The Mountain Thymes

Tractor rides through the orchards. We each had a warm apple tart topped with a scoop of their own homemade vanilla ice-cream. gift shop A friend told us about Mercier's Orchards in Blue Ridge, GA so we just took a ride to see if we could find it. Couldn't believe it was just a few miles up the road from the Home Depot we sometime go to. Back in the 40's, the orchard started out with only 27 acres but has diversified to a 200-acres fruit farm. Starting August 21, we'll be able to pick our own fruit and buy fresh apple cider. I'll make applesauce and pies. We'd better join a gym soon............... There are acres of evergreen, too.......wondering if you can cut your own Christmas tree. Pat and Larry......something to look forward to in October.

Cucumbers taking over the kitchen I think I have the zucchini under control but now the cucumbers are trying to take over the kitchen. Chickpea and Cucumber Salad with Fresh Mint 2 cucumbers 1 can chickpeas (gabanzo beans) rinsed 1/2 cup roughly chopped mint leaves 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and grated 1/3 cup currants (optional) 1 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds 3 TBS minced shallots 4 TBS fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 TBS olive oil salt & freshly ground pepper to taste Peel cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard them. Cut cucumbers into 1/4-inch pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well to combine. Adjust seasoning as necessary. Refrigerate so flavors blend. Cucumber and Yogurt Salad 3 cucumbers 2 cloves garlic, minced salt to taste Peel, quarter lengthwise, and seed cucumbers. Slice thinly. Mix together with garlic. Layer cucumbers in a salad bowl, sprinkling each layer lightly with salt. Let stand for 30 minute...

Moonlight softened by the moisture in the air. can't see the moon very well, used a flash I awoke at 5:30 this morning and while waiting for my coffee to finish brewing, I always go out on the porch and embrace the morning forest sounds......raindrops leftover from a midnight shower sliding off the leaves give the sensation of a predawn rain, distant cardinals sending out their morning messages. There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, try this for a protein-packed start to your day. Quinoa Breakfast Delight serves 2 1/2 cup quinoa 1 TBS. organic honey 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 cup blueberries 1 sliced banana low-fat milk...I use low-fat soy Combine quinoa, 2/3 cup water in small sauce pan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer about 12 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in honey and cinnamon. Divide between 2 bowls and top with milk, sliced banana and blueberries. 4 G fiber, 2 G fat, 6 G protein, 45 g carbs, 2 MG chol.

It was 75 degrees and humid when I awoke to the sound of a cat barfing at 4:30 AM. I got up to look for the little wet piles so we wouldn't be surprised later but couldn't find them anywhere........ have been awake since then. This will be like the Easter egg hunt when Retta, Chip, and I were little kids and our Mother hid the candy eggs so well, we were finding them days later. Made my coffee and sat on the porch for awhile......no breeze, no bird songs.........just a few coyotes barking up in the hills. Picked as few more zucchini and six summer squash yesterday. Those plants are just about worn out. Cucumbers are not longer producing, vines are dried up and parched. We have about five cantaloupe still growing. I turn them every couple of days and expose the undersides to the sun to prevent the bottoms from rotting. Cliff picked another couple of servings of green beans and a few tomatoes. Tomatoes are struggling to survive in this heat. Sweet potato vines are stil...

Boulder Creek Road Since our HOA has mismanaged our fees and can't afford to mow along Boulder Creek Road, we've been able to enjoy the natural flora. The Queen Anne's Lace and these wild Black-eyed Susans don't pose any hazards to drivers. Many members can't understand why $$$ has to be wasted on mowing along the road. After all, this is a rural road with all the moguls and holes that drivers have to swerve around to avoid ruining their vehicles. The flowery show has been just beautiful this year. Such a variety of flora has attracted butterflies and allowed seeds to drop to the soil for next year's bloom. Can't wait to see the fall flower show. Drove to Blue Ridge, GA Wednesday. Oops, these two shots are out of order. We held our breath as we watched these workers lift particle board up to the roofers. One guy removed the board from the truck and handed it up to the worker on the porch roof. (2nd picture) He swung it back and forth until he could...

I just found the perfect get-away vacation package for us. Great Mountain Retreats has 4 different packages ranging from $54-$69. Packages vary but basically, a package offers a 3-hour experience designed not to scare, but to excite you with smooth gliding. You're provided with helmets, body harness, trolley, gloves, tether lines and two, not just one, two canopy rangers. You get 1/2 mile of air time with 3 sky bridges, 5 transfers bridges, 11 zip lines alternating between slope side, trees, elevated platforms, a helicopter hoist up into the Triceratops platform with your finish zip 1200' long and 120' high. If we wait until August, there will be 5 additional zips and several sky bridges soaring above waterfalls and landing 40' up on a rock wall deck. Fliers must be able to raise their arms overhead to self regulate speed and braking. I told Cliff this is the vacation we've been looking for. He told me he would drive me there and take pictures of me for the ...

Just an early morning drive to the transfer station to get rid of recycles and trash, then head to town. There was so much humidity and moisture, the mountains were barely visible. mud dauber's organ-pipe nest The female dauber is the architect/builder of this intricate nest. One day I heard a high-pitched whirling sound and followed it to this site on the porch, took a few shots of her nest as she continued to build. Wanted to get a shot up inside the nest while she was building without annoying her. Some daubers eat black-widow spiders so will leave these nests intact. Fascinating pipes. Mornings have been low 60's but very humid. Our highs now are 86/87....much better than the highs some weeks ago of 95. The 5 weeks of no rain and 95 degree temperatures really did a job on the gardens. We've been getting plenty of zucchini and cukes, but the plants are starting to look worn and tired. I picked two cantaloupes a few days ago.............first time I was ever succes...

collecting pictures of chicken coops trying to upload images from flickr and of course don't know what I'm doing. I usually post from my camera images, but having some fun this morning, too much time on my hands? and using the URL instead of BROWSE. Too early to call Lauria and ask her what I'm doing. Too bad nobody else in this house understands computers. Searching for "rural/I'm just a country bumpkin" coops I could build for my chickens. I'll be adding to this posting as I figure out what I'm doing......time for more coffee!

Our weather has been more normal. We're high 80's instead of mid-90's and still humid with afternoon thunderstorms. The gardens look worn and tired from the weeks of intense heat.... But the zucchini keep coming in! Last night we had pasta, sausage, and zucchini with a light batter fried in olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Will be searching for more zucchini recipes today. Someday when we can afford to build our garage, we'll buy a small freezer and be able to freeze more vegetables so we won't have to eat zucchini daily. My next plan is to build a coop and raise chickens so we can have fresh eggs daily. Lauria and Jim have a few chickens that provide plenty of eggs for their family. We're on about 1.3 acres and have plenty of room to have a dozen chickens. I love the sound of roosters crowing. Actually, roosters don't just crow early in the morning. They have been know to crow off and on all day! Reminds me of Grandma Still's ho...

Another 1.3 inches of refreshing rain so far today. It's overcast but no complaints here. Temp is down to 72 degrees. Just took more loaves of zucchini bread out of the oven. Gave some loaves away to friends, we've eaten two, and will add these to the others in the freezer. Our freezer is small so this will be the last of the breads to be frozen. After today's rain, there will be more veggies to pick and preserve. We're having stuffed squash tonight. Have been collecting new recipes I'll try for the cukes and will parboil some of the other vegetables for the freezer. Cliff is the guinea pig for all the new recipes. Took Maxine back to the vet today for her 3-yr rabies shot. Anytime she gets in the truck now, the ride is so traumatic for her, so much so that I hate to even take her to the vet. It's only about a 12 minute ride. Three weeks ago she had her annual check-up and a couple of shots. She has a reaction when she gets all the shots at the same...

Around 4 PM the wind picked up, twisted the branches, and swayed the trees in all directions. Thunder rumbled in the distance and this time we got the rain.......................... Glorious rain! At 8:50 PM we have about 1.25 inches with a gentle steady rain. The air smells so clean and the layers of dusty clay have been been washed off the leaves. Our box turtle made his appearance after the first downpour. I snapped his picture quickly as the next round of thunderstorms approached. It's been about 5 weeks since we've had rain.

"A single sunbeam is enough to drive away many shadows" -St. Francis of Assisi

Yesterday was very heavy and hot, even here 1700+' above sea level in the trees. More friends from Florida stayed here with us this week at our at our B&B. Jim and Sharon drove to the Florida panhandle last week, where Sharon sang at her niece's wedding, traveled to WV to spend time with their family, and on their return home stayed with us to relax in the mountains. It's been many months since we've seen each other and had lots of catching up to do. In between the chatting, the men napped, and Sharon and I sat with our feet up.... reading. We grilled fresh garden vegetables, hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, local grown sweet corn, ate blueberry pie with ice-cream, and watermelon...... until we swore we'd never eat again.................. Last night the temperature dropped into the 80's so we were able to sit out in the dark on the porch until 10 and listen to the night noises. We heard the deer run through the woods again as we did when Barb and Mike...

ZUCCHINI BREAD 2 loaf pans 325 degrees 1 hour 3eggs 2 cups grated zucchini 1 cup oil 2 cups sugar 3 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup nuts 3 tsp. cinnamon Blend the eggs, zucchini, oil, and sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Bake in 2 bread-size loaf pans, lightly sprayed, for about an hour. Done when inserted knife comes out mostly clean. This is a moist bread, esp. when garden fresh zucchini is shredded. Gladys DeSantis The trek up north on the 22nd was good for us. It took us away from the turmoil with the HOA that stirred up our emotions and gave ...

sunrise through our woods...............north side of house bought some worms to help enrich in this container herb garden.......hope I haven't baked them in the afternoon sun Crisp start to this morning. Temp was 54 when Maxine poked my head with her little white paw to get up and feed her at 6:40. Yesterday hit high 80's. Funny how high 80's in Florida this time of year would have been a bonus, a pleasant day. We haven't had a rain in over a month. When Lauria, Jim, and the children visited in April, we were in a rainy spell and were afraid it would rain during their whole stay. Now the foliage is covered with clay dust. My morning glories are attempting to climb........but slowly. Had a few blossoms yesterday and put the sprinkler on early this morning. Trying to grow gourds along the fence. Went up the mountain to Deb and Larry's tiki bar for an impromptu 4th. Everyone just brought whatever they had available around the house and it was more relaxing tha...

Playing with my paints. Check out the bird approaching from the south. Most of the time these two fight over the feeders, but this time they shared the same feeder. We've only seen these two at the feeders so far this year. Last July we had at least a dozen birds everyday. Zucchini, cukes, onions, summer squash from my neighbor's garden. The two round squash were from the local farmers' market in downtown Murphy. Made the zucchini bread this morning when we came back from breakfast at our diner. Lots of traffic downtown. Murphy is crawling with visitors this long holiday weekend. Yesterday there were festivities, a 5K race, BBQ's, lots of family activites, variety of foods at Konehete Park ending with fireworks last night. There will be more tonight at some of the surrounding towns. Lazy Sunday afternoon on the back porch. Mornings have been more normal, mid 50's and days 85 degrees. The humidity and heat is sneaking back in. Last week when we were at the ...