The Mountain Thymes

A few days passed without any mouse sightings so we assumed it had returned to one of the Christmas boxes and was back out in the weather on the porch, until Monday evening when suddenly a grey streak darted from behind the bookcase disappearing under the TV cabinet...........again.  The new catch-and-release trap came out of its box.  Easy directions in three simple pictures, allowed me to handle the set up.  No technology involved.  A very small piece of cheese with peanut butter on it was nudged toward the back with a pencil.  Since the TV cabinet seemed to be the mouse's favorite hiding spot, I set the trap behind the cabinet when we went to bed.  At 3:15 a.m. I was awakened to the sound of "yikes! i'm trapped!" ....scratch.......scratch...........scratch.  The cute little fella frantically tried to dig its way out of the slippery plastic container.  I flipped the back porch light on, set the trap next to the wood pile so he could make a qu...

Let the Christmas decorating begin!  'Twas a month before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring........ except a grey mouse that kept running back and forth peeking out from behind the TV cabinet. Boxes of decorations from the garage attic storage were placed on the back porch where we could begin some of the outside decorating. Wreaths with red bows were hung on the front windows.  The front porch pre-lit tree was fastened securely to the rails in case a Siberian front comes roaring through in late December.  Cliff set three boxes in the living room, assembled our inside tree, and began decorating.  After the supper dishes were stacked in the dishwasher and the kitchen cleaned, we sat back in our recliners, Christmas tree softly lighting the room, ready to watch The Christmas Train on the Hallmark channel when a tiny grey creature appeared, stopped in its tracks and darted back behind the TV cabinet.  Because my bare feet were up...

Days leading up to a holiday bring me both anxiety and excitement.  The planning and all the food preparations before hand so everything comes together at the same time on Thanksgiving Day makes me crazy.  I'm my own worst enemy.  I become excited and energetic which leads to overkill in menu items.  So this time I decided to just stick to what we could eat and not overdo.  Barb was making dressing, two pies, and a cranberry recipe (mmmmm). The frozen turkey had been purchased a month ago and placed in the garage chest freezer.  This time of year, long stringy webs and filaments form everywhere glistening in the sunlight.  The sun's rays revealed  these webs and strings on the windows along with a dusty film deposited by vehicles from our dry gravel road.  Earlier this week the days were sunny with high-sixty temperatures, perfect for window washing.  Being cautious about overusing my left wrist, I wrapped a four-inch ace bandage around ...

Traditionally on our birthdays, Cliff and I enjoy Flo's Filet at the Longhorn Steakhouse in Ellijay, GA.  This time I needed to branch out, be daring, and try somewhere new.  In my online search, I knew immediately I'd discovered my new favorite restaurant.  The menu reflects a southern twang, supports local farmers and suppliers.  Harvest on the Main's menu features farm-to-table cuisine.  Right up my alley.  The restaurant is only a few miles up the road from the Tin Loong Buffet, where we eat  many Sunday dinners.  Blue Ridge, GA is a quaint mountain town with specialty shops and a variety of amazing restaurants. I ordered Bramlett Farms trout with Jasmine rice, black bean hummus, green beans, pickled tomatoes, and a large side salad. Cliff ordered an 8-pound all beef hot dog.  Not really 8 pounds. Eight-ounce hot dog, home made sauerkraut, house baked beans, with Chef Danny's apple mustard relish. Our server, Alexand...

The mountains show signs of fall but leaf colors aren't as bold and brilliant as previous years.  Last Sunday we drove the winding road through the Ocoee Gorge heading for Chattanooga and so, it seems, did everyone else.  Leaf peepers shouldn't have been disappointed as the leaf color along the Gorge outdid our local display.  Once we got out of our long stretch of a rainy pattern, we had a few early morning freeze warnings with days reaching high 50's and sunny skies.  I don't mind the time change bringing dusk around 5:30 because it lasts only about four month which brings me into spring.  The garden is quiet.  Cliff and I brought the kubocha squash to the back porch this afternoon.  The largest squash weighs over 28 pounds.  Italian parsley continues to grow, not effected by the freezes, kind of like cockroaches.                     ...