Sunday and Monday on Monday

Sunday morning started out with beautiful sun light streaming through the trees and with a heavy dew dripping from the roof top. It was 60 degrees. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast we got ready for Worship at Cornerstone. What an awesome message with fantastic praise music. After church we headed home for a leftover lunch and settled in after a short walk in the woods to watch the Little League World Series. California beat the team from Taipei. It was a good game with lead changes.

We had been invited over to the Daltons to eat burgers and play Sequence later in the evening. We took a couple pictures of their gigantic pumkins and of their horses.The burgers were great as it was butchered beef and not store bought. Good Eating!! Well the girls( Mechelle, Kay and Nancy) had a winning night as they won on the last hand 5-4. That was the first for them in awhile.The play was fun and boisterious. We played until 9:30 and then called it a night.

Monday morning brought a soft rain beating on the tin roof and much cooler temp's so we just rolled over and stayed in the warm bed. Finally around 8:30 we emerged from the warm covers to start the day. I had my usual cup of hot green tea and did my quiet time. Nancy headed for upstairs to do her quiet time. Afterwards she fried up a couple eggs and I sliced a couple of fresh tomato's. Wow do I love that combination.

After breakfast we got ready to head out for our morning walk to the top. I picked a few tomato's and peppers to take to our senior buddy on top along with money for our next dozen of range free brown eggs. Man are they good. The yoke is orange. After getting back from our hike Nancy heated up a can of chicken noodle soup for lunch. After lunch I decided too spread more lime and grass seed. The grass seed I sowed last Tuesday is already showing color. The temps for the day so far were still below 70. The sun was shining brightly. The lettuce seeds(Romaine) I sowed 3 days ago are up as well as the mustard seeds.

Nancy had to go to Sparta so I decided to try and fixed my spreader as the shaft broke on it while spreading the lime. I knew I was playing pickle ball with Ted, John and Rick this evening so I took it easy until it was time to head out at 5 PM. Well we had some great spirited play and played for 2 1/2 hours. Needless to say we all had soaked shirt. The play was fast and fun. These guys are really getting into this game. Hopefully their love for the game will rub off on others this fall and winter. Well I got home around 8 PM and Nancy had made a great one dish dinner of pork tenderloin and fresh green beans over rice, especially when doused with soy sauce. One of my favorites as well. Well tomorrow I will put together a must of scuppernong grapes. LATER

Saturday

Well we awaken to bright sunshine and lots of moisture in the air from the 1/2inch rainfall last evening. It was nearly 8 Am before we rolled out. After our quiet times Nancy fried up some smoked bacon and made buckwheat pancakes with a banana in the batter. That breakfast held us all day; of course it was nearly 10 AM before we ate. I put a load of laundry in while Nancy got ready for our morning hike. We had a nice hike to the top and met up with our old friend Norman who had a book for me. Its titled WEST DICKENS AVENUE by John Corbett. It's the true story of a Marine Corp private who was involved in the 77 day battle of Khe Sanh, Vietnam back in 1968. I remember flying into several areas he mentions in the book. Its a good read and puts you right there with all the action with pictures.I finished half of it this afternoon.

We both just took it easy; reading and playing on the computer until it was time to start supper. We had some apple filled brauts on the grille, and Nancy sauted some fresh onions and green peppers put some french fries in the oven along with sliced tomato's and cucumbers. A quick an easy meal. After the clean up we decided to take another hike up the back road to the top. There is a nice breeze and just a hint of fall in the air.

We settled in to watch the Little League World Series but California jumped all over the Texas kids by 9 runs in the first inning; so its not much to watch unless your a California fan. Well tomorrow is worship day at Cornerstone. LATER

Here are a few pics of the view we see from the top, now you know why we hike to the top at least once a day. The one dish supper was the fresh herbs and vegetables over penne pasta we had Thursday and then the pictures of Norm and myself and then the veggies I picked the other morning.

Friday

Well I awaken to a soft rain dripping from the roof around 6:30 but could not go back to sleep as I was pumped about doing some mountain biking today. Needless to say I never took the bikes out of the truck as there was a slight drizzle most of the morning an early afternoon. After picking up some goodies at Lowes, Wal-Mart and Yoders Amish market in Galax we headed home. It finally cleared off enough to take a hike when we got home.

On our hike we ran into several folks on top of the mountain and visited for awhile with each before heading back down. The rain looked as if it was going around us so I decided to get the edging done with the weedwacker and then got out the riding lawnmower. Well I had the yard mowed by 6 and then we ate leftovers for dinner before I headed back out to mow the back yard in the woods. I finished up just about dusk and there were a few sprinkles but nothing major. Well this will be a short one as I posted some eariler this morning. LATER

Thursday on Friday Morning

Well the day started out with bright sunshine in the tree tops and a stillness in the air broken only by the sound of dew dripping from the roof. We once again slept in until after 8 AM; boy is that a sure cry from when I was on the farm and 5:30 came around to head for the barn to milk at least 1 cow, slop the hogs, feed & water the chickens,ride the mules to water and then walk a mile to meet the school bus at 7 AM for about a 15 mile ride to school. No wonder I feel quilty sleeping in even after all these years. But I wouldn't have traded anything for that expeirence.

After our quiet time and a breakfast of soft boiled(3 min.) free range brown eggs on left over cornbread I headed out to check on the gardens. So far this has been a good year for no deer damage at night. I picked beans(1/2runners) a couple cukes, a zucchin and a couple 'maters. The grass seed I planted last week is breaking ground. Nancy got a load of laundry out on the line then we got ready for our morning hike to the top of the mountain. I carried some cukes and 'maters Joe brought me Wednesday evening for our 82 year old friend(Norm) and his wife who is not in the best of health. Norm is a WWII veteran from W.Va. and is a man who reminds me so much of Yogi Bera's insight and simple wisdom. He also proudly displays the flag daily unless its inclement weather not like lazy me who leaves it out all the time. He makes our day on our hikes.

We came back to a fresh garden salad for lunch before heading out on the golf cart to check the mail. We took a little ride down the hard road to see where the new logging operation is going on by David Todd. He just logged about 3+ acres next to the road leading in to the cabin and this operation calls for about another 30+ acres to be logged. When the land is clear cut it sure leaves a mess.

Well I racked the 2 gallons of homemade wild blackberry wine I started in June. It sure has a beautiful color but its a little sweet, not to my liking but was fun to make. Nancy was camped on the computer and listening to Bobby's 3 song CD. Sounds great!!

Well Nancy took fresh garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, onions (all from my garden) and sauted them in olive oil & butter along with fresh tomato's(roma & patio's) and then added that over penne pasta smothered with parmesan cheese. Now that is a great one dish meal. I ate early as Ted Smith and I met up at Roaring Gap for pickle ball. Craig and LeAnn Joines also came and we had spirited play. They have really picked the game up quickly and seemed to throughly enjoy the play. Ted and I were soaked with sweat of course we got 3 games in before the others arrived. Sorry about skipping the post last night but the Tampa Bay Buc's were playing on prime time T.V. last night, so I wanted to watch them; but to my chagrin they didn't look to good against the Dolphins. Oh well!!

Well, will close as we were supposed to ride the New River Trail today but we woke up to a soft rain that looks like it could be an all day affair. I'm still taking the bikes with us to Galax just in case the sun should appear, Nancy!!! LATER

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday morning started out with sleeping in until 7:30 and after our quiet times Nancy made pancakes and eggs. We are out of buckwheat flour but hope to replenish that as son Bobby and family aren't crazy about the buckwheat mix. After breakfast the phone rang and it was a church member who needed someone to take Angel Food orders for her from 3-6 PM at Cornerstone. That kind of changed our day but we are retired and there was a need so we didn't really get into anything big. I finished digging up the Galax plants, spreading the dirt and sowing grass seed in the back woods yards. While doing that Nancy did her mountain top hike without me. We had a lite lunch of raw veggies and a 'mater sandwich before getting ready to head out about 2:30.

Well demand for Angel Food has really slowed down in this area as we took no orders for the 3 hours we were available. It's really a good buy and especially for folks on a limited income. After leaving Cornerstone we stopped and picked up an 8 pack of deli fried chicken at Lowes grocery. That had to have been the best fried chicken I've eaten since my Aunt Nancy use to make it every year for our family reunion. Bobby just loved her fried chicken when he was a kid.

We got home ate fried chicken, sliced tomatoes and cukes then attempted to get on line. Well that was a bust even with tech support help. We could not get an IP address(what ever that is) so we were left without any contact to the outside world except by phone. The same thing happened the night before but the tech was able to get us on after an hour of doing all kinds of computer stuff. We are at the mercy of this one horse outfit, oh well the price of being in the mountains. We actually sat on the couch and watched Texas beat California in the Little League World Series. Go Texas!!! We don't know why but we like their coach.

Wednesday brought a cool 60 degree morning with a heavy dew and and bright sunshine. Once again we slept in until nearly 8 AM..Yikes is that getting to be a habit?? After our quiet times and a left over pancake I checked to see if we were back in contact with outside world via the Internet and YEA we could get on. Things were looking up so far until Nancy did a check on the upstairs commode and noticed that water was once again around its base. I replaced the wax ring a couple days ago after finding it wet for the first time since it was installed 13-14 years ago. Anyhow it seems the rubber grommet that surrounds the bolts that attach the tank to the base had loosened so I tightened those bolts and may have to replace them eventually, but for now they are holding. I had trimmed a couple low limbs for my elderly neighbor from his hickory tree for the wood for my smoker on Tuesday so I sawed them up into 3-4 inch pieces using my table saw. I got a full 5 gallon bucket of Hickory pieces.

Nancy was ready to hike after hanging her second load of laundry so we headed out to the top of the mountain. That hike is a really a good workout and by now the temp's were beginning to rise. There were lots of clouds moving in which increased the humidity but the rain held off. After a lite lunch of raw cauliflower, cucumbers and tomatoes with ranch dip I headed out to the back yard in the woods and began to collect rocks, sticks and stumps that were showing through in the grass. I decided to call it day around 2:30 as we were expecting Joe and Helen for supper around 4:30. No sooner did I get cleaned up than neighbors George and Gail came by for a visit. If you remember Gail fell a couple months and broke her ankle, shoulder blade and tail bone. Neighbor Gerald and myself assisted in getting help to her and with getting her up their steep hill on a stretcher. Anyhow they stayed until nearly 4 PM about 15minutes before our company was coming for supper. Well Nancy and I went into overdrive as she made the cornbread from scratch and I cleaned the bass and got it really to be dipped in egg for frying. She also got the rice to cooking and I chopped onions for the pinto beans. We were about really for them as I had a cast iron skillet of bass frying on the grill when they drove up.

Supper was yummy with the bass(fresh caught in Helen's pond) rice, beans and a salad made from my garden with Greek dressing and corn bead. Yeow was that ever good eatin' and dessert was the best. We sent 2 big pieces of cake home with them. Well after the dishes were washed and put away we decided to check out our new mountain bikes we purchased last week. We hadn't been to the mail bow so we thought lets check out these 18 gears. The most used gear was us pushing the bikes up the hills. It sure was scary fun going down the hills on gravel at breakneck speed but slow going up hill. I think we will save these bikes for the New River Trail where its relatively flat. Next time we will opt out to golf cart to the mailbox which is bout a 2 mile round trip.

Well it was a fun day, lots of good healthy eatin' and plenty of exercise. Later.

Monday

The day started out at 6:45 when the alarm awaken me with a jolt.Nancy and I both detest this alarm as it does its job too good. After a lite breakfast and a spot of hot green tea I headed over to our "mountain moms" place to help friend Andy to put a new tin roof on her large shed. The roof was too wet initially to work on top as it had rained earlier in the morning so Andy and I adjusted her storm door which the wind had bent out of adjustment and wouldn't close properly. After taking care of that problem Andy headed home to rest a little until the roof dried off enough to safely work on top. It seems he had picked up a head cold from wife, Mechelle over the week end.

I helped catch up on some small jobs such as; diggings up some stumps, cutting a couple small trees and bushes and digging her few hills of potatoes. By this time the roof was dry enough so Andy and 2 workers showed up around 10:30. we had the old roof off and a new tin roof put back on by 2 PM. These guys know how to work and did a great job as well. Thanks Andy for getting this job out of the way, especially when you didn't feel all that great.

Nancy and I took a hike went I got home and on the back road ran into the folks who own the corner lot that's next to us on the back road. They are from Clayton, N.C. near Raleigh. Seems they are at the dreaming stage and just enjoy sitting on the back road in lawn chairs.We had a nice visit and helped them to find a route up to their property through the back road.

After the hike I dug some fresh new spuds, cut the first broccoli heads, picked tomatoes and cucumbers. Nancy wanted spuds to make fried potatoes and onions for supper. We had sliced cucumbers and onions in a vinegar dressing along with a small grilled steak. Mmmm was that ever a country supper, after the dishes were washed I headed out to the fire pit to burn the past couple of days of trash. There seems to be just a touch of fall in the air and with the less daylight hours it seems summer is drawing to a close. Nancy took several pics today of the flower and veggie gardens and its obvious the summer flowers are starting to lose their blooms; however the garden is just starting to produce. Well will close for now after a busy and productive day. LATER

Sunday

Well the morning was a cool one as we got ready for worship at Cornerstone. After a lite breakfast and our quiet times we headed to Sparta. Worship was awesome and saw many old familiar faces we hadn't seen all summer and lots of new faces as well. After church we headed home for a lite lunch and then to just lounge around watching a little tennis and football on the T.V. The outside temp's didn't get much above 70 all day.

Ted Smith and I had made plans to play pickle ball this evening and LeAnn and Craig Joines also seemed interested in the game so they came as well around 6 PM. Both of them had some back ground in tennis and picked the game up quickly. We had some spirited play and when we left after about an hour and a half we all had wet shirts. What a great workout and I think we have 2 more very interested players of the game. We actually played under the lights the last half hour which was a first for me. Ted and I are on for Thursday evening and possibly with LeAnn and Craig as well.

Well tomorrow is a busy day as I help Andy and some of his workers put a new roof on Helen's shop. We are to start at 7:30 AM so that will mean rolling out a little early.LATER

Here is a picture of those Sequence players from last night.

Saturday Evening on Sunday Morning

Well its foggy this AM with cool temps as a front moved through the area and I understand moved BILL(hurricane out to sea). Wow that ole' boy looked like a monster!! We are getting ready for worship at Cornerstone but surely miss the 1 year anniversary of ELEMENT CHURCH in Tampa that son Bobby planted. We are certainly proud of what GOD is doing with that sweet group of believers in that area.

Nancy and are tickled to learn this week daughter Amy is with child and is due around the first of March. Keep her, Tyler and Ava in your thoughts and prayers. I will keep this short as we must leave shortly for church. We had a raucous game of Sequence last night with 4 couples and the girls out did themselves with snacks, etc. Neighbor Jodi out did herself with jalapeno poppers, Kimberley made 2 kinds of cheese dip with hamburger and chicken, Nancy did her usual supper salsa and Audine made a chocolate oatmeal cookie concoction. Of course there were tons of chips and Cheerwine(yuck) some people just go gaga over, I'm not mentioning any names.

Well the girls did it with all that food as we were distracted and came up on the the short end of the stick. It had been a while since we let them win so last night they broke out of their losing ways, HA!! Well better get going will talk at ya later.LATER

Friday on Saturday Morning

Well the morning started out with overcast skies and eventually cleared off enough to get a load of laundry out on the line after quiet times and a lite breakfast. Once again we were fortunate the 4 legged deer left us alone. The garden is starting to produce a little with a few beans, cuke's, lettuce and squash. The tomato's are slow in ripening but our good friend Joe has plenty coming on and once again he was very generous in seeing we had plenty. I went over this morning and picked a dozen or so along with lots of jalapeno peppers at his place. I stopped off and visited with Odell Wright for awhile. He looks great as well as did Irene and we shared stories for about half an hour. Irene is reading that super book called"Same kind of different as me."Once again this read is one of the best I have ever read and if your a believer it will reinforce identity.

After our hike to the top yesterday we kinda lounged around, read and just took it nice and easy. We once again had a heavy rain storm just before supper. Nancy made a superb zucchini pie as the main course and was that ever delicious. After dinner we cleaned up the dishes and watched the news until it was time to head over to The Dalton's for Sequence. It was a fun evening with Mechelle's parents,Gerald and Kay as well as Kallie, Caleb and Andy. Kay made a great batch of homemade strawberry ice cream which was the best. Well we traded games for the first 4 games then the boys took over and never looked back. Actually we tried to lose a couple games just to keep the girls interested but once again we were kickin' tail and taking no names. It was a fun night and we played until after 10PM.

Got home and found that once again we had no DSL but some how the problem corrected itself overnight. It rained off and on overnight and a nice soft rain on the tin roof woke us around 7 AM so we rolled over and went back to sleep until after 8. Well better get off here as I have made arrangements for Gerald(neighbor) to go with him to Sparta along with his son, Gabe and a friend to play pickle ball around 1 PM. We are having the old original gang here tonight for Sequence and snacks. Should be another raucous evening. LATER

Thursday

Well the morning started out on a grey skies note with lots of moisture in the air. I rolled out around 7 AM, did my quiet time with a cup of hot strong green tea. Afterwards Nancy fixed some egg sandwiches with sliced tomatoes, dill pickle, onion,lettuce and mayo on toast. Man is that good eatin' and what a way to start the day along with a glass of O.J.

I did a walk around in the gardens and everything looked good. I picked a couple cucumbers and a zucchini squash. We have enough to make a zucchini pie tomorrow for supper. I found a volunteer tomato plant growing in one of the flower gardens a week ago so I transplanted and this morning I moved it into the topsy turvy planter; thats a container where you grow the tomato plant upside down. If it makes I'll take a picture. I didn't use it last year as the year before the plant died because of the hot dry weather.

We headed out on our morning walk and ran into Sarah walking Penny along the top then Gracy the boxer came running to greet us after breaking her chain on the porch. We met her owners Dan and Karen after knocking on their door to let them know Gracy was about to follow us. It seemed they were still in bed at 11 AM as it took them some time to get the dog, Oh well.

We made it back around noon and had a light lunch of leftover cold chicken breast and some raw veggies and dip. After lunch I decided to make the back yard a little bigger as I had one area that was covered in galax. Galax is a native plant used in floral displays and grows abundant here in the mountains. It has a round green leaf and is good ground cover. The area where I left it a couple years ago just doesn't go with the rest of my yard, plus it makes it difficult to mow that area so I took a grubbing hoe, rake, shovel and cutters and began digging this area up. The dirt I shoveled into the golf cart and nourished several flower beds; the galax, roots and other vegetation I pitched down over the bank into a gully where I will burn it when I'm all done. I worked at that until nearly 3:30 when the skies darkened and it began to thunder all around. Boy was I soaked with sweat. Finally it rained and did the skies ever open up. It was a gully washer for about 15 minutes then a nice soft rain for about a half hour.

Prior to the rain I had dug 2 hills of new potatoes. Nancy started supper by frying a couple yellow squash which we doctored up with chipolte pepper spice. Yeow does that give it a smokey favor plus some heat. Next she boiled up a ham bone to make a broth to cook the home grown 'taters and green beans in. YUMM!! After eatin' I washed the dishes and she dried. It looked like more rain but held off for now. There are rumblings of thunder in the distant. The night critters love this weather with the tree frogs, crickets , katydids and cicadas serenading us as I write. Its pitch black out whereas a couple weeks ago I could still see outside at 9:30. I suppose fall is on the way. LATER

Wednesday

Well it was another dew dripping off the roof morning. Its just a tad humid but the temps were in the low 60's this AM. After my quiet time I had a lite breakfast of oatmeal, cinnamon and honey. Nancy made an appointment to see a doctor in Galax,Va. in the afternoon around 2PM so we decided to get our hike to the top out of the way. We met some new renters in the Betty Shalley residence who have a 9 month old boxer called "Gracey" who ran down the hill to greet us.

After the hike I removed the upstairs commode as it appeared some water was leaking around the base. I replaced the rubber ring with a wax ring on the base and hopefully eased any concern I had for any leakage. I was surprised to see a rubber ring instead of the typical wax ring. I sanded the water stain and repainted the area with water base polyurethane.

We had an early lunch of fresh raw veggies and dip before heading out to head out to Galax. After leaving her appointment we headed to Wal-Mart to pick up a few groceries, lime and then gased up before heading back to the cabin. We learned there was a really strong thunder storm with heavy rain while we were gone. We arrived back home around 4:30.and was pleasantly surprised to find we were still on line after that storm.

We just chilled until it was time to start on the taco salad we were having for dinner. The fresh; tomatoes, cukes, lettuce, green peppers, jalapeno peppers and cilantro perked up an already good dinner. Well we just had another soft rain and the skies are cloudy with the temp dropping down into the high 60's already. Well not much else going on. LATER

Tuesday

Well the day started out with dew dripping from the roof top and a coolness in the air. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast I headed out to check the gardens and picked a few green beans, cukes and a squash. The garden is finally starting to produce. I have several small tomatoes starting to ripe. We had another rain this afternoon just after I finished weed eating and mowing. I even had time to mow neighbor Rays yard as well just before the skies opened up.

There wasn't much going on other than yard work except for after supper Ted and myself headed over to the pickle ball court and met up with Michelle, Kallie and Caleb Dalton. This was the first time Michelle and Caleb had ever played the game and they did quite well for the first time. Kallie had played the game in Phys.Ed. so she knew about the game and played well. Nancy came out to play as well. Ted and I wore ourselves out with another game after the girls had to go. Wow we have had 2 good days of play this week.Thanks Ted!!

We came home around 7:30 and it was time to burn trash. LATER

Monday

Well it was a beautiful morning with cool temp's and bright sunshine so we got ready to head to Galax after our quiet times. We headed for Wal-Mart so I could get my truck serviced while we did some shopping. After finding some needed items we looked at some mountain bikes as we have been wanting to ride the New River Trail over in Galax. Well we found matching his & hers mountain bikes and the guy serviced the bikes by adjusting the height of the handle bars, putting on some fat butt seats and airing the tires up for us. He even helped us by pushing the bikes out for us to the truck. We are heading to the trail on Wednesday to check these bikes out with a river ride.

While we were gone to Galax we had a good rain. There was evidence of rain washing out some parts of the drive way when we got home. The temps sure dropped due to this storm.Wouldn't you know it I pulled out the garden hose this morning and watered the garden as its been several days since we last had rain. Oh well everything looked good after this rain.

About 4:30 I took off to meet up with Ted Smith at Roaring Gap to play pickle ball. We were meeting up with 2 other players for a foursome. Well it was great play and the 2 new tennis players played well for their first time playing the game. After an hour and half we had soaking t-shirts and some great play. Hopefully they will want to play again.

Well we had a baked potato, broccoli and cauliflower and left over brisket smothered in Sonny's Barbecue sauce when I got home round 7:45. Well will close for now, LATER.

Sunday on Mondy Morning

The day started out with a heavy dew and cool temp's. The bright sunshine was streaming through the trees with such beauty it almost took your breath; it was almost a worshipful moment. Those radiant rays was due to all the moisture in the air or was it? We headed out to worship at Cornerstone after a lite breakfast with a super group of people who love the LORD and each other. Nancy and I are so blessed to made to feel a part of these folks lives and community. After worship we(men) broke down the the seats and cleared the floor so the women could decorate for the evenings Father/Daughter Dance. Afterwards we headed out with long time friends Clara and Clarence for some good Mexican food in Sparta. Burrito Supremes!!!

We got back to the cabin around 2 PM and needed to put together a vegetable platter for later at the dance. We headed back to church around 4 :30 to help with the food set up and whatever needed to be done before the party started at 6. WOW is all I can say as the women did a superb job of decorating. There were comments that the school prom was not nearly as decorated as this occasion. The food was tasty and with lots of variety for finger food; shrimp, chix nuggets, meat balls, veggie platters, fruit platters and several kinds of finger 'wiches, chocolate dip for fruit, cakes, cookies, punch,etc. The DJ was a past member who has moved out of the area but was a youth leader prior to moving into the new facility.

The girls arrived with their dads in their finest as this was formal to dress up. I would guess there were 25-30 girls with their escorts. The theme was True Love Waits. Many of these girls were just barely teenagers and at that point in life where sex education is being taught in the public schools to them. We as a church opened this up to other churches as well as the community to help teach the Godly principles of being pure for marriage.This was the first time Cornerstone did this and I think it was so successful it will become an annual affair.

Nancy and I came as workers but the occasion came up when one young lady by the name of Brandy who was 13, came with her mother and when it came time for the fathers to dance with their daughters she was standing alone(not sure why or if she has a dad in her life) that I became her dance pardner. She had smiles once again as she was not made to feel left out at that very special moment.

The party lasted until a little after 8 as it was a school night. We broke down the decorations, washed dishes and restored the worship center back to its original look. There is so much cooperation, genuine concern and effort put forth that it becomes fun to be a part of these folks who love GOD and their community. LATER

Saturday on Sunday Morning

Well we awakened to a cool morning with bright sunshine and dew dripping from the roof. There is such stillness in the air this beautiful morning. After our quiet times with the Creator, Nancy and I had a lite breakfast(fessik-Anns terminology) of blueberries and cereal then we got ready to head out to Sparta for the big Indian Pow-Wow. This was a first time to hold an event that recognized several indigenous tribes to this region and I thought it was a class act. There were several vendors who were of Indian heritage selling and just displaying their handicrafts. Many participated in dances in full dress that demonstrated certain traits from their culture as well. There was beautiful flute type music from hand made instruments of bone and wood.

After leaving Crouse Park we headed to Subway for lunch which is always good and good for you. Next we picked up a few veggies from Lowes for the Father/Daughter dance Nancy and I are helping with Sunday evening at Cornerstone. The theme is" true love waits". We headed on back to the cabin and got our hike to the top in before spending the rest of the afternoon with me watching the NFL and Nancy on Facebook. We were expecting neighbors for games later at 7 PM.

Jodi & Gerald and Gabe came for games and we had a great "chickenfoot" dominoes game with me winning on the last round over Jodi by 15 points. We then decided to get a game of Spades in and that game was the longest with so many turn and twists we thought we were playing "twister". The game is usually played to 500 but after many setbacks, going nil(which all of us did at least once) and unbelievable luck the boys(Gerald & I) won on the next hand after we both tied at 501. Well it was a fun night, too bad Jodi has to go back to work(school librarian) on Monday as we will be limited in our game playing. Keep working Jodi I need the social security funds.

Well better get ready for worship at Cornerstone. LATER

Friday on Saturday Morning

The alarm went off at 4 AM so it was time to wake up Bob and Family as they wanted to pull out by 5 AM for the long trip back to HOT Florida. I will say early morning good-by's are so much easier than later in the day. Little Annsley slept until it was time to drive off and she said "lets buckle up" as Bob put her in her car seat.We had a great visit and got some major bonding time with her. They arrived back a little after 5 PM and the trip was uneventful. Thanks for all who prayed them home safe.

We spent the rest of the day; washing clothes, vacuuming, and other house hold chores to keep us busy so it was easier with their departing. Man was it quiet around!! We finally got in an afternoon walk and met the new couple who bought Fred and Brenda cabin on top of the mountain. Tom and Sarah are both retired Air Force. She out ranked him as a Lt./Col in the medical field and he was a Major, flying fighter jets. Tom is still working as a pilot/flight instructor out of Charlotte with US Air. We walked together for nearly an hour as they were giving Penny their 13 year old Cocker Spaniel a walk. They are a real delightful couple and Tom and I had a lot in common with our USAF backgrounds.

We piddled around the cabin and had an early dinner of fried bass(some we had caught at Ms. Helen's place on Thursday) along with left over black beans & rice and a salad. Man is that some good eating. We were having The Dalton Gang as well as next door neighbors Jodi , Gerald(pickle ball pal) and Gabe for Sequence around 7 PM. Well the play was even until the last game when they(girls) pulled a fast one somehow and won the tie breaker. So we guys were sleeping with winners Friday night. We had lots of laughs!! The kids watched TOY STORY and Jodi had made some delicious jalapeno poppers and Nancy made brownies with vanilla ice cream. We played until nearly 10 PM by then we were all getting tired. Well the day was a busy one for all of us. We decided to sleep in until 8 AM this morning. Man was that nice, retirement!!!

Today we are off to the big town of Sparta as there are some Native Americans putting on a display. Well will close for now. LATER

Thursday

What an awesome day and one with lots of activities. The morning started with sleeping in until nearly 8 AM. After grabbing a cup of hot tea and a quick shave I headed out to the fire circle to get a camp fire going so we could cook breakfast over the fire around 9. I had a good blazing fire in about 15 minutes using only 1 match with a little newspaper and some lighter knot(petrified pine). What a geat place to do your quiet time.The temp was 58 when Bob, Jill and Annsley came down for breakfast and they were wearing sweat shirts(that's close to winter in Florida).

I had potato's cooking and bacon sizzling in no time and once all were present I did eggs to order. Whats great is using paper to eat on and everything goes in fire when your done. That makes for an easy cleanup. I don't know what makes food taste so good outside but that was a super breakfast and not one leftover. After cleanup Bob and I got ready to pickup neighbor Gerald and head to the pickle ball court at Roaring Gap Club. We met up with Ted Smith and the 4 of us had several great games with super rally's of pickle ball. This game is addicting and if you have never played it and want an unbelievable work out just try it. The game can be played outside or inside on a tennis or badminton court. Just a fantastic game is all I can say.

Well we played for about an hour an a half and we each had wet t-shirts. After getting home we had a lite lunch before putting Annsley down for an afternoon nap.Bob and Jill took off for Galax and did a little sight seeing as Nancy and I chilled while Annsley slept for about 3 hours. When the kids got back I grilled hamburgers and dogs along with some fresh green beans and french fries. We ate again outside on the deck. After dinner and cleanup we walked down to visit with Jodi, Gerald and Gabe as they had yet to meet little Annsley. Well it was bath time for Annsley when we got home and then ready for bed. Last night was the first night for her sleeping in the big bed by herself and tonight she wanted to do it again. So far she has stayed in bed and done quite well. Well the kids want to leave at 5 Am so that means a wake up call at 4 AM(chip off the old block) so I will cut this short and get ready for bed. LATER

Tuesday & Wednesday

Last night we were down for a lightning strike that damaged DSL so we finally were able to once again communicate with the outside world. Tuesday we took off for the Blue Ridge Music center and were entertained by a couple local cousins who made good music with a guitar and a banjo. Afterwards we headed for Macadoo's for lunch and then down town to walk the old stores of Galax until it began to pour. We headed to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things then headed home. The rain really cooled of the warm temps plus gave everything a nice drink.

This morning after our quiet times and blueberry pancakes for breakfast Bob and I headed over to Ms.Helens pond to do some fishing. Well they were sure biting and we brought home a nice mess for dinner along with black beans and rice, salad and I ate the left over cole slaw. We sat around the fire after dinner doing smores and now are about to get into a game of domino's. I will post pics later. LATER

Monday

Well the morning started out very nice and by early afternoon we had reached 80, wow is that a change from last week. I think that is only the second or third time since we've been here it got that warm and with some humidity. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast Nancy and I took Annsley so Bob and Jill could sleep in. I managed to get a couple loads of laundry out and did a little garden work. Bob got up around 8 AM and put together a rub for a beef brisket we were smoking today for dinner. We got that on round 9 AM and smoked it using mesquite and oak wood chips until about 5 PM. Wow was that ever good and tender.

Ms. Helen came by around 10 and visited for an hour or so. Nancy and Jill took off for town(Sparta) to pick up some much needed items. Bob put Annsley down for a nap and I was able to get in a little garden work. I dug 3 hills of potato's and my were they ever good as Bob whipped them up with rosemary, garlic ,green onion, butter and fresh parsley. They were the best whipped spuds I've ever eaten.

We got about a 10 minute shower just enough to cool the temps down before we started preparing dinner. Ansley woke up and she and grandma made a black raspberry cobbler from frozen berries we had picked in July. Bob sliced the fresh grown zucchini squash and put it in a marinade. At 5 Bob took the brisket out of the smoker and did it ever melt in your mouth along with the grilled zucchini and whipped potato's. What a difference from the last brisket I smoked.

We headed out to the Dalton Ranch around 6:30 so the kids could ride horses. Annsley was not happy to be around the horses as she refused to ride in the pony powered cart with Mechelle. Hopefully as she grows older she will out grown her dislike for or fear of horses. These horses are beautiful mild mannered animals. Bob did get a good ride but Jill summoned by Annsley's crying had only about a 10 minute ride. The horse Jill started out on and eventually Bob finished with was ridden without a bit in her mouth. Thanks Mechelle and Kathryn(Kallie) for doing so much work for Bob and Jill. Caleb and myself went down to their pond to do a little fishing, now Annsley really went for that. I also want to thank Gerald and Kay for the bag of fresh grown veggies.

Well we got home a little before dark and Annsley was really for some ice cream and cobbler. She really enjoyed that and had seconds a couple times. Afterwards she was ready for the tub and then off to bed. What a full fun filled day we all had. LATER.

Sunday

Well the day started out with temp's in the 60's but eventually climbed into the 80's. One of the warmest day's of the year so far for us here, but not for us for Florida. We headed out to Cornerstone after our quiet times and a lite breakfast for worship. Worship was awesome and it was nearly 1 PM before we got home and ate leftovers from yesterday's picnic. After lunch Annsley took a nap and the rest of us just lounged around and talked, watched T.V. and I watered my lower garden. We took off down the mountain for a hour or so before heading back to play in the cool water of the small creek that runs through Grant and Shirley's property. Annsley took off her shoes and "creeked" for about 45 minutes along with Nancy, Bobby and Jill. I sat under a tree and watched as I have a cut on my heel and its nearly healed so I didn't want to chance it.

We headed back to the cabin after visiting with Russ and Linda at the creek and Bob and Nancy put together a salad for dinner. It was just what we needed as it was still quite warm. After eating it was nearly 7:30 so we decided to take our first hike to the top of the mountain with the kids. It was still warm but nice in the shade of the trees. Bob and I worked up a good sweat, especially for him as he carried Annsley most of the way. We got back as the sun was setting so we cut an ice cold watermelon. The melon could have been a little riper but was cold, tasty and refreshing. Carson and Carter Todd came by on a golf cart and entertained us to nearly dark.

The girls are giving Annsley a bath as its nearly 9:30. Well another big day tomorrow so I will close for now,LATER

Saturday

Well the day started with me getting out of bed at 6:45 to get the pork butt in the smoker by 7 AM so we could eat by 5:30. Actually I took it off the smoker at 5 and it was perfect for pulling the meat in clumps. I used a combination of hickory and oak wood for the smokey flavor and that combo proved to be an excellent choice. After getting the meat going I did my quiet time and then I heard little Annsley lying in her bed just singing away. Everyone was up and attum' by 8 AM and we all just did our own thing for breakfast which was cereal to grits, nothing fancy or special as we knew a big dinner was coming later in the day.

Annsley kept us entertained with Dora and her talking cars. Afterwards I did a little garden work and picked a couple Zucchini squash, cukes and a couple hand fulls of green beans, finally getting a few veggies. I'm still waiting on tomato's to turn and ripen and when they do we should have plenty to share and give away, but when!!! Grandma and Jill took Annsley on a golf cart ride and Bobby and I got to zero in our 9mm and 40 cal.'s to the tune of about 50 rounds each. It was a beautiful day with temps in the 70's and a slight breeze. The afternoon saw the humidity increase but nowhere near like Florida.

Our once Florida now Clemmon's friends the Carlson Family came for the afternoon and evening. The girls are just sweet and fun to be around and we can hardly believe they have grown up so quickly. We still remember them as these cute little curly headed girls and have lots of pictures as they have been coming to the cabin nearly as long as we have. Corrine the oldest is 17 and she was just a little thing. We managed to play a little badminton to work up an appetite before we ate that superb smoked butt, baked beans, cole slaw and pasta salad Jen made. Yumm what a meal!!! After dinner we played a couple games of Baulderdash(liars game or as Nancy calls it creative thinking) and of course she won both games with some really creative thinking. Oh well!! We had a super dessert of carrot cake with a special ingredient as both Nancy and Jill had their hands in this creation. Man was it the best cake ever. The Carlson's left just about dark for the ride back to Clemmon's. A great time was had by all.

It was a great day with super food, fun and games. Tomorrow is worship at Cornerstone. LATER

Friday

Well the day started early with little sleep as I had a restless night waiting for Bob and Family to arrive from Florida. I use to drive all night when my kids were little so they could sleep and cut down on "are we there yet"and "how much longer." Those were the days and have they quickly slipped away. Bob and Jill took turns driving and pulled in around 8 AM after a nearly 12 hour trip. Annsley slept most of the night and arrived fresh and ready to play. Bob took a small nap at first so I loaded up Annsley on the golf cart and we went visiting for about an hour. Bob was awake and was making some scrambled eggs and ham when we got back.

We played around outside with Annsley after eating and waiting for Grandma to get home from Sparta. We pulled her in the wagon, chased her around the porch and deck, read books and played cars. She is quite the live wire and a great talker. After Nancy got home we had bite of lunch and Bob and I got ready to meet Ted Smith for pickle ball at Roaring Gap. It was a beautiful day for play and each of us had a good workout until a little after 4 PM.Bob and I headed to Galax to pickup a few items he forgot and left home.

We got back to the cabin around 6:30 and Nancy was warming up the spaghetti sauce and meatballs she made yesterday along with a fresh garden salad and garlic bread topped with a homemade pesto sauce. Wow was that ever good eatin'. After dinner and clean-up Bob made a rub for the pork butt's that we are going to put on the smoker first thing in the morning. The Carlson Family who moved to Clemmon's from Florida a couple of years ago are coming after lunch for dinner and games.

I built a fire just before dark so we sat around and enjoyed it while Bob strummed on the guitar and I later burned trash until it got pitch black. After a nice hot shower I can hardly keep my eyes open and Bob just turned in as well. LATER

Thursday

Well after the great rain last night the morning air was so thick with a cool wetness it actually felt cold out when we got up this AM. Today was a special day for me as I knew my son, Bobby and family were on their way for a week long visit and that I had made it 63 years upon this earth. After my quiet time and a lite breakfast I ventured out to check on the gardens and flower beds. I did a couple domestic chores for Nancy like putting in a couple loads of laundry, burning the trash and vacuuming the basement. Great way to celebrate your birthday!!! Anyhow I love keeping busy and she never lets me be bored or idle.

We headed out about 10 AM for our mid morning hike and wow was it ever one to remember as fog shrouded most of the mountains ridges and laid in the valleys. We ran into a super nice sales lady with Mountain Dream's Realty by the name of Paula. She had a hand in the purchase of land for our church, Cornerstone Fellowship here in Sparta. She filled us in on a house on top of the mountain that has been virtually vacant since the owner died a few years ago.

We came back and had a lite lunch as we knew we were going out to eat with Helen and her brother Joe early in the evening however; Joe became ill overnight and cancelled. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. The three us went to the Ship'sWheel and had a good dinner. We all had fish of some kind with huge baked spuds and salad bars. Very tasty and reasonable. THANKS Helen for the treat. Afterwards we had a couple of food stops at Lowe's and Hawk's market as we are getting ready for Bobby, Jill and Annsley but also the Carlson Family on Saturday for some smoked pork butt. Hmmm!!! I haven't heard from neice Kelly and her new friend if they are coming or not on Saturday.

Grand daughter Ava along with Amy and Tyler called to sing Happy Birthday to me, so that was the second time today I was serenaded; one in print(Kristen on FB) and the other live. Thanks again to all who took the time to remember me with cards, gifts and notes on Facebook. It turned cool after dinner as we sat on the back porch and visited with neighbor Jodi until nearly dark. Well we are expecting Bob and Family between 7 and 8 in the AM after an all night drive. Keep them in your prayers and thoughts as well for traveling mercies.

So if I'm a little lax in writing this next week you know the reason. LATER

Wednesday

It sure tuned out to be a beautiful day even though there were time when it looked like rain during the day and the evening did give way to a violent thunder storm with; lightning, thunder and a heavy down pour around supper time. The rain was very heavy at times and dropped the outside temps down 20 degrees.

After our morning quiet time and a light breakfast I ventured out to do some garden work before we did our mid morning hike. I slept very lightly last night as I was still keyed up about traveling back to the mountains. I was up at 6:30 but had been awake since 5:30.

Our morning hike to the top was a good one with no rest stops on the way. We ran into an old friend, John Cottle and visited with him for a few minutes. His grand daughter is visiting from California. After our hike I started weed eating and finally got all the yards mowed before the storm set in an was able to spread lime as well. The rain should help the grass to turn green with all this lime

Nancy fixed a great stir fry with chicken breast, sugar peas(home grown) and other veggies. Yumm is all I can say. The rain lasted for nearly an hour.LATER

Tuesday

Well I was awake at 4 Am when the alarm went off, actually I cut the alarm before it went off. You would think someone who on Monday morning first mowed the yard and went to pickle ball for 2 hours then replaced some termite infested fence in the hot sun at 95 degrees would have no trouble sleeping, well that surely wasn't me as I stared at the clock every hour until it was time to wake Nancy to get ready to travel. We headed out at 5:11 AM on our way to N.C. The temperature at that time was 87 degrees and so humid its hard to describe. I truly don't remember it being that hot and humid when I put that uniform.

We had an uneventful trip which are the very best, other than a slight detour where road construction caused us to take an alternate route we made super time. We would have made it in 10 1/2 hours. That would have been the best time ever. We stopped off in Elkin, N.C. and picked up some groceries as Bobby and family are arriving early Friday morning after driving all night. We will have a couple days to get the yard and gardens in shape so we can play while they are here for a week.

Well I'll close for now missing all of our loved ones and Thanking especially our neighbors Jim and Laurie for looking not only after our house but keeping the yards in such good shape. LATER

Sunday on Monday Morning

Well as you can tell I missed Sunday's happening so here I am on another hot, muggy, Monday morning. Yesterday was a super day of worship especially with Bob and the Element Family. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast we headed out to Tampa an Element. We were taken back the extraordinary sound of the band and the new songs written especially for Element in its journey of worship. Kudos to all who put this masterpiece together and all who read these ramblings can order on line. Just click on Bobby link to this blog or go to we are element.org and order a cd. The money is being used totally to fund their new building project of renting the next door warehouse space and do alterations for classrooms for the tremendous growth of the number of kids. They have grown 10 times with the number of kids from what they started out with last Oct. So jump on board with a chance to help youngsters have classrooms and who knows you maybe responsible for child to have a life changing relationship.

After worship we headed home and had a lite lunch before heading out with neighbor Dan to help with a small worship service at the Freedom Square nursing home. We noticed several whom we had come to know were not there. One in particular passed away in June and it was she who was such an inspiration to us. Hopefully we will be reunited some day. After the nursing home we headed back home to watch the Ray's lose a game they should have won, Oh well!!!

WE took off for a dinner at grandma's(G/G's) house. She had roast chicken, mashed potato's, stuffing, salad and gravy. Everyone bought a dish and it was as usual, superb. We or I ate to much and by the time we got home I was in no mood to write so I laid around and watched the History Channel. I think I dozed a couple times and before I knew it 11 PM had arrived.

Well we are getting ready to head out early in the morning back to the mountains of North Carolina. Jodie, our mountain neighbor was at our place last evening and said the garden's looked good and that I had a Zucchini squash baseball bat in size. We are thankful for all the rain. So I will be away from these ramblings for a day or so. We got to visit yesterday with both grand girls and they are the delight of our hearts. LATER

Friday and Saturday

Friday started out with the usual lite breakfast after our quiet times. We headed out to the Rec. for a workout. I took it kind of easy as Thursday was a rather strenuous 2 hour pickle ball time. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and Nancy did her 30 minutes on the treadmill. I sure miss that mountain hike for a workout. Anyhow after leaving the Rec. we headed to K-Mart to pick up a big wheel for Annsley for her birthday in October. It's one of Bob's favorite character's for Annsley, Dora. Oh well she will enjoy it.

We came home and had a lite lunch with Amy and Ava and played with her until it was time for her afternoon nap(actually it was time for my nap as well). We just chilled until it was time to get ready to head to Tampa around 5 PM for Josh and Laura's wedding being held at the garden club on Davis Island. That's a right ritzy neighborhood and the garden club occupies some fine real estate on the island next to Tampa General Hospital.

The clouds had opened up with rain earlier in the day and most of the afternoon but stopped just before the wedding. The ceremony was held outside under some trees with the bay in the background. The flowers and gardens were lush and green. There were probably close to 200 in attendance. The food was excellent with your choice of a chicken breast, steak or pork loin with smashed spuds, Caesar salad, rice and fresh sauteed squash and bread. The food was prepared on the premises by friends and served buffet style. Everyone had a grand time and especially little Annsley who served as Laura's flower girl. She loved the dancing and activities but by 9 she was wering down so Nancy and I took her to her home, bathed her and got her to bed by 10:30. We never heard a peep from her the rest of the evening. Bob and Jill got in a little after midnight after helping to clean the facility with several friends and family members.

We met Josh's family for the first time and they seemed very nice. The kids are off to Colorado for their honeymoon. What a change that will be as neither have ever been there. We wish them the best. We got home round 1 AM and slept in to about 8 AM until Tom turkey decided to start gobbling.

Saturday was a real laid back day with a lite breakfast after our quiet times. I mowed the front yard and did some Facebook up-dates and down loading of wedding pics. We decided to hook up with Amy, Tyler and Ava at the Rec. pool for about an hour or less as thunderstorms were in the area. After getting back from the pool we just read and watched the Ray's beat up on the Kansas City Royals. Ava came for dinner as Amy and Tyler had a date night.

Well we're getting ready to give Ava a bath and put her to bed at her house. Both she and Annsley are such a joy to watch and have made this week plus visit a pure joy. Tomorrow is worship at Element so we will get to visit with her; however she and her parents are coming next week to the cabin for a week. LATER. Check out Facebook for wedding pictures.