Tuesday Morning

Monday was a wash out in the early morning hours before daybreak but eventually cleared off and during the day it stayed relatively rain free until late afternoon and then during the night it rained so hard I thought a tornado came across the cabin. I started the day with my cup of hot green tea while making this post and afterwards had a few quiet moments before a smoothie for breakfast. I then headed out to check on the gardens and to walk the yards. The fresh air with the perfumed smell of wild roses and flowering plants is hard to describe; if you have ever been to Hawaii it reminds me of the same fragrance in the air.

I headed out with the weed whacker to once again edge around all of the property and then we both raked up more dead grass and scattered it in areas that are a little thin in the outback yard. The grass there is twice what it was last year but there are still areas that are in need of seeding so the extra mowed grass with all of the seed heads should help to remedy those areas. I then headed down to the lower garden and while the ground is wet and easily penetrated with a shovel I wanted to build back the bank that surrounds the garden. Once that ground of clay dries out it almost impossible to loosen unless your using a pick or matick. It becomes almost as hard as concrete. Anyhow that took me a couple hours as I built the bank back and also made a water run off for the garden.

Nancy decided she wanted to test the cabin for radon gas as a neighbor told her there was the possibility of it occurring here in the mountains. Seems a neighbor on top of the mountain experienced it in his basement so now she is concerned we may have it. I guess Allegheny County has the second highest source of the gas in the Carolina's. She called the Extension Office in Sparta and they have the kits for free so after a lunch of tuna salad we headed to Sparta. Well we headed to the post office to mail some cards and stopped by the Extension and there was a sign on the door, they would be gone until 4:30. So we had 2 hours to kill.

We headed to the library to pick up some books which took about an hour then Nancy visited all of the shops on Main street while I sat in the truck and read a very good book titled THE LONESOME TRAVELER. It's a different read about a teenager who hooks up his donkey to a homemade cart and with his dog heads 700 miles to visit his mother who is in a sanatorium. Well we got back to the house around 5 PM and saw where it had down poured again. The sun was shining and I noticed that I now have radishes breaking the ground as well as a few beets. I think the bean seeds rotted due to all the rain.

I fired up the grille for some cubed deer steak and then Nancy sauteed some onions and peppers and I picked some fresh cilantro, thyme and basil and we had fajitas along with pintos over Jasmine rice, awesome eatin' and so healthy as well. After the clean up we headed out in the yard then decided to get our hike in to the top of the mountain. It was just gorgeous out with bright sunshine a cool temps after the rain.

We finally got to see Norman our old WW11 veteran who just turned 85. He is really a character who is from W.Va. and always has some great saying. He really seemed frail but was outside walking around his place. He said his lungs are giving out on him as well as his knees and he doesn't sleep much at nights. It was good to see him but sad to see him going down hill with his health. After a nice visit we headed on back to the cabin cutting short our walk across the top. The Ray's were playing the Red Sox on ESPN so we tuned in only to find them down 6 runs in the first inning. But as the game wore on the Ray's came back to tie the game and send it into extra inning. I headed for the sack as it was going on 11 and past by eye lids staying open, especially after that nice hot shower, LATER