Monday, Memorial Day

Well the morning started out the usual with an early rise around 6:30, then our few quiet moments to reflect, give thanks and lift up those who we know and love and those who we know who need some special care, and then the oatmeal and or cereal. We were heading to Galax, Va. to shop after Nancy managed to get ready and put her face on. We were in Wal-Mart at 9:30 that has to be a first for us and the store was empty. I had the oil changed in the truck while Nancy did some shopping and then we both finished up with a full cart and was on our way back to the cabin by 11 am, Yikes that has to be a first.

After a lunch of smoked turkey breast on pumpernickel with mayo, onion, tomato and lettuce we got ready for the Dalton Gang, Gerald and Kay and Joe and Helen. I vacuumed the cabin while Nancy made her famous squash casserole and got it ready to pop in oven. We then decided we needed a hike to the top of the mountain so off we went. We made it to the back road with out stopping and then one stop until reaching the top. Wow has our stamina increased in just the past couple days and I feel like maybe we are either building muscle or losing a little weight, whatever it feels good to finally start to get our mountain legs again.

After the hike I got the brats ready for boiling in beer, then grilled them before once again letting them rest in a bath of the boiled beer. The aroma is delicious and the flavor is awesome especially when you add sauteed green peppers and onion's on top. Helen and Joe came and brought some delicious deviled egg's with pickled jalapenos and Joe's pound cake was a hit as well. The Dalton's brought some pasta and strawberry salads with pecans, corn on the cob and peach cobbler. The food was great and the fellowship even better. After eating we got in a couple games of Sequence with the gals finally coming from behind to win in Sequence after being down 3-1. Their first victory in almost 6 months or more.

Well I just want to thank all the guys in the 44th military airlift squadron stationed out of Travis Air Force Base in California that I had the privilege to serve with during Vietnam and to all the other men and women who have and continue to serve their country proud today. May God Bless each of you and your families and this great nation. LATER.

Sunday

The morning started out the usual with the feet hitting the floor at 6:30 after a good nights sleep. The temp's were in the low 60's as we did our quiet times before having a bowl of oatmeal with fruit and a little cinnamon. After eating I ventured out to check on the gardens and eventually hooked up the hose to do a little grass watering. It's getting dry and each day we have been warned about heavy rain with possible flash flooding but we have had nary a drop for about a week or so.

We headed out about 9:15 for worship at Cornerstone. We were once more greeted warmly and made to feel welcome so much so that we were asked to man the nursery this 5th Sunday. We had 4 children ages from just about a year to 3 years old. We missed the worship service that honored all of our graduates from; 8th grade, high school and college. After leaving Cornerstone we made a stop at the fruit market and picked up a few necessities for the cook out tomorrow.

We had left over baked pasta for lunch then I watched a little of the French Open before heading out to Roaring Gap to play pickle ball. Ted, Gerald and myself played for almost 2 hours and believe me it was HOT. We couldn't get a 4th so we played Canadian; 2 on 1 with a few restrictions for the 2 players that made it equitable for the single player. We had some great play and all of us left with wet shirts. That was the first pickle ball I had played since the 12th of May. I must admit the play was a little different on the metal outside court from the inside wood courts but I had a major wet shirt which for me was the mark of a good workout. I got home around 5:30 so we had a frozen pizza and a fresh salad for supper. After the clean up I headed out to water the gardens before we took off on a hike to the top of the mountain. It was a great evening with a nice breeze. Well not much else is going as its just after 9PM and I can still see outside, LATER

Saturday

Well it was another gorgeous morning in the mountains with temps in the low 60's and a soft gentle breeze with just enough dew in the grass to make your feet wet. We were up at 6:30 anticipating heading out to our church to help with a yard sale fund raiser for our youth to go to Miami over the 4th of July. After our quiet times and a bowl of oatmeal we got ready to head out and was at the church by 9 AM. After the sale we headed out to Subway for lunch then to Lowes for a few things before heading back to the cabin. We took off on a mountain hike and ran into several week-end residents we hadn't seen since last November. It was great to see Tommy and Carol Brown so we visited with them before heading back to the cabin. I did a little watering and then Nancy started supper. I put a couple marinated chicken breasts on the grill while she oven baked some tater tots and a heated a can of sweet peas as well as made a fresh salad, Yumm!!

After clean up I watered and worked out in the garden until it was time to tackle the mountain once again for another hike. This time we ran into Bertie and her brother Dave and his wife Shirley while heading to the top and again as we were heading back down. We talked them into visiting us at our cabin so we headed home and showed them around. We had a pleasant visit and learned at one time that Dave had been a N.C. State Trooper for 8 years before giving it up.

Well neighbor Gerald is visiting this week end so we are going to play pickle ball this Sunday around 3 at Roaring Gap with Ted Smith; unless I can find a fourth it looks like a 2 on 1. Anyhow will be the first time I've picked up a pickle ball paddle since May 12th and should be fun. Well better get out of here as tomorrow is worship at Cornerstone in the AM. LATER

Friday

Well the day started out with me being awake before 6:30 and what a morning it turned out to be. After our quiet times I had a bowl of oatmeal with a banana before heading out to check on the gardens. There was no deer damage but either a cut worn or some critter is getting through the fence to eat everyone of my new lettuce seedlings. Oh well!! I now have most of the newly planted potato's up along with the 16 hills that I planted last Nov. Should make for some good eatin' here in a couple months; creamed new potato's, Ahhh!! I had promised Norman, an older guy(83) with a disabled wife at the top of mountain I would come by this morning and run the rotor tiller for him in his garden and then help him get his seeds and plants into the ground, meanwhile I was catching up on some chores while waiting for Norman to get his wife situated. I sawed up the hickory limbs in smoker size pieces and cleaned my grill. I'm ready to do some ribs over a good hickory smoke. Youngest sister, Dee is heading our way with her family next week so maybe I will get to use some of the wood.

Nancy and I headed out a little after 10 walking up to the top of the mountain and we both made the trail through our woods without stopping. Norman was just finishing up with Betty his wife so we could now get to work in his garden. I had a total wet shirt in no time as the garden is on the side of a hill and just loaded with rocks, believe me the tiller was a workout. I layed off 8 rows for him and picked up buckets of rocks and by 12:30 I was finished. Sure felt good to help out someone in need and he was sure appreciative. I love to hear him tell his stories of life.

Nancy came by in the golf cart to give me a ride home so we saw neighbor Ray on the way back down to our place. He is losing his cabin through foreclosure next month and in addition has some serious health issues. I noticed his yard needed mowing and learned he didn't have a mower so after we got home and I had a sandwich I headed back over to his place with my riding mower. Well it took me over 2 hours to mow this thick lawn and by the time I got back it was after 4 PM. Sure felt good once again to help out someone in need. I'm paying for that tiller use tonight as I think I aggravated an old left shoulder blade injury. Nancy had to give me an ultrasound treatment after my shower.

After a supper of pasta and salad we got ready to do the mountain top hike once again and what a beautiful time of the evening it was as the skies had clouded up with a nice breeze. After the hike I fertilized both the front and back yards while Nancy watered some of her new flowers. The TV was calling for severe weather with flash floods but we were spared and got nary a drop although we heard some rumbling in the distance. Well its been a full day helping out with others needs and tomorrow we have committed to help with a fund raiser for our youth who want to go to Miami this summer to help out at an orphanage.

We both spoke with our grand daughters, Ava and Annsley this morning and of course their parents. LATER

A few pics from past couple days

The Shiloh Store is off the mountain in Amish country and the old buildings were unique and also in Amish country. If you notice in front of me on the ground is a pile of horse manure, seems a horse and buggy had been tied up to the hitching rail in front of the store prior to our arrival. The picture of the jet contrail is an everyday sight as the fly over seems to be part of a major route between NY and Atlanta, but the beautiful blue sky with the contrast of the white contrail was appealing to the eye and of course "Blackie" greeted me this AM, he was close to a 5 footer. I love having black snakes around as they keep the more poisonous snakes away.

Thursday

Well here it is with tomorrow being 2 weeks since we left Florida, yikes where did the time go since we made it to the mountains. This morning was just an awesome morning with temps in the low 60's and such stillness as I awakened and rolled out of the sack at 6:30. I use to sleep in here until 8 plus but now I find the early morning hours to be the most rewarding and of course I can get lots more accomplished with this extra hour and half. This morning instead of the usual oatmeal we decided on a "mountain breakfast" of buckwheat cakes with fresh blueberries in the batter, fried smoked ham and a couple cackleberries(eggs) of course I slathered my cakes with Amish butter and honey, Yeow was that ever good and it held off hunger until 5 when Nancy decide it was time to start frying the yellow squash for supper.

After the hearty breakfast I needed to check out out my dehumidifier as it started making a real loud noise with the fan. After taking it apart I learned the armateur in the fan motor had started to burn up so I ordered a new fan motor and it should be here in 3-5 days via UPS. I then decided it would be a good morning to bleach the mildew from both porches that had accumulated over the winter, that took a couple hours. After bleaching the porches we took off on our first hike of the day to the top of the mountain. The area that was so clear yesterday was quite hazy today as the humidity has really increased the past 24 hours. Tomorrow they(weatherman) is calling for highs only into the 60's as a cold front is supposed to move through the area tonight. That was one reason I decided to mow the yard today as its been 10 days since I last mowed and weed whacked. The yard looks so nice after it manicure and I noticed lots of new growth on most of my seedlings I set out last week plus the potato I planted 9 days ago are breaking ground. I'm really having a tough time to get lettuce to grow here for some reason as all of the 12 hills I set out 2 days ago are gone, not sure if its a cut worm or what but I have one seedling left of romaine. I think I will keep the Bibb lettuce in pots until it really gets big. I now have beets, radishes and sugar peas breaking ground as well. The Swiss chard and kale I brought from Florida as seedlings are doing quite well with each having lots of new growth.

Getting back to tonight's supper I picked fresh dill, cilantro, oregano, basil and thyme to put on our fried squash. Nancy slices the squash and dips it in egg then into corn flake crumbs and fries it in Smart Balance oil, after crisping both sides she places the squash on a paper towel then adds a little ground red pepper, black pepper and salt. I then slice up a fresh jalapeno and add it to the squash with different herbs. We made a meal on the fried squash and a salad; so tonight was a meatless meal and oh so good. Zucchini works just as good and egg plant is even better.

Well we took an evening hike to the top once again around 7 and it was just a fantastic climb; we both made it to the back road without stopping and for Nancy that was the first time this year. We are finally starting to get our mountain legs. When we got back to the cabin we decided to take a golf cart ride over to visit Ray and Audean. They are losing their cabin the first week in June as its being foreclosed on and are in the process of packing and moving their personal effects. We are deeply saddened to see them have to leave their cabin. Oh well!!!

Well will get out of here for now missing our kids and grand babies, LATER

Wednesday

The day started out with overcast skies but quickly began to clear off with temp's in the 50's and I think the high today was 78. The skies were a brilliant blue with lots of afternoon sunshine and there was just enough breeze to keep it very comfortable. After our quiet times and a bowl of oatmeal with a peach, banana and some blueberries with a little Cinnamon and honey I was ready to start the day. I check all the gardens and beds for deer damage and once again found none. I hung a couple loads of laundry for Nancy while she got ready to head over to Helen's. I finished sawing up the large pine into manageable pieces and then set the brush piles on fire for her. She loves to burn. I then dug up some more coreopsis that were growing in the woods and got them ready to transplant when we got back to the cabin.

After a delicious salad for lunch I cut down a medium size oak tree, 10 inches across that bordered the garden and cut it up into fireplace size chunks then split them in half so we could handle them. The real job was carrying them up the hill to where I could load them on the golf cart and then stack the wood near the fire circle. Nancy was a big help in carrying them up to the golf cart from down below. After cleaning up that mess I got ready to stake my beans with poles that I had cut last year. By now it's getting close to suppertime so Nancy heated up the leftover spaghetti from Sunday night and made some garlic bread. YUMM!!

After supper and the clean up we got ready to take our mountain hike to the top. We could see the building in downtown Winston-Salem from the top. What a clear day as this view is 70 miles away. We had a great hike and I made it up the back trail without stopping and Nancy only stopped once on her way to the top. There was just enough coolness in the air to make for a pleasant hike. After our hike we worked in the flower gardens,watering and weeding. Well its almost 8 PM and the sun is still shining but I'm slowing down. We had a great day as we both spoke with Bobby just before supper and Nancy was on the phone with Amy, her parents and neighbor Carol this morning. I want to catch the Ray's on the web, LATER..

Tuesday

Well the start of the day was one of rain and fog but eventually the clouds broke and we saw a lot of sunshine especially down off the mountain after lunch. The morning was the usual around here with our quiet times then oatmeal with lots of fruit; blue berries, peaches and a banana. Afterwards I headed to the top of the mountain on the golf cart to saw up a large hickory limb that had broken off this winter. Hickory wood is the best for smoking any kind of meat. The fog was so heavy I could only see about 100 feet ahead.

The rain was off and on most of the morning with showers lasting no more than 10-15 minutes, finally the clouds broke and the fog dissipated. We were meeting up with Helen and Joe for an adventure trip down the mountain to area off Windsor Road. We had heard there was a Amish Community there with a couple stores. Sure enough we found the area and visited a couple of the stores and saw some absolutely beautiful farms and a couple really old 1800's places with the stack stone fireplaces and clapboard houses and barns. The one church we saw was built in 1830, while not Amish it did indicate how old this community really is. Seems the Amish moved into the area about 25 years ago from Kentucky and Indiana and they have the only Amish church in North Carolina in this community called Shiloh. We purchased some great bakery items as well as some incidentals, after speaking with the owner of the old general store who was Amish and had moved here from Indiana he labeled this community progressive as they use electricity, tractors, etc and meet in a church where the old more traditional Amish met in homes only and use very little of the modern conveniences. There were signs to look out for the horse drawn buggies on the road. It was a very clean community and there were definitely indicators that other than the Amish lived there also, as well as those Amish who wore the traditional garb, men with beards and covered heads for the girls. It was a beautiful area with manicured farms and average looking houses.

After leaving Shiloh we headed on into Jonesboro and visited a very large antique warehouse with all kinds of clothes, coins, bottles, dolls, etc actually you name it and it was probably some where in this huge building. Most of the articles were there on consignment as each vendor had its own area loaded with articles. The most unique item I found was a pair of slave bracelets that were used to restrain slaves and keep them from running away or jumping ship. There were lots of old coins from the 1800's as well with hefty price tags. We visited another shop in area then headed over to Cracker Barrel for supper. The food was plentiful and tasty and we were stuffed as we headed back up the mountain. The temp's down there were in the high 70's and by the time we got back to the cabin it was down into the low 60's and once again rain showers had developed. Around 7:30 I decided I needed to walk so Nancy joined we for a casual walk up the back trail and along the ridge without going to the top of the mountain. The woods were wet and rather cool but that made for an awesome walk with all the different woods smell and of course the many birds singing. We got back in time to watch American Idol.

Well the Ray's lost last to the Red Sox and are losing again 2-0 as I write. Nancy has fallen asleep on the couch and I can barely keep my eyes open as I write this post, missing our grand babies and family, LATER.

Monday

Well it was another overcast morning with temps into the low 60's. After our quiet times we each had a bowl of oatmeal with fresh blue berries, banana and cinnamon. I did a walk around outside to check on the gardens for deer damage and once again found none. We headed to town(Sparta) after eating and went by the doctors office, the drug store and eventually the library where we each got our own card and then checked out a couple books. We were surprised such a small town has such a well run library with a large selection of books as well as interconnected with the Northwestern Regional system and 20 + other libraries. The selection of reading material is unlimited and at your fingertips through your computer. This system is much like the one we have at the SPC library in Seminole.

We stopped by and visited Helen on our way home from Sparta. There were small rain showers throughout the day mixed with bright sunshine at times. The temps didn't much get above 70 all day long. After a lite lunch I headed out to work in the garden and yard.I transplanted some lettuce seedlings as well as some 1/2 runner beans I had started in pots that were about 3 inches tall. I worked outside until 4:30 when it was time to help Nancy with supper. We had picked up a smoked ham on Sunday as well as some sweet potato's and that along with a can of spinach made for a tasty supper. After I cleaned up the dishes,I headed outside as the sun came out once again. I did a little extra workout on hiking the steep trail through our woods for about an hour as we missed out on our hike together to the top of the mountain.

Well I headed in to watch the Ray's vs Red Sox on Monday night baseball and are they ever stinking the field up and to be the best team in baseball at this point in the season, Oh well!!!
Tomorrow we are taking Helen and Joe with us as we take a field trip down off the mountain to visit a Mennonite community. Well will close for now as there is a soft rain falling on the tin roof and making me sleepy, LATER.

Sunday

Great day this turned out to be with a super time of worship this morning at Cornerstone and the weather was perfect with temps in the 70's for a high and 60's for a low. After our quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with fresh blueberries, peach and a banana we got ready to head out for worship. I did a walk around the gardens for a check on deer damage but saw none. I checked out my recently sowed seeds and now have sun flowers up as well as water cress and Bib lettuce.

We headed out and it was such a beautiful drive through the mountains with the new deep green foliage on all the trees plus wild flowers are blooming everywhere. The fruit trees are just loaded with fruit of all kinds especially the peach and apple trees. Black berry bushes are just loaded with pure white blooms and my wine berries are already setting fruit. Looks like it could be a banner year. Can't wait to make of jams, jellies and of course berry wines.

We stopped off at Food Lion to pick up a smoked ham that was on sale before heading home after church. After lunch we headed out to get our "at least 1 hike a day to the top" of the mountain; but before we did Nancy got her fabulous spaghetti sauce to cooking. We used tons of oregano and basil from the garden and my did it ever turn out wonderful.We had the Dalton's and Luffman's for supper and then played Phase 10 and Sequence. It was a tough night for the gals as we smoked them 4-0 and mainly because of our 10 year olds great playing. Way to go Caleb!!! The supper was complimented with Kay's great salad and dressing and Mechelle's superb strawberry pie. It was a fun evening with great food and lots of laughter and since we aren't counting the win and losses, who cares the gals haven't won so far this year.

Well I will get out of here for now, LATER

Saturday

Well it was a little warmer than the past couple days but also a lot more humid. After our quiet times and a couple soft boiled eggs on toast we got ready to head out to Galax for shopping. We first stopped at Sears which really has a large new building and the store has tons of merchandise. I had been looking at a gas blower/ vacuum with a mulcher for some time and when we purchased our new appliances we got a healthy rebate which completely paid for the purchase and I had a little left over. After Sears we headed over to the Farmers Market near Hillsville, there we purchased broccoli, sweet 'taters, 'maters and some of my Amish butter which is the best butter you will ever put in your mouth and a head of cabbage. After leaving there we headed to Wal-mart where I needed to purchase some silicone caulk for the upper vent stack and of course more groceries. We left there around noon so we stopped at Subway and shared a foot long before getting ready to head by to the cabin but we still had a couple more stops at CVS and the propane refueling store on the way out of town. We were finally back home a little after 2 after having rain showers most of the way home. After putting away our purchases we got ready to do the mountain hike as the rain had stopped and the sun was shining.

We had just about completed the hike when a strong mist began to fall and by the time we got into the woods on our back property we could hear the rain coming from down below up the mountain as it reached us. We took off running but still got rather wet before finally reaching the cabin. Not long after getting dryed off the sun came out so I decide to do a little fishin'. I headed over to Helen's pond and must of had 2 dozen bass on before I finally landed one then another and still another. I managed to bring 3 home so I cleaned and filleted them and we ate them for supper along with yellow rice and broccoli, oh my what a difference in eating fresh caught fish. Great supper and afterwards we headed out on the golf cart to visit with Dan and Joyce, neighbors just down the road from us. Well tomorrow is worship at Cornerstone, see ya there, LATER.

Friday on Saturday Morning

Once again it's so still here in the morning's and when I look out the kitchen window the first time for the day I see nothing but woods, flowers and green grass. The lonesome crow is off in the distant with his lonely "caw." The early morning skies were overcast and temps were down in the 50's again, the look of rain was evident, however it managed to hold off until around 5 PM. After our quiet moments and our java and tea Nancy fried up the leftover spuds along with some home grown eggs and I fixed some grits and toast with black raspberry jam, We were heading over to "mountain moms" to cut down some trees that were damaged from the winter storms. So we needed that big breakfast.

We got there around 9:30 after I did my walk around outside checking on the gardens for damage and all that I spotted was where a coyote walked through my recently planted row of radishes, so I had to erect a small fence with chicken wire to keep them out and for dogs as well. We have visitors whose dogs accompany them and they love to wonder through my veggie garden, oh well!!! Back to the morning work with the chainsaw. We must have cut 10 or more trees and a couple were big enough for logs for timber, but the tops had been broken or they were partially uprooted, anyhow I cut them up and the girls(Helen and Nancy) piled the brush for burning at a later date. It was a perfect day for working with cool temps and no humidity. We got home in time for a lunch of salad before heading out to do our at least once a day mountain top hike.

The hike really took it out of us as we were panting and feeling the pain on the upward climb, yikes I never knew these muscles could grow so lame after just 6 months of not climbing. We got back and I did a little honey do stuff like vacuuming as we were having the ole' gang over for Sequence and chips and dip later in the evening. We decided since we were probably going to eat a bunch of the salsas that we would eat lite with just a can of vegetable beef from Campbell's, its palatable but that's about all I say as I'm spoiled with Nancy's great cooking and soup making talents. Speaking of talent, luck or maybe some shenanigans going the gals came from a 0-4 deficit to win 5 straight games and beat up 5-4 last night, of course Nancy played a Jodi(she played hooky and stayed in Raleigh) hand so she was privy to what the cards where in each hand and some how she mysteriously won a couple games when we were distracted. At least the guys were sleeping with winners. It was a fun night and there was lots of laughter, good thing our neighbors are 1/4 mile away as the decibel level was high. They stayed until going on 11 PM.

Well we got a heavy rain shower some time in the night(no leaks, thanks to Andy) and it looks like rain for the day, so we will head to Galax today. LATER I will post a couple pics.

Thursday

Where did this week go?? This morning it was just barely 50 and Nancy had on the winter clothes and the oven on for heat, me I found it refreshing however, I did put on a long sleeve shirt until about 10 AM. After our usual quiet time, cup of tea(Nancy drinks java) I had my bowl of oatmeal but for some reason it not boring here, maybe it because I'm looking into the woods looking for some critter. Anyhow I was outside by 8 and starting on the morning routine of checking the gardens for deer damage and now cutworm damage. The little buggers got a beautiful cilantro plant that came up from last year, at least I have one more for now.

I worked on the riding mower sharpening both blades and then got the weed whacker out and once again went over the whole area. Nancy washed and hung 2 loads of laundry on the line and oh what a beautiful day for having clothes drying outside on the line. Just seeing that makes for a real down home feeling almost like comfort food. We took off around 11 for our first morning walk. Nancy had on a sweat shirt but as we headed up the back trail that runs through our property she quickly discarded it, leaving it hanging on a tree. We made the top after several stops and soon realized pickle ball and the dreadmill are nothing compared to just hiking up that steep mountain, but the beauty of the surroundings is priceless and well worth the pain we both incurred. We ran into Fred one of the year round residents on top and he was telling us about the winter storms with the snow, ice and wind. We had a great walk and we were both hungry by the time we got back to the cabin around 12:30. Nancy made a great salad and we finished the last of the Zuppa soup.

After lunch I worked in the garden and yard while Nancy jumped into the golf cart for a ride to the mailbox. I got my chainsaw ready to head over to Helen's place tomorrow morning as she has several trees that are down and need sawing up. It was close to 5 so we put a couple thyme coated pork chops on the grill and Nancy boiled up some new potato's and 1/2 runner beans that I had brought from garden in Florida, Yumm was that ever good eatin'. After supper I worked outside fertilizing the blueberry bushes and peonies while Nancy cleaned up. We then took our second hike of the day; up the steep trail but once we were half way to the top we took a different route. Really we just went in reverse from what we went this morning. We ran into Norman, an 83 years young retired Marine who is quite a character. He seemed very happy to see us again after 6 months. We had a nice visit then headed on back down to the cabin. I got a huge bon fire going so I could burn trash, here everything is either burned or carried out to the land field. Well it was nearly pitch black when I came in from outside. Today has to be one of the nicest all around weather days we have had since we've been here.

Well I will sign off until LATER.

Wednesday

Its so quiet here its hard to sleep or maybe its the promise of a day filled with lots of outdoor work. The temps were in the low 50's in the morning and didn't get above 63 for the day. It was overcast and looked a little like it could rain but the sun finally broke through after lunch and warmed things up a little. After my quiet time and a cup of steaming hot green tea Nancy decided to make buckwheat cakes with a banana in the batter as well as some home grown cackle berries, one that Caleb Dalton gave me was a double yoker. Thanks not only to the Daltons for eggs, but also to Gerald and Jodie for their yoker's as well. Mighty fine eatin' they were and all home grown.

After a great breakfast we called Amy our daughter as today she turned 27, HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY, you have made both of us proud and what a super mother you are, we love you and your family deeply.

I ventured out to check on the veggie and flower gardens for deer damage but didn't see any new damage. I loaded up the golf cart with the spreader and a couple sacks of lime and grass seed to be spread on the back yard. I worked on that area for a couple hours before heading into the back woods to saw up a couple tree tops that had broken off during the winters heavy snow and ice storms. Neighbor Gerald came by on his tractor scraping our driveway and leveling out the small gullies from the severe rain storm on Sunday; did I mention we had over 2 inches of rain. Thanks neighbor!!!

Nancy finally came outside wearing sweat shirts and dressed for winter but did manage to work in her flower beds until lunch time. You wouldn't believe a bowl of hot leftover Zuppa hit the spot. After lunch we worked outside until it was ready to head over and pick up Helen and her brother Joe around 3 PM. Nancy and I had an appointment to get our pictures taken at the photography studio in town at 4 for the Cornerstone Church directory. We were pleasantly surprised with the folks in charge and they took several poses and we choose the one that suited us right there and now. Afterwards we headed over to the hardware store and purchased grass seed, cuke and squash seedlings before heading over to a local eatery, Browns Restaurant. Its a family run business and we have never had a bad meal there and this evening was no exception. We both had the meatloaf and Joe and Helen both had perch. We were stuffed with very good food and quite reasonable. We headed on back to Helen's and sat on the back porch in the warm sunshine until it clouded over again so we headed out for home around 6 PM.

We took off for a mountain hike and hope to once again make this routine a part of every day. We saw Jetta Browning on top and visited for a few moments before heading back to transplant the squash and cukes. Well its pitch black outside and American Idol is on the T.V. so will call it a day, LATER.

Pictures from Sunday

Well the morning started out with me a little later than usual, actually sleeping in to nearly 7 AM. The drips have been reduced near nothing as we had no real rain last night. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal I ventured out to check the gardens and found no new deer damage. There was a very heavy dew this morning with temps down into the 50's and the roof was very wet and slippery. By 10 AM the roof began to dry as the sun light finally began to show on the damaged roof. Andy came shortly after letting him know the roof was dry enough to work on without sliding off. It took us about an hour to take out the damaged piece and replace it.

After we finished my roof Andy and I went over to our "mountain moms" house to check on her roof. Seems a couple shingles were flipped up by the strong storm the other day. After checking out her roof I worked up an area for her to plant the tomato, basil and oregano plants I brought for her from Florida. Nancy and dug some wild flowers out of her woods area that were beautiful. The spider wort and coreopsis were very healthy looking, so we planted two huge boxes of them in the circle flower bed. We also planted 24 annuals while waiting for Andy to arrive.

I spent the afternoon fixing some broken fence around the lower garden, hoeing and pulling weeds while Nancy got supper ready. I grilled a couple marinated chicken breast crusted with oregano and thyme, yumm were they ever tasty, we also had black beans and rice with a little jalapeno pepper on mine as well as a little cilantro and garden salad. After supper we took off on our first hike to the top of the mountain. The fog was once again coming in and enveloping any view off the mountain, we did see our old friend Helen and her cat, Teddy who likes to follow us on our walk on top. On the way back down we ran into Ray and Audine and learned they were in the process of moving across the mountain to his sisters house. The winters are just to rough for them on getting in and out of our road. We will certainly miss them them but they won't be to far away. We got back just as American Idol was coming on and clearly think Lee is the best of the 3 singers tonight. Well its been a busy day and a great burden was lifted when we got the roof fixed. Thanks again to our friend, Andy "roof man" Dalton, LATER

Monday

Well what a day, actually the day has been a continuation of Sunday evening since I've been awake since 3 AM trying to overcome the emotion of having streams of water exit your electrical fixtures and then trying to figure out how to rectify the problem until a new piece of tin roof can be installed. Along with the rain the fog has taken over eliminating any opportunity of a little sunshine and the chance to get on the roof and resolve the "hole in the roof" issue. Andy the "roof man" called but the tin roof was wet and too slippery for any safe operation on it slick surface when wet, so we are planning to change out the tin strip that held the vent stack.

Nancy and I did the Wal-Mart scene in Galax, Va after battling the heavy dense fog on the parkway. We filled up with fresh gas for all our outdoor yard equipment before heading out to Lowe's. There we once again picked up more annuals; saliva, petunias, periwinkles and some more flower seeds before heading over Wal-Mart for a restocking of groceries. We finally got on our way home around 1 PM after stopping at Horton's for some buckwheat pancake mix.

The wet cool mist and fog kept the temp's in the 50's all day and never did the sun ever show its face. The cool,wet weather sure has perked up the seedlings I transplanted over the past couple days in between the rain showers. Ray Todd finally came by for a visit around 4 and visited for nearly an hour, he now has only one Blue Heeler dog which is quite unusual for him. After Ray left Nancy started on a pot of zuppa which was perfect for the weather conditions. We planned on going out and transplanting those 24 different annuals purchased today, but the rain started once again keeping us in the dry(except for the bathroom)cabin. Tomorrow is supposed to be a much warmer as well as drier day. Missing our grand babies, LATER

Sunday

Well here it is Monday morning and what started out as a great day on Sunday turned into an evening of concern. The night before or early Sunday found Nancy waking me up out of a deep sleep with the fear of a tornado striking the cabin, actually I believe it was just heavy rain and maybe some hail, at least it lasted no more than 15 minutes; anyhow the "Hillybilly patch" on the roof held and there were no drips. I thought I had a solution to the problem and didn't see any need to do further adjustments to the "patch."

We headed off to Cornerstone for worship after our bowl of oatmeal and were greeted like celebrities; lots of sweet hugs and handshakes. I was asked by many if we suffered any damage to the cabin from the severe winter weather. I explained our situation and how our friend Andy the "roof man" who along with his family are in our small group at Cornerstone was going to make the repair on Monday if the material was available. How sweet is was as many offered to check on our place next winter. It seems this type of damage was widespread through the county from the tremendous ice and snow build up on roofs; along with lots of gutters that were knocked down as well. We headed to our "mountain mom" Helen's place after church for a visit as we missed her on Friday when she brought the modem by the cabin before we arrived.

After a short visit we headed home and snacked until it was time to head over to Andy"roof man" Dalton's farm for supper and a get together with many in our small group. Andy had 2 deer hams on the smoker along with slabs of baby back pork ribs. There was all kind of delicious homemade dishes and dessert, yikes it a good thing there is plenty of work to do here to work off this good eatin'. We were entertained with the new Taj Mahal chicken coup and pen(will take a picture next time) Andy built for his many different breeds of chickens. Nancy took off down through the pasteur with a group to see their horses and new Alpaca, Fonzy. After eating we(boys) renewed our winning ways of whupping' the gals in Sequence and we even had a rookie to the game, Ted on our team. He caught on fast!!!

We headed home a little before 10 PM in a driving rain storm with lightening everywhere only to find when we entered the cabin water running out of the bathroom and into the basement, the "patch" obviously had its limits in the driving hard rain. We quickly found lots of garbage cans, buckets and towel's to clean up but the water continued to stream in through the bathroom and now was exiting through the overhead light fixtures. I turned off the circuit breakers and now had a new fear of a electrical short causing a fire. Needless to say it was sleepless in Sparta, actually Glade Valley. I spent the better part of the night trying to think of a solution to stop the water that was running off the steep pitch of the roof into the jagged tear which was stuffed with plastic bags, etc. In hindsight I should have used the old standby gray duct tape to cover the hole and possibly saved the water from running down into the cabin. I grew up on hay baling wire, twine and duct tape to temporarily mend many problems. Oh well!! Finally at day break I could stand it no longer so I tied a rope around my waist with Nancy keeping some tension on the rope so I wouldn't slide into the abyss and crawled out onto the roof; I managed to refit the patch which helped a little in slowing the drip into the bathroom, now there is 2 slowed drips where before it was flowing pretty steady.

The rain is steady now, but not a gully washer so we are thankful for that but the forecast calls for rain all day and evening until sometime tomorrow. We are just thankful we decided to come early this year for many reasons to check out the cabin and are we glad we did. The rain is a welcome relief to the gardens and flower beds only wish it would come again another day, LATER

Saturday

Saturday

Well it has been once busy day that started early for me because I couldn't sleep thinking about all I wanted to accomplish today, plus Nancy Jean was snoring. At 5 AM I decided to do my quiet time and by 6 Am I had eaten a bowl of oatmeal, checked all the messages on my e-mail and face book as well as checked the news. Andy Dalton was coming by at 8 so I wanted to be ready for him; get the ladder out of the shed and carry it up the hill and lean it against the roof so he could make an assessment to what may be entailed in fixing the roof. I also called my old friend Walt,who wired and plumbed the cabin about 15 years ago. I wanted his opinion on doing away with the outside vent stack and use a stack that is used inside the structure. I don't want to have to worry about this scene happening again, especially when we are so far away.

Andy decide one sheet of replacement tin should to the job, luckily I kept a few scraps from the original roof job so we could match up the paint color. He is picking up the 14 foot piece of roofing on Monday and we hope to get in done that evening. I'll go to Lowes in Galax, Va Monday morning and get what we need to do the vent stack. After Andy left it was a non stop day; picked up several loads of sticks from the yards as I wanted to mow as soon as the grass dried, weed whacked, dug up the gardens(by hand with a grubbing hoe) and transplanted Swiss Chard, kale, 1/2 runner beans, and 4 kinds of tomato's. I also planted sugar peas, onion sets, yellow squash, Zucchini, water cress, sun flower's, and cucumbers. All of these gardens were dug by hand and the weeds were extracted and piled up to be used for mulch later. Just after lunch I put batteries in mower and golf and they cranked on the first try.

Well the grass was knee high in many areas and it required me to mow the same area twice. There was so much grass that Nancy had a full golf cart in no time after raking. I then weed whacked for another hour after mowing for nearly 2 hours. We just did a quick and easy supper with a fresh salad and a microwaved potato. Andy reminded us he fixing a couple deer hams and some pork ribs for a get together tomorrow evening with our small group. He said "show up hungry." Well we dodged the gully washer this evening although there was a light rain with lots of thunder and lightening. I have some marigold seedling I need to get in the ground but they will have to wait 'til later. My muscles and legs are feeling the effects of hand tillings the garden and walking up and down this property. LATER (I posted some pics on Facebook if your interested. Will try to catch up on some pics at another time.

Friday

Wow I can't believe I got on the Internet with the first try, anyhow we made it here safely and without any incident except for a few truckers that needed a "blue light special." It was in the 90's when we arrived around 2:15 at the foot of the mountain and by the time we reached the cabin around 4:30 it was down into the 70's after stopping at WalMart for some supplies.

We found a hole about 12 inches by 6 inches in the roof. Nancy first found some water in the trash can in the downstairs bathroom. I did some investigating and found a large 12 inch by 6 inch hole in the roof where the PVC stack that vents the bathroom had been ripped into as well as tearing the tin roof. Initially it didn't seem their was any damage other than the roof but then we found some buckling of the hardwood floor in the kitchen and bathroom. Sure glad we decided to come early and check on the cabin. I called a friend who is in the building trade and he is coming first thing in the morning to check out the roof and determine what we have to do. It seems the heavy snow and ice formed on the roof and when it let go it slid down the roof tearing away the vent stack as well as the tin roof. Luckily I spied the damage and was able apply a temporary patch to the hole with a cardboard box covered in plastic WalMart bags with a slab of plywood on top held down by a large rock. That's "hillbilly patch" worked just in time as we got a gullywasher with lightening flying everywhere.

Well will go for now as I still have a few things to do before hitting the sack. LATER

Thursday

Well today has been a busy day but not to busy for a few quiet moments to start the day, at our house church a week or so ago we discussed prayer and I suggested The Almighty knows us but he wants to hear(prayers) what really is important in our lives at the moment. So I suggest if someone is in your thoughts for whatever reason let GOD know they are important to you or to someone you know.

After my few moments of quiet time, a boring bowl of oatmeal and a ride out to the rec for (what maybe the last time for 6 weeks or so) some pickle ball on my bike. We had 8 players today which made for some great continuous play for 2 1/2 hours with plenty of wet shirts to go around. Did that not sound like we were playing PB on our bike's. Anyhow after PB I headed to the weight room for crunches and lifts before heading home for some lunch with Amy and the grand babies, Nancy made a super salad with the last of the Bibb and Romaine lettuce and actually cut up the first tomato harvested from my patch(I like that word harvested as it indicates a crop is being picked) but in reality it was 1 termato(Annnsley call's them). Well we have enjoyed Amy, Ava and now Samuel for the last 6 months for lunch(can that be right , 6 months since we have seen out mountain cabin) where does the time go, so in the early morning hours say 3 Am I will awake the sleeping(snoring) wife of my life to get ready to head for the mountains. That time has arrived and we are both looking forward to renewing old friendships and getting the mountain cabin ready for another summer of family and friends and their visiting.

So Amy is having us for supper tonight so we won't have to clean the kitchen after supper. I have tons of vegetable seedlings just waiting to be put in the N.C. soil when we arrive this next week end as a matter of fact my tomato seedlings are blooming. Well this keyboard will be out of action for a few days, hopefully not too many as we switch from a Hot and Humid climate to a Cool and Wet atmosphere. I have to pinch myself to think we are heading to just a gorgeous place in the woods with just fantastic folks; not to say the folks were are leaving aren't fantastic. Anyhow before I step on my fingers I'd better go. LATER

Wednesday

Well it was another typical Florida day with high temp's and humidity. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal I pedalled out to the rec for some 2 1/2 hours of pickle ball with 9 other players. There were lots of wet shirts and afterwards I did another 20 minutes in the weight room with crunches and heavy weights. After pedalling home I watered the gardens and got ready for Amy and the grand kids to come for lunch while Nancy had a noon appointment for a sonogram.

After a lunch of ham sandwiches and soup I caught up on some inside work before Ava and I headed out to the backyard for some banana pop sickles. The kids left a little after 2 so I caught up on a nap while Nancy took off to the rec for her 30 minutes on the (t)dreadmill. While Nancy put a together a couple of pizzas for house church tonight I watered the gardens. Speaking of house church we had 20+ adults and 5 kids and we were still about 4 people short. We are growing and the relationships are as well and so sweet. We will certainly miss them this summer and hopefully some of them can visit the mountains this fall. Well I will get out of here for now, Later.

Tuesday

Well what a day this turned out to be and a fine turkey, dressing, smashed spuds and gravy, fresh beets, 1/2 runner green beans and rolls for supper. Yikes was that ever good. We had the kids over along with Nancy's folks and sister to eat as well. We got enough leftovers for turkey sandwiches for the road trip on Friday.

The day started out the usual with a few moments of reflection on the people that God knows is important in my life, a bowl of oatmeal then a ride out to the rec for some pickle ball. We had 10 players today which kept the play at a brisk pace thus there were lots of wet shirt. The weight room was closed so after PB I headed on home to water the gardens after picking beans. The kids came for lunch and then Amy had a doctors appointment so we watched the little ones and played with them until it was time for them to head home for their naps. Samuel is becoming quite the talker and smiler. We took a video of him cooing and smiling and he just loves to be held.

I picked enough fresh beets for supper and my were they ever good. Well not much else to report except Tyler once again helped me in down loading pics to my blog. Man am I brain dead when it comes to remembering all the steps involved in that process. LATER

Pictures from Mothers Day