Friday Morning Oct 31st... Halloween

 Well Thursday was another busy day both outside and inside after being cooped up for 24 hours due to the constant rain that dropped over 3 inches upon us and with it more cold temps and now wicked wind at times. I managed to work out side piddling around in the yards and gardens as well as getting more areas winterized for our departure on Sunday morning for the next 7 months, where did these 5 months go and so quickly.

I started the day with my usual routines that begin with some quiet times to honor Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all are holding with this post. I did stretch on the back porch before doing several laps around the property before heading in to a semi mountain breakfast of pancakes which were delicious to say the least with a banana in the batter. I used the last of the honey on my cakes as we are cleaning up little bits of stuff before we head to the dump to unload lots of empty containers and of course trash on Saturday morning. That will be my last trip into Sparta this year and then I'll stop and gas the truck up, plus gas up some non ethanol for my equipment for next summer hopefully when we arrive in May/June.

We eventually took a nice long hike as the sun finally warmed up the air around lunch time, so down to Steve's place which he is selling out and then up to the back road that runs along our upper property line and then down the side road and then finally up the steep drive way back to the cabin. I was a great hike and very exhilarating to say the least. We saw lots of wild turkeys on the back road as they had been scratching where neighbor Gerald puts out corn. What leaves haven't blown off are gorgeous as the rain brightened them up, but lots of trees are totally bare which creates a dark look in the woods. We can see clearly the landscape of how the ridges run around the cabin.

I grilled pork chops for supper and Nancy fixed the October beans I had shelled from my small garden plot as well as Cole slaw. We were supposed to have the Frankis Family but their little ones came up with some colds and throwing up so they cancelled. We will have other dear friends over for supper tonight as we continue to eat down the freezers and then we are totally into packing on Saturday for an early morning departure around 4'ish, Sunday morning, LATER

Thursday Morning Oct 30th

 Well after raining for 24 straight hours or more it has finally quit this morning as I make this post, yea. Its still rather chilly outside but at least I can get out of the cabin and walk around the property and finish up the last few small things that need to be completed before we leave Sunday. Yesterday was stay inside all day long  except for when I first got up and saw how foggy it was outside. I headed out to stretch on the back porch and hopefully get in a few rounds of walking but the lite rain started and then stayed raining a nice steady soaking rain until last evening when it brought so gully washers for a couple hours. I got up in the middle of the morning around 3'ish and it was still raining but a steady rain finally. I'll be surprised if the driveway isn't washed out from all the rain and there isn't a stream of run off rain coming down the mountain in our usual dry gully, oh well.

Not much to write about except we did lots of cabin cleaning, packing and deciding what we were taking with us and what we were giving away to a neighbor from the fridge. We got word the Frankis kiddo's all had some kind of bug so they cancelled for tonights supper and get together which I'm glad because we didn't want to catch it on the way home, which will be close to 12 hours as it is. I did do a lot of reading and perusing the internet through out the day and Nancy used up some frozen hamburger patties for our supper with some Jasmine rice and mushroom gravy and frozen lima beans, delicious. 

After the clean up we settled into "the living room" which is now what our Wednesday night get together is called at our local church in Seminole. We were able to watch it on You Tube and saw lots of familiar faces and Alex our new out reach pastor led the discussion on judgement vs discernment. That lasted an hour and then I watched the world series and Toronto was winning big to go ahead of the Dodgers 3-2 in the best of 7 series, plus the teams go back to Canada for the next game.

I hit the shower in the 7th innings and then the sack as I was tired from doing basically nothing which is weird to say the least, but it was past my bedtime which is usually at 10, LATER 

Wednesday Morning Oct 29th 4 days to departure

 Well it was a lite rain and very cold to start the day but by mid morning the rain stopped and we saw maybe a few moments of sunshine but not enough to warm the atmosphere as it stayed in the 40's all day long. Since the rain had stopped I ventured out to finish up some yard and garden chores for the biggest part of the day. I wrapped fences around the hydrangeas by the front porch and the well house which the deer will have eaten down by the time we get back in May/June. 

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor 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 head out after the rain stopped to stretch on the back porch before walking several trips around the property as I needed the exercise before coming in and having some yogurt and a banana for breakfast as I'm trying to eat as much from the fridge that we don't throw away or carry back to Florida with us on Sunday. We bought lots of yogurt for Carol when she came because she is having chewing issues and this was a soft food which helped her, but we have a huge container plus some small ones and of course the bananas go bad quickly here with the heat on constantly. I knew we were eating large at 7 ish as we met with our couples class for a meal that honored us and our last time with them for at least 7 months. 

Nancy made a chicken and pasta dish that everyone raved about and even one gal took what was left home with her, there went my entree for tonight, oh well. Francine is a hoot and we just love her. There was ton's of delicious dishes starting with salad's, spaghetti, mac and cheese and appetizers as well as desserts. We just visited and the group decided they were through with this study which had become redundant and some what boring. We were always spending a lot of time discussing current issues and going down rabbit holes with the study which was good for about 2 lessons on forgiveness, which is a major theme in that GOD's forgiveness to us in the form of Jesus dying in our place and us asking for forgiveness for our issues and giving forgiveness to others as Jesus forgave us. We have been in that same work book all summer and most were ready to do a study on one of the books of the Bible instead of a theme, oh well. Its seems last night was the ending of the class until some time this next year when we all meet again.

We got home around 9:30 and I settled into and inning or two of the world series and the Blue Jays were trying to ties the games up to two a piece and the score had them ahead when I hit the shower and then some horizontal lab around 10:30. I'm not planning to head back off the mountain again except to fuel up on Saturday as we have two more meeting with friends here for meals on Thursday and Friday. We are eating down the freezers as we entertain dear friends; the Frankis Family on Thursday and then Mechelle, Billy and Caleb who we have know since he was knee high to grasshopper. He is trying to get me some venison to take back with us on Sunday, but if not thats fine. We have been thrilled with his life's decisions and he has turned out to be one honorable man who has made us proud, LATER

Tuesday Morning Oct 28th ..6 days to go

Well the lite rain was evident all day long but this morning it coming down much heavier and I wouldn't be surprised to see some local road flooding as these hills drain quite rapidly down into these small streams, plus its down right cold with temps in the 30's and 40's all day and night. We were in town twice first to run some errands and then for our respective Bible classes at 7. I stopped at a new friend's place who runs a small engine shop to have my old chainsaw tuned up on the way home. We got back to the cabin around 3'ish the first time and 9'ish the second time and I tuned into some NFL and MLB until 10:30 then it was hit the sack.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift several up for comfort and healing, all are holding but some more severe than others. It was stay in the cabin all day except for the two forays in to Sparta. I headed to the land fill first, then the newspaper to change the address as well as to the post office and finally to the grocery store as we are taking a dish to our couples class tonight with a pot luck meal for our last meeting with the group this year  at 7. 

Neighbor Gerald came back to his cabin and stopped by in the afternoon to pick up his mail and it was miserable out with rain, some fog and cold. We chatted briefly before he left and they will be here until until Wednesday. I basically stayed on the internet watching and listening to the world news and some travel channels and keeping a watch on the huge Category 5 hurricane Melissa which is supposed to miss the USA, but is heading to Jamaica which will be devastating to say the least.

Well not much to write about except at day break those pesky deer were in the back yard looking at us when I opened the blinds. This group of 4 have really grown over the summer and now fall and I'm sure they wonder why there is nothing growing in the gardens and why we are still here, oh well. They will sure make for some fine eatin' for some one this winter, LATER

Monday Morning Oct 27th...7 days to go

 Well Sunday found us sleeping in for some reason as it was after 7'ish before we rolled out which was quite unusual for me, so every thing we did to get ready for church at 9:30 was abbreviated to say the least, but we got off on time after listening to Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. message on AI and it was very educational as well as Biblical. Pastor B at our Cornerstone Fellowship had a great message as on walking through the fire that we all will face at times in our lives, but we must maintain our love and loyalty to Jesus and the Bible's messages.

I did not go out and stretch on the back porch or walk the property before we left or anytime during the day which is a first for me in many weeks. After the service since our dear friends the Frankis Family was out of town on vacation at the beach we came directly home and ate leftovers for lunch which held us the rest of the day and evening, until I popped the last of the corn around 6'ish. I was into the NFL starting at 1 and that last until nearly 11 for me as I watched some good games and our local team the Bucs continued to win despite down several players with injuries. The late game was a good game with the Packers coming back to win over the Steelers.

The weather forecast is not great here with rain predicted for the next several days after having almost non stop sunshine and blue skies for several days. The woods can use the rain but with it come very cold temps down into the 30's at night, so hopefully no snow. I did move the porch furniture to the basement so it was dry when I put it up for the winter. We will continue to eat down the freezers with two more suppers here with friends and on Tuesday a going away supper with our couples class. It will be a time of cleaning, sorting and packing on what we take back with us to Florida for the next 7 months. I have the gardens and flower beds ready for winter and just need to remove the batteries for the law mower and golf cart and my main outside chores re finished, except for packing the truck on Saturday. 

We will make a couple more trips to Sparta to check in with post office, the local weekly newspaper and to the landfill as well as pick up my chain saw that I had some work done on it and get it ready for next years cutting. Tonight, Monday we head to our men's class and then on Tuesday our couples class and then have two different families over for suppers, so it will be a busy week but looks like it will be spent mainly indoors with the rain and the cold. I was hoping to get in another couple hikes but that isn't looking to promising, LATER 

Sunday Morning Oct 26th..7 days to departure

 Well Saturday started out quite chilly with temps close to freezing at day break but by 10 it had warm up to a balmy 40 degrees when I walked onto the pickle ball court with 3 other players. We got in 2 + hours of constant play and my ability to play was still there winning with each of the other players in the best of 3 games per set.

I has started the day with my 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times to honor Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing, all are holding and some will take awhile to heal and get better.

After getting back from pickle ball we had a bite of lunch then headed out tp run some errands and take a different road we had never been on called Pull Tail Road which eventually leads back to the parkway. There were some interesting farms and summer places and few very nice houses on that road. This post will be short as we slept in the morning as we want to start our on line worship Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg in a few mintues and then head out to our last Sunday at Cornerstone in Sparta, LATER

Saturday Morning Oct 25th

 Well Friday started out down right cold with the temps in the 30's and the wind kept it quite cold most all day until late evening when it finally died down. There was some ice on the roof of the cabin but no frost on the grasses. I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times after posting this ramble to honor Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort and healing. One of our neighbors is a new addition to that list Mike who is back in the hospital with kidney stones. Seems this is quite often an issue with him. He and his wife Linda were supposed eat supper with us when this attack occurred the night before. All the others are holding with this post and now Grant and Shirley were able to attend last nights get together at least for the eatin' part which is great to see he is getting stronger daily and eating better.

I headed out after posting this ramble and checking on the news and facebook posts to stretch on the back porch before walking the property in the cold and after a couple laps I decided to wait until it warmed up a little which it finally did around 10'ish, enough so I could work outside. I decided to take down the last patch I had a fence around which was some October beans growing. They actually came back after the deer one night inSeptember ate most of the leaves off the vines but not all the blooms and these matured enough to get a mess of beans. I spent the afternoon in the sun sitting in the driveway shelling the pods out of the wind which was nice and warm. The sun was bright and plentiful as was the deep blue skies but the wind still kept you with some outer wear on.

Nancy was in the kitchen baking pies and cobblers for the big supper. It turned out we were having 9 for supper instead of 11 who all came around 5:30 with several side dishes of salads, twice baked tatters, Texas toast, a pineapple and tatter dish and of course steaks on the grill. We had black raspberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, custard and pumpkin pie and Shirley brought a layered pumpkin cake with a delicious icing and pecans on top for the desserts. Needless to say we sent most of everything home with guests except enough for another meal or two. We still have more meat to serve with other friends before heading back a week from Sunday as we try to eat down the freezers. We leave on Nov 2nd this year so tomorrow will be our last Sunday church meeting.

After the semi clean up we played 5 rounds of chicken foot dominos and it was a hoot with Mary beating me out on the final hand as it was getting close to 9. I was winning the whole game until the last round. After they all left we finished the clean up and settled into the World Series first game and it was tied when I hit the shower and then the sack around 10'ish and was out until 1'ish when Nancy woke me up with her snoring and bathroom issues, oh well. This morning I head to Sparta for some pickle ball around 10'ish with 4 other players, hopefully it will warm up like yesterday and the wind dies down. Tomorrow the forecast is for rain the next couple of days and more this coming week. If it stays as cold as forecasted we may see some white stuff, LATER

Friday Morning Oct 24th

 Well Thursday started out very chilly especially with the breeze which was constant all day long, probably our coldest all day long of the year with temps down into the middle 30's. There was plenty of blue skies and bright sunshine which helped with the cold but still our coldest winter day in Florida because after a chilly start there it always warms up by the afternoon, anyhow I was able to work outside around mid morning for the rest of the day. We took a hike later in the afternoon to visit neighbors and then we were in the rest of the day and evening.

I started the day with my usual 6 ish rollout to my routines that begin with some quiet times 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 headed out to stretch on the back porch despite it being col and breezy but was wrapped up with plenty of outer clothes. I did a couple laps around the property before heading in to finish up the box cereal for breakfast as we eat down the cupboards and make ready for our packing next week. After checking the news and social media posts I headed back outside to piddle around in the yards. I had a couple low places in yards so I dug a couple loads of dirt and filled in those places as well as finished up the back woods garden with covering it with compost. All I have to do now in the gardens is take down the fences around the patches and reinstall them around the hydrangea bushes in front of the porch and the well house.

We took a mid afternoon hike to say goodbye to Anne and Frank who are leaving next Monday for Lakeland, Florida. Frank has breathing issues and is on oxygen 24/7 but both love it here and we were responsible for helping them get their place in 2021. They love it and while she is a gardener like me she raises most of her tomato's and peppers in a pot on the porch and they do great. After visiting instead of walking back by the road we instead cut a path down their steep woods because we can see their cabin from ours and across the gully which runs with water when we have days of rain. We were amazed at the huge downed trees in that divide as our properties connect. That was the first time I had walked that area this year. We made it back and saved that steep uphill climb in our driveway. Nancy then made of pot of soup for our supper which was delicious.

Well Nancy was busy in the house prepping for the big supper tonight with 9 neighbors who are coming for steaks on the grill as well as three desserts she is making; black raspberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, pumpkin and custard pies. They are bringing the side dishes and then we will play a couple games of Sequence I'm sure before calling it a night. Tomorrow I'm meeting 4 other guys for pickle ball in Sparta at 10 and will make a dump run before play, LATER

Thursday Morning Oct 23rd

 Well winter is here in the mountains for us flatland Floridians with temps down right cold helped by the brisk breeze. We did get lots of sunshine and blue skies but it was long pants all day long with a long sleeve shirt. When I don these clothes its winter time in Florida, oh well. The leaves are falling and being blown about as now most all of the trees are past peak. There are still a few trees with some color but mostly they are through for this year.

I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my 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, all seem to be holding with this post. I did after posting this ramble and checking on the world news and social media exchanges head out bundled up, to stretch on the back porch before walking around the property to get the blood circulating. It was down right cold, some where in the low 40's but the stiff breeze made it feel even colder. I did several laps around the yards checking on whats left, which isn't much and planning on what I wanted to accomplish outside today as we didn't have to go any where in the evening.

I did finish up coating the one backwoods garden with a couple loads of rotting pine needles I had stored over the summer from when we got here in May. I had removed  them from the gardens and of course they had broke down and composted which hopefully will add good food for my next summers garden vegetables. I still have to weed whack down the remaining flower beds that still have some blooming zinnias and daisy's and some wild flowers. Neighbor Mary and Christine came by for a visit and were here for an hour or so. Nancy had clothes in the wash so I hung them outside on the line and it was a perfect day with the breeze and sunshine. Oh what a smell for them when being dried outside in the fresh air and sunshine.

We decided after a lite lunch to walk to the mailbox which has several hills and is about a mile each way. We stopped and visited with neighbor Mike for a few on the way out. He was up working on his recently renovated old cabin he purchased a few months back and now has it quite livable inside and ready for friends and visitors to stay in. It was very rustic and needed lots of work which is just up his ally when it comes to remodeling and fixer up.

I harvested the last of the beets the deer had eaten off the tops and they were delicious when roasted with carrots which we had for our supper along with some leftovers. We are cleaning out the freezers and tomorrow night we are having lots of the neighbors for a steak dinner and then games afterwards. I think we will have 11 counting us and I have about that many steaks in the freezer so that will help with freeing up space in case Caleb brings me some venison to take back to Florida.

After the supper clean up I settled into the last few chapters in RAVENOUS SEIGE the second book in son, Bobbys trilogy titled EPIC OF HAVEN and while I had a hard time in the first book this one is much more interesting with tons of action. I'm looking forward to the third book which we have at home in Florida and will attack it in a couple weeks once I get the gardens and yards squared away in a couple weeks,  LATER

Wednesday Morning Oct 22nd

 Well Tuesday started out chilly, not really real cold but the breeze made it feel even cooler, but eventually it warmed up to t-shirt and shorts by the early afternoon. I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my 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, all seem to be holding although some with more serious issues than others.

I headed out after posting this ramble and checking on the world news and social media posts to stretch on the back porch before walking the property to get he blood flowing and checking on the gardens. After several laps around the yards which is quite hilly, I headed in to have some breakfast which was to clean up some cereal and coconut milk. I'm hoping to eat down all that we can before leaving in about 10 days or so.

We are having a huge supper here on Friday night as we clean out some steaks we have had in the freezer and then again next week when we clean out some pork chops as well as lots of frozen veggies and frozen black raspberries as they do not travel well despite being in a cooler, oh well. I headed out to piddle around in the gardens and yards once again raking up pine needles and leaves covering another flower bed which is almost new and one the deer love to eat down anything in it. That kept me busy until we decided to hike to the top of the mountain. We stopped and talked with Billy for a few and learned his old Ford Ranger P/U truck kicked the bucket after over a 100K in miles. He is on the look out for a new used truck.

We came back and had a bite of lunch and then settled into reading on the porches until supper time. We ate early as we had our couples class at 7 PM in Sparta. We had 8 folks for it as several were missing due to health issues. Next Tuesday will be our last meeting for 7 months and while we love the folks I'm hoping we get into a good study about the books in the Bible instead of what we have been studying or discussing which has been a personal study on forgiveness, anyhow its a great topic but after awhile its has become redundant, oh well.

We got back to the cabin around 9'ish and so I read before and after my shower. Bobby's second book has really sparked my interest in the trilogy titled THE EPIC OF HAVEN. I'm looking forward to the third book which we left in Florida to find out how this saga ends, LATER

Tuesday Morning Oct 21st

 Well Monday started out with temps down close the upper 30's and it never got much above the upper 50's as a stiff breeze made it feel even colder. There was plenty of sunshine and blue skies but wasn't the near perfect days of last week. We did receive about a tenth of an inch of rain on Sunday which wasn't much as the wind dried it out during the day. I'm done with the gardens except for one small patch and some jalapeno peppers and herbs in another patch. I raked up several trash cans of pine needles and leaves and covered several patches with them as I get the patches ready for next summers planting.

I had started the day with my 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 are holding with this post, yet some are more extreme than others with health issues and from accidents while riding a horse or should I say when thrown off a horse, oh well. I headed out after day break and the checking on the world news as well as social media posts to stretch on the back porch and it was cold while doing so. I noticed with all of the high winds on Sunday evening and night many of the trees surrounding the cabin have lost their leaves and many of the leaves covering the yards have now been blown down into the gully below the cabin which is sort of nice. I can now see the sunrise much earlier coming through the leafless trees than before 10 o'clock in the morning.

I piddled around outside after breakfast which held me the rest of the day until supper time which was a salad and some left over shepherds pie Nancy made from venison instead of beef, delicious to say the least. We are having 9 folks here on Friday for supper as I want to clean out the freezers as much as possible in case Caleb brings me some venison to take back with me and I want room in my cooler for that meat which is the best ever. We still have about 11 days of eating down the freezers and cupboards before leaving Sunday a week.

We headed out to Sparta around 6'ish and made a stop at the grocery before heading over to church for our Monday night Bible class. We had 10 men in attendance and the gals were meeting as well for their class. Nancy made a huge batch of ginger snap cookies, so we took shut in neighbor Grant who is recovering from surgery a bunch and then she took the rest to church to share as well and we still have several for ourselves which is just what I'm trying not to eat, oh well. We got home in time to see the Buc's lose to the Lions in a rare poor game performance for our quarterback, oh well, LATER

Monday Morning Oct 20th

 Well Sunday found us with the start of the change in weather as the afternoon progressed and so did the rain clouds and eventually rain and a cold wind. At times the gusts were severe and many trees are now almost bare, especially the beautiful ones. We headed out around 9:30 for our local church after watching Cornerstone Chapel on line and then left and headed back home instead of heading to the river bottom for a baptizing. So we ate some leftovers and then I settled into the NFL and some MLB the rest of the evening until shower time at 10. Not much to report on as its much colder this morning here on the mountain after a 50's start on Sunday morning.

In between games on TV I did manage a few laps around the property to get some exercise and we just had some pop corn I made the old fashion way for our supper. We have a new prayer request for an old dear friend who was thrown from her horse on Saturday and is in the ICU in Winston Salem hospital. She has a broken collarbone, pelvis, ribs and a gash requiring staples in her head and she is no spring chicken either. Her husband, Eddie has been in a nursing home for nearly 12 years and is paralyzed from the neck down and now she is incapacitated and will require surgery today, so keep Kimberley in your prayers she will recover.

We got a call from Colorado last evening from a school mate of Nancy's who actually introduced me to her back before I was ever divorced from Jackie and at the time her former husband who was deputy and I were friends, so thats been close to 50 years or less. Anyhow she moved to Colorado and remarried and is still a horse gal. It was fun to talk to her as she was trying to remember a former trooper I worked with  40 years ago or more, oh well. 

The Bucs play tonight in Detroit and hopefully I can get to watch at least half of the game as we have our weekly Monday night class, LATER

Sunday Morning Oct 19th

 Well Saturday was just another beautiful autumn day that started out with mild temps around 50 and warmed up to the middle 70's with tons of blue skies and bright sunshine. I don't believe you could order a more perfect day weather wise. I 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 with this post. I soon got ready after this post and checking on the world news and social media posts to head out to stretch on the back porch and get ready to pick up neighbor Gerald and head to Sparta for some pickle ball.

We met 3 other players and then picked up a fourth for the 2 hour non stop workout on the court and it was great with some good long rally's and I worked up a sweat as well. We played hard and had a great workout and I was whupped by the time we left the courts and headed back to the cabin. We planned on it again next Saturday if the weather holds as a big cold front is heading our way starting later today and the temps will be close to freezing at nights, oh well.

I grilled the last of the ground venison for burgers which were delicious to say the least for our lunch and then it was rest and read the afternoon away. We were heading to an old friends beautiful place and farm for supper and games. It was our sweet friend Kaitlyn's mom Karin and new husband Frank's place. Karin wanted us to see her new kitchen that Jake and Kaitlyn put in for her and it was truly gorgeous and well done. Kaitlyn had brought steaks and twice baked tatters as well as salad and Nancy brought a delicious carrot cake. We guys took a nice tour of his old dairy farm which he converted into a beef farm and the 400 acres he owns own west of Sparta. The setting is just awesome with long distant views up into the mountains of Virginia. It had been a couple years since we had last seen their place and it was a great visit.

The meal was excellent as well and then we played 3 games of Sequence which the gals won all three. Karin was just getting over some surgeries so we didn't stay long as it was already going on 8:30 and it was a 30 minute ride back to the cabin on those dark roads with deer everywhere after dark. Today its worship day both on line and in person at Cornerstone and then lunch out with Jake and Kaitlyn and the kids, LATER

Saturday Morning Oct 18th

 Well Friday started out down right cold in the 30's and with ice for the first time this year on the cab of the truck, yikes. I know when we start to see this event its time to start packing for our return trip south to warmer temps. I started the day with my 6'ish 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 by name for comfort and healing, all seem to be holding with this post.

I headed out to stretch on the back porch before doing my morning walk around the property checking on the gardens and flower beds. After it warmed up I headed out to breakdown the backwoods garden fence and pole bean poles as well as raked up pine needles for the raspberry patch. I leaned they love the soil to be on an acid PH level, plus it helps with controlling the weeds and grasses and helps with keeping moisture in the dry seasons. I hauled two large trash cans full of the needles and spread them in and among the vines. That kept me busy until we decided to take a late morning hike to the top of the mountain. It had warmed up quite nice to t-shirt and shorts temps. We met a new couple at the old Upstill place which I believe were her grandson and a friend and their dog. It was a good visit for a short while and then we headed down to the cabin for a bite of lunch.

I sat outside in the sun reading the afternoon away on son Bobby's book which I'm getting into and its much like Lord of the Rings genre which for me takes some getting use to. The sun was delicious to say the least but in the shade it became some what cool and an extra shirt was needed. The sunshine and blue skies were quite nice and the leaves are turning almost as we view them. The maple by the red shed is absolutely gorgeous and so vibrant as is the yellows, oranges, golds and browns up in the wood. I think its peak at our elevation as the hill sides are splendid in colors.

We were meeting Mechelle, Billy and Caleb at 6:30 for supper in Sparta at the Muddy Creek eatery but it was close to 7:30 before we ever got seated. So it was close to 8 before we ever got served and the food was decent in flavor and Mechelle sprung for the tab. Many thanks to her and Caleb promised me some ground venison to take back to Florida with us, since Gerald is now feeding his venison to Boo his new dog, oh well.

We came back around 9'ish and I watched a couple innings of the MLB game and the Dodgers looked like they would close out the Brewers season with 4 straight wins to proceed to the World Series. I soon hit the shower and read for about 30 minutes before sleep over took me. This morning I'm heading to Sparta with Gerald and meeting up with 3 other men for some pickle ball at 10 when it warms up a little, LATER

Friday Morning Oct 17th

 Well Thursday started out with chilly temps, nothing serious yet but the breeze made if feel colder, but with lots of blue skies overhead which meant once the sun broke through the trees surrounding the cabin around 9'ish it would warm up considerably and it did to t-shirt and shorts for the rest of the day and evening. It's now has started to get dark early as well as the sun gets lower behind those same trees on the other side of the cabin, oh well.

I started the day with my 6'ish rollout to my 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 and one answered prayer was neighbor Grant got better and it seems he is back home again and supposedly cancer free, although he is still have some healing issues and getting back his strength and eating healthy, everyone else is holding with this post.

I headed out to stretch on the back porch before walking the property and notice those pesky deer were in the upper garden again overnight, but thankfully I put chicken wire around my jalapeno pepper plants which are still producing and it kept them secure against their voracious appetites or they would have been eaten down. Most everything is gone for this season except one small patch that has a fence around it that is growing October beans and they are maturing despite being eaten down, before I put the fence around the patch. I still have a few herbs left which the deer haven't developed a desire to eat yet.

We headed to Galax, Va for one last shopping trip as I wanted some wood sealer and a new spark plug for the old chain saw and Nancy needed a few items plus a new "puffer jacket" and I gas up at 2.75 a gallon which was a few cents cheaper than N.C. We got back around 1'ish and then I started to clean the decks and porches with the leaf blower and gave the deck floor a good coat of the wood sealer and the top rails along the deck and porches. These pressure treated boards have held up quite well for over 30 years and the sealer seems to help as well. That kept me busy until it started to cool down a little and then I took a small hike around the property as we missed the long hike to the top of the mountain.

Nancy used the last of the ground deer meat for a shepherds pie as we had tatters that needed using and it was delicious to say the least. I'm hoping our young friend Caleb will fix me up with some fresh venison while he is home from Charlotte this weekend as neighbor Gerald who usually fixes me up is now feeding his new dog venison, oh well. Maybe next year I'll get lucky and have some to take back to Florida.

Well that was about it for the day as I did watch some of the NFL and the Steelers were down at half time against the Bengals. I had started son Bobby's second book in his 3 book sequel called the Epic of Haven. Its on top with Amazon on christian fantasy and while thats not my genre, its a good read thus far, titled THE RAVENOUS SEIZE, LATER

Thursday Morning Oct 16th

Well we are getting close enough to leaving here that a count down will begin in a couple of days. Two more Sundays before we say "so long" until next summer. Any how Wednesday after a chilly start turned out to be rather warm with t-shirt and shorts temps with brilliant blue skies and sunshine. I started the day with my usual 6'ish rollout to my 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 for comfort and healing. All are holding with this post.

I did head out to stretch on the back porch before walking the property and just enjoying the ambiance with all of the trees surrounding the place in difference shades of colors as well as noticing tons of leaves that have already fallen. I did blow some leaves in the afternoon out of the driveway. After a breakfast of bacon, egg with slice tomato and a jalapeno on souer dough toast I headed out to work outside in the gardens getting them ready for winter and again for next year planting when we come back in May/June. I dug and hauled two golf cart loads of topsoil I found that had washed down from the top of the mountain when we have those torrential rains and the dirt has been standing in one area for over 30 years. It was good soil so I spread lots of it in those beds that had been sown with wild flower seeds earlier in the summer. The beds that I weed whacked down I just place lots of pine needles and leaves to keep the weeds and grasses down. I still have to weed eat those beds I covered with topsoil as some are still showing blooms from different flowers. That kept me busy until the afternoon when we took off on a hike to the top of the mountain. We visited with several who were out and about working in their flower beds and walking their dogs for quite a spell before heading back down the steep backwoods trail. 

After the hike we had a lite lunch of some leftovers from last weeks many dishes and for supper I grilled some marinated chicken breast over a bed of salad. We did take a golf cart ride during the afternoon as well, checking out the property behind us looking for some bear scat but never found it. We did see where the deer and turkeys ate up all of Neighbor Gerald corn he had placed along both backwoods roads. We then headed out to the mailbox before coming home and taking the laundry off the clothes line. It was a perfect day for hanging sheets as we washed up the bedding from our last weeks company and the smell of clean sheets dried in the sunlight is awesome.

We tuned into our local church in Florida for Wednesday evening service and then I watched the speech Erica Kirk gave when she accepted Charlie's Medal of Freedom on his birthday and it was a tear jerker talk. She is such a brave and courageous person to carry on his legacy and his battle to educate the youth for Freedom in America as well as lead folks to the Lord. He truly is a martyr for GOD and Country, LATER

Wednesday Morning Oct 15th

Well Tuesday started out on the chilly side but by mid morning I donned shorts and a t shirt and kept them on the rest of the day as we had blue skies and bright sunshine with temps in the low 70's for a high. I started the day with my usual 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. We got some good news about Grant's health and he is cancer free after losing one kidney to it and now he can eat normally and hopefully put on some weight and get strong again, all others are holding with this post.

I headed out after day break to walk the property and check on the whats left in the gardens and the two zucchini's I had on the vine were eaten over night so I took the vines out and covered that patch with pine needles later in the morning after breakfast. We finished up the sausage patty from the day before along with an egg on a bun for breakfast which held me until 5'ish. Since I'm taking Metamucil once a day my appetite has been curbed some what and I'm getting by on just two meals a day in hopes to lose some belly fat, plus I'm doing more physical work since our company left. 

I loaded up the golf cart several times with raked pine needles from the backwoods area under the pine trees and spreaded them over the flower and garden beds and then I took down the pole beans from the other garden and cut up the vines. I did enclose the jalapeno pepper plants in the upper patch with chicken wire as they are still producing and I'm trying to eat one of them a day along with the last of the small tomato's. I did pot up some volunteer tomato seedlings from the compost pile in hopes they will make it back to Florida for my winter garden.

We did take a hike around noon to the top of the mountain which was good for Nancy as she hasn't hiked since Carol gave it up the second day they were here. Carol has some severe jaw issues and must have them both replaced since one is broken and the cost is outrageous, so we donated 2500 bucks to help with the costs and hopefully others will also as she needs close to 80 grand all total and medicare will not help, oh well. Anyhow she hiked twice and then quit and so did Nancy, so yesterday was good for her in hopes she can get back into shape.

We headed out around 6'ish to our couples class after a stop at the library to return several reads and now I'm going to read Bobby's second book which I have put off doing so for years. I'm just not a Lord of Rings type reader which is pure fantasy but he has written 3 books in a world he created that is an allegory on christianity titled EPIC OF HAVEN. That was about it for the day and evening as we saw several deer both going and coming from Sparta, LATER

Tuesday Morning Oct 14th

Well Monday started out with overcast skies and quite chilly with a breeze, but by mid morning the sun broke through and the blue skies appeared and it turned out to be a shorts and tee shirt afternoon and by evening it was still in the low 60's. It was a work day for me which I surely love here as I can be outside in the fresh air that no one has ever breathe before and I love it. After a hearty breakfast around 9ish which held me until 5'ish, but first I did my morning routines after rolling out around 6'ish to some quiet moments to honor my lord, Jesus, give thanks for another day and to lift up several by name for comfort, safe travels and for healing. All made it home safely and others are healing and hopefully getting stronger and better. 

I did my early morning hike around the property after stretching on the back porch checking, on whats left in the gardens and flower beds. The deer were in all of them but there isn't a whole lot left except for some half runner beans on poles they haven't eaten off the tops yet and the jalapeno pepper plants which are sort of hidden in the upper garden. One patch still has a fence around it where I'm still growing October beans in various staging of maturing. I have to wait until the green pods turns lite brown and speckled with red which gives the inside white beans the color of a birds egg which is why we always called them "bird egg" beans. They are the best bean ever and when cooked they turn brown much like a pinto, but only better.

I had a sausage patty with some grits and eggs in a bowl with cut up jalapeno and some of the small tomatoes which is all I have left from the gardens and a slice of sourdough bread with home made black raspberry jelly we made from our berry patch. That held me for the next 8 hours when I ate some left over smashed taters with sauerkraut from a couple days back, delicious to say the least. I headed out to work in the gardens weed eating the marigold bed down and then hauling a load of last year pine needles I had stored in the woods to cover the bed and then I hauled another two loads of the pine needles to cover the backwoods garden patch and the hollyhock patch which the deer eat every night when there is the smallest evidence of any growth. 

I worked on the weed eater restringing it and then decided the upper garden near the driveway needed some work as the half runner bean poles were standing only with ropes after being blown down a month or so ago. I harvested what beans were still growing which wasn't many and cut up the vines and left them to rot and compost in that garden. I had to hide the jalapeno pepper plants which are still producing with the poles or the dad gum deer with eat them down overnight. Speaking of deer we saw several during our daylight trip to Sparta last evening for our Bible classes and then more again on the way home around 9'ish. I watched a little of the baseball and football games until 10'ish then hit the shower and the sack as I hadn't done any real physical work except hike while our company was here for 10 days, so I was whupped and in bed by 10:30. Not sure when Nancy decided to come to bed but its usually around midnight, LATER

Monday Morning Oct 13th

 Well it is quiet around the cabin after Dan and Carol left early Sunday morning and we got a text from Sheri and Steve as they left their place which is just below us as they too left around 9'ish. We said good bye to them Saturday night. So its just Nancy and myself except maybe for a neighbor or two the next three weeks when we also leave on a Sunday morning. Oh well, time moves on as does the seasons and we have now have had the heat on 24/7 for the past couple of days as its not brutally cold, but overcast with a breeze and lows in the 40's at night.

Dan and Carol got home after a 12 hour drive and Sheri and Steve stopped halfway as they were pulling a trailer loaded with equipment, tools, bikes and scooters plus things they weren't going to use again as they have put their place up for sale. It seems their grands aren't interested in coming here for any extended visit and the main reason I think is no actual place to visit together. The shipping container is quaint and cute, but no room for any amount of folks other than two and even that isn't comfortable. They ate every night with us and played games as well and we never visited them except to walk through the area outside on our hikes. I sure wish they had either put a modular of some kind of building on the property or at least a trailer as he made three hook ups with electric, water and sewage.

We worshipped first on line with Gary Hamrick at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Va. and then again at our local Cornerstone  Fellowship in Sparta. Afterwards we did the Mexican eatery in town for a delicious lunch which held me the rest of the day except for some blueberry buckle(cake) Nancy had made for the group on Saturday night as a dessert which I passed on. I vegetated on the couch the rest of the day and evening watching the NFL. Our Bucs in Tampa beat the 49niners and son Bobby and Katie with grandson Gabe and several other family members were there as well. What a game and despite some bone head fouls we held on to win. The local team here in N.C. also won over the Cowboys after they had lost 3 straight games. Its baseball playoffs so I switched back and forth during commercials to watch some of that game as well but took a shower at the halftime of the late game and then hit the sack around 10'ish after reading for a few.

Today Monday I'm starting to put the gardens and flower beds in winter shape by cutting down the stalks and replacing the beds with pine needles which helps retard the growth of weeds and grasses over the winter and the spring months. Neighbor Gerald and Phylis were up to their place over the weekend and he noticed a pile of bear scat near his one deer stand on the back road from our cabin. We have not seen any signs of the bear all summer despite at times having trash in cans below the back porch. I guess I'm back to hiking around the property once again since my hiking buddies have left. I hiked for at least 2 miles at 8 AM every morning that Dan and Steve were here and while I didn't lose any belly fat I did seem to get in better shape with my recovery time after a hike up the steep driveway. We now have tons of leftovers to clean up so we won't be cooking anything new for a couple of days, oh well.

We head back to our Monday night Bible classes for two more weeks and then on Tuesday to our couples class as well, then we are gone until next May/June. I'm already dreading the traffic in Florida and the scenery but looking forward to planting my winter garden and getting back to pickleball at the Rec, LATER

Sunday Morning Oct 12th

 Well the company is getting up and making ready to leave for Florida as its 6 AM and we said good bye to Sheri and Steve last evening after supper and some card games. They pull out around 10'ish as they are bringing tons of stuff back to Florida as well in a trailer and putting their place up for sale. It is a sad day as it will be quiet around here for a day or so. We still have lots of neighbors who I'm sure we will reconnect with with suppers and game nights before we leave in 3 weeks from today. I have tons of work her both inside and out before we pack up for the next 7 months as well.

Its been a fun time the past 10 days or so with lots of fine eatin' both in house and out as well as tons of card games every night, lots of great early morning hikes with both Dan and Steve and some new roads we traveled as well as many old familiar roads and some new first adventures as well. It will be a couple weeks until we leave this beautiful place that GOD has so blessed us with and to share with so many friends who have become almost like family.

I'll get back to my longer posts starting tomorrow for those who like my rambling which I do first thing before heading out to check the surrounding by walking around these grounds. Today is corporate worship day both here on line and then again in person at Cornerstone Fellowship in Sparta, LATER

Saturday Morning Oct 11th

Well Friday was an awesome day with friends and an adventure as we headed down to Mt. Airy for the Festival of Leaves with thousands of other folks and then we ate our big meal of the day at Libby Hills a seafood place in town. First the three of us got in a two mile morning hike to the the top of the mountain and then we walked the mile or so among the many vendors in town. We stopped at the barn which is a local ice cream place near us just off the parkway.

It was watch a little baseball while we waited for Steve and Sheri to arrive for games the rest of the evening which started with a game of OH -ELL, then a game of Michigan Rummy and finally a game of hand, knee and foot. The guys prevailed for the second night in a row with wins, LATER

Friday Morning Oct 10th

 Well it has turned chilly with the chance of frost last night, but Thursday was another beautiful day and a work day for me as the girls were off to Galax, Va. shopping and doing all the stores which thankfully aren't that many to buy from. I got in an early morning two mile hike with Steve as Dan laid back as his foot was bothering him. It was invigorating and set the tone for me as I chain sawed several different down trees and logs, hauled away a couple loads of branches, blown some downed leaves as well as cut down and saved the flower heads on the dying zinnias in the front porch bed and then took down the tomato fence in the backwoods bed as the deer had eaten off all the green on the vines.

We baked a frozen lasagna for our supper with a salad and Texas toast then played a couple rounds of OH --ELL which the gals won both and then a 4 rounds in hand knee and foot and the guys won big in that game. By then it was close to 10'ish so it was shower time for me and then soon I was out as it had been a busy day. Today we head down to Mt. Airy for the Leaf Festival and lunch out at one of our favorite eateries SO HO for some Pho. The owner, Charlie is from Viet Nam and we got to know him  a couple years back and had lots of laughs with him but the food is excellent, LATER

Thursday Morning Oct 9th

 Well Wednesday was probably our last real warm day for a while as it was near perfect except for some dark clouds around, but no rain except for a mist a couple times. We guys got in an early morning 2 mile hike around 8 and then after lunch we met up with a couple from our church to visit his astronomy telescopes for a two hour visit and informative lesson as well as some awesome pics of what he captures on cameras in outer space. What an informative visit and his knowledge of outer space and how to observe these systems is amazing.

We spent the evening after Steve put the supper together outside around our first campfire in weeks until dust settled upon us and then headed in to play "chicken foot" dominos until 9'ish. It was soon shower time for me and then some horizontal lab right at 10, Later

Wednesday Morning Oct 8th

Well Tuesday was a mixture of bright sunshine, overcast and even some lite rain weather, but not really cold, cold yet for this time of the year. Steve and I took a nice long two mile hike in the morning while Dan skipped the hike as it was drizzling rain to start the morning and he and Carol took off to town for a couple hours. Dan and I got in a drive way hike later in the evening just before supper.

We had leftover for lunch here with the 6 of us and then supper agin with a favorite of everyone with spare ribs, sauerkraut and dogs with smashed tatters and crusty bread with zucchini bread for dessert after a couple rounds of cards. There was some porch setting as well with some reading during the after noon and we guys whupped the gals in hand, knee and foot but they smoked us in Euchre too close out the evening, LATER

Tuesday Morning Oct 7th

Well Monday was another beautiful Fall day with a little chill in the air to start the day and then it was t-shirt and shorts the rest of the day and even in to the evening. I headed out around 8 with Dan and we met up with Steve for a good 2 mile hike and then we came back and had a semi mountain breakfast which held us until 6'ish when we had a Mexican theme supper which was delicious.

We took off around 12:30 for a trip out to visit with the Frankis Family at their new being built mansion that Jake is doing all by himself. He is such a builder and a great man as well as husband and dad. We visited there for an hour or two before making a stop in Sparta at the grocery for a few items before heading back to the cabin. I got in a little down time reading before the 6 of us played cards the rest of the evening. The gals won the only game of hand, knee and foot but we did play a couple gsmes of Michigan Rummy which is challenging, LATER

Monday Morning Oct 6th

 Well Sunday turned out to be another gorgeous Fall day with a chilly start to the day and by the afternoon it was t-shirt and short pants and I did some porch sitting after a nice long afternoon hike with Steve. Everyone else stayed seated at the cabin. We did church in the morning both on line and in person at Cornerstone in Sparta and then had lunch out at the Pizzeria which held me the rest of the day and evening. It was filling and tasty as well.

I did get in a little of the NFL and out Bucs won barely with a last minute drive. We had Sheri and Steve up around 5'ish and played cards until nearly 10 then it was shower time for me. The guys won 2 out of 3 hand, knee and foot and then again in Euchre, so for a change we were on top. I hear everyone getting up so I'll close for now except to say one of our friends in Floprida is in the hospital with some heart issues so keep Andy in your prayers. Everyone else is holding as I make this post, Later

Sunday Morning Oct 5th

 Well Saturday turned out to be just gorgeous after a very chilly start with temps in the low 40's, but my mid afternoon it was shorts and t'shirt weather with deep blue skies and tons of bright sunshine. perfect Fall weather. I started the day much the usual with some quiet moments before our company came down to join Nancy and I with their coffee's while I had my hot green tea laced with cloves and ginger. 

Dan and I shortly took off on a good 2 mile hike while it was still chilly outside while the girls sat by the fire place. We skipped a major breakfast but did and early lunch and then an early supper with Steve and Sheri joining us for soup, salad and bread and then a delicious white cake for dessert later in the evening. We got in two rounds of hand, knee and foot with the guys destroying the gals in just two rounds in the first game but decided to play another full round with the gals winning. It was then one game of Euchre and the gals destroyed us in that game. We did get the girls to join us in the afternoon for another long hike to the top of the mountain and we stopped by Steve and Sheri place as they had just arrived from Tennessee and were unpacking for the week. They will be here the same week as Dan and Carol before heading back to Seminole.

Today it worship day both here on line and then again at our local church in Sparta and then lunch out at the Pizzeria and then games in the afternoon and evening once again. Hopefully we can get in a hike sometime in the afternoon before dark, LATER

Saturday Morning Oct 4th

 Well Friday turned out to be another beautiful pleasant day after a some what chilly start with temps in the low 40's. Our neighbors Dan and Carol and dear friends arrived around 2'ish, so we took a hike after they had some lunch around 4'ish. It was a beautiful mile and a half hike and the views from the top of the mountain were awesome. The sun was shining brightly and we saw the Dave and Alicia who bought the old Browning place as we cut through their driveway. This blog will be short as the company is awake and coming down the stairs as I write. Nothing new is going on with us here except Sheri and Steve arrive some time today and we will have them over for supper and then games. Our turkey breast dinner was excellent with smashed tatters, broccoli, dressing and gravy, delicious, LATER

Friday Morning Oct 3rd

 Well Thursday started off chilly once again with temps in the upper 40's, Fall is definitely here with early evening shadows and its dark by 7:30. The leaves whats left are changing as we speak and its not supposed to get out of the 60's for the next several days, oh well at least the bugs aren't so back. I started the day 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. Grant is back in the hospital in Charlotte as he just isn't doing well after the removal of a cancerous kidney. He seemed pretty good for a couple of days but hasn't improved at all after that and actually is going down hill, so he is back with more tests to check him out. All others despite some more serious than others are holding with this post.

We headed to Sparta to run some errands and for Nancy to have her gray hair colored once again so I ran to the dump, the post office and then to the library but on the way stopped by the local pickle ball courts and saw 5 people playing, so I stopped to see if I could join them and they were very nice and even let me use one of their paddles. Well I got in a good workout, made some new friends and worked up a sweat for about an hour, before heading on to the local library where I checked out some new reads. While at the post office I saw an old feller with a Viet Nam ball cap on and struck up a conversation and learned he was in 'Nam two years before I was first there in '66. He was a real nice feller to talk too as well and was once a preacher with the Church Of GOD here in the county.

Well we had already shopped at the Food Lion before I dropped Nancy off for her hair appointment so all we had to do was pick up her scripts at Walgreens on the way out of town and we got back to the cabin around 1:30. After a lite lunch of some leftover dogs and a couple 'maters I headed down to Linda and Elaine's to drop off some half runner beans for them that I had picked a day or two before. They are just about gone as the deer have eaten off most all of the lower leaves on them in both gardens. 

Well it was time once again to watch some MLB playoff games until late evening and then after a supper of a frozen pizza Nancy had doctored up with some mushroom and black olives and the clean up, I settled into the games until shower time and then some reading a new book about the life of a young Polish teenager will Jewish blood lines who survived the holocaust and has written the story of those experiences in several death camps and the lost of his family except for an uncle who also survived to reunite with him afterwards. Its unimaginable what those Nazi's did to human's especially the Jewish race and anyone who didn't agree with them

Well today is Friday and we got word neighbor Gerald is coming for a work day, so maybe we can saw up the huge branches that are on the edge of his upper driveway next to my property. Nancy refuses to let me use the chainsaw without some one else around, so with him coming we can now get these worked up and out of the way. She is getting ready for Dan and Carol and of course that sends her into panic mode to make sure we have plenty to eat and the cabin is spotless which it usually is, but now that Carol is losing weight because of her inability to chew, we must make food she can easily swallow which has Nancy concerned to accommodate her issues, LATER

Thursday Morning Oct 2nd

 Well Wednesday was really a very beautiful day for a change with tons of sunshine, blue skies and NO rain for the first time in over a week. Temps were down into the low 70's for a high and no humidity at all. I do believe we are in a high pressure system which is helping with keeping these hurricanes off shore. I can't imagine the damage if that Cat 5 hurricane came ashore followed by another major hurricane. Hopefully Bermuda is spared as I once visited there by in the 60's while serving with a 4 star general in the USAF. It is quite the nice place or was back then, but a small island in the middle of the Atlantic off the coast of the eastern seaboard.

I started the day with my usual 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. Our friend and neighbor headed back to the hospital in Charlotte yesterday evening as he isn't doing well after after a kidney removed a couple weeks ago. Keep Grant and Shirley in your prayers. We are expecting Dan and Carol on Friday and she isn't doing well either as she can no longer chew food due to her jaw bones not functioning properly and she has now lost 40 some pounds in the last couple months as she can not eat normally. That's a tough way to lose weight, so we are trying to figure out what food we can prepare for her so she can eat while here for 10 days, oh well.

I piddled around in the yards and gardens after stretching on the back porch and checking them before a breakfast of some home grown red taters that Nancy fried up. I added a couple eggs and jalapeno pepper cut up in mine, delicious to say the least that held me until supper time with a couple snacks around 1'ish. I tuned into the MLB playoff's at 1 and spent most of the afternoon watching those games except for a 4'ish hike we took down the driveway and around the road before coming back and finishing the game in progress. All the games were close and some good play as well. 

Nancy pan fried a couple salmon filets and we had enough pasta left over from the night before, along with a can of peas, so we ate high on the hog once again. After the clean up it was now almost dark as the sun was down behind the trees surrounding the cabin, so I tuned into the Yank's vs Red Sox game and they even up the games to one each. Tonight the winner goes on to play in the division championship this weekend. After the game I hit the shower and read until 10'ish. 

Today Thursday we head to Sparta for Nancy hair coloring and then some shopping for company tomorrow. I'll head to the landfill and then the library while she is getting hair colored and then its a stop at Walgreens for her scripts and Food Lion before we get back on the mountain, LATER

Wednesday Morning Oct 1st

Well Tuesday started out with wet weather once again but by mid morning it had stopped after dropping close to an inch of rain overnight and into the morning. The skies stayed overcast except for a peek of the sun every now and then. We did get in a hike around lunch time and then it was stay in the cabin reading and catching up on some news videos the rest of the day. I did find out the MLB play off games had started and watched the Yankee's get beat by Boston last night. No love for either team as our Rays lost to them this year and were knocked out of the playoffs for the second year in a row, oh well.

I started the day 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 are holding but we were saddened to learn a lady we had met a few years back and had actually attended our church here a couple of times, took her life yesterday, so sad and she was a teacher at a local school here. She was just a fine lady with kids and grands but was a divorcee, so maybe that had some bearing on her decision to end her life. 

I headed out to check on the gardens and yards and of course the deer are now in them every night, but there isn't much for them to eat unless they change their tastes as thus far they have left the kale and some beans alone that are surrounded by a fence and about 9 feet tall. They have eaten all of the lower leaves but can't reach the upper bunches, oh well. It started to rain lightly once again while I was checking out the gardens so I headed in and had a bite of breakfast that was oatmeal, cinnamon, honey, pecans, a banana and some blueberries all in one bowl, but first I took a dose of metamucil which I think is helping to curb my appetite and maybe lose a pound or two. Nancy thought I looked slimmer the other day but I broke down last night and helped her finish the ice cream be bought when Dee and Mike were here last week, oh well.

We skipped out on our couples class last night as it was just a fellowship and no study, plus Nancy was having acid issues with her tummy so we stayed home and had pasta and shrimp with cooked spinach, delicious and we have enough buttery pasta to add to tonights meal. We did some getting ready for company for 10 days starting on Friday as neighbors and dear friends arrive Friday evening from Florida. Dan and Carol with be here until the 12th then its no one else until next summer. Sheri and Steve arrive also this weekend and will stay at their place just down the hill but will eat evening meals with us and then play cards at night, such a fun time with the 6 of us. After they all leave on the 12th we will have two weeks to winterize the cabin and yards and pack up for the next 7 months, oh well, LATER