Thursday, August 4, 2011
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 After eating we headed to Wal-Mart where I exchanged an outdated propane tank for a new updated and filled with gas tank for 17 bucks, that was a steal in its self as a new empty tank is at least 25 bucks empty, and normally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.
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.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
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.
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, August 2, 2011
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
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, August 1, 2011
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
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
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
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