The Mountain Thymes

Having a winter free of snow, until these last couple of weeks, we haven't been held captive in the house.  This is the first time this winter we spread a jigsaw puzzle out on the dining room table.  After yoga this morning the snow was coming down pretty heavy but melted when it hit the roads.  Temperatures hovered around 32-33 degrees.  Snow is predicted into the early morning hours but it'll probably be more the icy road conditions than the accumulation for our area.  Tomorrow will be full sun with temperatures in the low forties.  This time of year snow doesn't last.  Puzzle that I'm consumed in now.  Not a good puzzle to do as you approach mealtime.  This afternoon I was been focusing on the deep dark delicious chocolate and the wonderfully creamy pistachio ice-cream puzzle pieces and got irritated with the cat eating the whipped cream.  I get caught up in the puzzle and have a difficult time breaking away but if I don't quit ...

Blooming again................... My Thanksgiving cactus produced new buds and burst into blooms last week.  I thought it would only flower once each season.  What a delightful surprise!   Kale and Swiss chard are still thriving outside in the raised kitchen garden.  The first week of March I can plant lettuce and other leafy greens in the protected garden and peas can be planted in the big garden.  Yesterday I gently spread some compost and a small bag of manure without hurting myself to prepare a small area for late winter planting.  Rumor has it that tomorrow, Thursday, we're supposed to get 2'' to 4" of snow during the day. Walmart and Ingles are probably full of people buying milk and bread.   I found a recipe for gluten-free rosemary crackers, better tasting than wheat thins and satisfy me when I have afternoon tea.   Fresh Rosemary crackers....... Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment or wax pap...

Cliff out shoveling our 1" of snow.  We ended up with 5". NCDOT didn't prepare any roads because predictions were ~1" during the morning with melting temperatures in the afternoon.  He spent the morning working with state troopers closing down the Blairsville Hwy where a five-car pile up blocked the road and slippery conditions forced other vehicles off the road.  This one caught everyone off guard.  It's a nice sticky snow, perfect for snowballs or building a snowman.  I can't throw snowballs anymore.  I have to "granny" throw like "granny" bowling.  No more shoveling or sweeping off the porch.  No more building snowmen.  I did use my little Tonka toy leaf blower when there just a dusting thinking oh good, this will work!  It worked fine for about an hour.  Our first snow accumulation of the winter did bring a quiet hush to the forest.  It's beautiful and peaceful and will be pretty much gone by tomorrow afternoon when...

After being away from the gym for two weeks between the quick Florida visit and the god-awful stomach flu that took me down for five days, I was thrilled to be back on the Zumba floor Monday. Energy was in low gear so I danced slowly and made up some of my own steps.  Being with the group and laughing and hearing the music again lifted my spirits.  During yoga I rested often in child's pose and left the class a little early to head home.  Today I'm back to being me and to keep myself in low impact mode, I wear a soft foam Velcro neck collar that stabilizes the cervical vertebrae.  RA likes to settle in and attack small bones first.  My yoga instructor is only a few years younger than I am and seeing me take on so many modifications in the past couple of years has really made her focus on her own aging body.  We need to move differently, more cautiously, avoid situations that may cause falls, lift things safely, and heaven forbid, rest when we feel fatigued....

HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!! The arrival of February to me means I'm closer to unpredictable March weather when winter collides with transitioning spring and I can plant peas very soon.                                                        thyme, basil, and parsley Four weeks ago I started some herbs on the kitchen window sill that Cliff enlarged for me this winter. Thyme seeds are difficult to germinate because they are minute and barely get covered with soil making them vulnerable to drying up, especially with furnace heat and a fireplace drying the air.  Covering all my seed pots with Saran gave them a greenhouse environment and they sprouted quicker and easier than starting them outside in the gardens. On the way home from our flea market on the 4-lane, I stopped at Tractor Supply for more bird suet.  The Carolina wrens were as...