The Mountain Thymes

No matter where I've lived, my favorite time of year is when I am barefoot wearing capris and a tank top or short-sleeve jersey, no A/C, just open windows and freedom. My daily battle with the Colorado potato beetles.  I've cursed them, insulted them, and sprayed them with Neem and every day they return.  I lost control the eight days we were away, but I have more tricks up my sleeve. Cucumbers beginning to climb up their trellis. We've been eating lettuce and spinach daily. Mountain laurel in full bloom throughout our forest. A few photos of our stay with Lauria, Jim, and grandchildren.  Their place is wonderful. 10 yr old Sofia riding her bike down the slope in the back yard. 10.5 yr old Hayden in her "gerbil wheel." 10 yr old Grant riding Lauria's unicycle. 6 yr old Olivia in motion..............always in motion.  Wonder where she gets it?! My tree hugging daughter. I brought a tin of my Grandmother Still's old butto...

For weeks we've been watching the Heartland series on Netflix.  It's based on the book series by Lauren Brooke and is filmed in the Alberta Rockies in Canada.  Amy and Lou keep their mother's dream alive by working with and healing neglected and abused horses.  Along with enjoying the relationship Amy has with the horses, we appreciate the beauty and peace of the Alberta Rockies.  Some of the episodes are a little corny, but it has old-fashion values. The grandfather imparts his experience, wisdom, and patience without flip, crude backtalk from others.  There's also some rodeo and trick riding scenes.  So to continue our interest in rodeos and trick riding, without actually participating, we headed to the Cutworm Corral in Hayesville last night.  We couldn't even walk up the rickety bleachers without holding onto people,  never mind lasting for eight seconds when the horse charged out of the shoot.        ...

Last Wednesday we started our two-day drive to Massachusetts, stayed one night in Winchester, VA, and arrived late afternoon on Thursday.  I prepared fruits, packed cans of almonds, dark chocolate to help our mood, and filled our plug-in refrigerator with healthy snacks.  We did really well on Wednesday and felt good after the long ride.  Thursday morning we were back in the car around 6 AM and by 10, Cliff started asking what food groups we had left.  We were tired just thinking of the long drive ahead of us.  Out came the potato chips, chocolate cookies, York peppermint patties, and everything else we avoided on the first day's drive.  We stayed with my sister and brother-in-law in Hudson for the couple of days we were there.  Friday afternoon Cliff and I met his family for the graveside Memorial service for his mother.  It's been very emotional for Cliff and his sister-in-law, Diane, to have to wait this long, but now his mother is in her fina...

I was in my dermatologist's in-office surgical room nervously waiting for him to carve out a melanoma  from my leg and kept staring at the cabinets, thinking, hm-m-m-m, those look familiar! Cliff entered the room to be with me and immediately said the cabinets were the same as ours.  All Monday ,Tuesday and Wednesday morning we watched the kitchen come together.  Painted walls look yellow in some pictures but paint is a light coffee color.  I have hardware for the drawers and doors in mind.  The  darker contrasting counter top and the finished crown molding will be installed in about three weeks.  We've already replaced the original appliances and I stuck with white to keep the kitchen  bright.  I still have boxes and odds and ends lining the dining room wall.  As I was cleaning things from the old cabinet, I came across dishes and stuff tucked behind more dishes and stuff and decided not to put them back in the new cab...

A few pictures of the kitchen earlier this week. Empty drawers and cabinets, clean counters and a dining room floor full of cabinet storage items and dishes and whatever was under the sink. Old cabinets removed and set out on the porch. Living room full of new cabinets.  Installers will be here in the a.m. to be continued..........................

I love this time of year!  Our nights are still cool with waking temperatures some mornings in the low 40's.  Great for sleeping with a window cracked open. Wild azaleas are bursting throughout the woods and along the vegetable garden.  Today I put in two long rows of green and yellow beans.                                               Potatoes still thriving. Transplanted all nine tomato plants this week.  Put in summer squash seeds and some gourds.  We attached our new bird house to an oak tree at the edge of the garden and a couple of days later watched a pair of titmice load up their beaks with straw and leaves and fly into the opening. Chickadees have taken up residence in the gourd hanging in the sour wood.  When I take a break from gardening and sit in my chair under the tree, they ...