The mornings have been delightfully cool this past week with lows of 53 degrees.  Locals tell us that for every fog in August, there will be a snowstorm.  According the 2018 Farmer's Almanac, one of our snowy periods will be mid to late November.  Because of Murphy's proximity to far eastern Tennessee, not only do I read the region 3 Appalachian forecast, I also include region 8, the Deep South forecast which includes Tennessee.  If I don't like what I've read, I turn to region 4, Southeast, which includes northern Georgia.  The weather's going to do what it wants anyway.  Cliff and I met Mike and Barb at the Tin Loong Buffet in Georgia Sunday for lunch, then stopped at Tractor Supply before heading to their house so Barb and I could plan our small fall gardens.  Whatever my little bunny hasn't eaten will be pulled up this week to make room for a few kale and mustard greens. My garlic will go in by the end of September and I'm attempting a small area for fall potatoes.  Last year's garlic harvest gave us twenty-seven heads.  This year I'll probably plant about thirty-five cloves and see what spring brings us.  

We're still getting Swiss chard. We ate the last of the yellow and green beans last night with a new recipe I tried on Cliff.  His reaction to the pan of sauteed beans in chopped garden tomatoes and garlic wasn't very positive but changed his mind on the first forkful.

Genovese basil, holy basil, and holy basil blossoms ready to be hung and dried.

In about four weeks, herbs should be ready to store in jars and be labeled.
Fresh holy basil makes a delightful cup of tea that's good for anything that ails you.  Take about a 1/4 of a cup of fresh leaves and with the back of a spoon, crush the leaves in your cup to release the healing oils. 

Pour hot, not boiling, water in the cup.

Cover the cup with a saucer and place a few ice cubes to "rain" into the tea. Wait about 5 minutes.

Remove the leaves and enjoy the tea.

As of this posting, 13 days and 20 minutes to the total eclipse.