The Mountain Thymes

The last of the summer concerts held in the open barn was Friday night.  Future concerts will be held in the Keith House until next spring.  We brought our chairs, met Larry and Pat, and kept rhythm with the old-time-swing-ragtime-blues-novelty jazz band, Hot Duck Soup.                                                          Hot Duck Soup served up a mix of toe-tapping, finger-snapping tunes from the early 1900's through the 1940's.  Their songs were about everyday issues such as love, bananas, meatballs (with one slice of bread), chickens, and underwear.  It was a knee-slapping, toe-tapping evening where some part of your body needed to move with the music. The Labor Day weekend fa...

Thursday Cliff drove me to the rheumatologist in Gainesville, GA for my blood work results.  I definitely have rheumatoid arthritis.  RA left untreated can eventually affect the other organs and will deteriorate the joints.  So with that bit of info, and much to my dismay, I chose to go with the offered Rx.  The drug is an anti-malarial used to treat patients with lupus and RA when other methods have failed.  My friend, Pat, says now I won't have to worry about getting malaria when we eat at Downtown Pizza.  Dr. Lovell's recommendations were to continue my exercise program, as long as I don't overdo, (who me?) and continue with my heart healthy and Mediterranean eating.  The first time we went to Gainesville, my appointment was for 8:15 AM and on the way back home at 9:30, we found a creamery that made its own ice-cream on site but didn't open until 10.  I made this appointment for 10.  After this visit we had lunch at Happy China, a small fa...

Had to post some of the other photos.  Papa and I had so much fun...............he didn't know he was having fun! The children have been taught to respect each other and to be tolerant.  Great life lessons for all of us! Hayden at mini golf. Had to include these two.  This child never stops moving.   mmmmmmm Wonder where she gets it! Papa really did play a round of mini golf.  I thought I clicked a shot of him putting but guess I didn't so this will have to do.  The creek bed truly was soft mud, more like quicksand.  Hayden's ball accidentally went into the water and disappeared. The course was well-shaded and relaxing.  Had benches and flowering bushes, places to sit and watch the children. Saturday evening Jim and Lauria returned.  Sunday the children played soccer and we all went out to eat at The Happy Garden. Early Monday morning Jim and Lauria packed the car, put the pug in his kennel, and all headed ba...

Even after all the commotion and organized chaos of the day, I still woke around 5:30.  Hayden and Kirby slept soundly on the living room couch.  They slept through the coffee gurgling in the kitchen and I was able to put on the low light near my recliner.  I would read and enjoy the quiet morning until about 6:15 when little children started climbing up in my lap with blankies and sippy cups.  Hayden would find a cartoon they were allowed to watch and we vegged out til they wanted breakfast. Olivia and Ben vegging with me. Later in the day the three big ones made bean bags with me out in the sewing room.  The children picked out their fabric and cut it, practiced machine stitching on a practice fabric, then stitched along a chalk line to make their bean bags.  Olivia fashioned her new look with ribbons and lace she found in boxes. Hayden made a piggy bank with a divider inside from an old shoe box for Olivia and Ben to drop their coins i...