Thursday Morning

Well Wednesday was probably the hottest day we have had so far this summer as the afternoon was quite warm in the sun; but in the shade it was tolerable as there was a slight breeze. I will be glad when Nancy finishes her Radon test for the cabin as we have to keep all of the windows and doors shut for 72 hours; that makes for stuffy air. I was barely able to sleep the night before due to the lack of fresh air despite the fans on non-stop so last might I cheated and cracked a window above our heads which made for a good nights sleep. The test kit is in the basement and the cabin is really air tight so I don't understand why we can't have some fresh air at night.

After a 6:30 wake up I started the day with my usual hot green tea, a few quiet moments then a smoothie with a peach and banana, yikes is that ever tasty especially with a little cinnamon on top. I headed out to walk the property and check on the gardens. I had a few slugs during all that rain so I spread a little slug poison for them and that along with a couple hot dry days seems to have helped with their destructive appetites. The radishes can be seen from the porch and there are a few new beets showing some color. I planted the beets I brought from Florida and they too are showing some new leaf growth. I have a tomato turning on one of the seedlings I brought as well. The new seeds are breaking ground in pots so I'm hoping I can get them in the ground in a week or so. The cabbage, sweet taters and herbs all seem to be doing fine at this point as well are the Zinnias. Most of the transplants are doing well now that we have had a few warm dry days.

I finished up the new picnic table and sawed up the old one for the campfire. I made it a foot longer and just a few inches wider so we should be able to seat 6-8 comfortably. I got the first coat of paint on it as well and Nancy is thrilled with it size and shape. I must say it turned out alright for a shade tree carpenter. We got our hike in while the first coat of paint dried on the underside boards. It was rather warm on top and we saw Joe and Jetta as they drove in from off the mountain. It was hot down off the mountains and into the 90's in some areas. We came back and I fixed a guacamole dip for lunch. This is the recipe for the best tasting dip ever; 2 ripe avocado's, 2 cloves of garlic(squeezed) 1/2 of a sweet onion(minced), 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 of lime or lemon(squeezed juice), couple tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro and a sprig of dill(chopped) mix thoroughly and add salt and pepper to taste..my Amy isn't a fan of guacamole but she loves my recipe and so do we on salty chips, it's out of sight....enjoy!!!

After lunch I did the finishing paint on the top side boards and carried the table on top and put it under the back porch, by then it was after 4 PM so it was time to take a break from the heat. I worked in the basement which was cool and refreshing at nice temp in the 60's, yeow was that ever reinvigorating. Grilled some pork ribs and Nancy made fried taters and onions along with a salad for supper. Delicious ribs especially when slathered with Sonny's Real Pit Barbecue sauce. We brought a couple large 1/2 gallon jugs with us to give out to our grilling pals here in the mountains. After the cleanup we took off on our first over the mountain golf cart adventure. We headed on top and then down the backside to visit Ray and Audean for an hour or so. We had a good visit and decided on next Saturday for a get together and play that game they all love; Sequence. We have more hoot'en and holler'en than the law allows but it a great time to get together and snack and renew old friendships.

Well we are getting ready to get rid of the twin bed in one of the bedrooms and install a full size bed so its off to donate the bed at Allegheny Cares in Sparta and hopefully find a bed frame for the full size bed this afternoon. We will then meet up with Helen and Joe for an early supper in town. I lined up a pickle ball match for Friday evening around 6:30 at Roaring Gap Country Club so if anyone wants to play give me a holler. We could always use more players, LATER