Monday-Memorial Day

Well after a really good nights sleep(we change pillows) we actually slept in for the first time until nearly 7 AM. After our quiet time Nancy started on our first full mountain breakfast; fried ham, eggs and buckwheat cakes with a banana in the batter. She made enough cakes for the next couple mornings as I like them leftover. The dew was dripping from the tin roof and the birds were singing and other than a crow cawing in the distance is was very still with temp's in the 60's.Just another beautiful morning with the air so fresh and never breathed before.

I headed out to check on the gardens and now that the rain has held off for a couple days the gardens are starting to dry up so I can get in there and work the ground. I lost several seedlings but that is to be expected but several are thriving and I expect will make it to bear fruit. The flowers we bought are doing well and the petunias are beautiful with their multi-colors. I still have seeds breaking ground such as; okra, zinnias, lettuce(black seeded Simpson)and cukes. The potato's are really starting to get big as well as the tomato's that made it. I have radishes and beets up as well as the green onions are about 4-6 inches in height over night. The warm nights really bring on the growth. The grass is getting high once again but will try to hold off closer to the week-end before mowing.

I headed out to rake and pick up rocks from the road that leads into the cabin off the main road as its been scraped a couple times since the rain. I picked up 2 golf cart loads and brought them back to the lower yard as I continue to build that area. Nancy and I said our good-bye's to Jodi, Gabe and Gerald as they were heading back to the Raleigh area. Sure was good to see them and we had some fun time, eating, visiting and playing games. We really appreciate their looking out for our place throughout the time we are away.

Nancy and I headed out on a late morning hike and it had started to really warm by then. We visited with Mike and Nancy on top for awhile before heading back down as it was nearly 1:30 and the mountain breakfast was wearing thin, so it was leftovers for me and salad for Nancy. After lunch I headed out to spread fertilizer on the backwoods yard and did that ever work up a sweat as it back and forth and up and down the hill, yikes I should be a stick with all this walking. I did some more roto-tilling(thanks to Gerald for showing how to put the belt back on the machine)in the lower garden as the heavy rains had it packed down. I then set out my "saved dozen cabbage plants" I bought for a buck and the kale seedlings. The herb bed seedlings were really starting to wilt so I filled up the bean sprayer and gave them a little drink even though the ground was still somewhat damp, that seemed to bring them back to life.

Well after cleaning up we got ready to head over to the Dalton Farm for a Memorial Day cookout with them and Mechelle's folk, Gerald and Kay. Both Andy and I served in the military, he in Dessert Storm and I in Viet Nam. Andy had rib eyes on the grill and Nancy made oven spuds and we had salad out of the garden, bread and Kay had made a cobbler(Andy and I passed on dessert) and later we cut into the chilled watermelon. We played a little "corn hole" and Caleb has enlisted me to pardner with him this Saturday in a tournament in Sparta. He is a tough little competitor but we will probably have to play against his P-Pa(Gerald) and his dad who are really good. Anyhow should be fun and I'm honored to be asked to play especially as a rookie.

Well we got into a sequence game after supper and the boys won the first game convincingly but after that it was all down hill except for a draw game, once again the boys were sleeping with winners. It was loud and boisterous!! We finally headed out after dark and we were bushed after such a busy day. The neighbors dogs barked late and the coyotes woke me during the middle of the night, yipping. What happened to serenity? LATER