The Mountain Thymes

Last week we moved the furniture from the back porch to the front and finished staining the rest of the back together, which went much quicker than when I did it alone.  Cliff did this part last year but weather exposed areas need it yearly.  Placing furniture on the open porch gives it a true North Carolina feel. Georgia and Tennessee families also add a refrigerator, a couch, and sometimes a washing machine to their porch decor. Arranged furniture to reflect a North Carolina feng shui appeal and a path to the back.  Next time we get 3 or 4 drying days, we'll finish this last piece of porch and the steps.........until fall when this part will need a refresh. Potatoes drying before planting. In the back raised bed, sugar snap peas beginning to trellis the jute teepee. This year I'm trying a different method for potatoes that I read about in Mother Earth News Magazine.  Using a 2'x2', 4'x4', or 6'x6' raised bed prepared with compost,decayin...

It's Easter morning.  My mother visited me during my sleep and when I woke at 5:30 cuddled under my quilt, she was still warmly present in my heart and my mind.  The first quilt she ever made was the schoolhouse pattern.  Years ago when I was teaching in Florida and not realizing how much time was involved, I asked her to make this quilt after seeing it in a magazine.  Being wrapped in my quilt is comforting when I need soothing and warming on chilly nights. Just the other day I was trying to recall how many years ago she made it. So with my mother vividly on my mind and feeling quite contented, I randomly pulled out one of the four boxes of all letters saved from the the twenty something years she wrote to me when we lived in Florida.  The letters are catalogued by years.  I keep saying I'm going to sit and refine the order by months but I get so entranced in memories, the task never gets done.  The first letter I picked up was  December 31, 1...

Four generations together doing what we do best.....................eating Baskin Robbins ice-cream in Lexington, Kentucky.  On the left, Matthew, me, and Ciff, (Papa).  On the right.  Alexandra, Taelor, Christopher, Carolyn, and John, (Grampy).  Not sure what to have children call me.  Great-Grammy seems like a mouthful.  Also, didn't think to ask Carolyn what she calls herself around the children.  Christopher thinking about where to attack his ice-cream first. Alex just minutes before she had it on her forehead and dribbling down her sweater.                                                     John and Carolyn It was cold and windy Saturday evening in Lexington.  We met Matthew and ...

It's bad enough when friends bore you with hours of vacation pictures or bring out the family albums.  I guess people don't keep family albums with pictures inserted in those little black corner tabs anymore.  My spring blog pictures once again will be gardening adventures and a few photos of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Speaking of grandchildren................. Hayden and Grant at their chess tournament waiting to start their game against each other.  No drama here. Grant came up with this setup for seeds in their Virginia garden.  Olivia, the Garden Commander, is ordering the seeds to sprout. Lauria bought a mushroom mini farm at Home Depot and this is their growth in a couple of days. Cliff tilled the rest of the garden this afternoon when he got home from his re-certification class.  I'll bring compost down and mix it in a little at a time so my arms don't fall off. After I got home from the gym, I figured it was a good time to st...

First the bad news.................... My cute little wide-eyed mouse is dead.  After months of attempting to scare it away with verbal mouse trap threats, spraying peppermint everywhere, keeping his supply of birdseed out of reach, plugging all known openings with peppermint-laced steel wool, I finally conceded to allow Cliff one trap in the kitchen and two in the crawl space.  My conditions were that he not inform me if or when it happened or any description of the deceased rodent. Cliff was convinced the little guy was still in the house.  He was correct. The good news is..................... Yesterday was the first morning (50 degrees) that I was able to sit out on the porch at 7 with my coffee and a light wrap over my shoulders watching the morning sky change from azalea pink to cadmium orange.  The Carolina wren sat high on Cliff's tower rung with his head to the sky belting out his morning wake-up call.  He's my rooster.  On Wednesday, Journey No...

Construction of the indoor grow-light.  The light and shelves are removable and Cliff put hinges at the top for quick easy storage.  The utility light was hanging above my workbench in the garage and we changed the existing fluorescent lights to T8s, one cool and one warm to mimic the sun's rays. The light height is adjustable and the chain on the legs allows for a narrow or wide stand. Set up in the dining room.  The light will stay on for about 12 hours and we lowered it to about 4" above the soil blocks. Ragged Jack kale popped up a few days ago before we finished the grow shelf. I'm also making smaller biodegradable pots to start seeds in using empty toilet tissue rolls and clean black and white newsprint.  Cut a strip longer than the roll and roll the paper around the tube.  No tape required. Fold the excess paper under and using a wooden spoon handle tamp the paper making a floor. Fill with dampened seed starter soil, drop a couple...

Would you believe a possum or raccoon tried to get the last drop of Riesling from this bottle last night.  I place empty recycling glass containers on the porch at night with the intention of putting them in the bin under the porch in the morning.  Did the animal really believe there could be a drop left?!  Silly possum! This morning Cliff had a back molar extracted.  I went to Zumba class, returned and drove him to the dentist.  His cracked tooth was causing discomfort and had to come out.  He dreaded the appointment and it was a rough procedure.  We were only home about an hour when I drove him back to the dentist with excess bleeding. The dentist got his bleeding under control and sent us home.  Tonight his meal consisted of lots of mashed potatoes and soft foods.  Tomorrow I put him back to work. Late this afternoon my two loads of mushroom compost was delivered.  Is that not exciting!!?  Tomorrow at the crack of dawn...

According to my North Carolina growing guide, I can start certain vegetable seeds indoors under grow lights.  We've almost finished building the grow light frame and I found instructions online for DIY soil blocks.  A soil blocker maker costs around $30 or you could purchase dozens of small soil cubes for seed starting.  When I came across this easy plan, I thought of my father.  He would go down cellar and create devices from his  organized collection of saved "treasures."  One time he cut a tin can in half, screwed a small wooden knob on for a handle, and made my mother a gadget to use for chopping nuts or cutting round biscuits.  This is my soil block maker made from a can with both ends open and one lid nailed to a handle for the plunger.  Using a good seed starter mix, you add just enough water to form a ball in your hand.  Fill the can about 3/4 full, on a tray, and compress the soil with the plunger.  Slowly lift the can with l...