Nothing much has been happening around here.  Seems like the same old, same old and nothing worthy of a post.  But..........after a phone call from a dear friend in Massachusetts, I guess I'd better think of something to talk about. 

During the past couple of months Cliff's been doing some repairs on the Harley for his upcoming journey to Daytona Bike Week in March.  The carburetor was rebuilt, engine and transmission oil changed, clutch adjusted,  a new LED headlight installed, and new hand grips added.  In the next few weeks he'll buy saddle bags.  He's looking forward to visiting friends and cruising Daytona like we did when we lived there.  I'll stay here in the peaceful mountains avoiding city traffic, honking horns and angry driving gestures.  I'll go to my Zumba and yoga classes and weather permitting,  add mushroom compost and cow manure to my garden for early vegetables.  February has mostly been unusually  mild.  This week we noticed the Bradford Pear trees in the median of the 4-lane showing off their early pink blossoms.  Many of the meadows and pastures have new spring green grass for cows to graze.  Here and there a cold front comes through bringing snow showers that melt upon hitting the ground.  A few seventy degree days are in our fifteen day forecast.  No complaints from me.  This is the first winter we've been able to sit on the porch some days and have our afternoon tea.  Looking at the front flower garden, you would see new leaves on the rose bush and the forsythia and orange and lemon peels strewn along the fence and among the trees.  When the couple moved into the little house next to us about a year ago, they brought four bird dogs and told us we'd never be bothered by the dogs because they are well-behaved and will obey their commands.  And the check's in the mail and I've got swamp land in Florida to sell!  They have since acquired two more dogs that will never bother us.  They also told us to feel free to shoo the dogs out of our yard if we happen to see them trampling on the flowers and vegetables.  The larger dogs seem to find our fence posts a welcoming place to lift their legs and then leave large deposits for me to step in.  I read online that some DIY dog repellents are ammonia soaked rags, citrus peels, strong teas made with hot pepper or cayenne pepper.  The ammonia seems to dissipate too quickly.  The strong tea has to be replenished after each rain and the yard now looks like a yellow and orange compost field.  We consume grapefruit and oranges daily, throwing fresh peels around the fence posts and the woods near their property.  If I happen to be at the kitchen window and see all six dogs heading to the front garden, I slam the screen door and yell "shoo" which sends them scurrying home until their next unwelcome visit.  Instinctively, they are just following deer and other animal scents so I know when the vegetables are in, they'll be traipsing in that garden, too.  It seems the DIY repellents aren't strong enough so I'm heading to Wayne's Feed today for a stronger strategy.  Other than that, life is still good on the mountain.