The Mountain Thymes

It's been about a week since I've posted because this is the most exciting news I have................ one onion popped up today and waved at me. Other members of the garden family the sweet pea toddlers lined up nicely in a row  a few radishes thriving among the millions of rocks  last year's parsley Last spring a friend from station 25 gave us an empty pickle barrel which Cliff halved with the sawzall so we could do some container gardening.  This one was placed near the front porch and we grew Italian parsley and rosemary.  The cold winter arrived and 2 ft of snow covered both herbs.  The rosemary couldn't tolerate the winter and I thought the parsley was finished, too, but during the unusually warm early March temperatures, the parsley perked up and grew new crisp leaves.  This is about a month's growth!  I couldn't believe it.  The rosemary in the front garden looks like it's generating new growth, too.  Now I'm wondering if the rosemary from

I had a firm talk with the bean rows this morning and told them if they didn't rear their little heads in the next couple of days, they were gone.  Guess they believed me. At 7:20 tonight we went down to the garden to see if anything happened after the 80 degree day we had.  The yellow beans popped through the soil right on schedule.  They're lucky. Chinese cabbage Rainbow Swiss Chard Broccoli We're due for thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon then  37 degrees on Thursday night.  A shot of the "super moon." This was still quite a sight at 6 AM Sunday.  Max and I took our coffee out on the porch and sat for awhile in awe.   The porch lit up and the moon cast quiet shadows through the woods. 

Spring is here!  It's time to fling open the windows and feel the crisp morning air.  Time for rebirth.  Sit quietly with the rebirth that is happening around you.  Feel it in your heart and your breath.  Winter has officially come to an end...............but don't hold your breath.  Locals tell us there is still the possibility of a last freak snow storm in April.  The year Bill and Boni visited us,early April 2009, to help build our shed, the temperature was in the 70's before they arrived.  A freak white-out snowstorm passed through with temps in the 30's and on the day they left, the sun came out and temperatures returned to 70's again. Clouds moved in and temperatures began dropping. End of the first day. The next morning.  And it snowed off and on all day as they finished the shell of the shed.   Today is predicted to be unusually warm, about 80 degrees.  I've been adding vegetables to the garden and today will plant the carrot seeds.  Right now have sw

The first hummingbird sighting has been reported in Blue Ridge, GA, about a half-hour away from us.  Yesterday the temperature reached low 70's so we spent most of the day outside.  In the afternoon as we sat on the back porch watching the spinach grow, Cliff thought he heard the familiar whirring sound of an HB's wings.  This morning I went to the sightings site www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/humm_ruby_spring2011.html and saw that the first reported sighting was yesterday.  Just made up the first batch of nectar and filled the new feeder.  I threw away the old feeders because I've had them since summer of 2007 and no matter what I use to get the old mold removed, it remained in the tiny crevices.  I'd soaked them in vinegar and in baking soda overnight but couldn't reach all the hidden areas to clean them thoroughly. The new one I just purchased is much easier to clean because  when you unscrew the glass from the base, the "flying saucer" becomes 2 separ

When I was teaching, I expected my students to read directions before beginning any activity.  I stressed reading step-by-step, slowly, and then rereading again if needed.  Blah!  I hate reading directions.  When I first learned how to sew I was around 9 or 10.  If I could see the finished project first, then I could break it down and build or sew whatever I needed to make.  The directions for sewing included diagrams so in most cases I only had to resort to reading if I couldn't figure out a step by the illustrations.  Even now in everyday life, I still assemble projects by the illustrations or by handing the written directions to Cliff to figure out.  I still have that mental block.  Since I've retired and my brain isn't "fried" or mushy, I've been tackling "reading and following directions."  Not an easy task for me, but a personal accomplishment.  Today I discovered how to add buttons and new pages to my blog.  It'll be a slow work in progr

Carolyn is out of surgery and in her room.  Doctors removed a mass and some cysts and were able to save 95% of her kidney.  John is exhausted and hopes to catch some sleep in her room while she sleeps.  Thank you for your thoughts and prayers as they go through this very trying time together.

Our prayers and positive thoughts go out to John and Carolyn, our son and daughter-in-law, as they go through a very difficult surgery Tuesday, March 15.  Carolyn has already had part of her left kidney removed and is now having a malignant tumor removed from her right kidney. Thank you for keeping them in your hearts. 

Serves 4.  Takes about 25-30 prep and cooking time. 2 tbs unsalted butter 1 tbs safflower oil 1 tbs minced fresh ginger 1 leek, white & green parts only, cut 1/4" dice & washed 1 med sweet potato, peeled & diced 1/4" thick 2 tbs all-purpose flour 3 cups non-fat milk 1 8-oz can oysters with 1/4 liquid season with salt and pepper Melt butter and oil in med saucepan on med heat.  Add ginger, leeks, and potato; cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 10 mins.  Stir in flour; cook for 1 minute. Raise heat to medium-high and slowly pour in milk and reserved oyster liquid, whisking constantly.  As soon as bubbles begin to form around edges of pan, gently stir in oysters and cook just until set, about 2 mins.  Season with salt and pepper. 4g sat. fat; 5 g unsat. fat; 33 mg cholesterol; 25 g carb; 11 g protein; 2 g fiber Excellent stew.  I had it with the wheat bread that I made Friday. This afternoon I planted two rows of sweet peas and a row of

We attended the Empty Bowls Event last evening at The John Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.  This year we arrived at the school an hour before the doors opened to be in a better place in line.  Last year, being my first time,  I was close to the end of the line and didn't get seated for almost an hour after the doors opened.  At 5 pm approximately a dozen people are welcomed onto the screened porch to look over the donated bowls and choose one to keep as a souvenir of this event.  As those people as seated, more are let in.  We figure about 200 tickets are sold so it takes about an hour for people to filter in, look over the bowls, then get seated.  Also $1.00 raffle tickets are sold for the "brown bag" drawing which features a dozen clay pieces donated by the local potters.  No luck this year.  We didn't win.  The menu included beef barley soup, a hearty wheat bread, salad, drinks, and big cookies....all made at the school.  We sat at a table of eight and talked wi

My readers probably have noticed that a few of my recipes may seem a little radical.  Yesterday I tried another new one.  I've been eating less meat and more tofu, legumes, always fatty fish with omega-3.  Cliff has been a good sport and will try anything I make sometimes not knowing what he's consuming until after he's licked the plate clean.  Friday night we had Mediterranean Stuffed Bell Peppers made with tofu and Gimme Lean meatless sausage and they were a hit!  This recipe is a keeper.  Cliff says he'll eat it again even knowing what the ingredients were. This came about last fall when a visit to my doctor revealed my cholesterol was up a little so we began plan A.  I started with higher doses of a good pure fish oil and niacin from a health food store, but my next visit showed a sharp rise in my triglyceride numbers. That may have been caused by my careless diet and too much red wine!  One important thing I learned from watching Gregory House, is that everybody

After working out this morning, I went to Wayne's Feed and Grain and bought two "scoops" of mushroom mulch for the garden.  Cliff had an EMS class so when he arrived home we tackled the garden chores.  My parents always had a wonderful garden but I never paid attention to the work that they put into it.  To me, it was a hideaway......... I could hide between the corn stalks, peel and eat cabbage leaves, pull up fresh carrots and nibble like Bugs Bunny, living in a natural world of make-believe.  Rhubarb leaves became high-fashioned hats.  Dandelion stems inserted into each other became necklaces and bracelets.  Our garden was a great place for hide-n-seek, especially, as the sun set. We broadcast the lime first.  Cliff emptied between 18-21 wheelbarrow loads of mushroom mulch down to the garden.  I raked the mulch and mixed it into the tilled clay, constantly pitching roots and rocks into the woods. He had a EMS call part way through the chore so I took a break and wa

It's windy and cold on the mountain today.  Our temperature was 46 when we got up this morning and it's 38 now at 3:30 pm.  This is what March was like four years ago when we spent a long weekend here running from the realtor's truck to vacant unheated houses.  I was chilled to the core.  Steve took us up mountain roads where only Sherpa should travel.  That weekend was quite an adventure. Cliff is home safely from his trek to Massachusetts and dodged the approaching flooding rains and thunderstorms.

  Trees in bloom.......... on the way to Ingles Supermarket. Daffodils and jonquils are popping up everywhere........a little earlier than normal.  No predictions of a last "blizzard" yet, but we can't let our guard down.  Temperatures have been 66-70 degrees by 3 pm and the potted plants have been enjoying the porch.  Maxine and I sit on the side porch most afternoons and read.  I've been down in the garden picking more rock and roots from the soil and will add lime to the garden after Cliff returns home. I don't remember if my parents planted by moon phases but Barb says you produce better crops so I'll try it. I got to the gym earlier than usual this morning...... around 8:45......just in time to try the Zumba class with Rebecca.  Some days it's so routine to do the elliptical for 30 minutes then work upper or lower body that I find it humdrum....boring.  I especially miss my Monday and Friday Yoga class with Susan so today I jumped in the Zumba cl