankis Family. We then had the Nymark's for supper and card games until 10'ish.

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, except for Eddie all seem to be holding however our dear sweet friend Clarence isn't doing so well, but he was in church this morning. Everyone else is holding as I make this post. I picked up the Nymark's and we rode together to church then eating out afterwards. We love the lunch special and then it was a stop at the Food Lion for a couple items before heading back on the mountain.

I tuned into the Ray's game on the laptop and the NFL games on TV while Nancy did her Bible study for Monday night. The Ray's lost again to the Jay's and the Bucs don't play until Monday night. So I really didn't much care who won the other games. There was a few surprise upsets but nothing that drew my attention. Steve and Sheri came and we took a hike and then we played cards before and after they had some supper which I skipped because of the big lunch. We did later in the evening have brownies and vanilla ice cream while playing cards.

The guys won big the last couple of day for a change with winning at spades in the rubber match and then three games in a row of hand and foot last evening. We did hear some whining but I won't mention who, oh well, but it was fun and the evening flew by with fellowship. We will be alone for a couple days as the Nymark's head over to see Sheri's mom in Gatlinburg for a couple day. Neighbor Gerald blessed us with some frozen deer and pork meat as they headed back to Winston. The deer have being doing a number on my beets and pepper plants in the backwoods garden at night. I still have a dozen or more large peppers to harvest, as they just eat the plants and not the fruit, oh well, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 24th

 Well Saturday was a wet cold day for most of the morning but we finally saw the sun as late evening approached, but for the most part it was a stay in the cabin kind of day. I did manage a walk around the yards and up the backwoods trail to just get in some exercise but that was all. I watched a lot of college football and then the Nymark's came for supper and it was a game of heart before eating and a couple of games of spades afterwards. Not much to write about. We gave "hand and foot" a rest despite us being addicted to the game.

I did start the day with a sleep in until 7'ish for a change as the extra blanket great in the cool cabin which had me wanting to stay in bed, but I eventually got up and turned the fake fireplace on for some heat to take off the chill and then we had it on until lunch time when the rain stopped. I did my usual 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. I haven't heard how Eddie is doing in the hospital but every one else is holding as I make this post.

We watched the Ray's come from behind to beat the Jays while playing cards and that was another great win for the home team. There are only a few games left to catch the Orioles but they to continue to win as well. Today is corporate worship day at Cornerstone in Sparta and then lunch out at the pizzeria with the Nymark's who leave for a couple of days on Monday to see her mom in Gatlinburg. We will sure miss them, LATER 

Saturday Morning Sept 23rd

 Well Friday was a busy fun filled day that did have us doing some heavy exercise on the New River Trail for 10 miles or more; but the weather was perfect as well as was the company. We did supper/dinner out at a delicious Mexican eatery in Galax with our dear friends Steve and Sheri Nymark's who have a summer place just down the hill from the cabin and who love to play games which we did until after 10'ish once again last night. It was a great day as Nancy and I reminisced about the wedding 44 year ago, GOD is good as we have 2 awesome kids and they have 7 grands between them.

I started the day off with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. Eddie our  paraplegic is back in the hospital with pneumonia as well as other issues so he needs our prayers for healing and comfort, all the rest seem to be holding. I headed out to check on the gardens for deer and slug damage and while they have been in the gardens they have eaten only a little tops of the beets and cucumber leaves. This summer garden is winding down but I did harvest another cucumber and several bell peppers which are still loaded on the plants. The tomato's plants have just about all died but I still have a few green ones on the vine which I hope to ripen in the sunshine.

I dropped my truck off at Wal-Mart for an oil change while we biked the New River Trail which runs for several miles. We did a new section for about 5 miles one way while making a couple of stops along the way, then it was back to our starting point which has a slight uphill grade which required pedaling on the cinder material. Now that used some muscle power and we were whupped by the time we reached the starting point in Galax. We headed to El Grande which is in the strip stores along Big Lots and Hobby Lobby area for some fine Mexican eatin. One of the nicer eateries in the area and the food was superb in flavor and quantity. We would definitely visit there again.

Well it was back home around 5'ish to get ready for the Nymark's who were joining us for cards the rest of the evening. We played the best of 3 games of hand and foot and guys once again prevailed after losing the first game. We had the Ray's game on in the back ground and they lost to the Blue Jays at the Trop. It was after 10 before we guys won the final game so they headed out for their campground and we headed for the showers. It was a fun day as we celebrated 44 years together in many different ways. LATER

Saturday Morning Sept 22nd..Anniversary Day 44 years ago

Well Friday turned out to be a near perfect day weather wise with chilly temps to start the morning with warm dry air and tons of sunshine to complete the day. It was a fun day with some gardening in the morning before the gnats became so bad to be outside. This year has been bad for bugs for some reason as its almost unbearable to be outside with out a hat, oh well.

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 too lift several up for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as of this post. I headed out after a breakfast of oatmeal, cinnamon, honey, pecans, blueberries and a banana to start the gastric juices flowing to dig up some wine berry bushes in the backwoods yard as well as some Rose of Sharon seedlings that has sprouted up among the berry bushes. I have two large Sharon bushes that border the garden in that area and the seedlings are everywhere but these were larger than those in the grass which I mow down. I took the seedlings down to Steve campground and transplanted a dozen or more around to give him eventually a border around his well house and to add some colors as well. They bloom all summer and are quite beautiful attracting bees and hummingbirds.

Nancy and I walked down around mid morning to meet up with the Nymark's for a top of the mountain hike but stopped and met the new neighbor of Steve's who has a new camper trailer spot. We met Keith Rose the owner and Erick Larson his buddy. It was a pleasant meeting and felt great about them as being a new neighbor and his friend. Keith graduated from Alleghany High and Erick is from Pilot Mountain but lives over in Ashe County. Both are retired truck drivers. We headed on up the back road and jumped out 5 deer to start the hike and then another 2 deer as we hiked further towards the top. The views were awesome but enough haze you couldn't see the buildings in Winston-Salem. We stopped and chatted with Billy on top for a few as he was preserving the boards for his shop and then headed on down the mountain. The gals were taking their time on the hike and were several minutes behind us so we rode my bikes down to his place where he will put them on his 4 bike rack for our ride on the new River Trail today (Sat).

I will drop off my truck at Wal-Mart for an oil change while we are on the trail and then have a late lunch in Galax. Nancy made stuffed peppers for our supper with smashed tatter and it was delicious. Afterwards we played cards until after 10'ish. I did watch the afternoon game between the Ray's and Angels and we won in the bottom of the 9th as we are still are in the hunt for the division win, LATER

Thursday Morning Sept 21st

 Well Wednesday turned out to be rather nice after a chilly start. Fall is definitely in the air as we are starting to see some leaf color. The day started for me around my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines of some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name. All seem to be holding at this time. I headed out to check on the gardens and noticed the deer were in it again over night eating my beet greens, oh well. Our guest were leaving this morning after a breakfast eggs and toast and what we thought they were heading Charleston for a couple days but decided to head back to the Brooksville area instead. They texted last night and made it home safely.

I took a nice long hike around mid morning down to Steve's place and then up to the top of the mountain and back down by Ann and Franks and finally up the steep driveway. I saw Gerald and Phylis sitting out on their back porch and spoke to them and she even spoke to me for the first time in years inquiring if I had seen the bear lately. Wow, hopefully that was a break through for friendliness. We sure miss the great friendship we had with Gerald over the years and he still is a great neighbor despite her reluctance to associate with us. She use to run away when ever she saw us on foot on in our vehicle coming up the driveway, oh well.

We had a snack for lunch as we were eating large around 4'ish due to our small group meeting church at 6 so Sheri and Steve joined us for left overs and some orzo pasta  which was delicious. Today we will pull a supper with stuffed peppers and smashed tatters and then back to some game playing. Steve and I separated the 6 decks of card while sitting out in the sunshine on the deck as we now will only use 4 decks in the game with just us. Supper was very tasty and then we got ready to head to Sparta with a stop at the Food Lion for a couple items.

Our small group had 10 of us with a couple folks missing and we watched Amir who is a christian Jew on video telling us about Europe and how they are showing signs of welcoming the anti-Christ with their actions and decisions much like America with our wokeism and corrupt government. I do believe we are seeing all of the prophetic signs that are told to us in the last days and the return of Jesus and the tribulation. America and the world is being inundated with evil and its influence on our society and culture, oh well. We must be strong in our belief of the truth in the Bible and in Jesus.

We got back around 9'ish so the Nymark's headed down to their place and I watched the Ray's lose at the Trop to the Angels. After the game I soon hit the shower and was ready for horizontal lab a little after 10. Nancy seems to be doing better using the Neti pot several times a day as it cleans out her nose and thus far no bleeding since Sunday morning. That's a praise, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 20th

 Well Tuesday was just a near perfect day with a chilly start and then tons of sunshine and blue skies. It was perfect for a nearly 8 mile hike/walk along the New River Trail in Virginia with the 6 of us. We crossed the New River itself along and an old train trestle and then through a tunnel. The trail is made of cinders which is also perfect for biking and we saw many on the trail.

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 for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as of now and Nancy seems to have finally over come the nose bleeds, thankfully. I piddled around the cabin until it was time to head out for the Galax area with Steve driving us in his 8 passenger SUV. The hike took us a couple hours and while we have done it many times it was the first for them and they seemed to really enjoy it. We made a grocery stop on the way home and got back to the cabin around 3'ish for a lite lunch of left over soup. Everyone just rested until around 6'ish when we ate a supper of tacos together then settled into 2 games of hand and foot. Well the gals were up one game going into the nights play but the guys pulled it together or the cards just were right tonight and we won two in a row and had the majority wins over this period together. We had the Ray's game on in the back ground and they beat the Angels 6-2 at the Trop in St.Petersburg.

Well it was going on 10 so everyone decided to call it a night and I hit the shower while James decided he wanted to sleep outside in their large van which has beds, a potty and everything found in a camper. He mentioned Anne is a snorer so Anne headed upstairs to sleep alone. It was lights out for me around 10'ish and unknown when Nancy decided to come to bed. We added an extra blanket to the bed which really makes it comfortable and snuggly on these chilly nights. Nancy had the fireplace on yesterday morning for awhile as the temps were in the low 50's. The Martello's leave this morning so it will be just the Nymark's for supper the next several days and games at night, LATER

Tuesday Morning Sept 19th

 Well Monday turned out too be rather pleasant after a chilly start with temps down into the low 50's, but we eventually warmed up enough for t-shirts and shorts and we were able to sit outside on the deck and play games or at least we three guys did while gals lazed inside the cabin. It was a great day either way you look at it as we got in a really long hike mid morning with a stop at the Nymark campground and they joined us and then we came back some where around 1'ish. We had such a large breakfast to start the day with blueberry pancakes(berries I picked that morning from my bushes), eggs and bacon. That held me until supper time when I grilled t-bones steaks, baked sweet taters and a garden fresh salad with a little vino before hand.

I started the day with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble and for some reason my readership has exploded to over a thousand a day. I'm wondering if there is a mistake with their counter, oh well , but I welcome any and all who find my posts relaxing and informing on the daily living of a retiree in the mountains of N.C. during the summer and Florida in the winter. GOD has blessed me and my family with this standard of living and the chance to share his beautiful creation with friends and family.

We guys sat outside on the deck and played several games of DICE where you have to hit ten thousand points exactly to win but to make seven hundred fifty to start or meld. Then we played a game of "chicken foot" dominos with a Mexican train thrown into the mix. A new wrinkle into the already exciting fun game of chance. After supper we played "hand and foot" and the gals won big on the last hand so now they are up 4-3 in games over this visit with the Martello's and Nymark's. I'm sure when its just the Nymark's and us starting on Wednesday, we will be playing nightly as we all are addicted to the game. We did watch a little of the NFL before bedtime after the game, LATER

Monday Morning Sept 18th

 Well Sunday was a wet, foggy and cool day that we saw no sunshine or blue skies after being blessed on Saturday with tons of sunshine and blue skies. The rain fell for most of the day but no gully washers, thankfully. We did our corporate worship at Cornerstone minus Nancy and Anne as both are under the weather. Nancy once again started bleeding from the nose early in the morning and Anne is coming down with something and felt washed out and tired. I started the day with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that honor my LORD with some quiet time, give thanks for another day and lift several up for comfort and healing, all are holding as of now. I did get in an abbreviated hike up the back trail which got the heart beats up and worked out those muscles as the rest of the day was a wash.

After the church service the 4 of us ate lunch out at the pizzeria and it was delicious with a great fresh salad and personal pan pizza. Sheri brought the biggest part of hers home for later. We made a Food Lion and Walgreens stop for some cold meds for Anne and some stuff to help with Nancy's nose bleeds. It seems after using her one washing out device called a "nettypot" that cleans and lubricants the nose she feels much better. Lets hope that works for complete healing.

We watched some NFL games after getting back on the mountain until the Nymark's came up from their camp ground and then we played cards until supper time which was soup's and crackers and some pop corn before hand. After the clean up we taught or tried to teach the Martello's Euchre which was a bust as its hard for folks understand the game but they have learned to love the game "hand and foot" which we played until close to 11. LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 17th

 Well Saturday started out on the chilly side but with plenty of sunshine and blue skies. 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 and to give thanks for another day as well as lift several up by name for comfort and healing, all are holding as I make this post. Nancy is still having some nose bleeds but not as severe as it once was in the beginning and it started again this morning. The cotton ball soaked in apple cidar vinegar stops the bleed almost immediately and that usually last for most of the day and night. We purchased one of those nasal washers and some afrin but the vinegar works the best, plus she is using some moisture creams like vaseline and something called aqua cream; but the one nostril is still leaking blood this AM, oh well.

I got in two good hikes during the day one with Steve, James and Ann in the morning and just us guys in the afternoon after a round of cards. We had a hearty breakfast of egg, sausage and biscuits with fruit then headed to Sparta for the festival. Nancy at first wasn't going to go with us but changed her mind and had a fun day as we walked the streets and heard some easy listening music on the main street under the big tent. We made a grocery stop on the way back to the cabin then settled into a bite of lunch before another round of "hand and foot"which the gals won. 

After a lite supper of just snacking some pop corn we had blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream before we played 3 games of Sequence which the gals won again. I use to love the game but the gals are just to good and Nancy takes it too seriously; at least the card game is much more fun as you can talk some what. We guys won the tying game after supper; so its 2 a piece for now as we keep a running score. Everyone loves the game and afterwards they all headed for bed. Steve and Sheri down to their place and Ann and James to the shower while I watched some football until 11 after a shower.

The Ray's lost last night to the Orioles but have won 2 out of 3 so far. Today Sunday is corporate worship day at Cornerstone and then the Pizzeria afterwards for lunch before heading home to watch or listen to some of the NFL, LATER

Saturday Morning Sept 16th

 Well Friday was a bit on the cool side for most of the day except by late afternoon we were able to play cards and eat outside on the deck. It was very pleasant and the coolness kept the bugs away. Great fellowship with the Nymark's and now the Martello's who arrived around 3'ish. Ann and James have moved out of Seminole and bought property near Brooksville along with their son and his family. They love to grow gardens and now raise chickens.

I started the day much the usual with my 6'ish rollout to wearing a flannel shirt as the temps were down into the low 50's but plenty of sunshine. I did my quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem as well as can be expected. I headed out after breakfast to check on the gardens for deer damage. They did get in the night before and et the lettuces and the beet greens. I just a minute ago ran them out of the yard once again.

We spent the morning getting ready for the Martello's as I had two large whole chickens on the smoker at 11 and took them off around 6'ish. I harvested a mess of half runners for the dinner table as well along with oven taters covered with fresh rosemary and a garden fresh salad. We had a little vino to start the event. We did set in the sunshine on the deck after the Nymark's arrived and played a game of "hand and Foot" which the guys prevailed but the later game after supper was just the opposite with gals winning big. We were all tired and decided to call it a night around 9:30. I did watch the Ray's win big over the Orioles 7-1 to now tie them with the best record in our division after giving up the lead a month or so ago.

Today we are planning on visiting Sparta for the Heritage Festival and then once again getting together for supper and games, LATER

Friday Morning Sept 15th

 Well Thursday was a day we won't forget for awhile as Nancy could not get her nose to stop bleeding, I mean heavy bleeding at times and long blood clots streaming from her nose. It was so heavy I became concerned and spoke with an old church member who is a P.A. She mentioned what happens at urgent care facilities where she works is cold compresses on the nose, neck , lite pressure and the use of Afrin which is a constrictor to blood vessels. So I headed to Walgreens and picked up some but before that I looked at home remedies on line and found where apple cider vinegar on a cotton ball injected into the nostril works immediately and it does work. I drink this bvinegar every day and had some on hand. No more bleeding for the rest of the day, except for some minor spots where she tried to clean out the old blood. We never had to use the Afrin. Praise GOD she has stopped bleeding.

I had started the day with a 3'ish rollout and it stayed that way with Nancy's emergency as we never really got back to sleep until last night when we both sleep soundly after an evening with the Nymark's who came to the cabin for supper around 6. Thankfully we were able to entertain them with a delicious supper of tortilla soup and salad and then one game of hand and foot which the guys won handily for a change on this cool evening.

After running to Sparta to the Walgreens I fired up the weed whacker and worked on our yards giving it a last minute touch up then headed down to the Nymark's place and finished their place where the mower was unable to get to. I then worked up our driveway whacking both the over hanging trees and the grasses in the ditch. That kept me busy after my morning routines of some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks and to lift up several for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as of this post. I'm sure thankful Nancy is recovering but she is still coughing and congested. We are expecting friends this evening from Florida for several days and for supper along with the Nymark's.

I'll do a couple of beer can chickens along with some half runner green beans and salad for supper and then I'm sure we will get into teaching them this card game we love to play called "hand and foot". After the Nymark's left for the evening I watched the last couple of inning of the Ray's game and they won over the Orioles at their home field in Baltimore, with a score of 4-3. We are now just one game from tying them for the division lead, LATER 

Thursday Morning Sept 14th

 Well Wednesday found us in Galax, Va. doing some stock up shopping for company coming this weekend we hope, but after spending most of the night coping with Nancy's incessant nose bleeds I'm beginning to wonder if I should take her to the ER in Elkin. She picked up sister Dee's cold last weekend when we were there and was beginning to wonder if she had contracted covid. We had a test from last year so she took it on Monday and ever since she used the tips in her nose she has had nose bleeds. She tested negative for the virus but I'm wondering if she scratched the inner nose lining or there was some chemical on the tips causing the nose bleeds. She has never had a nose bleed in her life to her knowledge. It comes and goes as she went all day and the night before without any bleed then all of sudden it comes on and will not stop. We were up most of the night trying to stop the bleed.

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 of now. We got ready and headed to Galax around 9:30 after a lite breakfast. I headed to Lowes while she shopped at Wal-Mart and Food City and once again loaded up with groceries and items. Gas used to be 10 cents a gallon cheaper there for years than here in N.C.but now its just the opposite. It's 3.49 here and 3.59 in Va. Maybe because Va. borders D.C. where everything is out of control with this current administration.

We got back around 1'ish and had a nice lunch of a salad from my garden and Nancy was busy doing small things in the cabin as we make ready for Steve and Sheri today (Thur.) for supper and then another couple on Friday who will stay with us. (I'm not to sure that will be a great plan now with these bleeds coming on sporadically.)I fired up the riding mower and headed over to the Nymark's place and mowed their high grasses and weeds and then mowed all of our yards except the very backwoods yard which I usually mow every other time. I just mowed it a week ago but we did have a lot of moisture the past several days.

We took a golf cart ride over to the Nymark's and then to the top of the mountain as its been several days since were last on top. The views were awesome except not clear enough to see down town Winston-Salem. We came back and Nancy made a pasta dish with a fresh mushrooms and then a baked salmon filet which was awesome for our supper. I have enough leftovers for a lunch. She tuned into her shows after dark and I to the Ray's game and then I hit the shower around 10 and then the sack. She awakened me around 3'ish with a severe nose bleed which lasted the rest of the night and in to this morning. She is upright in the recliner resting as of now, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 13th

Well Tuesday was a work day for me as I did some major garden work and then the afternoon I spent reading outside on the back porch another J.A. Jance novel. She is a great story teller and keep you intrigued about different scenarios all in the same story. Any how I started the day with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that after posting this ramble I spent some quiet moments to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several who are in need of comfort and healing. All are holding as I make this post and even Nancy seems some what improved from her cough, sneezing, itchy feelings and nose bleeds. We cancelled attending church on Sunday and then again for her Monday night women's group study and then again tonights small group. Hopefully she is much better when we have company arriving on Friday to stay with us for 5 days.

I had some oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, pecans, blueberries and a banana for my breakfast and then a tomato sandwich for lunch with mayo, onion and lettuce on rosemary toasted bread, yeow was that ever delicious and then for our supper Nancy made a pot of Zuppa Soup which is the potato soup you find at the Olive Garden eatery. Once again delicious with my home grown kale and there is enough leftover for lunch one day this week. We have planned on shopping in Galax, Va. today at the super Wal-Mart and Lowes and run some errands on the way.

I headed out after breakfast to take out in the upper garden the tomato plants and turn the soil over with a shovel like I do in the sandy soil of Florida. I have finally made this bed shovel ready for tilling as well as over the years I've removed all rocks and added lots of compost into the miry clay. After completing that job and composting the dried out and dead plants I decided to clean out the wine berry patch that sets over the septic tank. What a scratchy job that was as I cleaned out the dead and dying stalks filled with stickers and pulled out the tall grasses, plus I had to contend with the pesky gnats and mosquitoes this year. They have been very annoying all summer. That took me right up until lunch time. We had mostly sunshine up until then and then it overcasted and a light rain fell at times with some sunshine and then again it rained lightly most of the evening after dark.

After checking out the gardens and flower beds after supper I settled into the Ray's game and after leading most of the game they gave up the win on one pitch and lost 3-2 to the Twins, LATER

Tuesday Morning Sept 12th

Well Monday was a nice day with lots of sunshine and only a sprinkle at times and some overcast skies towards the evening. We had another rain during the night that has left everything wet and soggy and while I just mowed the grass less than a week ago I may have to mow it again before the weekend. I started the day out with a 6'ish rollout to my usual routines that start with some quiet time to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be doing OK including Nancy who has been battling a cough and sore throat and yesterday a nose bleed which hasn't ever happened before. She had been itchy and took a Benadryl and it must have dried out her nose as well and she bled several times during the day and evening.

I headed out to check on the gardens and then noticed 4 deer in the backwoods yard which we see from time to time but no damage to the gardens or flower beds. I transplanted 6 lettuce seedlings into the garden proper the slugs didn't eat and surrounded them with fertilizer in hopes that keep the slugs away. The fertilizer burns their bodies I've learned when they crawl over or into it, plus it gives the new seedlings some nutrients since I've already grown one bath of lettuces in the same area. The tomato's are about gone as the vines have died in the upper garden but I still have a couple plants down below in the new patch that are producing small salad tomato's and the cucumbers are still blooming and I'm picking a couple every other day.

This year I'm growing lots of jalapeno's but there is no heat or spice in them. I'm eating them like an apple, weird, so I'm using crushed dried red pepper flakes in everything I want heat, oh well. The green bell peppers are plentiful for a change but the sun flowers are magnificent this year. The best ever with close to a hundred blooms and flower and beautiful in color and now over now 8ft in height, WOW. I put a rope around them to anchor them to the fence to keep them from falling over, as they are so loaded with blooms and flowers, oh well. I picked another half pint of blueberries that still have lots of green ones to ripen. They too have been plentiful this year.

We headed to town just before noon to run some errands; to the post office, library, Walgreens and finally Food Lion where we stocked up once again as we have tons of guests coming the next few days until we almost leave for Florida the end of October. We will have a few days after the last of them leave to put the cabin in the winterize mode. We are supposed to get some much cooler weather in this next week and already we are seeing the leaves falling and changing colors. We picked up a fresh pizza at the grocery and brought it home for our late lunch early supper and Nancy doctored it up with fresh mushrooms and green peppers, yeow was that ever delicious and it held me the rest of the day except for a glass of vino around 6'ish. I tuned into the Ray's game in Minnesota and they were up 7-4 in the last inning as I hit the sack around 10:30 which was past my bedtime, LATER

Monday Morning Sept 11th. A day in infamy 22 years a go

 Well Sunday tuned out to be another wet soggy day after a some what pleasant start with some sunshine and blue skies to start but the cloudy over cast skies with rain were the dominate factor the rest of the day, evening and night. I did get in a hike down the driveway a couple of times after my start of the day which gave my muscles some exercise. Nancy is still under the weather with lots of coughing and a very sore throat.

I started the day with a 6'ish roll out to my routines after posting this ramble that starts with some quiet times to honor my LORD, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as of this moment. We skipped church and stayed in the cabin as we didn't want to infect any others especially since covid is present here once again in the county. We did listen to our local pastor in Florida and then two other pastors with great messages from Gary Hamrick and Jack Hibbs. It was going on 1'ish when we finished with our worship services on line and then it was the NFL and MLB for me the rest of the day both on the TV and the lap top. I had the Ray's game on the laptop and two NFL games on TV.

My niece Sandy and husband Bob who we visited a couple weeks ago in Hickory/Newton area are great Viking fans and they flew to Minnesota to see them play my team the Bucs. While I didn't see the game except the final score where my team won in a good close game 20-17. I had the Ray's game in St.Pete on the lap top and they won the final game of the series with the Mariners taking 3 out of the 4 games against this good team. I watched a couple other games and the Panthers lost big to the Falcons and the Saints won over the Titans were the other couple of games I flipped around watching. The Bears got blown out by the Packers who the Bucs play next week and the Eagles beat the Patriots in a close game. I love football season but had to give up the TV to Nancy for the Sunday night game so she could watch HGTV, oh well.

That was about it for Sunday as we ate lite with oatmeal for breakfast, a salad for lunch and leftover October beans for me and soup for Nancy for supper.  Today we head to Sparta to pick up some cold meds for Nancy as well as a script at Walgreens, a quick stop at the library and then some groceries at the Food Lion. We are staying away from others as much as possible just in case she is contagious. So far I'm weathering this storm, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 10th

Well Saturday started out nice with some sunshine and blue skies with cooler temps but by lunch time that all changed to overcast skies and rain. Thankfully it wasn't a gully washer and its still raining lightly this AM. 

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that star with some quiet time to honor my LORD giving thanks for another day and lifting several up by name after posting this ramble. All seem to be holding as of this time. I headed outside to check on the gardens and walk around the property which we love so dearly. The flowers are gorgeous still despite all of the rain the past two days but I did notice the cone flowers in the upper bed are fading in their once bright colors. The huge sun flowers are really showing their beauty and some have as many as 20 heads per stalk, Beautiful in colors of yellow and red tint and over 8 ft tall are a couple.

I piddled around in the gardens until breakfast as we finished up a couple blueberry pancakes from a day ago along with a couple sausage patties and a couple of cackleberries(eggs). That held me until late afternoon when I finished off the last of the blueberries with cream and a hand full of mixed nuts. Thankfully we got in a hike up and down the driveway a couple of times as the skies looked like rain any moment and we wanted to get in some exercise and not be caught on the mountain top. That hike is just as steep as the backwoods climb but with no views. 

I did harvest some cucumbers and tomato's before the rain started and checked on my lettuce seedlings the slugs didn't eat. I'm keeping them up at night until they get large enough to set out in the garden proper which should be in a day or so if we get some sunshine which isn't looking promising. I finished a Jance book and then watched college football the rest of the day and evening except for watching the Ray's game which is usually not on TV here. Once again they over came a lousy start  and won in a walk off homer in the bottom of the 9th over the Mariners in St.Pete at the Trop. What a game and the win keeps them in the hunt for the Orioles which we play on Thursday in Baltimore.

Well Nancy has developed some cold symptoms which a cough and congestion in her throat and head so we will skip corporate worship this morning and watch our services on line. I think she caught whatever Dee had while we visiting over the weekend in Virginia. She seems to be getting worst daily. I'm showing some signs of sharing her symptoms as well which I think hopefully with supplements will help fight off this malady, LATER 

Saturday Morning Sept 9th

 Well Friday started out with some coolness in the air and stayed pleasant all day and evening with no a/c on at all. Such a beautiful day after an all night drenching which dropped over an inch of rain. It was a work day as I piddled around outside digging up the garden where the beans once were and getting it ready for some lettuce seedlings that survived the slug attack. I think I'll have a row of seedlings or two that will fit in nicely in that area. 

I started the day much the usual with a 6'ish rollout 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 for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding as I make this post. I headed out to check on the gardens and flower beds and harvested another handful of cucumbers which has been a banner year since I moved them from the front circle drive bed to the new area along the deep gully in the backwoods yards. Definitely next year I will plant them again along with the squashes. I did harvest another zucchini but the plants are showing signs of dying but the cukes are still loaded with blooms as are the pepper plants. The kale is still producing as well while the tomato's are showing signs of slowly fading out except for a couple of plants down below the cabin.

We took a mid morning hike to the top of the mountain and met up with a new neighbor to the hood who worked over the road leading up from Ann and Franks place. His name is Dale Golding and he purchased acreage along that road as well as the old farm on Foggy Mountain. He has lots of heavy equipment and did a lot of free work road work for Ann and Frank. He seems like a very nice man of some where in his late 40's or early 50's with kids and grand kiddos. He is a hunter as well and is going to New Mexico to hunt Elk this Fall. He was checking out his game camera's and mention about several bears in this area and plans to hunt them as well this year. He grew up in the Low Gap area and has land down there as well as up here. He mentioned if he could be of any service to let him know. He did a great job on straightening out and making the road passable this summer.

Well I dug up the grasses that were going wild along the driveway flower gardens, which kept me busy for several hours but it looks so much cleaner in that area. I took the grasses and put them in a couple bare spots in the backwoods yard hoping they will take. Grass grows in the rocks in the driveway where I don't want it to grow but not where I want it, oh well. We ate healthy with tacos for supper and then I tuned into the Ray's game and they came back from being 2 runs down to win by 3 over the Seattle team, LATER

Friday Morning Sept 8th

 Well Thursday was another work day that started out with a 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 up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding at this time. I piddled around outside until breakfast time around 9'ish which had us eating blueberry pancakes , sausage and eggs, delicious which held us until suppertime except for a handful of nuts around 2'ish. I'm liking just two meals a day and hopefully I can lose some of this belly fat, oh well.

I headed out to work in the gardens and noticed the 20 some lettuce seedlings are now down to just a total of 9 after the slugs made them their main dish over night. I was surprised they crawled into the 4 packs and nearly ate them all. I killed 4 or 5 large slugs that were hiding under the pots. I guess they over ate and couldn't crawl away, anyhow they won't be eating anymore seedlings. I resowed more lettuce seeds in hope they will give us the salad bowl up and until we leave in about 8 weeks or so. 

I cleaned out the October bean's and got a nice mess that we cooked for supper and have enough that were hardened off or now are dried beans in their shells to be cooked at a later date. I set these out in the sun to complete their drying process. The ones we cooked for supper were still soft in the shell and my were they ever delicious cooked with some smoked bacon. I harvested more cucumbers, green peppers and tomato's and took a sack of them along with a sack of half runners to our "mountain mom" to enjoy. 

Well neighbor Gerald was up and had ordered a load of crush and run gravel for our driveway and the big truck delivered it during the afternoon. We got a severe weather warning around dark and the skies opened up with heavy gully washer rain and lightning and thunder for a couple hours. I'm wondering if that load of gravel washed away during the storm which dropped heavy rain. I sure hope some of this storm and rain moved up the valley to Virginia as they need rain as did we. Drought conditions persist in their area.

Well I tuned into the Ray's game after supper and they could not score a run and lost once again in their run up to the playoffs. Son Bobby and grandson Gabe were at the game in St.Pete along with some baseball buddies. I did some porch setting in the afternoon and read for a couple hours, LATER 

Thursday Morning Sept 7th

 Well Wednesday was a total work day that had me weed eating and then mowing the total property and it was rather hot by the afternoon. Thankfully I finished around 3'ish and headed in to the cool cabin where we had our large meal of the day combining both lunch and supper, since we had a 6 PM meeting.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines which I had gotten away from when your away from your residence, so I posted this ramble and then spent some quiet time with my LORD giving thanks for another day and lifting up several by name for comfort and healing. All are holding as I make this post.

I headed out early to check on the gardens, harvesting several cucumbers and doing some hand watering before firing up the weed eater. The dew was heavy but that kept the dust down as we need a little rain since it hasn't rained in over a week. That kept me busy until 11'ish when I took a break and then I started mowing all of the yards. They were rather high in places since it had been two or more weeks since I last mowed.

We had a baked tatter along with a pan fried ribeye and a cucumbers and onions mixture which always goes good with a tatter for our meal which lasted us the rest of the day and evening. We headed out around 5:30 for Cornerstone where our small group of 10 folks meet to discuss the prophecy found in the Bible and to listen to Jack Hibbs who is renown for his knowledge on the subject and what is happening in the world with this UFO issue. Since we are in the last days or the days of Noah, Jack believes these sightings which are unexplained with their supernatural actions against the laws of our physics are really demons manifested and not some being from an alien universe. The Bible clearly supports the deception that is occurring in these last days with regard to this phenomena.

We got back home around 9:30 and I watched the last innings of the Ray's game which they won the night before in 11 innings and then again last night. The NFL starts tonight once again on Thursday's, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 6th

 Well it was great visiting Woodstock, Va. and the sisters for a couple of days in the hot and dry Shenandoah Valley. The corn and other crops are about burned up with most of the gardens dried up that we saw during our visit. The temps were more like Florida with highs near a hundred degrees for while we were there. A 90 was cool for them for a high, oh well. We had a fun time playing cards until late at night and the gals were the winners over all. We have become addicted to this game called "hand and foot" and despite loving most card games we never ventured from this game, oh well. It does take some time to play but it does require some thinking and of course some luck.

We made a couple of stops on our way out at the butcher shop for some bacon in vacuum packs which we will break up and freeze and then to see an old friend whom I've known since she was but a toddler. She now runs the civil war museum on I-81 in New Market next to the battle field. She blessed us with 4 pints of her family's home made apple butter which they make yearly in October. She looked great and is still working but divorced. She lost her parents and sister years ago and has one son who is out on his own and just turned 30.

We stopped in Salem, Va. for a potty break and for fuel at 3.67 a gallon. It's really high in cost the further north you get as the price is still at 3.49 in Galax. We decided to not stop on the way through Galax as we have to go there later over the weekend as we are having guests next week, but did stop for some hot dog buns at a local store. It was right at 2'ish when we got back on the mountain and unloaded then had a couple of dogs with some sliced tomato's and chips.

I headed out afterwards to hand water the potted flower pots that were dry and wilting then hand watered the cucumbers and harvested several with a couple as large as small water melons. After the heat lessened we both headed out to harvest blue berries which are still producing as well as half runner beans and several ripe tomato's and large green peppers. The sun flowers have really developed and are beautiful. The grass is high so I will tackle it today with weed whacking first and then mowing. We could some rain here as well. We fixed a small frozen pizza for supper as we ate the dogs late and weren't really that hungry. I settled into the Ray's game until it went into extra innings as they blew a 5 run lead over the Red Sox's, LATER

Monday Morning LABOR DAY Sept 4th

Well its still dry here in the mornings and all day long with high heat which is up into the 90's. We did manage a hike along the Shenandoah River which is dangerously low, but still full of fishes. We toured around the area before coming back and spending the day inside the a/c. We of course got in a couple of games of Hand and Foot which takes about 2 hours or so to play; the running score is 6 wins for the gals to 5 wins for the guys. I think we are all hooked on this game.

We ate high on the hog as the old country saying goes for breakfast and again for supper with just some snacks during the afternoon while listening to some NFL and college football. We at least got to bed before midnight for a change. It's been a great vacation thus far.

We did worship on line with Cornerstone Chapel with Gary Hamrick where we were intending to go to Sunday morning. Thankfully Dee is feeling much better with the cough just about completely gone but still has some congestion in her head but not enough to put her down from playing the game. 

We will stop on the way out of town tomorrow and pick up this famous bacon and then to stop and visit briefly with an old friend at the Civil War museum where she works, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 3rd

 Well Saturday was another fun filled day with a stay at home as both Dee and I are sniffing with either a cold or some allergies, she has a nagging cough more so than me so we decided instead of traveling and hour and half to Leesburg, Va. to visit with Cornerstone Chapel to watch it on the tube and not be suspected with having covid because of the cough, oh well another day and time.

We ate rather well for supper after banana breads, cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then snacks during the afternoon until supper when we had burgers, beans from my garden and corn on the cob with some vino to precede all of this while watching some football and playing Hand and Foot until once again late in the evening for us. At least it was before 1'ish before we got to bed.

Mike and I got in a good hike through his neighbor hood which has some steep hills during the afternoon which had warmed up to the upper 80's but no humidity. Today we will worship while watching on line sermons and hopefully meet their new friends maybe tomorrow, LATER

Saturday Morning Sept 2 nd

 Well Friday was an uneventful day as we slept in after a late night of games and did nothing except have a late morning brunch of fresh fruit and BLT's, yeow, were they ever delicious which held us until supper time around 6'ish. We played another couple rounds of Hand and Foot during the afternoon and were tied with wins by both teams until once again last evening when the gals slaughtered us guys in the last round which lasted until 11:30, oh well I think we have Mike and Dee hooked on the game which is addictive.

We took the leisure drive along the old route to Winchester which is RT 11. It was the old battle ground route that saw many of the Civil War battles and all of the quaint small towns from the early days of our colonies . We passes some historical buildings where the first 5 presidents of our nation stayed and slept in and one of the oldest Inns in America at the Wayside Inn from the early 1600's. Such history and the drive is just beautiful in the Shenandoah Valley.

We met up with the other two sisters who are actually first cousins but their parents took me in and raised me as a small lad before the three girls were born. I remind then I changed all of their cloth diapers back in the days. All are aging with the oldest at 71 and Dee the youngest who is Nancy's age who we stay with in their beautiful home. We had a round table of 8 of us for a delicious supper at Cracker Barrel. I did not remember the area of Winchester as we travelled up that route as its changed so much 1964 when I left home, Later

Friday Morning Sept 1st

 Well this will be a short post as we left the cabin yesterday morning and made the 4 plus hour trip to Woodstock, Va. with a couple of stops along the way.We got here around 4'ish with an uneventful trip thankfully. It's cool here this morning with bright sunshine but extremely dry as the corn fields are dried up and brown.

We had a delicious supper and then played Hand and Foot until 1:30 in the morning, The guys won on the rubber game, barely. I think we have them  hooked on the game. LATER