The Mountain Thymes

Out on the back porch peeling Rome apples for the Bavarian Apple Torte. Maxine is intrigued with the dropping skins whenever I peel. She picks the skins up and flings them out of the bowl. Tuesday morning breakfast at our local diner. ooooooh......45 degrees when we got up at 6:30. Downtown may reach 78 so we'll probably get as high as 74 today. Sunday we had 2.5 inches of much needed rain. Hummingbirds still coming to the feeders but they'll be heading south soon. Shawn and Louise spent Monday and Tuesday with us after attending a wedding in Nashville on Sunday. What a pleasure cooking and eating with family and friends. We're such a mobile society that we're spread out in all directions going about our busy lives like little ants. And when company comes, we clean the grill, sweep the porch, get rid of the cobwebs in the corners, and actually vacuum under the furniture. Good food, lots of good conversation and laughter. Back to the gym this morning for cardio...

Pat, these are for you. The first of our trees have started turning and by the time you two arrive, we should be in our peak. I haven't blogged lately because my computer closed its eyes and went into a fatal sleep while I was in the middle of posting. This one is new and I hadn't backed up the other in awhile...... don't know how to backup. Cliff always did that for me. It's what I keep him around for. All my pictures...... everything are deeply locked in its dark vault. We found yet another great farmers' market in Blairsville, GA that is open Wednesdays and Saturdays. We went Wednesday and bought fresh baby summer squash for the grill. Not many vendors but one of the farmers told us to come back on Saturday when all of the booths would be full of farmers selling fresh produce. Shawn and Louise will be visiting with us next week after attending a wedding in Nashville so Cliff and I will get some fresh veggies for the grill, buy local farmed chicken from t...

part of a letter from my Mother written in 1994 Monday Morning September 5, 1994 Cloudy, 57 degrees 7:00 AM Dear Betsy, I'm up early as I slept all night until 5:30 AM. We expected a Nor'Easter to start after midnight. Evidently, it's slow moving as it hasn't arrived yet. I plan to work on your quilt this morning that I may be cooped in. Retta and Tracy visited us last night and brought a nice loaf of Jewish Rye bread. It's so good and hearty--I ate some right away but didn't need it! Dad gets hungry about 8 or 9--so he had a ham sandwich with the bread then. Dad has been doing yard work and it seems to satisfy him. He picked all of vegetables late yesterday. We had the most wonderful crop of cucumbers this year. Too bad I couldn't pickle them. Out lawn mower "cable for drive" broke so we are growing hay on the back lawn. My sewing machine needs cleaning. I can do it if I take out the instruction book--ugh, awful job--I'd rather f...

Friday we took a ride toward Ellijay, GA to find another apple orchard that a friend told us about. This one is smaller and not as commercialized as Mercier's. I like Mercier's though with its country store atmosphere and lots of fluff and things to buy. You can wander a long time in and out of the different rooms, taste samples of fruit and ciders. Last time we were there, I bought muscadine cider, very sweet, but excellent over ice while sitting out on the porch. As we drove on state road 52, we counted 6 small orchards before we even found Reese's. During the apple season, this road is very congested on Saturdays and Sundays with visitors and families looking for fresh fruit or to "pick your own" apples. I bought fresh baby squash and zucchini for the grill and potatoes for the beef stew. On our ride back home, we went back to Mercier's for lunch and a warm apple tart with ice-cream. We'll hit the gym for sure Monday morning! Chamber of commer...

Your blog becomes your journal. You open yourself up to anything from criticism to acceptance. Like Jerry Seinfeld, you put yourself out on the stage. My journaling sometimes is very cathartic.....for me......maybe for some of my followers. At the top of the blog site is "next blog" where you can peak into the lives of other bloggers. I've gained some great insights from other sharings. One blogger eased my emotions with her wisdom, sharing that each of us mourn in our own way with our own awareness. One event or incident does not hold stronger emotion than another. What we mourn is what we mourn. This is a particularly difficult time for me as my mother's birthday approaches. She is with me daily in my kitchen. I've felt "the blues", as she called it.......... but rejoice in the wonderful memories I have of times we had together. I am blessed to have a close family.

Blue Ridge Railroad Depot We had Labor Day off so we took a leisurely drive to TN. Of course, for us, every day is a day off. You board the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad in historic Blue Ridge, GA and ride for an hour through the mountains and along the winding Toccoa River. The train then stops here in the twin towns of Copperhill, TN and McCaysville, GA. You have time to shop and have lunch before hopping back on for your return trip back to Blue Ridge. Some cars are open-air and the others are vintage air-conditioned coaches. copper mines in TN We haven't taken the train yet. We're so close to TN that we just drive it if we want lunch out or just feel like ice-cream or fudge. lamp posts all over town decorated with hanging flower baskets The Indian kept waving me over beckoning me to come into the store and buy homemade fudge. IGA parking lot where the TN/GA border runs through the lot, behind the store and through the homes. Right across the street from the IGA. GA/TN li...

slept with the windows opened last night.............40 degrees at 6 AM.............in the house (just kidding). Really was 40 degrees up here on the mountain. Should be low 80's later with plenty of sunshine ................ a Chamber of Commerce Day. Friends gathered up at the tiki bar late yesterday afternoon for five different flavors of chicken wings, potato salad, spinach dip, cheese cake, and Bavarian apple torte and laughter. Deb and Larry have their house up for sale. Potential buyers need to be informed that all friends attached to the tiki bar go with the house.

Porch Pickers and Singers A Bluegrass band played from 10-4. We arrived at the Annual Heritage Walk & Festival when it first opened at 10 to get a good parking place. Arts and crafts lined the alleys. The Henn Theatre was showing the history of Appalachian crafts in the afternoon. Tours began here at the L&N depot at 3 different times of day with re-enactors staged along the tour of The Trail of Tears. Heritage Partners offered the historical walking tours of the Trail of Tears, the Harshaw Chapel and cemetary where Abraham Lincoln's natural father is buried. Some of the 30 regional artisans and food vendors before the crowds arrived. There was a silent auction and a great variety of handmade crafts. Thought of Hayden when I took these pictures. Restored and working 1932 tractor. Cliff's going to buy me this red one for my little chicken farm but he can't respond to fire calls with it. Restored John Deere working tractor...... 2-clyinder 24 HP. We spoke to...