Tuesday

The morning started out with bright sunshine and blue skies with slight breeze. I rolled out about 7:30 after a great nights sleep. Wow, sleeping up here is no problem after walking up and down these hills and stairs, but once my head hits the pillow I'm gone until daybreak. What a difference from Florida where I wake up 2 to 3 times a night with sirens blaring, hot rod cars and motorcycles racing up and down the street at all hours of the night. Occasionally, I will hear a screech owl, a night bird or a coyote after dark.

Well I managed to finish painting 3 fire side benches, transplant 25 marigold seedlings I started in Florida and take an hour plus hike to the top of the mountain with Nancy after a great breakfast of buckwheat pancakes, smoked turkey bacon and 2 cackle berries(eggs). A chicken always cackles after laying her eggs, interesting isn't it!!

We got a call from a church friend who has a sick mother and needed someone to fill in for her at Cornerstone Church to take Angel food orders at 3 PM. Well Nancy and I filled in for the need and on the way did a bit of shopping in Sparta at Kerr Drugstore. We needed some new molded plastic chairs and the store had a senior day with 10% off on Tuesday's so we bought 2 Adirondack chairs and a little one for the grand girls when they visit later this summer. What was funny is we could barely get them in the truck's backseat, they wouldn't fit in the rear bed area. We priced the same chairs made of wood at a 100 bucks a pop; at least plastic won't rot and they are easily stored and maintained.

Angel food orders were slow since all the negative feedback about some family members in the organization's hiring policies. I understand those folks are no longer with the organization. Overall its a worthwhile program and we truly loved the idea of building relationships while serving folks with the reduced cost of food. We did about 200 bucks of orders. We will fill in for another member on Thursday; welcome back to Sparta. We feel needed and happy with the opportunity to serve and be of assistance where there is a need.

I must tell you on the way home from Sparta we encountered a first for both of us. Driving in a thunderstorm which produced nickel size hail. At first I thought we were going to lose the windshield; the hail was that thick and large. By the time I managed to find a pull off under a tree the ground was covered in white ice balls. The road was literally a layer of hail. The trees along the road were stripped of their leaves as the hail balls knocked them off. Wow what an experience. We made it home safely and was surprised to find little or no damage to the truck and to our plants in the gardens. The gardens in the area where we encountered the hail storm was about 5-6 miles from the cabin and I know those gardens suffered severe damage. The temperature has dropped about 25 degrees since the storm.

Well after a quick dinner of kielbasa, tater tots and salad we are settling in as there are thunder rumblings all around us. We may not be over with the storms, yet. LATER