Sunday, October 31, 2010

Saturday

Well this was the coldest morning so far with frost(ice) on the top of the truck and windshield and the temp down to 27. We didn't get up until after 7 AM so it had warmed a little to 35. Yikes it was really nippy outside but no wind. After a breakfast of egg sandwiches made with homemade bread Jetta had given us on Friday evening after we had finished helping them get their fire wood split, I headed outside. I had placed what seedlings I salvaged from the wheel barrow spill in the warm basement so they were ready for some sunshine and I wheeled them out into the back yard.

I got out the leaf blower and blew a ton of leaves into a pile where I mulched them with the lawn mower. After raking them up into the herb gardens I then took out the roto-tiller and headed for the upper garden to do some churning the mulched leaves into the soil. Wow what a job the tiller does but it really works the muscles in the chest and arms.I took a break for some lunch before tackling the much larger lower garden. After some leftover bean soup I headed down to the lower garden. Wow that was the first time it had ever been plowed with a mechanical device except for me with a shovel in all the years I've had the gardens; sure makes for a great way to get the mulch churned up and in record time and so much easier on the back. Wow I'm finally leaving the Colonial Era and coming of age, HA!!!

We decided to get a hike in as the afternoon was just beautiful, I was in a t-shirt Nancy was still in her sweat shirt and parka but of course I had been busy; so we headed out to the top. We were returning Jetta's bread container and Nancy filled it with a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies so we stopped and visited with them for awhile before heading along the ridge. We next stopped and visited with Roddy and Kathy who just happened to have a recliner and couch on the back of their truck and was wondering how they were going to get them in their house. Roddy and I took care of that problem and got them off the truck and in their front door, my good deed of the day. We headed on back down from the top and it was such a gorgeous afternoon with temps nearly 55 degrees and bright sunshine with deep blue skies so Nancy took off on the golf cart and I once again got out the blower to clean the front yard of leaves and pine needles.

Evening was fast approaching so I cut some fresh Swiss Chard that was still growing in my lower garden(that's all except for a couple kale plants) and then I planted 17 hills of potato's. I had 17 little potato's from when I dug mine back in Sept(I think) and kept them in the basement. They were perfect so I planted them like last year and when we came to the cabin in May I had several hills of beautiful potato plants about a foot in height. I learned this because a couple years ago when I dug my potato's I missed some in the ground and there they were next Spring, healthy potato plants. They had laid dormant all winter in the cold ground and when the earth warmed they sprouted and eventually made for a few hills of good eatin'.

Speaking of good eating Nancy made a turnip casserole with a white sauce and crumbs on top and I sauteed the Swiss chard in olive oil, fresh garlic(I grew), a little Sea Salt and a black pepper, my oh my, along with a grilled pork chop what a tasty supper and we licked the platters clean as well as the bones.

It didn't get as cold as Friday night with temps in the high 40's but the wind has been back up and we can hearing whining in the tree tops this Sunday morning. Getting ready to head out for worship at Cornerstone in Sparta. Oh by the way the Rangers finally won a game against the Giants last night so its 2-1 them. Big plans later on Sunday evening as The Dalton's are smoking some pork ribs for supper and then what will probably be out last Sequence match of this year. LATER

Friday, October 29, 2010

Friday

Well it was nippy this morning with temps into the middle 30's but the wind was blowing 10-15 mph so it made it feel like the temps were in the 20's. After a hearty breakfast of buckwheat cakes and eggs for breakfast I ventured out in the cold to get ready to head up to the top of the mountain to help Norman with getting his winter wood split and stacked up underneath his porch.

I along with Joe helped split several chords of woods and then we headed down to Joe's house to help split his wood as well. We finished up around 3 PM and headed down off the mountain. I managed to dig 2 loads of dirt and spread it in the front flower beds before we took off on the golf cart to the mailbox.

Nancy made a great white bean soup in ham broth with cornbread muffins along with a fresh garden salad for supper, Yumm was that ever a good meal on such a cool evening. Neighbor Gerald came and ate with us as well. The temp has already dropped to 42 degrees and the wind has died down so it looks like we will have a heavy killing frost tonight; so I dug up a couple volunteer tomato's in my compost pile, potted them and put them in the basement for the night with the few seedlings I had left. I also covered my basil and thyme plants with plastic 5 gallon buckets in hope's the frost won't kill them.

Well I have the gas heater going and its warm and snug here in the cabin as well as a couple sheets hanging in the stairwell to keep the heat from rising up to the upstairs. Wow what a difference it makes with keeping the heat downstairs. Last night Nancy put our flannel sheets on the bed and what a difference that made when crawling in between the sheets, Ahhh!!LATER

Thursday

Wow what a day of blunders, accidents or just plain carelessness. The day started out the usual with a lite breakfast after our quiet times and sleeping in until after 8 AM. Yikes we have to stop that as that is my start time for pickle ball when we get back to sunny Florida, anyhow it was 55 degrees which was still pleasant for here this time of the year. I headed out to finish raking up the mulched leaves in the back yard(woods) after putting in a load of laundry in the basement on my way down to the shed to get the golf cart. I got rained out on Wednesday so I wanted to get these mulched leaves in the lower garden. Well I raked up 5 large cans of leaves and because they were still wet an extremely heavy I used the golf cart to haul them.

That went real well and the green grass under the leaves looked great. Nancy came out to hang the clothes so on my last load I tried to maneuver the golf cart around the hung clothes and just nipped the wheel barrow that had all of my new seedlings; kale, broccoli, thyme, Swiss chard, peppers, basil, zinnias, marigolds. Well it overturned dumping all of these out into the grass. I managed to save a few about 1/3 of them but lost the thyme, zinnas and most of the basil completely as the seedlings were small and the grass was high. I knew it was going to be one of those days. Anyhow after trying to save what I could we headed out to the top for our morning hike.

Nancy wanted to walk through the property, not on the trail as she wanted to see our property lines as most of the underbrush has no leaves and you can navigate in the woods. So we made it out to the other side and discovered a tree had fallen over the back road which would obstruct those who drive down from the top on the side road. So we decided when we got back after lunch to bring the chainsaw over and saw it up and another leaning black pine that was close to falling on a Hemlock I had transplanted a couple years ago.

After a great lunch of salad with a little deer salami on it we headed over to "mountain moms" and picked her up to go to her brother Joe's place. He is selling some acreage across from his beautiful hill top place on the next hill. He wanted some pictures for advertisement on Craigs List that his son is helping him to sell. Its a beautiful piece of land with great views and I think he is selling 5 or more acres or whatever is on top of this hill. Nancy took some 20 pictures then we headed back home to finish up those tree problems. Any how the tree I wanted to saw up on the ground had already been moved by neighbor Gerald so we went ahead and sawed down the leaning pine. Well as I moved into the brush I ran a twig into my right eye. Luckily it didn't cause any blood damage but still smarted and watered so we headed back to the house to wash it out with some eye drops. It felt good enough to continue being outside but I could tell I had scratched the eye, anyhow Nancy wanted to take an extended golf cart ride so we headed down to the creek by neighbors Grant and Shirley. While looking for the black bear which was spotted there last week we noticed that their side door was open. So I ventured in to check for intruders and found the door knob was locked so that indicated to me who ever closed the door didn't latch it tightly. The heavy winds the past couple days must have jarred the door open. Everything looked normal on the inside so we made our way back up the old road to the top of the mountain.

On the way up Nancy spotted this old logging road so we took it even though limbs were hanging over the road and debris was everywhere but it was really a nice drive in the woods. I drove pass this one limb and it caught on the side of the golf cart and swept back slapping me right between the eyes bringing blood, wow was I ever lucky on that cause it just missed really damaging my left eye. Something was telling me don't go near any high drop offs!!! I was definitely accident prone today.

We made it too the top and visited with Norman who wants to split wood with his gas driven wood splitter tomorrow morning so we made the date. Nancy will run the lever that moved the splitter forward into huge chunks of wood and the rest of us will get the chunks in place then load them on a wagon so we can store them out of the weather under his house. By the time we got back to the cabin it was after 4 PM and we could feel the temps dropping quickly.

We finished the leftover roast chicken, smashed taters with that awesome gravy and fried apples for supper along with a can of sweet peas. Yikes no wonder I can't get rid of this spare tire. After supper I burned trash until dark then we got ready to watch a little of the World Series. I'm beginning to believe this Giants team is unstoppable. Back in the 60's while I was in stationed in the USAF at Travis AFB in California, I watched the great Willie Mays hit a homer off Jerry Goosman(sic) over the left field wall at Candlestick Park. What a shot that was and my only memorable occasion of the Giants, but they sure are taking it to a couple of the best pitchers; Lee and Wilson with the Rangers. Wow 11-7 and 9-0, this could be a short series. LATER

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Wednesdsay

Well the rain was heavy at times during the morning hours but eventually gave way to some periods of no rain and even a burst or two of sunshine. After the usual quiet time and a mountain breakfast of eggs and grits I settled in to a good read by Joseph Wambaugh. About 11 AM it cleared off enough to head out for our one an only hike of the day.

After a frozen pizza for lunch I headed out with the rake and began tackling the leaves in the side and back yard. They were to wet to use the blower so I raked up about 1/3 of the yard then took the lawn push mower and reduced them down by running over them. This makes for much better composting and good worm food in the gardens. I will eventually take the roto-tiller and turn them under for the winter. I managed to get about 3 hours work in before a huge rain shower hit about 4:30. The temps were so warm today which is quite unusual for this time of the year. The past couple days severe weather along with tornado warning for most all of the Carolina's. Several touched down in the Hickory area causing tons of damage. I wore shorts today with just a t-shirt while working outside in the 70's temps, was that ever nice.

We were having the Dalton Gang and Gerald and Kay for supper so Nancy was busy doing her thing which is cooking and cleaning. Wow what a spread we had with roast chicken, smashed spuds and the best chicken gravy I've eaten in awhile with fresh beets, cooked apples and biscuits. Kay made a supper spinach salad with pecans on top and a jar of her canned 1/2 runner beans. My oh my everything was superb and quite tasty. Afterwards we cleared off the table put the dished into soak and got a game of Sequence going. Well needless to say this was a "smackdown" using Mechelle own words but I like it to an old fashion butt whupping as the guys for a change won 7-2. Sorry gals but you were sleeping with winners last tonight. They left about 8:30 as it was a school night. Seems we made plans for a rematch with Andy's famous ribs on Sunday night at the Dalton Ranch.

After the dishes were done and put away we settled in to me watching the Rangers Cliff Lee get pounded in the first game of the World Series and Nancy on Facebook. I finally had seen enough so I hit the showers which is what he should have done before he got the team down 8-2 to the Giants. I really am not a follower of either team but since the Rangers played so well against the Rays and Yankees I was rooting for them. LATER

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tuesday
















Well it was cloudy, foggy and a light drizzle when we awakened this AM. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast we got ready to head out to Lowes grocery in Sparta for some groceries for tomorrow nights roast chicken supper. It rained all the way into town and although it wasn't ready cold out the dampness made for a chill along with the gusty winds. We stopped by Joe's on the way home and picked a couple tomato's and a few green peppers.

We took out a frozen pizza for lunch then spent the next couple hours reading before it cleared off enough to get our only hike in for the day. We added an extra road as we hiked hoping the rain would hold off until we got back to the cabin. We messed around outside with the camera taking pictures of the last of the flowers and trees. It started to rain lightly so we just called it a day for being outside. Nancy sauteed the last of the yellow squash with some garlic, onions, green pepper in olive oil along some tater tots and brat's for supper. Enclosed are a few pictures from today.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Monday
















Well we slept in until nearly 8:30 this morning after a full day yesterday and getting to bed after midnight. Wow was it ever a busy and exciting day with the Big Daddy Weave concert last evening. After our quiet time and a lite breakfast it was nearly 10 AM before I ever ventured outside. There was a soft rain which eventually turned into a downpour for about an hour before finally clearing off around 10:30. I headed outside to check on my seedlings and eventually took a walk up and into the woods on the back side of the cabin.
The leaves have just blanketed the woods and with the rain causing them to become soggy it was rather quiet as I headed up through the woods. I was hoping to scare up a deer but saw none although the squirrels were having a field day as they buzzed about in the leaves and trees. Nancy finally came out of the house so we took off up to the top of the mountain for our one and only hike of the day. We saw Fred on top and visited a few moments and then we headed on back for a lite lunch of left over salsa and concasio dip. After eating we took off back to the top in the golf cart with the pole saw to trim a couple hickory tree limbs for neighbor Norman. I get to keep the wood for my smoker in return for trimming his tree. After sawing off several limbs and stacking the wood in golf cart we headed back down the mountain with Nancy doing a video of the trail. After reaching the bottom we rode out to check the mail.

I took out my table saw and sawed the branches into 4-5 inch blocks so I could haul them back to Florida for my smoker. I then raked the area I had raked on Saturday as the wind and rain covered the front yard once again overnight with pine needles and leaves. It was close to 5 o'clock by the time I finished so Nancy was frying up some yellow squash for supper and along with the last of the smoked chicken and leftover salad we had a very tasty and lite supper. By the time we finished eating, speaking with son Bobby and Helen on the phone it was starting to get dark so we decided to skip the evening hike. The temperature had actually risen to the middle 60's which made for an unusual nice evening. The much needed rain we received this morning was about 3/4 of an inch and we are slated for more rain on Wednesday. Enclosed are a few pictures Nancy took from the porch of the last of the colors around the cabin. LATER

Sunday










































































































Well what an awesome day we had starting with a worship service then as a church we got ready for the Big Daddy Weave Concert featuring his band, Aaron Shust and a new comer Andy Kirk. They are on a 46 concert circuit entitled Renewing Hope in America and they played at CCF in Sparta, N.C. for their 35 stop. Wow what an amazing talented group of musicians who give of themselves to promote the Glory of GOD through music.
We, it seems like the whole church membership participated in making sure this was a first class concert for our mountain community, YEOW it was awesome!! The artists arrived with 2 large tour buses, backup vans and a 18 wheeler(tractor trailer) full of equipment, musical instruments, lights and sound boards. It took us nearly 3 hours just to unload and set up for the concert which lasted about 2 1/2 hours. We had I would estimate close to 600 people not counting our church family who were busy working the venue. Our ladies of the church prepared 2 meals of homemade food for lunch and supper; everything from salads, soups, entrees, casserole, veggies and desserts. This was Sunday eatin' at its finest. We, the men after the concert broke down the stage and once again helped to pack up the equipment and load the tractor trailer. We were out of there by 10:30 PM and finally off our feet. What an effort by the whole church and not one person complained but we were just so energized by this opportunity to share CHRIST through this event.

Well it is such a joy and so much fun to be apart of such a great body of believers who thrive on service not only for its members but for the whole community. We will surely remember this occasion and once again the commitments made to each other in bringing the message of JESUS to all in the area. LATER

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Saturday
















Well it wasn't quite as chilly this morning as the past couple of days but eventually the day warmed up to the middle 60's with bright sunshine and clear blue skies. I was actually working outside with my shirt off after our quiet times and a breakfast of buckwheat cakes and eggs. I raked the front yard and picked up a couple trash cans of pine needles and leaves to be mulched into the front flower beds.


We headed off for our one an only hike of the day after hanging a couple loads of laundry. It was magnificent on top with just a enough coolness in the air to make it pleasant. Nancy slipped off with the golf cart to the top of the mountain to take a few shots of the last of the colors for this year. After our hike we had a lite lunch of leftovers before getting ready to head over to Sparta for a celebration of Walt and Thelia Hampton's 50th wedding anniversary. There were tons of folks there and we knew several and renewed some old friendships that have quietly slipped away with time and of course distance. We had a really good time and got back to the cabin around 4 PM.

We were having the old gang for sequence with just some snacks and tonight the guys took charge and beat the gals 7-2. Well it was a raucous get together and probably the last time this year as time is about over for us in the mountains until next summer. It's been a lot of fun and we have enjoyed the many times of eating and playing games.

Well tomorrow is another busy day with worship in the morning and then helping with concert tomorrow evening with Big Daddy Weave. LATER

Friday, October 22, 2010

Friday







It was a chilly morning with temps down into the high 30's, yikes it's winter time if we were in Florida. The morning was a little breezy but soon gave way to bright blue skies and sunshine. I headed out after a boring bowl of oatmeal with blue berries and a banana. I carted my seedlings out from beneath the back porch into the sunlight and gave them a little drink with my spray bottle. I had made plans the night before to help out our senior mountain buddy Norman with getting in his winter wood. I had sawed the oak trees down in July and now they had dried out and are now ready for the fireplace. Another neighbor Joe, also uses wood to help heat his place as well so he came down with Norman to help get the wood back up the mountain on Normans trailer.

Well we had a little difficulty getting the trailer out of the woods as the trailer was wider than my golf cart trail so we had to pull a couple large stumps out of the way. That probably took more time than actually loading the wood. We took 3 trailer loads out and stacked it under his porch out of the weather and had enough to give Joe about a chord of wood as well. Both were extremely grateful for my wood and help hauling it back to their places. I found the job rewarding knowing I was helping out a couple fellows who are not in the best of health. That kind of physical work is recreation to me.
We finished around 3PM then Nancy and I took a ride over to a young couple who bought an acre of property just down the road from us a couple years back. They hail from Charleston, S.C. and they have a large motor home they camp out in and they brought several friends with them who are also camping out; but in tents. Brr its going to be a nippy night but all their kids will just love the experience, especially since we told them of the recent bear sighting this week just about 1/2 mile down the road. Dave and Melissa now have twins girls which happened along since we last saw them; to go along with their 4 year old Cooper.
We rode around in the golf cart looking for the black bear but saw no trace of the critter. We got ready to head to Sparta for a benefit barbecue dinner at the high school. After eating we rode around Allegheny County looking at some of the last of the Fall colors and it appears peak has passed this area. The back yard is covered once again with fallen leaves. I did manage to fill all the flower beds with top soil the past couple days.

Well it was a good evening for a large bon fire after getting back to the cabin just before dusk. I burned a couple large bags of trash as well. We saw the temp's dropping down into the low 50's as we made our way home from Sparta. The forecast is for frost tonight so I covered all of my volunteer tomato plants and moved my seedlings into the basement; but tomorrow and Sunday the temps are supposed to climb to the high 60's with no rain until Monday. LATER

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Thursday












Well what a busy day after a cool start this morning with temps into the high 40's. It was very windy but there was lots of sunshine. After our quiet times and a piece of apple pie with milk for breakfast I ventured out to check on the seedlings and the garden. Walt called and said he would be here around 11Am to finish the plumbing job we started last evening so I started to cut out all the dead briar's in the wine berry bushes and trimmed some hanging brush that had started to grow out into the road in our driveway.
After Walt left a little after 11 we headed over to Helen's to take her a couple pieces of pie and to gather some of the many thousand of pumpkins left in the field to rot. We gathered about a dozen then headed over to Eddie and Kimberly's for a visit. We hadn't seen her new paint horse and while the girls looked after the horses I scooped up 8 sacks of horse manure for my blueberry bushes. We visited with them until about 12:30 before heading home for a bite of lunch. After lunch we got ready for our one and only hike of the day and was it ever a pleasant walk. The wind made it just cool enough to wear long pants and keep the bugs away. After the hike I headed out to the back yard to dig dirt for the flower beds around the fire circle. I dug and hauled 3 golf cart loads before it was time to get ready to head to Sparta.

We first stopped at Hawks fruit and vegetable stand to pick up some produce to make salads for this weekend. We(the church) are cooking and preparing 2 meals for the big concert stars this weekend at our church so Nancy is making a brown rice recipe and preparing 2 salads. We then headed to Lowe's grocery to pick up some other supplies. We were sadden to learn a nice young man, 19 years of age who worked at Lowe's took his life last evening by hanging himself in his room. Such a waste as he was well liked in the community by his peers and employer.

After shopping we headed over to Gerald and Kay's place where she had made a scrumptious lasagna and Nancy brought a salad. Mechelle made a Pioneer Woman cake which was very tasty as well. After clearing away the table we had a rowdy game of Sequence with the boys at one time ahead by 3 games to none; but the gals rallied and scored 4 games in a row to win the match. Yikes what a come back, congratulations gals. Well we headed home around 8:30 with a full belly once again and it looks as if we are back in town tomorrow night for a barbecue dinner fundraiser at the high school. Enclosed are a few pumpkin pics, blue skies and a little tree color as well as the new paint horse. LATER

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wednesday

Well it was 52 this AM with a lite rain which lasted a couple hours. The skies stayed overcast most of the morning until early afternoon when the clouds finally gave way to a brilliant sunshine. After our quiet time and a breakfast of eggs and grits I headed outside as the rain was just about gone. I transplanted lots of seedlings; kale, broccoli, Swiss chard, red peppers and basil. Hopefully they will make it until I get back to Florida for my winter garden. I headed out to the back woods to finish splitting several oak pieces when Nancy yelled she was ready to hike.

We had a great hike to the top and the clouds were still hugging the mountain tops. The rain really gave the leaves on the ground a pungent smell like Parmesan cheese. After the hike I headed back to splitting the last 10 pieces with the sledge hammer and wedge. I ate an apple for lunch and some Cinnamon pie crust which Nancy had leftover from her apple pie she made for dessert tonight before I started the smoker for beer- in- the- rear chicken with some apple wood.

I headed out to the mail box with Nancy on the golf cart and then started digging and hauling dirt for the front circle flower bed. After a couple loads for the flower beds I did a couple loads for the low spots in the lawn on the lower side by the time I finished these little jobs it was time to get ready for Walt and Thelia.

Walt helped me do a couple small plumbing jobs in the basement and then we headed down to help neighbor Gerald out with a plumbing problem he had with his antique tub. We fixed that problem after attaching a new supply line. We then took a ride to the top of the mountain on the golf cart as the chicken wasn't due to be finished until 6 PM. The girls had supper ready all except for the carving of the chicken; oven taters rolled in olive oil with fresh parsley and rosemary and baked in the oven, fresh salad, cooked carrots and biscuits. The apple pie was saved for later and we sent some home as we all were just to full. My was that ever good eatin' and the chicken was so moist. We sat around watching the Yankees beat the Rangers but they are still down 3-2 in games which now goes back to play the next game in Texas.

The temp has dropped down into the 40's already and there is the possibility of frost in the hollers, so I moved all my newly transplanted seedlings up and under the back porch for the night as Walt and Thelia left for home.

Well its been a busy, fun day with lots of different little jobs being completed. Tomorrow evening we are having a fun night with supper at the Luffmans and a couple rowdy sequence games. Looking forward to that, LATER.

Tuesday

Well the temps here are still unseasonably warm which is really nice for doing outside work. After a good nights sleep we were up before daylight, did our quiet times and had a bowl of boring oatmeal with fruit before heading outside. I started blowing leaves into piles so I could grind them with my new blower/mulcher. Well the blower was great for getting them into piles but the mulcher is much too slow so I improvised and started bagging them into a trash can and carrying them down to the garden area where I took the lawn mower and ran over them reducing 10 huge trash cans down to 3. That was much faster and easier and even that took me several hours to accomplish. I spread them into my lower garden to give the worms a little food for the winter. Hopefully, I can use neighbor Normans roto-tiller and turn the garden over before leaving this winter.

Nancy and I headed out about 11 for our one and only hike of the day as we were entertaining Helen and Joe for supper. Nancy had a pot roast in the oven with 'taters, carrots and celery(which smelled delicious all afternoon as the aroma drifted out the open windows) and made a banana cream pie for dessert along with a crisp garden salad. We were all stuffed. After they left we cleaned up and were to full to walk, plus it was starting to get dusk so we just sat around watching the baseball games and once again the Rangers whupped the Yankees and the Giants beat the Phillie's. I couldn't have chosen better results.

I'm writing this on Wednesday morning and the rain on the tin roof woke us up around 6 AM and what a nice sound as well. The cabin is all snug and cozy and with the rain softly on the roof it makes one want to go back to bed; actually it was close to 7:30 before I ventured out to check the temp's(50 degrees) and stay up. It looks like a stay inside morning and do some inside jobs. Our dear friends Walt and Thelia are coming for supper and to do a small(I hope) plumbing job in the basement. LATER.