The Mountain Thymes

Cliff and I attended the Farmers Market meeting today at the L & N Depot to get the scoop on becoming a seasonal vendor.  My fee is paid and I am officially a seasonal vendor which supplies me with a reserved 10' X 10' space and a canopy set up for me each Saturday morning.  This week I'll be gathering my crafts and planning my first Saturday.  The market runs from 10 am to 2 pm but people start arriving at 9.  I was always a 9:15 arriver to get the best fresh vegetables offered by the local farmers.  The veggies and fresh eggs go quickly.  Cliff will help me set up then will visit the English lady, Anne, who sells homemade English sweets and meat pies.  Hummingbirds are getting closer.  Two sightings were reported at Ball Ground, GA just south of Blairsville.  My feeder is at the kitchen window...........waiting.  Also, bought a chocolate mint today and potted it in a hanging basket for the porch.  As soon as we see our fir...

The Journey North hummingbird site reported yesterday that a male ruby-throat appeared at a feeder in Knoxville, TN, a week earlier than last year.  There have been a couple of postings where contributors reported that their sightings were about a week or so earlier than last year.  Knoxville's location is latitude 35.95 and Murphy's latitude is 35.08.  On that exciting note, I put our kitchen window feeder out this morning in 42 degree breezy conditions. little uplifting signs that spring is here Our farmers market begins the first Saturday in April and sign-up is this Saturday.  I'll be at the sign-up to reserve a spot.  Throughout this frigid winter, I've been sewing more aprons, toddler bucket hats, clothes pin bags, and other utilitarian creations to sell at my booth.  One of our Boulder Creek part-time residents resides in the Atlanta area and just became a first-time grandmother.  She got so excited when seeing the bucket hats, she ...

The hummingbirds are making their way north.  Today a sighting was reported in Conley, GA which is 2 hours from Blairsville, GA and 2 hours and 16 minutes from Murphy.  Brewed up 3 cups of nectar in their honor.  The feeders are clean and sitting on my kitchen island ready to be put out.  Yesterday I put parsley and oregano in a window box out on the porch rail.  The geraniums that I pulled up from the crawl space have blossoms and new leaves.  Garden tilling will be a little late this year.  Cliff tried to till but it bothered his hip so we're hiring a friend to turn the clay and get the garden ready for us this weekend.  Some nights are still in the low 30's so I'm not in a rush to put the radishes, carrots, snow peas, and potatoes.  Conley, Ga to Murphy, NC Hummingbird anticipation and tilling the soil are some of my favorite spring happenings.

John, Lauria, Michael Grampa John with his Christopher. On their way back to KS from our house, John and Carolyn met Taelor and Matthew at Logan's Steak House in KY.  It won't be long before Christopher tries to say grammy and grampy, or whatever they want to be called.  I've been trying to figure out what he can call me.  Great-grammy is a mouthful.

Happy Birthday, Dear Sofia (I'm a little late posting)  Would you believe she turned 9 on March 11...................... Sunday John and Carolyn arrived from KS to spend four days with us.  Only Wednesday was cloudy, cool, and dreary.  John has an interest in photography and has been adding lenses to his collection, talking with professional photographers, and researching whenever he has the time.  So I figured we would get lots of great family shots while we were together to post on the blog.  That never happened.  We were so busy traveling, overeating, sitting by the fire pit, and drinking wine that we took very few pictures.  Monday we drove to Helen, GA. Carolyn, Cliff, John at a Bavarian restaurant After lunch outside, we went to Hansel and Gretel for fudge, buy two, get one free. Some business were still closed for the winter,  but in another couple of weeks tourism will pick up and all the shops will be open. Later tha...

North Carolina weather report  

The weather's been a roller coaster ride.  We went from 70 degree days to teens at night and raw breezy 40's  the past couple of days.  From this Saturday into next week, we'll be back to almost 70..............again, which will be nice because John and Carolyn arrive Sunday from frigid snowy Kansas.  I reported to my jury duty at the Murphy Courthouse this morning at 8:30, was sworn in, then along with about 50 other potential jurors, was ushered to another room while the judge met with the lawyers.  Around 10:30, our Clerk of Courts brought us back to the courtroom where the judge apologized for the wait-time, thanked us for showing up, and dismissed us.  He explained that many times when the accused actually step foot in the courtroom and stand before the judge, knowing the potential jurors are in the next room waiting, the accused pleads guilty.  Reality sets in.  All four cases went that way this morning.  Sigh of relief!

More signs of spring, to  override the fewer cold nights and passing snow showers, are tulips about 12" high, daylilies pushing their new green leaves through the clay, pink buds on the flowering pear trees that line the 4-lane on the way to Ingles and Walmart, more bird songs early in the morning.  My push for spring on this 70 degree afternoon was to remove the flannel sheets and put the cotton ones back on and pack away the heavy winter spread.  I washed a couple of outdoor windows and Cliff washed the winter dirt of the Kia.  Robins are not a harbinger of spring here.  We see them off and on all winter, dozens at a time, pulling worms and grubs out of wet lawns.  I haven't observed any nest building or gathering of twigs or dried vines.  My cabbage seeds have sprouted in the sunny dining room window waiting for the garden to be tilled and the soil to reach 40 degrees.  Thursday we're suppose to have snow showers then return to the 60s again....