Monday Moning Sept 30

 Well Sunday started out with a sleep in until 7'ish for a change, after not sleeping well during the storm and its aftermath. It's just nice to have power back and I feel for those who are still in the dark especially those we know here in the county. We were able to save most of our frozen food as we kept the fridge doors closed and did find ice eventually to add to them, so now we have less than 3 weeks until we leave and its time to clean out the fridges for the long ride home on the 20th. It's good to hear that power has been restored to the Seminole house and that everything seems to be relatively in good shape. Many thanks to our son in law Tyler and his son Sam as well as Amy, who have checked on the place and did the after storm clean up.We along with Steve and Sheri headed to Cornerstone for church and while attendance was down it was mainly opened to those who needed to cleanup and recharge electronics as well as have one member do a talk on prayer as he is the noted prayer leader by the church leadership. Afterwards we headed into town and had a filling delicious lunch at the pizzeria.

We headed home and I spent the rest of the day on the couch watching the NFL and I must say saw some good games until around 5'ish when the Nymark's came and we played several rounds of the Monopoly card game which is a hoot and then one game of hand, knee and foot; well the gals caught up and its now even in scoring as we were well ahead 5-1 at one time in games. We lost on the final hand after catching up and being a head going into the last round. This game takes a couple hours to play. It was after 9 before we called it a night. We had skipped any supper except for some snacks while playing. We did get a little rain in the afternoon but nothing serious. It was mainly fog and overcast skies and the temps were mild. I wore shorts after church the rest of the day, but with a long sleeve sweater. I believe its supposed to drop down into the low 50's starting this week as Fall is officially here. I sure hope this storm brewing in the southern gulf is blow apart before strengthening and heading north; this area can no longer sustain any damage but I'm looking to purchase a generator this week just in case.

Well we have caught up on communications with family and friends and some we know who are devastated with property damage here in the mountains especially friends much further to the west as whole areas are wiped off the map; with many who are stranded as the roads are washed away. Our power company here was still restoring power along the road on our ride to church as many huge trees had wiped out the lines. Parts of the county was still without power near the church as we headed that way and of course we were so over joyed to receive ours late Saturday night. I haven't caught up on the world news but briefly, but did learn that Israel has taken out the leaders of the group of terrorist group called Hezbollah, kudos to Israel and now they need to wipe Iran off the map because they support them and Hamas and who are developing a nuclear bomb; thanks to the democrats and especially Obama, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 29th ..After Helene's left the mountains

 Well I'm finally back on line after we lost power on Friday morning around 8 ish and it was restored last evening around 8'ish. What a storm of the century here in certain parts of the country and especially here in the mountains of N.C. in Alleghany County. All I can say is we were blessed despite the inconvenience of no power but the devastation in other areas is heart breaking to say the least. I'll stay with how we were impacted with never believing we would lose electricity at first and how we coped.

Friday morning found us with heavy rain that started on Thursday and it never stopped all through the night with a final tally of some where around 16 inches. We had the white water stream rushing down through the backwoods area into the dry gully from the top of the mountain. At times the noise on the roof from the rain was that of a tornado. The winds on Friday morning was very strong and at times gusting so strong the trees around the cabin were bending when suddenly the lights flickered and the cabin went dark. I figured a tree had fallen on a line and didn't think that wouldn't take long to fix; little did I know that would change over the next day and half as we sat in the dark with only flash lights and candles. What an eerie feeling as the day grew long with incessant poring rain and wind. We sat by a window for light and played cards a different times through out the day and watched a huge oak tree that was just down below the cabin swaying in the wind, suddenly crack and then topple down into the gully, wow were we ever lucky in went down away from the cabin.

We ate sparingly with no way to heat anything as the deck was being inundated with rain and high winds which is where the grill was located, plus we were starting to become concerned about spoilage of our contents in the fridge which we had just loaded up, thinking friends were coming for a couple of weeks. When we lost power Nancy also lost wifi and internet with her phone so our contacts to the outside were limited as she did make contact while sitting in the truck. Another inconvenience but nothing drastic as we were safe, dry and warm. Little did we know what was happening to others in the area with more severe damage. We did get together with the Nymark's who were in touch with their son near us in Florida and his house was flooded as they left their place to move into Steve and Sheri's house near our daughter's house in Seminole which was high and dry and retained power. Our house in Seminole sustained some tree limbs damage and was without power for several days, but no real structure damage.

We managed to entertain one another and the Nymark's who came for meals and cards after eating food prepared on the grill and that was another inconvenience, plus the  was dirty dishes which bugged Nancy, little did we know that was nothing compared to others and later were thankful it was just another inconvenience. I heated rain water on the grill and took care of that issue as well as used rain water from my overflowing rain barrel to use as water for a flush in the commode. Our new neighbor who came back and forth several times over those 2 days to check us and others in our neighbor hood was another real blessing especially to one older fellow on was on oxygen. He made available a solar generator for him as his battery was losing power.  He had a propane generator so he had power and fresh water and eventually filled up several containers of fresh water for our use. He was a great blessing for everyone here with his powerful ATV that navigated the washed out roads and driveways plus the heavy rains.

We did get out of the cabin yesterday after the rain stopped and we started to dry out, so off to town for fresh water, ice and candles and batteries. We found some but was limited as we were thinking days with out power, but last night after a supper cooked on the grill which was thawed out steaks, broccoli and taters cooked in aluminum foil we ate by candle light it was delicious to say the least. The Nymark's were here and we once again playing hand, knee and foot by candle light and the gals barely won a fourth time in a row when the lights suddenly came on and we felt blessed that we could shower and get in touch with the outside world. We got word the power at church had been restored also and was available to many who still had no power and that showers could be had as well as electronics could be restored and charged as well with a service to Praise GOD. Well not thinking we would have power which changed so quickly, enlightened our souls that we would be spared another day without power and all the inconveniences. We quickly gave thanks and decided we would attend the service.

It was so nice to have a shower after a couple of days and little did we know of what devastation this storm did to other parts of the county, that we almost felt guilty complaining of our inconveniences, LATER

Friday Morning Sept 27th

Well Thursday will be a day we will remember for ages to come as the rain never ceased and its still pouring as I make this post with it coming down in sheets. It has rained for at least close to 48 hours and we now we own water front property as the dry gulch in the backwoods yards is flowing strong. Yikes and this wasn't even a part of Helene which should be upon us in the next hours or maybe thats what is upon us now. I doubt it has made it this far since she denigrated the west coast of Florida on its way towards the pan handle last evening. 

Not much to share except I started the morning with my usual routines after sleeping in for a change until after 7 and then it was my quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and then to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all are holding with this post. I did get in my stretches on the back porch but never left the upstairs at all, except to head down to the basement a couple of times to do some laundry and turn the dehumidifier on. The pouring rain was unbelievable and at times it sounded like there was hail on the tin roof. We did lose power for a couple hours in the early evening, thankfully we could manage with what sunlight was available. We got out candles and small flashlights and then moved our card game to the small table by the window and managed to play for an hour or so. Steve and Sheri were with us from the early afternoon until 9'ish when they headed down the driveway which was flowing like a river. They made it safely to their "man cave" as she calls it and they had power which wa a blessings.

Nancy had made a huge pot of tortilla soup and it was cooked and cooling on the stove when the lights went out so we were able to east it while it was still hot. After eating we were in touch with several family members and friends in Florida as well as the flooding here in the mountains with trees down already and of course by late evening the weather was getting worst by the hour in both places. The Nymark's son was seeing the bay waters slowly creep up into their property and eventually rose to a couple feet inside their 2 story house. Our neighborhood was with out power but I think we were high enough to avoid the surge and the high water but no info on the big oak in the backyard of our house. The last report before dark was its was still standing but lots of limbs were broken off.

Our local small steam down by the Heglar's was over flowing and they were worried it might take off their deck and in the process take off the side of their cabin as the stream flows under their deck. Anyhow I'm sure daylight will show us what needs to be done about the damage to our family and friends properties both here in the mountains and in Florida. The rain is so strong here agin this morning with it now being blown sideway again the cabin windows.

We did play some hand, knee and foot cards but it wasn't very much fun knowing family and friends as well as our selves were being inundated by the storm and then again with Helene coming our way. The gals were once again winning as they made up for their earlier losses. We were all stressed about what was happening to our family members, so we broke up earlier than usual. We got word that our son Bobby made it to Atlanta from Dallas but his connecting flight into Tampa was cancelled as the airport was closed; so his family was close to Katie's family in the same neighbor in Brandon. Daughter Amy and family live just a few doors from Steve and Sheri's house in Seminole and last we heard they were having their pastor and family spend the night as they had no power. Thankfully we knew of know persons being injured, during the storm, LATER

Updates will be provided in tomorrow post. Stay Safe everyone and hopefully dry.

Thursday Morning Sept 26th

 Well Wednesday found us once again with overcast skies, some fog and a lite rain at times as we headed off the mountain into our local small town where we did some shopping and had a delicious lunch at a small cafe; more on that later. I had started the day much like every day with a before 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post.

I headed out to the back porch to do my morning stretches before starting my mile or so walk/hike around the perimeter of the property and my talk with the GOD. Despite it being some what dreary with the overcast skies and the exception of this cabin, everything around me that I see is God's creation and I just love it. The beauty of this place with the trees starting to show some leaf colors and the grass so vibrant green with all the moisture and what few flowers that are still in bloom showing off their awesome colors. The birds are singing and the air so fresh that has never breathed before with no noise except some hammering off in the distance where sounds travels unexpectedly and no automobile noise or sirens. It's no wonder I love this place and the fact I can go outside even on overcast days and love this atmosphere; but on a clear day the blue skies are magnificent as is the ambiance

Well we were getting together with Steve and Sheri around 10:30 for the trip to town and they drove as Steve is learning his way around these hills and mountain roads which takes awhile to learn, but a friend told me that every road leads to US 21 or US 18 eventually, or to the Blue Ridge Parkway. (The parkway is now closed in our immediate area for repairs), but he is learning as we did we over the years. Sometimes when I drive I take on so many turns and backroads he is lost which isn't hard to do especially with no real bearings except maybe for a little white church or some bear statues in a yard or a specific pond or tree that has been hit by a vehicle at the bottom of a hill. There are no road signs here except for a personal sign that show a donkey with the words Slow Your (donkey) Down. LOL

We let the gals off to walk main street and do some shopping as we headed for Alleghany Cares which is a thrift store one much like Steve and Sheri ran for years in Seminole. We have donated there over the years and its a thriving business employing several in the community and the venue is quite nice with some great bargains. We didn't find anything to our liking then headed to a building supply in town to look for an item Steve needed and found it after perusing the store to kill some time before we met up with the gals at a small new cafe. (I did turn in some misfire bullets to the sporting store in the basement of this building on main street.) We all had the PHO except Steve who had a Thai dish and while the portion wasn't huge it was very tasty and comfortable filling. I can eat PHO until it comers out my ears. Sheri and I had the brisket in ours which was chewy but very smokey and Nancy had the veggie once which was entirely different in flavor to ours; she had me finish hers which was very tasty as well. Steve's dish looked great and he cleaned his plate.

After lunch we made a stop at the only grocery in town for some goodies before heading back on the mountain. Steve did well as we drove a road which in reality is faster than the way I usually go that has several stop and turns. They dropped us off and we made plans for another supper together and then games afterwards. The meal was delicious as always around 5:30 and they brought rotisserie chicken, smashed taters(which I and Sheri added fresh right out of the garden a jalapeno pepper) as well as I shucked corn on the cob and a fresh salad most of which, also came right out of the upper garden. After eating Steve and I did the dishes and then we settled into a game(s)of hand, knee and foot. Well the bragging rights for us guys stopped on this rainy evening as the gals won both games; we came back after really slow start in the first event scores, but by the fourth hand in the second game we didn't even score it as they were so far ahead, plus the torrential rain had eased off and they left quickly for their place down the driveway.

It was a busy fun filled day except for the brief 3-4 hours after getting back on the mountain after lunch which found me with the golf cart up in the backwoods area raking up pine needles for the flower beds which I found helps keep the unwanted grasses and weeds from taking over while we are gone for 7 months. At least I got some work in during the day. It was soon shower time after they left and some horizontal lab afterwards and a chapter in a new read before lights out at nearly 11. Its pouring rain here this AM and also over night and the forecast is for a rain out all day, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 25th

 Well Tuesday started out with over cast skies, some fog and mist but eventually by noon we saw some blue skies and bright sunshine, but by late afternoon we got a gully washer for just about 15 minutes that sounded like hail hitting the roof. Thankfully it didn't last, but the forecast is for more rain the next several days, oh well. I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my usual routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding with this post.

I headed out to do my morning stretches on the back porch before doing several laps around the yards getting in some exercise before heading in for some breakfast. Afterwards I fired up the golf cart and headed up into the back woods to rake up pine needles to cover the garden along the gully in the backwoods yard. Pine needles keep weeds and grasses from taking over the gardens and makes it so much easier when we come back in the summer to get the gardens into shape for planting. I just rake the pine needles up and remove them as they are very acidy.

I took out the giant zinnias from the patch off the front porch and saved the many heads for seeds for next years planting. I cut them up into smaller pieces for the compost pile which by the time we get back next year will hopefully decay into natural fertilizer and compose for the gardens and flower beds. I now have lots of garlic spikes showing colors in two separate beds and hopefully will have an abundant harvest next summer. They grow all winter long. I did harvest another dozen or so tomato's from the back yard garden and it still has several green ones on the vines. The upper patch is holding on with beautiful kale, Swiss chard and beets and a couple pepper plants the deer wasn't able to reach the other night when they just about stripped most of them clean. I'm still getting a few jalapeno's as well from 2 plants I saved back when they ate down all 6 of my plants from the backwoods patch.

I love working outside and did so until early afternoon and an apple for lunch as I knew Steve was making supper at their place; but brought it up with them due to space as the weather turned bad about supper time. He made chopped beef patties as well as sauteed onions, creamed tatters that were excellent and a gravy for the patties and I added some fresh corn on the cob, neighbor Shirley blessed us with a few days ago. What a delicious meal and then Nancy had baked up the last of her chocolate chip cookie dough and we had those with some ice cream later in the evening.

Well after the cleanup which Steve and I do together nightly we settled into hand, knee and foot a card game we all love. It was guys vs gals and once again we men prevailed in two straight games, with the last game so big a win we never even did the scoring. We then did 4 games of Monopoly and I had beginners luck in 2 of them. Its a fun filled strategy game with of course lots of luck with the card draws. We will have to get it to play this winter with grands as its complicated to learn but lots of finagling, plus its rather fast whereas the other card game some times takes hour(s)

Well it was going on 10 when we concluded the evening and they left for their cute shipping container abode and I hit the shower and then read for a spell. Not sure when Nancy came to bed but its usually some where around midnight as she sleeps in, in the mornings. Today we are off to Sparta for some shopping and I want to get a new generator belt for the golf cart as mine is showing some wear, LATER

Tuesday Morning Sept 24th

Well Monday morning started with overcast skies with some major fog in the morning hours and by late afternoon we saw some sunshine but then it rained rather strong for an hour or so. Thankfully it quit by the time we left for our respective Bible study classes around 6:30. I had started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding but our "mountain mom" Helen does have covid, so she is quarantined again. I did my morning stretches on the back porch and then headed out to walk or hike the perimeter of the property for at a mile or so which is at least 4 laps maybe 5. I get in my talk and thoughts with the Creator and also decide what I want to do for the day.

Steve and Sheri are at their place which is just down our driveway and we pal around and do lots things together as well as pulling suppers. Steve had a mower he couldn't get started as well as a weed eater and I had an old lawn boy mower which was just sitting around wasting away and a chainsaw that needed some idle adjustments, so we loaded them up in the truck and headed over to our newest friend and small engine repairman shop which is close to Sparta. Well he fixed Steve's mower while we waited and adjusted the carburetor on the mini mac chainsaw and excepted our two give aways; the weed eater from Steve and the mower from me. We were thrilled as was he, plus he is a strong Believer and knows America is doomed if the Harris bunch stays in power.

Well after dropping Steve and the mower off I headed home to do some small garden chores like weeding and  collecting more zinnia heads as they are winding down. The extra chicken wire on the fence around the upper garden kept the bloody deer from finishing off those veggies. I did harvest more tomato's that are turning but the vines are showing they are starting to die. I still have a couple dozen or more green tomato's on the vines which should last us until we leave in about 4 weeks. We decided to eat our big meal with Steve and Sheri, after skipping lunch around 3'ish which was the leftover zucchini boats, pasta and salad; still delicious to say the least. Afterwards Steve and Sheri taught us a new game called Monopoly. Its a card game and very similar to the board game but played with cards and it has lots of strategy involved. At first I was reluctant to think I would ever learn the game but after playing a few times I really enjoyed it and was thrilled to continue playing. It's rather fast depending on how quick to get the monopolies. We played until it was time to get ready to head out for our Bible classes at Cornerstone.

Well we had a good meeting and with us leaving the mens group is holding a cookout in our honor on the 14th of October so they will invite the gals as well as they meet at the same time. We got back to the cabin after dropping off the Nymark's a little after 9, so I hit shower and watched a few minutes of the NFL before calling it a day around10:30, LATER

Monday Morning Sept 23rd

 Well Sunday was a great day of worship both on line at Cornerstone Chapel and then a great message from our local pastor at Cornerstone Fellowship in Sparta on WHAT IS TRUTH; of course that is what JESUS is and the WORD. That is exactly whats has been missing in our culture today and why we are in the mess we are in today with corrupt politicians and their administrations and its being promotes by the bias MSM and even now many churches who are suppose to preach the Truth. America is on a downward spiral if we don't get back to teaching and living the Truth and honoring it. I'll get off my soapbox.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout and my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I headed out to stretch on the back porch before heading around the perimeter to get in some daily exercise. I do at least a mile on the walk which is up and down the yards and I do get the respirations up. Its not as tough as hiking to the top of the mountain without stopping but I get as much exercise with the shorten up's and downs as I would with the long up to the top and then a long downward decline, plus I get to enjoy the beauty of my flower gardens while determining what chores I want to accomplish for the day.

I ate lite for breakfast with some of the last of the blueberries on the bushes(I picked right) along with a banana and some pecans as I knew we were eating at the Pizzeria which has a delicious lunch special. We met up with the Frankis Family there and enjoyed the fresh garden salad and our own personal pan pie. Steve and Sheri blessed us all with the lunch which was awesome and filling. I skipped any supper except for a few chips and salsa while we played cards in the early evening. I did vegetate on the couch with the NFL for a couple hours before the Nymark's came at 4:30. From then on it was card playing and the guys won 2 hand, knee and foot games and then 2 straight Euchre games; one game was so bad the girls quit after 3 rounds and the last game we came from behind to win big, oh well. It was definitely better than the day before when the girls beat us like a red headed step child.

They left around 9'ish then it was shower time and some reading for me before lights out at 10'ish. We did see the deer in the back yard around dusk as they are looking for a way to eat more of my upper garden patch. I've put more chicken wire around where they reach under the fence to eat off my few remaining plants, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 22nd..Anniversary Day

Well Saturday was a fun day as we picked up Sheri and Steve around 10:30 in the morning and headed to Sparta for the Fall Festival which the whole town was closed down with street vendors, tons of different of foods venues as well as music. The weather was perfect, actually a little on the warm side as it must have reached close to 80 with tons of sunshine and blue skies. We ate out at a brand new eatery and picked up a pricey loaf of sour dough bread to go. We did see lots of Trump signs and even picked up a couple to bring home as well. The town was ablaze with high 5's and much to do when we were carrying our signs. We saw only one Biden/Harris sign, but hundreds of Trumps signs which were everywhere and this is a democrat city and county. Folks here can't be fooled like those in the big cities.

I had started the morning with a 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I did my morning stretches on the back porch and knew this day was going to be rather warm and by the late evening Nancy had the a/c on again while we were playing cards, which I didn't think would happen again. I did my morning walks around the perimeter of the property and noticed despite the ropes across the upper garden patch the deer got their heads under the wire and ropes and ate off several of the pepper plants over night. Well I have lots of chicken wire so I covered that area once again to keep them from eating overnight. I sat up the trail cam as well. I once thought it was just the one doe but since we saw two together the other evening in the backwoods yard and one looked like it could have been a fawn, oh well.

After we made a few stops on the way home from Sparta one to gas up at 2.85 a gallon, we dropped the Nymark's off and headed up the drive. I sat and read the afternoon away until supper time when I shucked some corn and then grilled burgers for our supper along with some tater tots. After the clean up we played hand, knee and foot and the gals smoked us this time and then won 2 out of 3 Euchre games. It was a fun time and we finished just a round 9'ish then called it a night. I hit the shower and read until after 10 'ish.

Today is corporate worship day both on line and again in Sparta at Cornerstone. We will have lunch at the Pizzeria afterwards and then head back and probably play games once again. If I failed to mention please watch the "Election Sermon" by Gary Hamrick at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. Its on You tube and one that should be heard by every American especially those who call them selves believers in Christ and patriots, LATER

Saturday Morning Sept 21st

Well Friday turned out to be another gorgeous day with warmer temps than normal and lots of sunshine and blue skies. We had an overnight rain on Thursday which dropped another quarter inch so the ground was soaked when I headed out to walk the perimeter and to check on the gardens. The deer stayed away from the upper garden but did walk through the rest of the yards and last evening before dark when we were eating supper both mom and baby deer showed them selves in the backwoods yard. That was a first for this summer in broad daylight.

I had started the day with my usual before 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding. Nancy once again made a mountain breakfast of eggs, grits, bacon and toast and I added a jalapeno pepper and a ripe tomato with some home made apple butter to my toast. That held me until supper time except for a banana and some peanut butter around 2'ish. We were eating a little later than usual some time around 6:30 as we were having Steve and Sheri for supper as they just got back to their place around 4'ish from Florida after an over night stop near Gatlinburg where Sheri's mom now resides.

I did some small chores around the cabin and yards after my morning stretches and hike. The ropes I crossed over the upper garden patch worked which kept the deer from tearing the patch as well as eating their fill. I'm still getting a few tomato's but they have just about shut down for this season especially the plants in the upper garden. The garden towards the backwoods still have several green ones but since that garden isn't protected the deer still munch on the leaves over night. I did rake a couple garbage cans of dried pine needles and mulched the blue berry bushes and trimmed them up for next season. They love acid conditions and pine needles are abundant here in the backwoods area.

After lunch I sat on the deck and back porch reading a new read by Greg Iles titled the DEVILS PUNCHBOWL. Its a real page turner and full of mystery and a thriller. I got almost half way through the read waiting on the Nymark's for supper. Nancy had made zucchini boats and pasta with a fresh garden salad and it was delicious and we have another whole pan for leftovers. After the cleanup which I washed and Steve dried we settled into a game of hand, knee and foot and the guys won for a change after a hard fought match by the gals. We were far enough ahead on the 4th round the gals never  tallied the final score as we piled on, oh well. It was close to 10 when we finished and after they left to head down to their place I hit the shower and then read for another half hour winding down from the first win of the summer before turning off the lights, LATER

Friday Morning Sept 20th

Well Thursday turned out to be another gorgeous day here on the mountain after a some what overcast misty/foggy start to the morning, but by 10'ish it had cleared off with very nice temps for working outside and thats what I did until lunch time. I started the day with my usual well before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding except Helen our "mountain mom" who is in Elkin with a cold and cough. She did sound a little better while we spoke with her on the phone during the day.

After a breakfast of an egg sandwich on sour dough bread I headed out to stretch on the back porch then do my mile or so around the perimeter of the property, getting in some cardio and muscle toning while hoping to burn off some of this spare tire. I fired up the golf cart and loaded up some hoe's, rakes and shovel and began some garden work. I began that with taking down the cucumber trellis since all of the rain killed the vines as well as replacing some rocks around that patch and another flower bed that had washed out from the 6 + inches of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. I dug up 5 small hummingbird bushes that had come up volunteer in the circle drive as well as some Iris plants and moved them to the area near the backwoods yard. Then it was digging up the top soil in the gully and getting it ready to spread in all of the gardens and flower beds.

The brat deer did not like my ropes across the upper garden which kept her out once again but she did make another visit to the other garden patches as her hoof prints were evident in the soft wet ground. I noticed the grass seeds I sowed before the rain have germinated and are showing some color as well as new garlic sprouts are evident as well. The zucchini plant is still thriving and setting fruit which is hard to believe. That seems to be one plant the deer don't have a taste for, thankfully. We are having zucchini boats for supper tonight as we entertain Steve and Sheri from Seminole on their arrival for the next couple of weeks. The rest of the morning was just some honey do's as I mopped the hardwood floors with a cleaner and a wax which really brings out the shine and makes the floors so nice.

After lunch it was some flower head harvesting from the tall 5 ft or more zinnias plants off the front porch. I cut the dead heads off a few days ago and they have sent up several new heads, after I once thought they were finished for the season. I also cut off the peonies plants and composed them as well. I retied the blueberry bushes which are finished for this year with a few berries clinging on as they have really grown tall and where leaning, so I retied them and staked them to straighten them up. I had worked up a sweat on the upper 60's temps with bright sunshine and then took a lunch break of leftover salsa and chips. Nancy likes to eat early before our couples class as I ate lite for lunch and then the leftover spaghetti for supper around 4:30. She has tummy issues so she ate a chicken sandwich around 3'ish. I eat any and everything which I'm blessed, as I had a tomato and jalapeno pepper on my egg sandwich for breakfast as well as a slice of raw onion. She no longer can eat garlic or tomato's or if she does it giver her tummy issues, oh well.

Nancy had washed the bed linens so I hung them outside on the clothesline which gives off such a clean smell from the bright sunshine. I loaded up several bags of trash for the dump as we were going in to Sparta for our couples class at 7. The dump stays open on Thursday until 7 PM which fits perfectly on our trip there. We did stop at Food Lion after our evening class, who had beautiful mums and a couple bucks cheaper than even Walmart or Lowes and twice the size. Well I finished a good read during the afternoon sitting on the deck and the back porch and started a new read after my shower before turning off the lights for the night. I won't be reading much at night since our card playing friends arrive today and we will play probably every night that we aren't off to classes. Hopefully they will join us as well as both are Believers, LATER

Thursday Morning Sept 19th

Well Wednesday morning started out rather foggy and with a heavy mist almost like a lite rain but eventually by the early afternoon we saw bright sunshine and blue skies and very nice temps in the upper 60's and even a 70 at times. What a difference from the past 24 hours and where we received over 6 inches of rain which naturally at times gully washed our driveway and some areas in the gardens. Speaking of gardens the brat doe got into the upper patch for the first ever and ate on the Swiss chard, kale and pepper plants as well as destroying some lettuce seedlings, so I did some damage control and a different way of making it deer proof hopefully; more on that later.

I did my usual routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding except for our "mountain mom" who is once again under the weather with a cold and congestion. We were going down for a visit and take her lunch and some cookies but we cancelled because of that issue and instead headed to Galax after a stop at our small engine repair man in Sparta. Keith Hawks is one fine man and a great small engine repair man as well. I had bought a new sprocket for my chainsaw but when installing I made a mistake and the clutch fell apart. Well he said bring all the pieces and he would put it back together and he did while we were in Galax, Va shopping.

After my usual morning routines I headed out to check on the gardens but before I left the porch I did my stretches and then headed out to walk the perimeter for a mile or more, since I got no exercise on Tuesday due to the constant rain. I first checked the upper garden patch and saw lots of deer tracks inside it and lots of the new seedlings eaten off as well as trampled down. Well that was the first in many years that deer have actually gotten inside this patch which is just a few feet off the back porch and next to where I park my truck. Its a very low fence which was mainly there to keep Rocky our grand dog out of it or any dog that comes running through the area. So after getting back from Sparta I decided to take old ropes and string them across the patch and add some chicken wire across the ropes in hopes it will be a deterrent to the brat dow, which we have on camera from jumping in it. It will entangled her if she does but will also let the sunshine in for growing, oh well. I will see this morning if that worked or not after day light.

We shopped once again too much at WalMart as we do have company arriving on Friday and we will have them for supper and probably every night for a couple weeks; but they will be staying in their neat shipping container located just down the drive nightly, and then we have neighbors coming for 10 day the following week, who will be staying with us. We will be playing games at night for when they all come and get together. We had some frozen spaghetti and meat balls for supper as we try to make room in the freezer as well as eat down so I don't have to carry so much back to Florida in 31 days; thats all that is left here this year. I watched the the Ray's lose again in Boston on the laptop but did get in some reading before lights out, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 18th

 Well we needed rain but not this much at one time. I mean it gully washed at times so I'm interested if the drive way washed out over night. Anyhow it has stopped thus far as of this morning and this post, thankfully. I started the morning out on Tuesday with my usual well before 6 rollout as Nancy was having dueling snoring fits, some nights its not so loud but last night it was like she was competing with a brass band, oh well. I did my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, giving thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing after posting this ramble. All seem to be holding at this time. 

I did head down to the basement as the rain all night had the porch wet despite it being under roof to do my stretches but thats all the workout for the day except up and down the stairs a couple of times. We decided to eat out for lunch since we forgot to go by Food Lion on Monday night when we were in town to pickup some items that were on sale as Tuesday the sale closed; my bad for forgetting this extra trip off the mountain. I decided since we were off the mountain we should go by the library as well, as I was down to my last read and wanted to order more for the next couple of weeks. We ate lite for breakfast with some oatmeal, cinnamon and honey as well as a banana and some pecans. It rained all morning and at time rather hard as we headed off the mountain and into Sparta. I had 5 books waiting for me to pickup as I ordered them on line and dropped off a couple I had read. We then headed to Becca's for a loaf of herb bread before heading to the country store where we have had lunch a couple times this summer. They have a good menu for such a small kitchen and usually are packed, but we had no trouble finding a seat on this rainy afternoon. They just do breakfast and lunch and have done quite well this their first year in business.

We both had the fried catfish plate with buffalo chips(taters) and cold slaw. I had hush puppies and Nancy the Texas toast. It was a huge filet of fish prepared perfectly and plenty of the two sides for 10 bucks a plate which held us the rest of the day except for a small salad for supper around 6:30. We made the final stop of the day after lunch at the Food Lion for baby backs that were on sale and a few other items.There wasn't much to do when we got back at the cabin but read and do social media updates. I read the rest of the day and then tuned into the Ray's game in Boston around 7 and they were winning when I hit the shower around 9:30 and then some horizontal lab a little later around 10'ish, LATER

Tuesday Morning Sept 17th

Well its raining on the mountain and at times pouring. We can only hope it doesn't wash out our driveway which happens from time to time. Neighbor Gerald who has the tractor for scraping is away for another couple weeks, so if need be I'll use a rake. Monday found us with another overcast day with relative mild to cool temps depending on the time of the day. I wore long pants and a flannel shirt for most of the day despite a little sunshine in the afternoon for brief periods. It was day of some minor honey do's and some small work projects, but mainly a day of visiting neighbors and reading.

I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, after posting this ramble to give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding as of this post. I headed out after day break to do my morning stretches on the back porch and then to walk what is at least a mile around the perimeter of the property several times for some cardio and muscle exercise. Parts of the walk are rather steep which gets the respirations elevated and yet it keeps me close to the cabin in case of a bear attack of which there are some in the area. We saw one last year on the property and our neighbors have seen several different ones on his trail camera. Thus far we have only had deer at night as well as a possum and raccoon from time to time.

We had a mountain breakfast with ham, eggs and grits and I cut up a tomato along with a jalapeno pepper to accompany my plate. That held us until around 1'ish when we had a snack of some leftover  salsas and chips. We headed out in the golf cart around 11 to visit Billy and Paula on top of the mountain who had open heart surgery a month ago. He looked great and had lost some weight. Paula is keeping him on a strict diet which helps. He mentioned the doctors have him on a diet of eating nothing that tastes good, but he is looking great and walking around 2 1/2 miles a day in different phases. He had some old firewood that he didn't want so I loaded up the back of the golf cart and brought a load home for my fire circle since I had burned up about all the wood that I had cut up. I'm waiting on a new sprocket for my chain saw so I can get back to sawing again some small stuff.

After our snack lunch we headed to Bob and Mary's place and brought them a sack of cherry tomato's and visited with them for an hour or so. Bob had a new metal shed/building installed for his vehicles all of which fit inside. I can see one like it on my property in the future if we ever move here permanently. He puts two cars and a truck inside with his ATV as well. It has three rollup doors. Its very nice and the price tag was very good with it being installed by the manufacturers. We headed back to the cabin where I did some small piddle chores. I did transplant 6 kale seedlings in to the upper garden patch as the brat doe ate off some of their leaves over night. So far she has stayed out of that patch except for eating the sunflowers plants that were growing outside along the low fence of that garden. I'm still harvesting some tomato's but they are slowing down and I learned something from Billy that indeterminate tomato's plants bloom and produce fruit all the time whereas determinate tomato's come ripe all at one time which is great for commercial growers but for home owners its just the opposite. I always wondered why the classification and how it affected growing tomato's.

Well we had an early supper of shrimp, rice and beets. I of course had a tomato with a jalpeno pepper to add some spice to my taste buds. Nancy can't eat tomato's because of her tummy issues and of course nothing real hot and spicy. We were attending our respective Bible study classes at Cornerstone at 7 so we left around 6:15 to pick up a script at Walgreens for her then headed over to church. It was close to 9 before we ended the class and headed home in a light rain which at times over night poured buckets on the tin roof. It was cool and damp so we added an extra blanket to the bed covers which were so nice.

 I suppose the leaves will be changing with this rain, but the roadway was covered with many on our drive home. We did see lots of deer out and about both going and coming and they are starting to change colors with eating the acorns that are falling. Fall is in the air and soon we will see some much colder air. I watched a few minutes of the first half of the MNF game then hit the shower and read, finishing up a page turner of a novel titled SHIVER, LATER

Monday Morning Sept 16th

 Well Sunday was a great day of corporate worship both on line and in house at Cornerstone in Sparta. The day started with my usual rollout before 6 to my routines that always begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing and all seem to be holding with this post. I headed out after posting this ramble and my social media comments to stretch on the back porch and then do my mile walk/hike around the perimeter of the cleared property. I change directions with which way I go, so as to get more constant cardio on the steep incline and to change the way I look at the issues I want to clear up in the gardens and flower beds. I still see nothing but the woods around me and while I don't get to see the distant views from the top of the mountain I almost like this exercise better. At least there is little chance of running up on a bear which are present in the area as seen by our neighbors trail camera. We haven't seen one or the evidence of one yet on our camera this year, but there are lots of deer signs around.

We headed out to Cornerstone around 9:30 and left there around 11:45 for home since the Frankis Family wasn't in attendance this Sunday. They had got away without the kids for the weekend alone until the new baby arrives sometime in December. Katelyn is showing heavily and Jake has been burning the candle at both ends with his cabinet shop work, house building and of course as the youth pastor at Cornerstone and with two toddlers. We have adopted them as our "mountain family" and truly love them and their kiddos.

We came back and had some leftovers from the get together on Friday night which was delicious as we made bean burritos along with salsa. I finished up the last of the banana pudding which is a fav of mine and then settled into the afternoon of the NFL. The Bucs won in Detroit and the Saints beat the Cowboys bad in Dallas. The local Panthers were beaten like a step child at home and now seem to be the weakest team in our division. I watch the NFL Network channel which is constantly showing scoring by all of the teams playing on a single day and did get to see some of the clips of the Bucs plays. The Dallas game was on here at the cabin as well as the Panthers game which I didn't watch because they are bad and the Cowboys play wasn't much better. New Orleans are for real and maybe the best team all around from what I saw yesterday. Their score was evident of their good play. I checked the Ray's game and they lost again in Cleveland. Its not looking good for them after the regular season.

We snacked a little around supper time but the lunch held me for the most part. Nancy made chocolate chip cookies once again and I stayed away from them and desserts until we have company next weekend. I headed out to walk around the property after being a couch tater for several hours when our new neighbor Bob came by in his ATV with his dog, Echo and we chatted for a few. He got his new building up to house his many vehicles but the company erecting the huge building had a difficult time getting it in its many pieces up his steep curvy driveway. They eventually had to hire a backhoe to help with that chore. He wanted us to come see it today as well as visit Billy on top of the mountain who is getting over open heart surgery.

The weather was cool and over cast but no rain which they were predicting; bright sunshine and blue skies filled in the late afternoon. Well we are counting down to the final days of this summers visit at the cabin with 35 days to go before we head back to flat Florida for the winter months. We hope friend Brian is coming along on the two bathroom redo's at our small house there and we learned he and his wife Nancy are moving out of the area to a county north of us. We will sure miss them as we are both church and small group attendees. We first knew them from when their son and our Bobby attended IRCS together in the 90's, well that was about it for the day as I watched the late game until half time then hit the shower and read a chapter in my new read before lights out around 10'ish, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 15th

Well this month is half way gone and we have only 35 more days here at the cabin, where did this time go and so quickly, oh well. I started the day out with my usual before 6 rollout to my morning routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name after posting this ramble. All seem as well as can be expected due to health issues and ages. Nancy made a mountain breakfast around 9'ish after I did my morning stretches on the back porch and then walked at least a mile around the perimeter of the property getting in some much needed exercise. We have eaten ourselves fat this summer as everything tastes great here and we started the eating with a ham, eggs and blueberry pancakes. I harvested the last of the berries for this year for the cakes, but we have several bags frozen for future cobblers and desserts, just what we need need for the spare tires, oh well.

I headed out after breakfast to work in the wine berry bushes like I did with the black raspberry bushes a week ago; cleaning out the dead vines and pulling out the weeds and grasses. The temps were perfect for working outside which was cool enough to keep the gnats and bugs at bay. It was supposed to be rainy all weekend and we did see some fog and mist but nothing in the rain gauge and the afternoon and evening was pure sunshine and blue skies. I actually hand watered the gardens in the late evening. 

We took a golf cart  ride out to the mailbox and and made a tomato stop at Tim's place at the foot of the driveway before heading to the Heglar's and to return her water jug she left at the house last night while playing sequence. We visited with them for a spell before heading back to the cabin and I piddled around outside until 1'ish when we had some some salsa and chips for our lunch. That breakfast held us good. I did some sitting on the deck in the bright sunshine reading and cat napping for the afternoon until it was supper time which was leftovers. Afterwards I headed up into the backwoods to check out some lighter knot caches I had found a couple months back. I love walking and framing around in the woods and noticed tons of fresh deer dropping and especially buck manure. Its quite different from the doe droppings as it looks like rabbit poop whereas buck manure look like a smaller version of cow patties. (I know this sparked your interest)

I tuned into the Ray's game in Cleveland and they blew the chance to win with some base running error's and poor pitching. They will need some help even if they get to the post season play. After the game it was shower time and then some reading as I started a new read titled SHIVER by Karen Robards. Its a page turner. Well today its corporate worship both on line at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. at 8:15 and at our local Cornerstone Fellowship in Sparta at 10, LATER

Saturday Morning Sept 14th

 Well Friday was basically an overcast day with a few light rain sprinkles and the temps weren't too chilly. I was surprised at that. We stayed at the cabin all day as we were having neighbors and friends for Sequence around 6'ish. Nancy was busy in the kitchen making salsa, dips and a delicious banana pudding which is favorite of mine. I did a couple outside piddly chores in the gardens and then worked on the old red shed which had a couple of rotten boards that I replaced.

I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that start with some quiet times after posting this ramble to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift several up for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I headed out at day break to do my stretches on the back porch before walking the perimeter of the property to get in my morning talk with the Creator while checking out the gardens for deer damage and to see what project I could do outside this day. I did several laps which is a mixture of steep incline as well as the decline and I would say I did a mile plus which had my cardio elevated at times.

I did some honey do's inside the cabin for Nancy as she goes all out when we are having guests over and that a great thing. I did some reading and catching up on the war in Israel. They are killing the terrorists but now Russia is rattling sabers as well and of course Iran is the culprit at heart and this statement Harris is making things worst with her saying a two state is needed in the area during the debate on Tuesday night. She is such an idiot and no friend of Israel. I do believe we maybe in for another confrontation with China over Taiwan as this state dept is so inept with sleepy Joe still as potus. God only knows how corrupt he is with giving in to bribes and kickback from our enemies.

Well on a lighter note we played several games of Sequence with the gals winning 5-2 in the first match and the guys winning 2-1 in a second match with a winner take all in one final game; the gals prevailed. We had Grant and Shirley and their friend Mark as well our new neighbor Elaine, so it was evenly matched with 3 each on teams. We played for over 3 hours and it was a hoot. We don't have anything planned for today except stay on the mountain as its supposed to be wet weather. We actually could use a good rain as I sowed some grass seeds over the bare areas where the stumps use to be.

I hit shower after everyone left. I blessed all of them with some tomato's and fresh kale and still have plenty for our use. I read until lights out around 10:30, LATER

Friday Morning Sept 13th

Well Thursday started out with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name, all seem to be holding with this post. The temps were a little on the cool side but the clouds at times made it feel even cooler. It did reach the low 70's by early afternoon. I spent the biggest part of the day driving Nancy to her hair appointment in Sparta where I went to the library and read. We then stopped at the Country Store for a delicious lunch before heading back on the mountain which held me the rest of the day except for an apple around 5'ish. I had a pork tenderloin sandwich with corn fritters while Nancy had a fried chicken sandwich with zucchini fries. All of which were tasty and plentiful. We did make a quick stop for a few items at the grocery and at Walgreens on our way out of town.

I piddled around the cabin doing some small chores like sowing some grass seeds, transplanting a butter fly bush in the circle drive and some small yard and garden chores. The sunflowers were all bent over so I took them out and saved the heads for seeds for next years planting. I knew not to get into a big project as we were going back to Sparta for our couples Bible study meeting at 6:45.

We have a great friendly group of about 8 couples and one made a delicious pumpkin spice cake in honor of the birthdays for this month. We know about half of the folks in attendance who use to attend Cornerstone and one couple that still do. We finally got home around 9'ish after a long talk afterwards in the parking lot. I soon hit the shower and read until 10. We are supposed to be in for some wet weather over the next few days but none came over night as predicted and then turn cooler. We have just 5 weeks to go before leaving the mountains, LATER

Thursday Morning Sept 12th

Well Wednesday turned out to be another gorgeous day here in the mountains after a some what chilly start. We were off the mountain down into Elkin and it was in the 80's there but never got much over 70 at the cabin with bright sunshine and blue skies. I started the day with my well before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with a few quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing after posting this ramble. All seem to be holding at this time.

I headed out after day break to stretch on the back porch and then have my morning talk and walk with GOD around the perimeter of the property. The arms, wrist and hands seem to be recovering from the vibration syndrome I acquired during all the sawing and drilling on that stubborn stump, thankfully. I bought some grass seed yesterday to mix in with the plugs of grass I sowed on top of where that stump use to be. Its nice to say where those 3 stumps use to be especially when I mow that area.

Nancy had an 11:15 doctor's appointment in Elkin so we left around 10:20 which was basically a follow up on her BP issues which now seem to be under control and regulated, thankfully. We headed over afterwards for some fast food for our lunches; I had a couple bean burrito's with extra onions and hot sauce from Taco Bell which I love and she had Chick filet and fries. They are close to one another so we ate in the Wal-Mart parking which is just across the road from both. We then shopped for a few items before heading to Lowes to purchase some grass seed and that one snow ball like hydrangea for the circle drive bed, but they were all sold out for the season. I have an extra butterfly bush which came up volunteer which I will move in to the space after the cherry tomato's are done for where we intended to plant that special hydrangea. I don't think I'll sow or plant any veggies in that space next year.

I did harvest another bunch of tomato's that are turning and gave away another half dozen or so to neighbor Mary who blessed us with a home made loaf of sour dough bread, such a delicious bread. That was a great barter, bread for 'maters. We had picked up a rotisserie chicken from Wal-mart and Nancy made quesadillas for supper with bacon, cheese and chicken, dipped in sour cream and hot sauce for me. Delicious and we had frozen a couple slices of cheese cake from several weeks ago and they were as tasty as fresh made. Its no wonder we have added some girth to the belly this summer.

Well after supper I piddled around in the gardens and picked the last 3 cucumber for this season and sowed the rest of the garlic bulbs into the backwoods patch along the gully. I'm curious to see if they make out there. I do have 3 or 4 volunteer plants up already that I missed when harvesting my garlic in July. Nancy can not eat it for some reason now, but I still like to eat it weekly with a whole garlic and of course the salt on some meats, so I'll not sow or plants as much as I use.

I tuned into the Ray's game and the Phillies swept them in 3 game which just about knocks them out of post season play, oh well, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 11..A day in infamy

 Well Tuesday started out on the chilly side but eventually warmed to t-shirt and shorts temps with tons of bright sunshine and deep blue skies. I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding except for our "mountain mom" Helen who is suffering with a cold and a cough. At her age of 96 she must use caution. We were supposed to meet her today for lunch but decided to stay away until she is better. We speak with her daily and she is in good spirits. 

I headed out side to do my stretches on the back porch and then walk the perimeter of the property several times while I have my morning talk with GOD, gaze at the splendor of this cabin in the woods and the beautiful flower gardens and what's left of the veggie gardens; all the while deciding what jobs I have to do each day and to check on the deer damage overnight, which has become almost daily once again. For awhile I thought the brat doe which I get on my trail cam had moved on but no, she is back and last night ate down a beautiful patch of zinnias in full bloom as well as the jalapeno pepper plants once again.

After a lite breakfast of oatmeal, blueberries from my bushes which are just about gone for this year, cinnamon, honey, pecans and a banana I headed out to clean out the last burn on the stump which is now done and over with. What a chore that was and despite losing my recip saw and some drill bits as well as some vibration damage to my arms and wrists, its now history. I dug up a couple golf cart loads of top soil and filled in the hole and then dug up some sod in the back woods yards and placed in the soil and then hand watered them in. I'm hoping the grass will hold the dirt this winter. It will be so much easier mowing with the riding mower in that part of the yard that is quite steep.

After that job I loaded up some rakes and headed down the driveway to rake out the loose gravel out of the travel paths which cause the truck to loose traction while coming up the driveway. I have extra weights in the back which help but the large gravel which is loose is an issue at times. I also cleaned out the drainage ditches on the side as well, that kept me busy until lunch time.

After lunch I didn't do much except so small piddling jobs of helping Nancy with laundry as she is having knee issues going up and down the stairs to the basement and then I read the afternoon until supper time. I did harvest some fresh kale for our Zuppa Soup which is always delicious for supper. After the clean up I headed out to walk around the yards, setting up the trail cam once again and pulling some grasses from the flower beds. I'm still getting tons of tomato's and while the upper garden is about finished with the tomato's the small patch in the back yard is still producing with blooms and lots of small to medium size ones. The very back yard patch is finished with the yellow squash but the zucchini plant is still blooming and setting fruit. The cucumber plants are dying and about finished as well. I'm going to set some garlic bulbs in this patch and see how they do over the winter. I have some already up in the former patch down below the cabin which have sprouted and are up already for next summers harvest.

Well we tuned in the debate and kamala is just chameleon changing her plans to garner votes when all along we all know she is a socialist, a green deal lover and a hater of US(A) with her inept border disaster and of course severe inflation due to their free spending for social programs. She was coached very well to make up lies about the economy and blamed Trump while taking credit for new jobs which were lost because of the pandemic and some are coming back. It they steal another election America is doomed forever and we all know she isn't a supporter of Israel and the police. Such a liar and a fake is all I can say.

I watched the first hour and was so disappointed in her contempt for US(A) and for Trump who kept US(A) out of a war and made US(A) respected again among our enemies. I sure hope christians wake up and vote policies over personalities because neither of these two are with what I would call roll models standards, but the chameleon is a lover of murdering the unborn and thinks its great while at least Trump has let the states vote on whether they ban that egregious behavior in overturning Roe vs Wade which federally mandated murder of the unborn. If nothing else that should be a key factor from GOD's law for those who are Believers, LATER

Tuesday Morning Sept 10th

Well Monday was another work day as I finished up with the burn on the last of the three stumps; one which wasn't that large about a foot across which I chopped, sawed and drilled out, the second stump was wide across but only about 6 to 8 inches in height which took several burns and lots of sawing and drilling and then the last stump which was waist high and at least 3 feet around was the most stubborn one. It is now gone and I was able to dig down below ground level and burn it down completely. Now I just need to clean out the debris in the hole and fill it in with top soil and sow some grass seeds which will make mowing that steep area so much easier.

I started the day with my usual before 6 rollout to my routines that start with some quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. It was quite chilly with temps in the low 40's to start the day and by late afternoon it was t-shirt temps with tons of bright sunshine and gorgeous blue skies. I headed out to stretch and get limbered up on the back for my mile walk around the perimeter of the property and my talk with GOD. I'm actually liking that better than hiking up the back trail as I get to view the yards and gardens and see what next needs to be done as well as admiring this beautiful cabin and the many still blooming flowers.

 After a mountain breakfast of bacon, eggs, left over tatters and a tomato for me with a jalapeno pepper chopped up in the mix. That held me unto 1'ish when we cleaned up a small snack and a leftover piece of stromboli from Nancy's lunch yesterday. I grilled marinated chicken breasts for supper around 5 and ate that with a fresh garden salad before we headed out to church for our respective Bible study classes. It was after 9 before the class ended and then we had to stop at the Food Lion for a couple items for soup this evening for supper. It was nearly 10 before we got in the cabin and then it was shower time and just a few minutes of the MNF before lights out for me, LATER

Monday Morning Sept 9th

Well Sunday started out with temps in the low 40's but as the day wore on it warmed up especially with the bright sunshine and clear blue skies to the upper 60's. Fall is definitely here and I don't expect anymore a/c days until we get back to Florida next month. We had the fireplace on both in the morning and again in the late evening and it felt good. I even put on an extra t-short as well of course long pants and a long sleeve shirt and wore a heavy sweater to church.

We did both an on line worship with Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. and heard an awesome message on this up coming election. I mentioned it to our local pastor about the message in hopes he will step up and share some of what the Bible tells us about our duty as Believers in doing GOD's will, with regard to our society and preserving our culture according to HIS desire for us as his children. If we want to survive the evil in this world we as Believers had better wake up. What we have are the lesser of two evils who are running for potus and while GOD can use folks like that we must look at their records and their policies if we want to survive. Check out the message from Gary Hamrick at Cornerstone Chapel and Believers get out and vote for the survival of our nation or we will be subjugated by the evil in this world and its showing it face in this candidate in the democrat party.

After church we met up with the Frankis Family for lunch at the Pizzeria which is always good and plentiful. Nancy brought some of her lunch home which is not what she ordered, but it was good as was the same as pizza but in a different wrap. I had the usual fresh salad and personal pan pizza. I did bring Jake and Katelyn some potted wine berry plants, an oregano plant and several small Rose of Sharon seedlings for their place which all need to get in the ground if they want to survive the cold winter months. They won't be at church next Sunday so we will call in Chinese food and bring it home for a change. We headed home and I tuned into the NFL and watched the high lites of several games on the NFL network. The Panthers looked terrible which helps the Bucs who won their game as did the Saints in our division. I didn't do much for the day except vegetate on the couch but I did get up and walk around the gardens for a spell after the game.

We didn't want a supper so I popped corn the old fashion way which was delicious and then checked up on Israel and what was happening there. It seems they are slowly eliminating the terrorist in Gaza, but at a high cost of life and now some political unrest about their not being able to get the hostages back. It doesn't look as if that will ever occur as the terrorists are murdering them in cold blood and using them to further their agendas in regaining Gaza. They are barbarians to say the most and could care less about the Palestinians folks, oh well.

It wasn't long afterwards I hit the shower and then read until lights out at 9:30. I wanted to get ahead of Nancy coming to bed with her snoring and it seemed to work as I finally got in a good nights rest, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 8th

 Well Saturday started a little warmer than the past couple of mornings. It was chilly to start before it warmed up enough to work outside in shorts and t-shirt which I did after getting back from delivering veggies to neighbors. I blessed 5 different neighbors with tomato's, kale, Swiss chard, jalapeno peppers and several pots of volunteer Rose of Sharons seedlings that came up in my garden patches. After making these deliveries I worked on the stump getting it ready for the final burn on Monday, weather permitting. I dug out and around and under the last of the stump roots so I can get fire down and under for the last burn. I'm going to miss this stump as we have become some what friends for the last month or so with almost daily attention; not ready as it has cost me a recip saw a couple of drill bits and some lingering aches and pain in my arms, wrist and hands. Having them gone will make the mowing in that part of the steep yard so much easier, plus they were an eye sore to me.

I started the day with my usual well before 6 rollout which is any where between 4:30 and 5:30 depending on how loud Nancy's snoring gets. I'm back to wearing ear plugs at night and it makes a little difference on the decimals, but not much and I'm constantly badgered about my loss of hearing as I hate those hearing aids and still she is loud, oh well. I did my usual routines that start with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. My son, Bobby is getting better with his sinus infection, so that is a blessing and everyone else seems to be holding with this post.

I did some reading on the deck during the afternoon which was delightful with the warm air on the shaded deck. After finishing up on the dig around the stump and a lite lunch I didn't do much until it was time to head out to the Luffman Farm for supper and Sequence. Mechelle has about 30 Gypsy Vanner horses which are gorgeous to say the least and she now leases out her studs and a family was bringing their mare for breeding down from Roanoke, Va. Well they were 4 hours late in getting here so our supper plans were interrupted but we still ate and played the game. Mechelle eventually joined us and her parents and Billy to eat and play the game. Well it was a night for the gals as they swept the floor with us in 5 straight games. I had to play Harvey Hand ( which is two hands)as we could not talk Billy into playing, oh well.

We got back at the cabin around 9'ish then it was shower time for me and some reading in bed until lights out at 10. Today is corporate worship day both on line and here at Cornerstone in Sparta and then lunch out with the Frankis family, LATER

Saturday Morning Sept 7th

Well Friday was a loaf day except for running some errands in Sparta and then supper and games out with neighbors at their beautiful place as you come into our neighborhood. I started the day with my usual routines that begin with a well before 6 rollout to some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift several up by name for comfort and healing. All are holding with this post. 

I headed out into the chilly morning bundled up as the temps were once again in the 40's. If this isn't the start of Fall I'm not sure what is. I did my morning stretches on the back porch then walked around checking the gardens and sure enough the brat doe was back eating once again my pepper plants as well as the zinnias in the backwoods garden patch. I did my mile or so around the perimeter of the property while I had my morning talk with the Creator voicing my thanks and complaints. The sky was so blue and beautiful and with the sunlight in the trees surrounding this place I realize what a blessed man I am and that I can share this with so many friends and family members.

We decided after a lite breakfast of some fresh baked zucchini bread Nancy made yesterday to eat lunch at a new venue in Sparta and wow, were we ever surprised at the food which was reasonable, but all of the folks we knew who were there as well as the waitress who we hadn't seen decades. The Luffman's were there as well as their grandson Caleb whom we have known since he was just a small kid and is now living and working in Charlotte with the USAF reserves. Our food was delicious and plentiful and Eva Jean who is also some what of a neighbor and sister of our builder Ray Todd served us. We chatted as much as possible and I promised her some veggies as well.

We came back and read the afternoon away as I did pick up 4 new reads at the library while we were in town as well as a stop at the grocery for a few items before getting back on the mountain. We headed out around 5:30 on the golf cart to Bob and Mary's beautiful real log cabin which you can see the drive way up to their place as you come into our road on Rich Hill Mountain. They have awesome views of the distant mountains and after a supper of enchiladas and salad we watched the skies as the sunset, gorgeous to say the least. Nancy made brownies for the dessert and we brought all the fixin's for a hot brownie sundae after we played a couple games of Sequence. 

Well the guys finally won the first game but then the gals who are sharp players put it on us and won 4 in a row which sent us packing. We did teach them Euchre or tried too for a couple rounds and some really enjoyed it. It was going on 9 when we golf cart caravan down their steep drive way. I got the lights on my golf cart working so Grant and Shirley followed us down the drive. We made it back to the cabin in one piece and I hit the shower and read until lights out around 10'ish, LATER

Friday Morning Sept 6th

 Well Thursday started out on the chilly side with temps in the 40's and a breeze with some clouds which made it feel even colder, but as the day wore on it, became very nice with plenty of sunshine and warm temps. It was still cool in the shade but very pleasant. I started the day with my usual well before 6 rollout to my usual routines that begin with some quiet times to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing. I have to add my son, Bobby as he has an ear infection which is in his sinus and in pain, everyone else is holding with this post. I'm still have a few issues with the arms and hands from all the saw vibrations which I think is getting better with exercises for carpal tunnel syndrome.

I headed out after posting my many social media responses to stretch on the back porch and then off into the yards to check on the gardens for deer damage and to walk my mile around the perimeter. Sure enough the brat doe was back and ate off once again all the jalpeno pepper plants in the backwoods garden. I even saw her when I was grilling pork chops last evening when she suddenly came down from the woods. It was daylight and she must have been having a desire for more garden veggies. We stared at each other and then when I made a move to have Nancy bring her phone to get a picture she turned and bolted into the woods. She is the largest doe I've seen in awhile and quite healthy looking and its no wonder because there isn't a thing in my veggie or flower gardens that she doesn't eat. Well there are a couple herbs she doesn't like but that about it it.

I decided since I had burned on Wednesday and the stump was some what dried out that to burn two days in a row would be awesome and I did. The fire felt good even in the hottest part of the day and I did burn in down but hopefully one more burn will put it at least low enough to cover it with dirt and grass seed. This stump was huge and nearly waist high to start, whereas the first stump was just about 6 inches in height but huge around. This has become quite the chore thus far but I've cleaned up a ton of dead wood trees and old building materials from out under the front and back porch storage areas.

Well our Thursday night couples class was cancelled due to several illness so we had a delicious supper of parsley tatters and pork chops on the grill and then I settled into reading afterwards until the NFL came on after a hot shower. Neighbor Gerald came by briefly for his mail and he and Phylis leave for nearly a month to Europe next Monday. He will bless us with some venison when he gets back that will hold us for the winter, LATER

Thursday Morning Sept 5th

 Well Wednesday was another work day on the stump, black raspberry patch and other chores that kept me busy until late afternoon. It was down right chilly start the morning with temps into the middle 40's but eventually warmed up to the upper 60's and may even hit 70. I started the day with a very early rollout due to Nancy's snoring some time around 4:30. I never could get her to stop so I just got up an hour earlier than normal. I did my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for  another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing after posting this ramble. All seem to be holding except Nancy has a knee issue and is hobbling around. Not sure but from what I discern she has a strained ligament.

I headed out after putting on long pants for the first in a spell and a sweat shirt on top of my regular shirt to do my stretches on the back porch before walking around the perimeter checking on the gardens and noticed just when I think the brat doe had moved on, well she was back and ate down my jalapeno pepper plants once agin. At least those plants had some small peppers and the ones I've eaten thus far are hot; hopefully she got a hot mouth. Nothing else was eaten. I got in a good mile or more on my walk and thought about how I was going to plan what I wanted to do today.

After a breakfast of oatmeal with fresh blueberries from my bushes and along with a banana, pecans, honey and some cinnamon I had a healthy start to get the gastric juices flowing. As a matter of fact I ate healthy all day long with a fresh garden salad for lunch and then yellow squash and onions sauteed over jasmine rice with grilled chicken breast for supper.

Well first I decided to take the huge drill and drill more holes in the stump so as deep as 4-5 inches down that also didn't help with my arms and wrist once again overnight aching from the vibrations, but for now I'm not doing that again at least for a week or more if I have to. I burned all day long with the intent to get it down to ground level. This is one tough huge oak stump that has held moisture for a couple years. I noticed the drill bit was smoking and the saw dust was full of moisture when drilling. This sawing and drilling have given me numb fingers and pain in both arms and wrists especially at night and I learned its as bad as carpal tunnel syndrome, so I have been doing some exercises for that purpose in hopes to restore them back to normal. The drilling of holes has helped in reducing the height of the stump and getting heat down into the moisture of the wood and burn it up. This has been a slow process but its working. I'm hoping at best 1 or 2 more burns with out any drilling or sawing with the recip saw which really started all this pain in my arms and wrists from the vibrations, oh well.

I cleaned out the dead briars from the black raspberry patch and added them to the burn and now its ready for next years growth and harvest. I have to keep a fence around it to keep the brat deer(doe) from eating off all the new growth. We did tale a golf cart ride to the mailbox and on the way visited with the new couple and brought them some tomato's as well as gave some away to another neighbor. I managed for a short while to read on the back porch while monitoring the burn. 

After supper and the clean up I watched the Ray's win finally again over the Twins at home and are still having hopes of post season play, LATER

Wednesday Morning Sept 4th

 Well Tuesday was a work morning and then off to Galax, Va. in the afternoon to see a movie, shopping and then supper out at a small cafe. I had started the day with my usual 5:30 rollout depending on how much Nancy is snoring and this morning it started very early so I'm up for the day at 4:30. Seems she can not hear it but I'm thinking of moving upstairs tonight, oh well.

I did my usual morning routines that begin with some quiet moments after posting this ramble to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name, all seem to be holding with this post. I headed out around day break to stretch and then walk around the gardens and yards for the next hour or so for some exercise. The brat doe has stayed away for the last several days so no deer damage to any of the garden or flower beds. Maybe she has found something better to eat and that just thrills me.

I piddled around outside until the a/c service guy came at 8:30 and cleaned my mini split and then  checked it out for operation, which has been good for the past several years. The inside unit on the main floor needed a good cleaning, although I keep the filters cleaned, but the outside unit had lots of lint from the dryer vent which is over head and some what blows down on to the back of the unit. He sprayed some strong cleaner and then hosed that off and said everything checked out good. Now I'm just waiting for the bill.

I fired up the small chainsaw and headed up into the backwoods to work up some fallen trees for the stump burn and it ran fine then all of sudden it quit running. Not sure why but acts like a carburetor issue so I'll work on that this morning. I did have enough wood sawed up so I'll burn again today. I'm thinking two more burns and I should have it down to ground level and can cover it with dirt and sow grass seeds. I may have to drill a few holes today in it as well to help with the burn.

I loaded up 3 empty propane tanks and head to Galax after lunch to have them filled at 14 bucks a tank which was different than what use to be advertised at 10 bucks, its still a bargain on Tuesday at 14 as every other day its 17 and most places in Sparta are more than that. Nancy did some shopping at Food City which she really likes and its next door to the 3 screen movie theater, so I gassed up as well at 2.97 which is cheaper than Sparta for a change which is still 3.09. We also got a break at the movie for 5 bucks each to see Forge, a much advertised flick in the christian world. Well let me say its has to be one of the best ever and with a great message for all of US(A) and while it teaches Biblical principles it also teaches manners, respect and the what use to be the American dream that hard work rewards you along with these principles, which is a plus and helps you succeed in life and the real world. All of America needs to see this movie which I must admit is the first I've been to in decades. I'm not a fan of Hollywood especially those who are woke and speak down from a privileged position.

We stopped at Saddle Mountain cafe around 6:45 and they were closing at 7 , but insisted we had plenty of time for a meal. Nancy had the barbecue plate and I had the country ham plate, tasty and plentiful and while they were closed by the time we got our food they were very friendly and went about the business of cleaning the kitchen and the small dining area; making small talk while we ate. I can remember taking the kids there to eat when they were pre teens and of course its changed hands a couple times since then. We got back to the cabin before dark and I settled into the Ray's game and then did a live interview video for grandson Sam for a class project. After the Ray's held on to win against the Twins I hit the shower and read until 10'ish, and then some horizontal, LATER  

Tuesday Morning Sept 3rd

 Well Monday was a work day for me as I once again burned on that huge oak stump and got it down to about another couple burns before I can cover it up with dirt and sow grass seeds.I also cleaned out a bunch of scrap building materials and used on the burn. I will soon have to chain saw more downed trees for wood to burn. I still have plenty of lighter knots but will need larger pieces of firewood to cover the stump on the burn.

I started the day with my usual well before 5:30 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several for comfort and healing after posting this ramble. All seem to be holding with this post. I headed out after doing my morning stretches on the back porch to check on the gardens and then walk around the perimeter of the property several times to get the same effect as if I were hiking to the top of the mountains. Since Nancy fears for my safety alone in the backwoods trails on that hike I get just as much cardio on the several trips around the perimeter which is at least a quarter mile per trip. I do sometimes 4-6 trips plus I get to look at the yards, gardens and the setting of the cabin which I think is perfect with the many flower beds and small garden patches of veggies. I noticed the brat doe hasn't been back in the gardens in days now and I think maybe the smoke has kept her away. Maybe the smoke on the veggies from the stump burning may be a draw back to her taste buds.

Well we ate lite for breakfast but for lunch I did an old favorite of ours that GG(Nancy's mom), use to do for us called bacon, egg, and onion with added green pepper all chopped up into small pieces and then beat up eggs are added to the mix with no stirring. It makes like a cake. I did it outside on the grill and it was wonderful with fresh sliced garden 'maters, dill pickle and sliced raw onion on toast with mayo and lettuce. Delicious and that was the first we had made in many months. We cleaned up some leftovers for our supper. I did some reading on the back porch, so I could keep an eye on the burning stump. It was just a beautiful cooler than usual afternoon with a nice breeze. I had to occasionally add wood to the fire and keep it burning until early evening when I let it burn itself out.

Today, Tuesday we have a a/c service man coming first thing to check the mini split as we've never had it serviced in several years, then we are off to Galax to see the movie Forge that Nancy wants to see and we will take 3 propane tanks to have filled on "10 bucks a tank Tuesday" there as well and maybe eat out at Applebee's after the movie and then pick up a few items across the parking lot at Wal-Mart. It will be a no work day for me for a change.

I did watch the Ray's lose again at home against the Twins in a close game they were ahead at one time, as their chances are slipping away for post season play. I hit the shower around 9 and then some horizontal lab shortly afterwards as the past two nights my arms and hands were painful from the saw vibrations. I checked WEB MD and found some exercises which helped with that condition and slept much better last night, LATER

Monday Morning Sept 2nd ...LABOR DAY 2024

 Well Sunday saw us with much cooler temps, nothing like the past several days of high heat and clear skies, so the cloudy skies with the threat of rain kept it quite nice. We did get a shower overnight but just about a tenth of an inch which is always needed. We did our corporate worship on line with Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg where we get a good message and Bible study/teaching and then we heard from a life long friend of Pastor B's who wanted to share his testimony about his life that was filled with sin, hate and even thoughts of suicide. His turn around was significantly brought about by his love and devotion for Jesus as his savior. Anyhow while we wish him well as he tells his story as we all have one and how Jesus can and will make a difference in your life's story. That was our time slotted for our usual sermon as I believe he kicks off a new career in telling his testimony/story to other churches.

We met up with Jake and Katelyn and their kiddos at the Mexican eatery in town for a delicious lunch which held me the rest of the day except for a banana and some peanut butter around 6'ish. We did make a stop at the library to return some books and then at Walgreens for Nancy's scripts before getting back on the mountain around 2'ish. It was rumbling in the distance with the threat of a storm but it passed us by so I tuned into the Rays game and they blew another game with a last inning run against a good Padres team who is playoff bound. I read in the news the Rays will get a new stadium which is ridiculous in my opinion that will cost us the tax payers 1.3 billion dollars, when the Trop is a great venue and functions just fine. This is entertainment folks and not necessary, oh well. We are doing better on attendance but the stands are seldom sold out unless its the Yankees in town and now the ticket prices will jump once more as its already too much for a family event and lets face it, ball players are all over paid as it is, and is with most sports figures. I'm off my soap box now.

Well I started a new read by Dean Koonst and I think its going to be a page turner titled WHISPERS. After the game and updates on Israel there was nothing to watch on TV so I read until shower time and then for awhile in bed. I was awake half the night with pain in both arms from the vibrations of the recip saw I used too much on Friday, wow I really strained them or caused some nerve damage because they keep going to sleep and its quite painful while trying to sleep. I never noticed them much during the day but the past two nights have been unusual for me with discomfort, oh well I sometimes over do it as Nancy reminds me I'm 78 and must slow down. I can not let this stump(s) beat me which I had decided to be my one major project for the summer, LATER

Sunday Morning Sept 1st

Well I closed out August with a total work morning as I worked on the lower stump for what seemed hours; drilling and sawing. At least it was rather nice until the sun came out of the clouds and started heating things up. By then it was lunch time and I was about to finish up except for the clean up and some minor "honey do's". I spent the afternoon on the back porch reading.

I had started the day with my well before 6 rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet time after posting this ramble to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. All seem to be holding with this post. I headed out to check on the gardens but first did some stretching on the back porch before doing my mile walk around the perimeter on the property. Nancy still worries about me hiking up through the woods to the top of the mountain because a bear has been seen recently on a wildlife cameras down from us, so I get just as much exercise on the walk around the perimeter, plus I get to plan on what needs to be accomplished around the yards and gardens. Everyone else around gets the bear on their camera but for some reason which is good it never comes into our yards where I have my camera set up, oh well.

I harvested more tomato's and saved some seeds from these to sow when we get back to Florida in October. It seems now we are heading back on the 20th which is a Sunday and I like to travel on that day due to less truck traffic and because we are watching the twins starting that Friday for the weekend while Bobby and Katie head to Montana for a vacation. Anyhow that will give us a week to put the house in order and stock up before staying in Brandon with the boys, plus I can get my garden rotor tilled and maybe even get in some pickle ball during the mornings before we leave for the weekend.

Well I finished the book titled TAKEN by Dee Henderson and it was a page turner and now have one more book to read of the 5 books I picked up a week ago. I love sitting on the back porch in the shade during the afternoons and read after a morning of work around the cabin. We ate some BLT's for lunch with my garden tomato's and wow what a treat and then we finished up the left over zucchini(from my garden) boats with pasta for our supper which was another delicious meal. I tuned into the Ray's game and they finally won a game.

Well that was about it for the day and after a hot shower I hit the sack with lights out around 10'ish. Today is corporate worship day both on line and then again at Cornerstone in Sparta, LATER