Tuesday

Well we have had at least a foot of rain in this past week and once again the morning started out with another deluge, so much so I had to drive to the rec this AM., at least by 10 AM it had stopped. The day was a day of showers, humidity and 90 plus temps, Yikes are we ready for the mountains. Our friends there say bring a sweater for the mornings as its been chilly, oh well!!! The morning was much the usual with a rooster wake up(even with the rain) and a my quiet time before having a bowl of oatmeal. We had a few missing today at pickle ball but still had enough for 2courts of constant play. There were lots of wet shirts so the play was fast and really good the first hour or so.

After PB I stayed in and finished a good read about the Earp Family in the wild west and what really happened at the OK Corral shootout and about the town of Tombstone, Arizona. It was a good read and loaded with the facts and pictures about that era.
Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and we played until it was time for their(and mine) afternoon naps. I'm getting so lazy in the day after PB that it's a shame but its just too dang hot and humid outside to do anything else. At least I'm catching up on my reading.

The gang came for supper and we had fried fish, black beans and rice and a salad, yumm!!!! The kids played until it was their bath time then headed out about 8 PM. I watched the Ray's lose another game before turning in, LATER

Monday

We were awakened in the weehours to another torrential downpour that lasted for hours, yikes I was beginning to think Irene had done a turn about and headed inland and south. What rain we have been getting while accompanied by thunder and horrific lightning strikes. There is definetily no drought here this year, anyhow after my morning wake up by the rain and then the roosters I decided to stay up.

After my spot of hot green tea and my quiet time I checked on all that was happening in the world and especially the mountains. My heart aches for the the serentity and solitude of the mountains and those we know who live there. It will be after the 21st before we can make an attempt to get back due to some circumstances. We are glad it's our decision and not one forced on us but that doesn't make it any easier as we both long for the mountains. This heat and humidity is oppressive. Anyhow I ate a bowl of oatmeal with a banana before pedalling through the water to the rec. We had a great crowd the first hour and eventually had 8 well matched players until a couple of the less skilled ones came and messed the play up but it was a good workout to say the least.

After PB I headed home and spent the better part of the day inside as the heat and humidity was so great it was miserable to stay outside. Amy and the kiddos came for lunch and we spent the afternoon playing with them until is was time for their naps. Ava just loves school and Sam is growing like a weed. The gang came back for supper and I grilled pork chops with oven taters, green beans and a salad. We are out of my tomato's and the ones we bought at the veggie stand are yuck in comparison. The neighbor came over who have a little boy in Ava's class so they played outside after supper in the shaded back yard until it was time for their baths. After they were clean and in their pj's Amy headed for home.

Well I nearly finished a good read titled the LAST GUNFIGHT; its about the shootout at the OK Corral. There is a lot of history about the Earp's, Doc Holliday and the history surrounding the west. An interesting read and quite informative. LATER

Sunday

Well what a morning of rain, I mean gully washers, frog swallower's and down pours that were so hard it was nearly impossible to drive. We thought about heading back home because it rained so hard as we drove out to Tampa. Anyhow on the bright side the roof didn't leak so the repairs were successful. After our quiet times and a lite breakfast and a ride in some of the heaviest rain I've seen in awhile we finally made it to Tampa and Element Church. We were surprised at such a large crowd for such bad weather. We got to hear a great message, love up on our son and his family as well as renew old friendships. The worship music was awesome.

We had to leave right after the service as we were watching Sam while Amy took Ava to a birthday party at one, plus I was heading to the nursing home at 1:45 to help with the church service there. I got see some old friends there as well as I helped push them in their wheelchairs to the service. I learned a few had passed on as well. We pushed about 15 chairs to and from the service and I tried to pass on some hugs and smiles as well.

Nancy had Sam asleep by the time I got back so we watched a little of the little world series and the USA won in the bottom of the last inning over a tough Japan team. The Ray's also won beating the Jay's 12-0. We are still in the running for a wild card place but have only 30 some games to play to catch the Yank's which are 6 games ahead of us, anyhow it fun to watch a lot of young no name players take on the mighty Yank's and Red Sox's.

Amy and the kids stayed for supper and then bath time before heading out. We just chilled with me reading and watching a little of the NFL pre-season game before calling it a night, LATER

Saturday

Well our plans if you just noticed were not what we had wanted but hopefully will so work out in the long run so that we can stay in the mountains until the middle of November(unless of course it snows us out). The weather has been unreal this past year with high heat, humidity, hurricanes so anything can happen; but for now we will stay here in Florida until the middle of September then head for higher elevations. We are thankful the reason we are here are not from health reasons to Nancy's dad even though he has had some issues. The health issues with Paw Paw(my dad) seem to be resolved for now as he is back on the hard road(driving) and back to his house in Winchester after recouping with youngest daughter Dee in Woodstock, Va. Many thanks to her and Mike for being there to see he followed doctors orders.

The morning found us sleeping in after the initial 6 AM rooster call(I don't recall how long they can live as we usually ate them on Sunday's after church) until about 7:30, I'm not sure how that happened but maybe from all the excitement from the night before with a house full of family and too much to eat. I headed out to the rec about 9 AM after my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with a banana to help with a demonstration of pickle ball for rec day in the community. I stayed until nearly 11AM before stopping by the library.

After a lite lunch we head out to do some grocery shopping and a stop to the veggie stand as we will be here for a couple more weeks. Our "mountain mom" took a trip over to the cabin and posted some pics of the beautiful veggies she picked and the flowers. We bought some supposedly vine riped 'maters that tasted like cardboard, anyhow it was great to see those pics and the first time we've ever had success with multi-headed sunflowers was evident in a couple of her shots. Many thanks to her for checking on the cabin and those pictures.

We are praying for our family and friends who are in harms way of Irene as the storm pounds the eastern seaboard. Hope all is well and you sustained no damage or hurts. We have a major rain storm this AM(Sunday) as I write this post with a river running down our street; so far the roof is holding with no leaks. We are getting ready to head out to Tampa for worship at Element Church with son Bobby and family. Did I mention little Gabe is walking everywhere and not yet one year old; just like his father who walked early as well. LATER The wine labels (picture) was specially made for my 65th birthday by Bob and Jill; hopefully the juice tastes as good as the labels look.

Friday

Well once again the rooster started their dueling around 6 in the morning but I was awake and ready to start the day, can't believe its still so dark out at that time of the day. Anyhow after my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal I headed out on my bike to the rec for some pickle ball. We had a good crew today with mostly advanced players so the action was fast and furious for 2 1/2 hours, wow was that ever a workout and the wet shirts were everywhere.

After the rec I headed home to help get ready for the family supper tonight and what a spread that was. I put on two birds with beers in the rear while Nancy made cobblers, got broccoli ready to cook and made a huge toss salad and sliced bread. Bobby made a superb mac and cheese probably the best I've ever eaten of course it was nothing like the normal mac and cheese. This was more like a gourmet pasta dish with all kinds of unusual ingredients and Amy some great pintos with smoked turkey legs. Yikes what a spread. and the meal was topped off with frozen yogurt on top of blackberry cobbler. I passed on dessert but did lick the ice cream scooper. The grand babies had a wonderful time together and Gabe is now walking everywhere and he and Sam were fun together, of course Ava and Annsley are in their own little world.

Everyone started leaving about 9 PM as the kids were getting tired as well as us adults. GG and Pap came and seemed to really enjoy the meal, he seems a little better and looked pretty good except for some swelling in his ankles. Well it seems there has been another need and a reason we aren't going to make it back to the mountains until after Gabe's birthday around the middle of Sept. Tyler is leaving this Sunday for a week in Las Vegas for his job so we decided to stay here to help with Ava and Sam while he is away. That will leave us just another week before we had to come back for Gabe's party on the 15th so we will skip Annsley's scheduled party as Jill had to change her date for her party so we will celebrate Annsley's, GG's and Tyler's birthdays all around the time of Gabe's party. That hopefully will give us a little more time without having to come back a second time in October, oh well!!!

Well better go as its time to hit the shower, LATER

Thursday

Well it was another Hot and Humid day here on the Suncoast with temps in the high 90's and humidity that is down right heavy. After a rather nice morning of low 80's I pedalled out to the rec after my quiet time for some 2 1/2 hours of pickle ball. There was a good crowd on hand and it was non-stop play. After PB I headed home to rest up until Amy and the kiddos came for lunch. I finished a good read by Andre Dubus III titled TOWNIE and then started another about Al Capone. These are new non fiction books so I check that area everyday when I'm at the library.

We finished up the leftover dish of artichoke hearts sauteed with asparagus, garlic, grilled chicken breasts with pasta from the other night and it was delicious especially with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Hmmm!!! We played with Ava and Sam and what a climber he is and he usually gets down alright as well except he tumbled from a chair he was climbing on, to the carpet. He sniffled for a second or two then was back at it again, he is all boy. Ava is just wild about going to school and is such a sweetie. Seems the poisoning she incurred from the fillings hasn't left any permanent damage to her as far as we can tell, thankfully.

After the kids left for their naps we just chilled and I read until it was time for supper. Nancy fried up an egg plant we picked up at the market the other day and we picked at the last of the rotisserie chicken. Friday I'm doing a couple beer can chickens for a family supper on the smoker so we should be "fowled out" by the week end. Speaking of the week-end it looks like Sunday will be the head back to the mountains day for a couple weeks to check on the cabin and finish up some much needed painting of the bump out and a few other chores before winter. Winter ahhh!!! or at least some cooler temps. We feel like we are caged here in Florida as its difficult to get outside and work for any length of time as the heat is stifling.

We watched some Fox news an in between showers managed a walk around the hood after supper. We saw several we hadn't seen in awhile and one couple had been in our mountain hood a couple weeks ago. They drove through Galax and spent the night in W. Jefferson which isn't too far from Sparta. We assured them to look us up the next time as we are in the phone directory, anyhow we came back and watched the Pennsylvania team lose in a close game to the California team in little league. It was great to see the whole town support their boys from PA. I crashed at the end of the game after a hot shower and was really for night-night at 10 PM as this PB is keeping me wore out and fit, thankfully.

Just an update on Paw Paw as he has really improved since his triple by pass and starts driving today and moves back to his residence in Winchester from Woodstock. We are thrilled he is doing so well and can get some of his independence back, Pap Pap is doing better as well as is still driving so we can head north for a couple weeks. Thanks for all the prayers and thought for these 2 men who have made such a difference in our families and lives, LATER

Wednesday

Wow is the days getting shorter as it was pitch black still at 6 AM. The rooster's were starting their symphony but I was awake and getting up so it didn't matter. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with a banana I got ready to ride out to the rec on my bike for some pickle ball. It wasn't quite as humid this morning but eventually that held true as the day wore on. We had a good crowd with a nearly a dozen or so and after 2 1/2 hours I headed to the library. I found a great memoir called TOWNIE. I never heard of the guy but his life is interesting to say the least.

We had an early lunch of tomato sandwiches which means we are down to just a couple that have lasted for nearly 2 weeks we brought from the cabin. They have been just delicious, anyhow after a lite lunch we headed out to Sam's for some goodies as we are having a family dinner on Friday of smoked beer-in-the-rear chicken. Bobby and his family as well as GG and Pap and of course Amy and her family will all be here. The grand babies will all be together so we will try to get some pics and post them.

After Sam's we chilled as the heat and humidity was on the rise once again. We had picked up a Sam's rotisserie chicken which is yummy and inexpensive for supper along with some sweet spuds and a salad, wow are we ever eating good and I'm trying to maintain this 10 pound weight loss since last November. We chilled after supper and watched the boys from Montana beat the boys from California in and exciting little league baseball game that was truly an underdog team winning in the last inning.

It seems Pap is doing better as his kidney functions are on the rise and now no surgery on his finger, so we are thinking about heading out this week-end to check on the cabin; especially since we've been gone 2 weeks and there has been an earthquake felt there in the past couple days. We need to check out the place, mow and harvest some spuds and what ever else the deer haven't eaten and of course see once again our family there and friends. It will all depend on Irene(hurricane) as she moves north along the coast as to whether we want to drive in rain on Sat. as predicted or wait until Sunday when she is supposed to be long gone. Sunday is usually the better day to travel but we will see. We have to return around the 15th of Sept for grandson Gabe's 1st birthday get together then we may stay here in Florida until after Annsley's birthday which will be celebrated around the 10th of October before making another appearance at the cabin for about a month until we winterize around the middle of Nov. Anyhow we are looking forward to some cooler and dryer temps as Florida is just almost unbearable, LATER

Tuesday

Well right on the button at 6 AM the dueling roosters started with their concert which really was okay by me as I had the alarm set at that time as pickle ball starts at 7:30. That gives me plenty of time for quiet time, breakfast and a ride out to the rec on the bike. It was rather nice outside at that time but nothing compared to the 49 degrees in the mountain. I yearn for those temps and out of this hot, humid and stagnant climate here in central Florida. Yikes, its down right miserable after about 11 AM.

We had a small showing for PB with only 7 players for the day and many of the regulars failed to show at all, but it was still a good workout for those who did come. After PB I stopped by the library then headed to have my ears lowered before heading home to dig up 6 wheel barrow loads of dirt from my gardens and sprinkle it around the front yard. All of the sprigs I put in last fall lived but the dang squirrels have dug up the yard so much many are too high above the ground so I added soil around them which I hope will cause them to spread. My shirt was completely soaked by lunch time and I never ventured out into the yard the rest of the day as it was too HOT. Nancy and I feel like caged animals; being stuck inside the house with the a/c.

Amy and the kids came for lunch and Ava is still in love with her schooling and of course her teacher and new friends. Sam is a little wild man, climbing and running with his toys but what a cutie and sweet boy he is. He is so cute when he says "pleeze and tank you", he is just a heart melter. After they left Nancy took off to buy Gabe his birthday presents at Toys are Us and I chilled reading. Nancy made a great skillet of sauteed garlic, fresh asparagus, mushrooms with grilled chicken breasts and pasta. Yikes was that ever tasty with squeezed fresh lemon on top.

We settled in after supper to the news with Shepherd Smith then little league baseball before calling it a night. We had a tremendous thunder storm after supper with wind, thunder, lightning and a downpour. The roof held so it was those 3 nails that had caused the roof to leak, we are thankful for that. The doctors cancelled Nancy's dad surgery on his finger as the swelling is going down and it seems to be getting better, thankfully. His kidneys are still not cooperating fully but he will know today if he has to start dialysis. We are hoping since he seems better to us that we can head back to higher elevations on Sat. or Sun. for a couple weeks.LATER

Monday

Well the roosters were active at 6 AM but I was getting up early so it didn't matter. After my quiet tie and a bowl of oatmeal I headed out to the rec on my bike for some pickle ball. We had a full house with 3 courts going as well as a few waiting to get on. After 2 1/2 hours of play I headed out to the library and picked up a couple good reads.

The book THE BOYS OF THE DARK is about the juvenile justice systems boys reform home in Marianna, Florida. Wow, what a read and what a black eye to those who knew about the brutality by the town people who worked there as well as those in the state government who brushed it aside.

After getting home from pickle ball and the library Amy came by with Ava and Sam for lunch. Today was Ava's first day of school and she didn't want to leave at noon, she said she couldn't wait to go tomorrow. That's a good sign. After lunch we played then the kids took off for home and we headed to the veggie stand. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading. Nancy was told by her father that he won't have to have surgery on his hand so that's a plus. Seems his kidney's are functioning a little better so there is the remote chance we may leave this Saturday for the cabin. Now we have to be concerned about this storm that's heading towards Florida and the Carolina's. We should know for sure by Thursday if there is this possibility of heading north by the weekend for a couple weeks.

We are chilling in front of little league games and the Ray's. LATER

Sunday

Well we headed out to Tampa with neighbors Dan and Carl for corporate worship at Element Church. Our son Bobby is in Colorado so Ryan who Bobby has been mentoring lead the teaching. We renewed old friendships and of course got to love up on grand babies Gabe and Annsley. It was good to see lots of old friendly faces and we sure missed seeing many. After worship we stopped off at Cracker Barrel for a delicious lunch before heading home. The heat and humidity was almost over bearing. I'm ready to get out of this place and as I look back I now wonder how I managed to wear a uniform and work in this heat often outside doing investigations for 30 years.

We just chilled with Nancy on the social networking and I watched the Ray's come from behind once again to beat the Mariners and swept the series from them. While they are still in contention to make the playoffs we must hope either the Red Sox's or the Yank's go into a tailspin and crash. We then got interested in the Little League World Series and watched a couple really good games especially the international game between Japan and Mexico. Mexico won in their last at bats.

We skipped supper except for a lite sandwich as the lunch was a big one. We wanted to take an evening walk but the high temps and humidity was just too much so we did a few workout moves in the living room just to get the kinks out. I'm really looking forward to the couple hour workout on Monday at pickle ball. Anyhow not much else happened except we got a call from our "mountain mom, Helen" and she rubbed it in about it being a fall day there in the mountains. Cool temps and no humidity. We are anxiously awaiting some test results for Nancy's dad as he is scheduled for surgery tomorrow on his hands but his kidney function is at a minimal. So keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Also I spoke with Paw Paw and I could tell by his voice he was much improved and is anxiously awaiting for the end of the week as he will be cleared to drive again after the triple by pass. His minor problems according to him are improving and he wants to get back to his place and with his lady friend, Adeline.

Well not much else except we are keeping an eye on T.S. Irene which is fore casted to head towards Florida. Nancy and I both are really to leave this heat and humidity and except for family we would be gone for good during these summer months, LATER

Saturday

Well once again we awakened at 6 AM by the dueling fowl but somehow we managed to tune them out until 7 and they didn't awake our little sleep overs. Ava awakened first then Sam. It was quite a contrast from our usual quiet time with 2 little ones running around getting early morning fruit snacks, drinks and a movie on the DVD. Anyhow it was lovely for a change and I know why young folks have kids. Nancy eventually made buckwheat cakes and scrambled eggs and they were good eaters as well. We did get them dressed and got some playtime in before Amy and Tyler came around 9:30. Just before they came Sam ran into the corner of a cabinet causing a crease in his head but after a little ice and he was back playing as if nothing happened.

We got ready after they left to head out to S.F.B.C. for a funeral of an old friend who passed this week. We got to renew lots of old friendships and hugged a few necks. George(the deceased) was in his late 90's and was a pillar in the church. He had slowed way down in later life but was always there as well as his sweet wife, Betty. After the service we headed home for a lite lunch before getting ready for our workout at the rec. I once again did 30 minutes on the elliptical which is an awesome workout complete with a soaking wet shirt while Nancy does 30 on the treadmill. We came home to watch little league baseball before getting ready for our supper out at the neighbors house.

Dan and Carol had us for some awesome steaks, probably the best we have eaten in many moons along with twice baked spuds and asparagus. Nancy made a super fresh garden salad with our home grown 'maters and a loaf of fresh bread. The dinner was excellent and we talked and played a card game until nearly 10 PM. It was fun to hook up again with our long time neighbors and friends. We are hopeful they can get to visit us this year in the mountains but now that she is working again that may prove challenging. Anyhow it was a fun evening with a great meal.

Today(Sunday) we are heading to Element Church in Tampa as one of our house church members will be speaking, teaching as son Bobby is still in Colorado. LATER

Friday

Well the morning started out once again to a fowl symphony with dueling roosters. Yikes I think we should roast them, oh well!!! After our quiet times and a bowl of oatmeal it was to hot and humid to venture outdoors and besides Amy was bringing Sam by for us to watch as she took Ava to her pre-school orientation; she starts a 3 hour a day school on Monday. Wow where did the time go??

Sam and I decided to venture out onto the front sidewalk which was mainly in the shade of the big oak so I pushed him on Ava's trike and we had a great time with him ringing the bell on the handle bars. Amy and Ava got back somewhere around lunch time so they headed off to have lunch with Tyler who was working from home. We usually have them for lunch but since we were getting the kids all evening and night we enjoyed a leisurely salad. Afterwards we got ready to head out to the rec where we each got in a good but short work. I had a soaking shirt after 30 minutes on the elliptical and Nancy on the (t)dreadmill. Boy do we miss that trail up through the back of the property, fresh air and of course the scenery.

After the workout we chilled catching up on some reading, social networking and little league world series. The kids came around 5 PM and we got supper ready for them and us. After the cleanup we played and watched movies until it was bath and then bed time. Sam was a stinker and cried for about 30 minutes but Ava went right to sleep. The night was uneventful except Ava awakened once but since Sam cried himself to sleep he never moved until 7 AM this morning(Sat).

Nancy fixed them buckwheat cakes with a banana in the batter and scrambled eggs. They were so good and are easy to watch and play with. Amy and Tyler came around 9:30and headed for home around 10 AM. We have to go to a funeral for a long time church friend at S.F.B.C. this AM. LATER, oh I almost forgot to mention our son, Bobby is in Colorado at the John Eldridge boot camp. He wrote the book WILD AT HEART and many other books as well. Its a very rustic camp way back in the mountains and how he was chosen to go is another story in an of its self. I wanna go!!!!

Thursday

Those dueling roosters were having a field day at 6 AM and so the day began. I did observe something I've never seen before and wouldn't believe if I hadn't seen with my own eyes. These neighbors, the ones with the roosters also have a black rabbit; well this rabbit was chasing this one rooster and was attacking it viciously even while the rooster pecked viciously. Finally after about 5 minutes of this which at first I thought was animal play I realized this rabbit was fed up with this larger bird and cornered it next to the fence, yikes it meant business as it bit, pulled feathers and was very aggressive. That was one psycho rabbit!!!

After the usual cup of hot green tea and my quiet time I ventured out into the back yard, oh my was it ever hot and humid(that's when I observed the rabbit and the rooster duel). I folded up the large tarp I had covered the roof with while waiting to get the repair. I'm sure glad I brought that with me from the cabin, speaking of the cabin I'm not sure how soon we will get back up there. Nancy's dad has surgery on his index finger for bone poisoning on Tuesday and it will depend how well he does if we can get out of here soon after.

I headed out to the rec around 10:30 for some 2 hours of pickle ball play. There was a good number of about 18 players. It was good to see and renew old friendships and we had some hard fought points with lots of wet shirts. Starting next week the old schedule with a few good changes will take place as we can play every day since the kids go back to school and the gym is freed up for senior play. This game is really taking off and now there will 2 hours daily for the beginners and intermediate players after the more skilled players get their 2 hours in from 8-10 AM. It felt good to play especially inside the a/c gym as its been a summer of pickle ball drought in the mountains. Today was only the second time of play this summer for me.

I got in a little plat time with Sam and Ava before they headed out for their afternoon naps as they have been coming daily for lunch. Ava is doing remarkable after having the amalgam fillings removed and you can not tell at this point she had been infused with mercury poison from the fillings. She is taking a supplement called chlorella that helps remove the poison as well from her body. Sam is such a delight with a big smile always for his grand dad. We are keeping both kids Friday night so Amy and Tyler can have a date night.

Well I did grilled marinated chicken breasts, sweet 'taters and green peas for supper and afterwards we walked the 'hood. While it had cooled down to a crispy 85 degrees it was a delight from the 95 during the day, at least there was a breeze. I still had another wet shirt when we got home. I gotta get out of here before I sweat to a frazzle. Wow do we ever miss that mountain air and of course our friends there, LATER

Wednesday

The morning started early with dueling roosters next door around 6 AM. I'm not sure why they(neighbors) even have them as they're dangerous as well. One attacked our elderly neighbor, Carol a few weeks ago as she went to their door. The roosters always getting out of the back yard, at least their pretty to look at and a conversation piece, oh well!!!

After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit I headed back up onto the roof with a large tarp I brought back from the cabin and about 25 bricks. I covered the area where the leak was occurring in the house and waited for the rain to fall, which happened most all morning in what us mountain folks call "gully washers". I rained so hard several streets were flooded and even some major roads. I had the trash cans and rain catchers on standby in the house and what a wonderful ending as no water came in through the roof. I knew I had isolated the problem area.

Around 3 PM or so my roofer and old friend from church came by and he was pleasantly surprised at how well both the the shingle and flat roof looked after 18 years. I followed his advice to paint the flat roof with this white paint with elastic to help with the reflection of the sun as well as to protect it from all the tree dropping. He immediately noticed a couple areas where the flat roof goes under the shingles were raised up and sure enough 3 nails were raised and he pulled them out and they were rusty. So we knew water had been settling in those nail holes and this year enough so it leaked into the undercoating and eventually through and into the house. Heat causes the nails to back out if they aren't secured into the under roof wood. Anyhow he filled the holes with roofing material and glued the shingles back down with a black cement and seems to think that may have solved the problem for now at least.

Nancy and I headed out in separate shifts to the rec center during the day to get a workout in as every thing here is flat, no stairs and definitely no back trail for hiking. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and she 30 on the treadmill. I rode my bike up for the first time since May and she hoofed it and I was soaking with sweat by the time I got home. I did mow the yard after the rain quit and a my rain gauge(bucket) showed about 5 inches in the bucket and they are calling for more today. I guess this will be a test to determine if the plugged holes are secured on the roof and maybe we can head back to the mountains sometime in the next few days, however that may not happen so fast.

Nancy drove her dad to have his finger sliced open to remove the infection well now it seems its into his bone and they are admitting him to the hospital for surgery which is planned for next Tuesday. I can't believe they would make and 87 year wait until next week if he has an infection into his bones and the oral antibiotics have done nothing to easy the redness or swelling, yikes what are they thinking??? Anyhow we are in limbo with new crisis so knew him in your thoughts and prayers.

We went to our neighborhood house church last night for the first time since May and it was good to see all again. We are sure missing that fresh mountain air and ALL those who breathe it up there. I spoke with Paw Paw last evening as well and he sounded much improved especially with his few minor problems. He no longer has to travel to D.C. for his follow-ups and he is waiting until he can drive once again which is the 25 of this month. Thanks for all the prayers for him as he is doing good.

We sure have enjoyed spending time with our kids and grand kids. We have some current pics I will post, LATER The hot air baloon went over sister Dee's house last Sat. morning when we were Woodstock while we were sitting on the front porch, how neat was that!!!

Tuesday

Well the morning started out with another rain shower and no leaks however after our quiet times and a bowl of oatmeal the skies turned black and a torrential downpour hit the house and the leaks began. So its seems the area of leaks is occurring where the gabled roof meets the flat roof, so tomorrow the roof man promised to come by and give me an estimate for a new flat roof(hopefully thats all that needs replaced).

We headed out to the rec for a workout on the elliptical(for me)and the treadmill(for Nancy). We did 30 hard minutes and I had a soaked shirt. We headed home to see the skies clear and the sun came out and dried everything up and we emptied the buckets. There wasn't a lot of inside drippings but enough to know the problem was more than what I had anricipated. I checked and found where I had new roofs installed on both decks in 1993. I think the shingled roof has a 40 year shingle but who knows.

Amy and the youngun's came for lunch and we had a good time playing with Ava and Sam until it was time for them to head home for their naps. We got ready and headed to Sam's Club for gas and some goodies for the grand babies and then headed to Riverview to visit with Annsley and Gabriel and of course their parents. We brought along a rotissere chicken for supper. Ann's and Gabe were delighted to see us and of course Ann's and grandma played dolls while Gabe and I played ball. He is walking now and still crawls occasionally. Bobby came home and we had salad with his homemade dressing which was fantastic and the chicken on the side. That Gabe can pack away the chow as he eats more than his big sister. We had a fun time and by 9 PM were ready to head back to Seminole.

Well we aren't sure if we will leave on Sunday or not depending on the roof man and how soon he can replace the roof plus Nancy's dad has to have surgery on an infected finger in the morning as she drives him to the doctor. So if he heals and is able drive and the roof is replaced we will possibaly head out Sunday. LATER

Monday

Well its HOT and HUMID with rain showers especially in the morning hours. We were wakened with not one rooster but a second rooster(they thought was a hen)around 6 AM. At least I was awake but just hadn't rolled out of the sack as Nancy was still in slumber land so I did my quiet time while the roosters entertained.

My mind was working with all that needed done especially checking out the roof for where rain had seeped into the dining room, plus I had a water drip at the shutoff valve in our bathroom that required me to keep the water to the house shutoff until I could get to Home Depot for a new valve, well all it needed was for me to tighten it so I made that correction successfully and so I must return what I had purchased.Nancy made some breakfast burritos when I returned then we started doing our own things. I unplugged the frosted up freezer in the garage as I knew the high temp's would melt the ice build up in no time and while it melted I climbed into the roof attic and checked out the underside of the roof; everything looked good there and we had a hard down pour just minutes before. I then climbed onto the flat roof itself and noticed lots of limbs, twigs and leaves had built up while we have been gone since May. After sweeping and blowing this debris from the roof I noticed nothing which would have caused a leak to occur.

I had called my roofer who put this roof on several years ago and he was scheduling me in between jobs for a consult on what maybe causing the leak. After speaking with the neighbors I was told last week there were 2 days of heavy down pours with high winds that blew from the back of the house and that was when the water came into the house. It seems the water on the flat roof had blow back up under the last row of shingles and found its way down along the seam where the flat roof and gabled roof meet. I think I had an easy solution to correct that problem so I'm still waiting for a pro to consult with me. But we got no water into the house from the morning down pour, thankfully.

I then pulled out the mower and hedge trimmer and worked on the back yard. All of the rain had the yard's looking great especially the front yard but the back was a little high as it had been a couple weeks since our great neighbor Jim had mowed it. The gardens had weeds up to my waist which made it easy to pull them and I was in the shade of the oaks. Amy came with the Ava and Sam and he played out in the yard while I weeded and mowed. He loves being outside and was easily entertained playing in a planter of dirt with a stick. I took the water hose and had to wash him off before he was going home for his afternoon nap, he's a mud puppy.

We kept busy until about 4 o'clock when neighbors and good friends our age Dan and Carol came back from their vacation week-end in Orlando. We sat and chatted for nearly 2 hours before headed out to Amy and Tyler's for supper. They are hoping for a trip to the cabin this fall in October as its been a couple of years since they've been up. We had a great supper of chicken casserole with a fresh salad and rolls. Wow was that ever yummy. We got back around 8:30 and just chilled until it was showers and then to bed around 10:30, LATER

Sunday

Well last evening I posted in cool N.Carolina and tonight I'm posting in HOT Florida just a mere 700 miles apart and a difference of 3000 feet in altitude. We had an uneventful trip which we thoroughly love as it was raining lightly as we left the beautiful mountains. We never met or saw one car when we left the cabin around 6 AM and travelled nearly 23 miles to the interstate at the foot of the mountain; however when we reached the Tampa Bay area it was 6 to 8 lanes of traffic going in both directions and at 95 degrees HOT.

We stopped 6 times for walking every 1 1/2 hours for 10 to 15 minutes and for gas twice so we made excellent time. I set the cruise at $%&# and still was nearly run over at times by those high flying Yankees and a few southerns, anyhow its 6 lanes through almost ALL of Georgia and our shortcut down A1A to 301 is becoming almost as fast as the interstate.

We stopped at GG's(Nancys mom) for a supper of stuffed peppers, smashed spuds and salad which was Yumm after the cheese sandwiches, pickles and chips we had for the trip. Amy and Tyler brought Ava and Sam and they were gorgeous to our eyes. Lots of hugs and kisses and Sam has grown so and is now talking and Ava is such a sweetie and we could not tell any difference the mercury poisoning did to her since we last saw her. Thanks again for your prayers for her.

Well the reason we came was because Amy noticed a large brown water spot on the carpet in the dining room as well as some water spots on the moulding. I think because so many limbs had fallen from the giant oak that litters our flat roof in back of the house and the torrential rain fall of last week the water from the gabled roof was unable to quickly dissipate off the flat roof and backed up under the shingles and leaked into the dining room. I have a roofer coming out to check the roof sometime this week and see what his professional opinion is.

Well its always great to get to the end of your trip and especially safely. I have lots of catching up to do with yard work, etc and of course lots of kisses and hugs for those grand babies, LATER

Friday and Saturday

After a roller coaster week of emotions we were awakened by the doctor who did my "welcome to medicare physical" with good news; all of my blood results and tests were good, now he didn't say great but good. Maybe I shouldn't try to read into his remarks but we were tickled that he personally gave me the results. Anyhow we decided to stay awake as we were getting ready to head out to Northern Virgina to meet up with family for the next 4 to 5 days in an around the town of Woodstock. We packed meatloaf sandwiches for a picnic on the way up along with some partial bags of chips(we were going to fatten up) and some pickles.

We left our place around 10 AM and the setting was just beautiful with a heavy dew, temps in the high 60's and a cool gentle breeze as we parted. We made a trash stop then gassed up before getting on I-77 then to I-81. Now Nancy doesn't like I-81 because of all the truckers but maybe Friday was a truckers holiday. We stopped in Ironto(what a name) at a rest stop for some walking then a picnic. It was absolutely beautiful with very comfortable temps. We decided to take Route 11 once we got close to Woodstock so we exited the big highway just north of Harrisonburg and what a delightful drive. We saw some fantastic farms, old log homes and lots of folks bringing out their "junk" for others to determine if it was trash or treasure with roadside open air sales. I learned once we got to Mike and Dee's this week-end is designated as "42 miles of garage sales". The Civil War markers were every where and we wanted to take lots lots pics and read about the "Valley at War" on our way home next Tuesday; but that will have to happen at a later date.

We reached Dee's place around 4 o'clock and spoke with Paw Paw and he seems to be getting stronger each day except for a few minor problems. We had a super supper of pulled pork barbecue, Cole slaw and sliced 'maters. It was during the after super ritual of taking Bonnie Lou(their Jack Russell terrier) for a walk in the hood that we received a moment changing phone call. Daughter Amy and husband Tyler decided(thankfully) to check on our place in Florida and as soon as they opened the front door the musty smell of mildew struck them head-on. Well soon they found where the roof had been leaking, the dry walk was spongy, the crown molding was falling from the wall and a large stained spot where water had lain was evident to the carpet. Wow what a mood changer so of course I went into the "what if mode" which I managed to run through my mind all night long. The musty smell and the possibility of an electrical mishap bothered me all night long which rendered me "sleepless in Woodstock, Va".

Well here we are back at the cabin on Saturday evening after leaving Woodstock at 9 AM. We have been packing and making the cabin ready just in case we don't get back here for a couple months. Worse case scenario is that we come back to winterize the cabin the last of October for a couple weeks and the best solution is I find a roofer right a way who will give me good advice and direction as I try to make our Florida home snug and dry.

Well our mountain mom(Helen) came by and we lamented together as well as loaded her up with flower pots and plants that will surely die if we leave them without some TLC, we were sure saddened to say good-bye for now but look forward to a speedy reunion with her before winter, at the least.

Well we will pull out of here early on Sunday morning as I anticipate no sleep tonight once again. If we failed to call you about our change of plans which are many(as we are such social whirlwinds) forgive me. We are lamenting(another word for crying our eyes out) about leaving this beautiful county and these magnificent folks.LATER

Thursday

Once again a day filled with tons of emotions as we awakened wanting to know if Tyler and Ava made it back home safely and they did around 3:30 in the morning. They had a super trip and the results of the filling replacement went well. The doctor said he had never seen a youngster as young as Ava sit for nearly 3 hours with a dam in her mouth and a clip on her nose. Anyhow we are extremely thankful for Dr. Choi's expertise and willingness to be of assistance in this situation. Ava seems to be doing better except for a little hyper-activity which is consistent with this supplement called chlorella. This can be purchased to be used for the elimination of heavy metals from the body in a detox fashion. If any of you have a lot of silver amalgam fillings and you suffer from any maladies try this supplement as it may help you, check out the web site @ sunchlorella.com. It can be purchased on line and they ship it free.

The morning was filled with sadness as we were preparing food for the funeral of a dear sweet friend who passed at the age of 48. We met at the church around 10;30 and the amount of food was spectacular. We served her family around 11:30 then many of the law enforcement community and then of course all those who prepared and served. The food was absolutely delicious and plentiful and we had tons leftover so the family could use it later. I would guesstimate at least 700 folks were in the church proper and probably that many came and signed the register and visited with the family then left. We stayed until after all left for the cemetery before we headed for home which was around 5:30.

We got in touch with Amy and learned Ava was doing better and seemed to be getting back to being her old self which thrilled us immensely. We had a salad for supper then took a hike to the top of the mountain. We stopped and visited with Joe and Jetta and it was nearly dark when we got back to the cabin. Tomorrow we are heading out for a Northern Virginia visit to see Paw Paw and the rest of the family. We need a couple of days with no stress.LATER

Wednesday

Well today was a day that was filled with a roller coaster of emotions and thoughts. The day started out much the usual with a before 7 wake up, our quiet times and a lite breakfast. The temps were just great with a good breeze which actually made it feel cooler than it was and there was little humidity.

We spoke with Amy as Tyler and Ava were getting ready for the 8 hour drive to Pensacola for a visit with an old church friend and holistic dentist, Dr. Choi. Alfred confirmed our suspicions that Ava's sudden behavior changes were as a result of the mercury amalgam fillings she received with in a week time frame,she had 4 teeth filled. He made it know that it was a risky procedure to remove them and some special equipment was needed as well and that he wouldn't be able to come back to our area until the week-end; if we wanted them removed earlier he would do it at his clinic in Pensacola free of charge.

The trip there was just the 2 of them as Sam would have been a bear in his car seat for 8 hours so Tyler and Ava did the trip up and back. The procedure took longer than expected so it was rather late when they started home. The dentist who did these fillings did a sloppy job drilling very deeply and even her gums were stained by the mercury; no wonder she was acting strange. We feel for the kids who are thought to be autistic when the culprit could be this poisoning.

I spent the day keeping busy praying for a successful completion to the trip as well as for little Ava's complete recovery; then we got word that a dear sweet lady friend of ours from Cornerstone(our church in the mountains) passed on at the age of 48 from cancer. Sherry had been fighting this ovarian cancer off and on for over a year. She made her funeral arrangements on Tuesday and said she was ready to leave this life and join Jesus in Heaven and so she did on Wednesday morning. The funeral is scheduled for Thursday at Cornerstone. She was an exceptional lady, a friend and lover of Jesus, she will be sorely missed by all and especially her husband and her son who will have to return to Afghanistan in the Marine Corp later this week. There is a luncheon today at church so we are busy preparing food for the family and friends.

Well that's about it after being so filled with joy about Ava's fillings removed successfully and then saddened by the passing of Sherry. We are scheduled to leave here on Friday for a few days to Virginia to see family, LATER

Tuesday(continued)

For some reason blogger cut off half of the blog so I will try once again to remember what I had earlier posted. The mercury will bind with this substance and be expel through her stool even more so after the filings are removed.

After the 9:30 physical we headed for lunch at the Mustard Seed Cafe for a quick and tasty lunch then dropped off prescriptions for Nancy at Kerr Drugs in Sparta. While that was being filled we headed to Radio Shack for a new phone as the battery in ours is on the way out.

We just stayed around the phone and learned a holistic dentist in Pensacola, Fl is willing to remove the fillings tomorrow (Wed) evening at 4 PM so Tyler and Ava will drive about 8 hours tomorrow for that appointment. Amy will stay home with Samuel.

We learned a dear sweet lady from our church here has given up on her fight with cancer as she has just about wasted away to nothing. She is unable to keep any food or nutrients down. Today she picked out burial plots and made arrangements for her funeral and told everyone she is ready to meet JESUS in Heaven. She did get to see her son who came home last week from the war and is still in the Marines. Well not much else as we are consumed with the health of Ava and her prognosis for a recovery.

I just spoke with Dee who went to Washington, D.C. today with Paw Paw for a post operation check-up and it seems he hasn't been drinking enough fluids and was nearly admitted. We need to keep both him and Ava in our thoughts and daily prayers, LATER

Tuesday

What a day of roller coaster emotions, first last night about 10:30 PM , Amy called and was quite upset. We all learned that Ava was suffering from mercury poisoning from her amalgam fillings she received last week. At first we had no idea why her behavior became very much unlike Ava, we were just beside ourselves with trying to understand what happened so suddenly and so drastically. The only thing we could attribute it too was the visit to the dentist and when we found out he filled 4 teeth with silver fillings we decided to investigate. The side effects are horrible from the mercury used in those filligs and we were just taken back that a pediatric dentist would use that type of material in a young childs body. Its known that mercury has some very harmful effects on the human body and Ava was starting to display several of those especially in behavior and personality disorders. Luckily we found a holistic dentist who agreed with our finding and he is removing the filling tomorrow in Pennsacola, Florida. Tyler and Ava will leave early in the morning(Wed) for their 4:30 PM appointment. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Already the doctor has her on a detox regiment to expell the poison from her body by drinking a substance that will bind with the poison and then expelled through her ex

Monday

Well I made myself get up when I awakened around 6:30, although I wanted to roll over and snooze awhile longer. There was a nice gentle breeze and some cloud cover which held the temp's down into the middle 60's. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal with some blueberries and a banana I headed out to check on the gardens.

There was no damage except for 5 very beautiful caterpillars that were chowing down on my dill plant. I almost didn't noticed them except that part of my dill plant was missing and then I spotted them. They were green striped with black and yellow, very ornate but the number 9 1/2 took care of them as I picked them off and placed them on a flat surface.

I then headed down to the outside shed with a can of stain and proceeded to give it a coat. I finished up the upper side and then Nancy was ready for our morning hike to the top of the mountain. We finally got to speak with Norman and he actually looked much better than the last time we saw him. We took him a piece of my birthday cake and he seemed delighted. It was good to see him with a smile and in better health. His leg is healing and his color looked good and the idea that we thought of him seemed to perk him up as well. It was starting to heat up on top so we were ready to get back down to the cabin. Nancy headed in to make a salad for lunch and I painted until it was time to eat lunch.

After lunch I worked on finishing the lower side of the shed as Nancy took off on the golf cart to check on the mail. She stopped and talked with Linda and Russ(our Ohio neighbors) who are building a small cabin about half way into our lane. Linda is suffering from a brain tumor that has been operated on several times but she has a remarkable attitude and is determined to not let this infirmity get her down. Today was one of those days when she was having a hard time as she was trying to paint their bathroom so Nancy brought her back to our place and they sat on the front porch sipping iced tea. I had finished up painting the shed so we headed down to their place and we painted the bathroom for her; she was most appreciative. That was our good deed of the day.

We fixed cabbage out of the garden, 1/2 runners from our garden and Jetta's and parsley potato's for supper with sliced tomato's from the garden as well. Wow was that ever a yummy supper especially with some jalapenos in my spuds and fresh thyme on the 'maters. It finally clouded up and rained a nice soft rain for half an hour or so, did we ever need that rain as it dropped the temp's back into the low 60's, should be good sleeping tonight. Tomorrow I go for my yearly check-up and physical in Sparta so I have to fast until around 11 then we will have lunch at a really neat small town eatery called the Mustard Seed in town. We really enjoy eating there, LATER Here are a couple birthday pics from Saturday's get together!!!

Sunday

Well it was another sleep in morning to after 7 AM, yikes I must get away from this late morning habit. Anyhow after a busy, fun filled, eat too much, day on Saturday today Sunday was much subdued and laid back. After our quiet times and a bowl of oatmeal we got ready for worship at Cornerstone. The place was filled with great numbers and the music was inspiring as well as was the message. Afterwards we met up with 2 other families and headed to downtown Sparta at the River Rock Grille for lunch.

The food was very good and the place was packed with folks standing outside waiting to get seated. I had the chicken cordon bleu sandwich and Nancy had the grilled chicken breast and we shared a basket of deep fried potato chips. The meal was very tasty and reasonably priced. Afterwards we headed to Lowes to pick up some olive oil before heading back to the cabin. We stocked up for our company which now is not coming so we should have plenty of goodies for the next couple weeks.

After getting home we got ready for our daily hike to the top. There was a nice breeze but was still rather warm on top. We stopped and visited with Jetta for awhile before heading back to the cabin. Bobby called then Amy called so we spent the next better part of an hour catching up with them before we decided to take some birthday cake over our "mountain mom", Helen. I filled the golf cart up with gas and we took off after having a piece of the cake ourselves. We had a nice ride on the cart to her place then we visited for nearly an hour.

We were still full from lunch and the piece of carrot cake so we passed on supper and decided we would have a bowl of popcorn instead. I burned the past couple days of trash then hand watered the garden before we decided to head indoors and away from the pesty bugs. The temps dropped down to where its pleasant both inside and out. The katydids and tree frogs are so loud you can barely hear the T.V. Well we are going to call it a day and I'm watching the Yanks and Red Sox's play each other. I think it will be one of these two teams who will be in the Series this fall, my Ray's faltered again today and are about 11 games off the leaders, Oh Well!!! LATER

Saturday

Well the morning started out with a sleep in until nearly 7:30, wow I have to cut this out as I really like the early wake up 'cause you miss the best part of the day; birds singing, dew dripping, fresh fragrance of the flowers and of course the stillness and never before breathed air. Nancy was singing "happy birthday" as yelp I turned 65 today, wow where did the time go, but I do feel like a recycled teenager as one card reminded me. After my quiet time and a bowl of oatmeal I headed out to check on the gardens.

Speaking of cards and well wishes there were several with goodies in them; gift cards, check, some funny and some very serious and even an e-card. I was dined the night before with family(Helen and Joe)and of course tonight with the ole' gang we ate; jalapeno poppers(Kimberly's specialty) that were excellent, conqueso and chip(Audine's), salsa and chips(Nancy's specialty) and then homemade peach ice cream(Eddie made) and a homemade birthday carrot cake. Yikes what a spread and we taught the gang a new card game; 5 Crowns(and we played it right). Eddie slaughtered us and I was the big loser in that game and then the guys put a real old fashion butt whupping on the gals in Sequence. That was a first in many a moon.

We did manage to get our hike in to the top of the mountain today as well as got the place edged and mowed. We had a couple sun showers which cooled things off a little but the temps were bearable except for all the menopausal gals with their hot flashes, anyhow a fun time was had by all and we broke up around 10 PM. Thanks again to all who sent me their birthday wishes, LATER

Friday

Well as you can tell I'm writing this post on Saturday morning after an exciting day on Friday. The morning started with heavy fog at times rolling in through the trees and hills. I actually slept in until nearly 8 AM as the stillness and the cool damp air made for great a snug sleep, yikes I can't do this everyday as I really love the early morning hours, oh well! After my quiet time and a hot mug of green tea I ate a bowl of oatmeal(boring) but spiced it up with some cinnamon, a fresh peach and a banana.

I checked on the gardens then headed out to the top as the fog made for a perfect morning to pick blueberries and to clean out some of the under growth of briar's and bushes that choke out the berry bushes at Ms. Helen's patch. Now this isn't our mountain mom but another lady who lives on top of the mountain, anyhow the fog kept the bugs from bothering me as I picked about a pint of berries and worked for about an hour before heading back down the mountain. I was on the golf cart so I picked up a load of large rocks that were in the road and deposited them in my rock pile at the lower yard. We had a lite shower but the gardens still needed some water so I hand watered until Nancy was ready for our daily hike to the top. We headed out with a jar of blackberry jelly for Norman and Ms. Helen. We never saw Norman but left in on his door and Ms. Helen was very appreciative. She said she had her quota of blue berries and the rest were mine to pick as I saw fit. We usually eat our fill and then freeze a quart or so depending on the berries.

After the hike we had our first large home grown tomato on a sandwich with onion, lettuce and mayo all from our garden. Wow was that ever tasty, yikes that's the best eatin' ever and good fer ya as well!! We knew we would be eatin early in the evening so we ate lite. Speaking of eatin' early we, that is Nancy, our mountain mom, Ms. Helen and her older brother Joe all headed out to the Scotsville area of Allegheny County which is about 10-15 miles west of Sparta for some fabulous barbecue at the Motley Place. Ms. Helen and I had 1/2 rack of ribs with sweet taters and fried okra and Nancy did the 1/2 chicken and Joe the pulled pork plate, Yikes was that ever good and we brought enough leftovers home for lunch on Saturday. Thanks to Ms Helen for the treat. We got place to her place with plenty of time to walk around her beautiful place inspecting the fruit trees, flowers and her crop of pines that were planted after she had her place clear cutted a few years ago. She loves to mow between her trees and keeps her place looking great as well as does her brother Joe who just lives over the next ridge. They are both so healthy and full of life at their ripe ages and you never hear a complaint from either. We just so much enjoy their company and have fun doing little odd jobs for her.

After we left her place we headed home and on the way in the road we saw our neighbor Dwayna walking out carrying a sack, so we inquired and she was on the verge of tears once again as her husband didn't come home on their anniversary. She was on foot with the intent of walking 5-6 miles up the parkway to a friends house so we gave her a ride, now this going on 8 PM and bears have been seen in the area recently. After dropping her off we ventured down another road we had never travelled before and came out next to one of my pickle ball friends(Ted Smith's) house. They saw us and waved so we stopped and he showed us his new 5th wheel home. Wow these home on wheels are amazing, anyhow we made it back just before dark and the fog was once again starting to settle in.

Nancy was on the computer and I got involved in the Yankees vs the Red Sox and the Yank's pulled it off and the Ray's won as well. Our son-in-law Tyler took grand daughter Ava to the Ray's game and sent us some pictures via mobile phone; she is growing up so fast. We haven't seen her or Samuel since May. LATER Nancy uploaded some pictures so I'm not sure what they are!!!

Pictures of the busy N.C.Wren

Thursday

Well we were awake around 6:30 but laid there until nearly 7 before we decided to get up and start the day. It was cool compared to last week when it was in the 70's at 6 AM. After our quiet times and a cup of hot green tea with my bowl of oatmeal with fruit I headed out to check on the gardens. So far except for one night the deer have left my gardens alone but of course that one night destroyed any chance that I might have a crop of 1/2 runner green beans; undeniably the best tasting green beans ever to cross your palate. Anyhow I started putting together the trash I was dropping off on my way to town as well propane tanks and regular gas cans to be filled in Galax, Va. I also loaded up a cooler with ice packs for our cold items we would purchase at Wal-Mart. We headed out around 10 AM.

We made a stop at Eddie and Kimberly's farm to see their 2 newest horse additions. A beautiful sorrel quarter horse and a palomino; both are gelding. We visited with them for about an hour before heading on out to Galax. It was a beautiful morning with temps in the low 70's and a nice breeze which kept it pleasant until we reached Galax We stopped and filled up the truck as well as a can of gas for the mower at 3.52 a gallon, Yikes when is this spiraling out of control energy cost going to stabilize, anyhow it was cheaper by 15 cents a gallon than in N.C.

We stopped at a little Mexican restaurant(El Torito) for lunch and had a great meal once again with unlimited salsa and chips for starters. After eating we headed to Wal-Mart where I exchanged an outdated propane tank for a new updated and filled with gas tank for 17 bucks, that was a steal in its self as a new empty tank is at least 25 bucks empty, and normally 12-15 bucks to fill it,that's a 40 buck value at most places.

After stocking up on groceries as we have 2 nieces and a nephew coming sometime around the first of the week for a couple days we headed for the cool mountains. It was in the 90's in Galax and not a breath of air so we were happy to reach the parkway and the shaded roadway home. The temps dropped 5-6 degrees by the time we got back at the cabin but it still was 85 or so and too hot to do anything but sit in the shade or in the basement. We spoke with daughter Amy and grand babies Ava and Sam then later son Bobby called. Not long afterwards we got an invite out to supper tomorrow but had to turn it down as we already have plans to eat out with "mountain mom" Helen and her brother Joe at Motleys Barbecue House north of Sparta in celebration of my birthday on Saturday.

Just an update on Paw Paw(dad) as I spoke with him today. He is staying with his youngest daughter Dee in Woodstock for awhile. He will go back to D.C. via the shuttle bus on the 9th for a checkup. He sounded good and was so glad to be with loved ones.

We grilled a couple Italian sausages for supper along with a can of asparagus and sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Yummy what good eatin' that was and no heat in the kitchen. Ray Todd stopped for about an hour and we chatted on the front porch. The hot temps left when the sun dropped down below the woods surrounding the cabin and it became quite pleasant outside. After Ray left we took off on our daily hike around 8 PM and we got back just as twilight was occurring; and the lightning bugs were out in force. I handed watered some potted plants and my cucumber plant just as it got dark. Well it wasn't much of a work day but we kept busy and had a fun time. LATER... Enclosed are a few bird pictures that started to build their nest in a replica of a small barn on the front porch. I took that nest away and they moved to a scare crow by the upper garden. They were really intent on getting that nest constructed as the two birds were in constant motion inside the red shirt depositing their materials all morning and they were still at when arrived back after 3 PM.

Comparison tomato pictures

The large tomato is an Early Girl Hybrid, the next one is a regular cherry tomato and the little one a spoon tomato

Wednesday

I was awake at 5:45 when neighbors Nub and Pam headed out to open the Saddle Mountain Cafe for breakfast this morning for some reason; maybe it was because I went to bed around 10 PM after that tennis workout with the Daltons. I thought I would be stiff and sore this morning but I wasn't, actually I felt pretty good. After my quiet time and a hot cup of green tea I had a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and some mountain top blueberries.

After breakfast I got the paint out for the outhouse and got a coat of paint on it before we headed out to the top of the mountain for our daily hike. We took the long way up today as there was a nice breeze and it was still in the low 70's, actually it wasn't a real hot day and no where close to the hottest day of the year the weather folks fore casted. It stayed around the low 80's but we had a nice breeze as well as some cloud cover, eventually around 5 we had some showers which added up to a couple tenths and the dropped the temps to 70 degrees, Nice!!!

After the hike we had a left over grilled chicken salad with most everything from our garden; cukes, tomato's, 2 kinds of lettuce, kale, arugula, nasturtiums leaves and flowers, green onions and basil, wow was that ever good eatin'. After the cleanup I headed out to the lower shed to put a coat of stain on it. I managed to stain the front and about 1/3 of one side before it was time to call it a day at 4 PM. I filled in all the nail heads with caulk before I got started on the staining, at least I was in the shade and that was the reason I was willing to paint on what was to be the hottest day of the year.

We decided to use some of the cabbage, yellow squash, sugar snow peas and onions from the garden in a stir-fry for supper. It turned out yummy with all the fresh herbs as well and there was no leftovers. I fixed a couple small steaks to go along with the veggie stir-fry and wow did they ever compliment one another.

After supper and the cleanup we wondered around outside checking out the flowers and veggie gardens. Nancy put on a sweat shirt as the air really cooled off with the rain, not much else is going so LATER!! Here are a couple tomato comparison pics.

Tuesday

Well it was another warm day after a beautiful morning with temps down into the low 60's to start the day. The sun was streaming through the tree tops with a nice gentle breeze. After my quiet time I chowed down on a couple left over buckwheat cakes with a banana on top. I then checked the gardens for deer damage and finding none headed to paint the windows and doors on both porch sides. I got the back porch side painted before we headed out for a hike of the day to the top of the mountain. We saw no one except someone at Tommy's house spraying weeds in the yard. It surely was getting hot on top and we were glad to be coming down the mountain on the back road.

We had grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches for lunch with a few corn chips and pickles our mountain mom, Helen gave us, wow were they ever tasty and we ate nearly a pint jar of them. After lunch I headed to the front porch to paint those windows and doors as well. I'm all finished except for the bump out on the second floor which will require me to use a ladder on the roof tied off to the front porch. Its a bit tricky but I've done it before but I think I will wait until it cools off a bit before tackling that job, I also want to stain the shed as well as paint the out house. I may do those jobs tomorrow as I will be mostly in the shade.

After the painting I spread a sack of fertilizer on the back woods yard and front yard then moved a few seedling up into larger pots before heading to the basement to cool off as the temps had almost reached 90, that is unbelievable for here. I spent the better part of an hour down there in the 60 degrees and I believe I may have taken a short nap. We were meeting up with the Dalton gang for tennis around 6:30 so we made supper a little early due to the heat. I grilled a couple chicken breast and we had asparagus and left over potato salad. Great meal and no cooking in the kitchen.

We headed out around 6 to the Dalton where Nancy and gals headed down in the pasture to see the new horse addition. Caleb and I pitched corn hole and he put a whupping on me in the tie breaker game then we headed into the town of Sparta to the high school courts. Wow I never would have believed I could have been a rusty as I was after almost 7 years of abstaining from the game. Pickle ball is a eye hand coordination sport but wow was I bad with the tennis racket, Yikes and I'm bushed as well. Anyhow we had a fun time and young Kallie shows some potential as she plays on the school tennis team. It was good exercise but I think I will stick with pickle ball as the court is smaller and the racket is much smaller as I really had a hard time adjusting to the length of the racket. We got back just as darkness set in, LATER

Monday

Well it was foggy this morning when I rolled out of bed just a little before 7. This was our first real foggy morning this summer whereas usually we have several days when you can't see off the mountain. It sure made for some wet grass which helped as we only got about 3/10 of an inch of rain over the week-end. After my few quiet moments and a cup of hot green tea Nancy made buckwheat cakes with a banana and blue berries in the batter, wow is that ever good eatin'. After a check of the garden I saddled up the golf cart and headed to the top of the mountain to pick blueberries.

The fog didn't last long enough as the sun quickly burned through the haze waking the mosquitoes, gnats and deer fly and boy where they ever hungry. I managed to pick about a quart giving them to Ms. Helen and noticed in a couple days there should be more to pick plus I will have to bring my clippers along next time as the creepers and briar's once again were making an appearance in the berry bushes. After the pickings I headed back to the cabin for some garden work. I picked about a half dozen tomato's that were stating to turn but some bird has been in the patch the last couple days pecking holes and actually eating green as well as almost ripe tomato's. I put a couple of my black roots which resemble black snakes in the tomato plants hoping they will be a deterrent.

Nancy was ready for our hike to the top so we headed out around 10:30 and it was really starting to heat up on top. We stopped an visited with Joe and Jetta for awhile before heading on back to the cabin. We got back around noon and Nancy put together a fresh salad of our garden lettuce, cukes, Nasturtium leaves and flowers plus beet greens, kale and basil from the garden. We had to use a store bought tomato as ours aren't quite ripe enough to eat. After the delicious lunch I started on the back porch with the stain then painted the spacer boards black. I finished up a little after 5 and wow was the sunshine beating down on that corner next to the deck. It wasn't as hot as last week but it was in the middle 80's which still is above the norm for here.

I had picked 3 nice yellow squash from my garden and we decided to fry them for supper. I picked thyme, basil, cilantro and a green jalapeno to garnish them with; my oh my was that ever good eatin' so we made that our supper. After supper I dusted my kale and collards as little green worms were starting to attack them and eat holes in the leaves. Nancy did the cleanup while I worked in the garden then we took off on the golf cart for the mailbox. We saw George and Gail on their mule(Kawasaki) so we stopped and visited with them for awhile before getting back just before dark. Wow the crickets, tree frogs and katydids are extremely loud tonight so much so you can barely hear the T.V.

An update on Paw Paw(dad) he has left the D.C. hospital and is on his way to Woodstock, Va to stay at youngest daughter Dee's house. We aren't sure how long he will be there but we are delighted to hear he is back in the local area as he rehabilitates. LATER

Sunday

The morning started out much the usual with a few quiet moments then a bowl of cereal with lots of fruit. The rain from Saturday evening had really cooled things off and made for good sleeping and we felt well rested especially after the hot day at the horse show in Sparta. Wow was that ever a fun time especially seeing all the youngsters and their families participating in this family event. Hopefully some day I can see my grand children doing something like this, anyhow we got ready for worship at Cornerstone.

We headed out around 9:30 and saw neighbor Gerald on the way down the drive as they were heading back to the Raleigh area. We probably won't see much of Jodi and Gabe for awhile as they head back to school around the middle of the month and Gerald heads to the Dakotas for a bike rally. We had a fun time with them for a couple nights while they were here.

Worship was mainly musical as it was the 5th Sunday and there was a baptizing at the end of the service at a local creek, we skipped out on the baptizing as we were having company for supper so we made a Lowes run then headed home. There were some dark clouds around and eventually we got a couple small showers which cooled it off plus the gardens and grass were loving this wetness. I did dishes and vacuumed while Nancy made her signature potato salad and got the 1/2 runners cooking. Afterwards I watched a little baseball then we watched the Breeders Cup and saw a super horse named Coil come from dead last to win this race going away. He looks like a possible triple crown winner next year.

The Dalton's and Huffman's came around 6 and I had the pork chops grilled and ready to eat. Kallie made a super Ramen noodle salad to go with the rest of the supper and Kay made a superb fresh black berry cobbler, YUMM! I even had to try this breaking my "no dessert" fast. We ate then the boys headed out to play a few games of corn hole while the gals cleared the table. Andy was near perfection along with Gerald as they whupped Caleb and I but we made it close and had a good time. Afterwards we showed them a new game as the old game of Sequence was getting old with us boys losing all the time. We taught this game to our neighbors the night before and the gang for supper seemed to really enjoyed it also, as we played 2 games before calling it a night around 9:45. The game is a card game called 5 Crowns, we've had it for years but somehow it got placed in the back of the game closet. Its individual play and Gerald won the first game and Nancy won the second game so its a wash with the gals and guys; of course they had 4 gals vs us 3 guys but it was a fun time and the game goes fast except for a couple snores for some gal we won't embarrass!

Well it was another busy day and the temps finally cooled back to the normal mountain temps but its supposed to get back in the high 80 again this week, LATER