The Mountain Thymes

 Our last cold spell is this weekend, the blackberry winter. I got to the Murphy farmers market by 9 this morning to buy a bag of fresh crisp spinach and a huge head of butter crunch lettuce which will last one person two weeks.  Fresh greens go quickly and our small market has only two farmers right now.  My plan was to walk the river loop after the market but the wind picked up and a cool misty rain changed my mind. I have "empty nest" syndrome again........... I slowly walked over to the nest to check if the babies were still inside the nest and caught this one sitting on the edge.  When I came back with my phone it was hiding but I took the picture and as I slowly walked away it jumped out of the box and flapped to the porch floor probably thinking "monster alert!"  It hopped around the floor flapping but not becoming airborne.  I left it lone so parents could tend to it, took the Toyota and went to Lowe's.  Lowe's was so mobbed with mulch and plant shop

 It's raining so I can't go out and play............... Last night after showering at 8:30 and turning off the TV I sat out on the back porch, no lights on, and listened to the night sounds.  Sky was cloudy so no stars were visible but I did watch the fireflies flicking.  According to the Farmers Almanac these are actually dormant beetles that emerge in warm humid weather so we are seeing them early. Last night at 9 our temperature was still near 70 degrees.  Off in the distance I heard the whippoorwills calling.  Perfect spring night...................... I've been busy the past couple of days getting the porch ready for pressure washing and staining.  Finally did the last cleaning today.  Pressure washing tomorrow.  It's amazing how much stuff I had to remove and get off the porch.  I didn't think I had collected that much.  The HB feeders will stay up until the guy gets here.  I'm concerned about the baby Carolina wrens that are getting close to fledging. Par

 Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson wrote the lyrics to "It's My Lazy Day."  ....Well, it must be the season No rhyme or no reason  I'm takin' it easy It's my lazy day.  When I got up this morning and knew I didn't need to go to town or get the mail or make a pie, I thought today was going to be my lazy day.  I showered but dressed in loose yoga pants and a loose warm pullover, did thirty minutes of lazy yin yoga, which consists of laying on the mat and holding the pose for three minutes before taking a different stretching pose.  I discovered yin, which is perfect for aging joints or soreness from overworking in the gardens and just before crawling under the covers at night, a few years ago.  After eating a hot oatmeal  breakfast ,  I made a cozy mug of tea and headed for the recliner to sit and watch the birds gather the sunflower feeder.  And there I sat enjoying the quiet.  I think I dreaded the freezing temperatures returning even though it is short te

 Temperatures behaved like a roller coaster these past five to six days dipping to twenty some nights.  Most of the houseplants stayed in the sunny windows day and night except for the cold hardy collards and arugula.  Those containers got moved up against the house on the covered porch and I put plastic and a large tablecloth over them.  Tonight should be in the mid-forties so everything stay out except the baby transplants I just did today.   It took me two days to vacuum over the weekend when I decided to move some furniture which started my going through magazines, keep...not keep, then vacuuming the recliner seats and sucking up only one of my favorite new socks.  It's that definite sound of an object quickly disappearing up the vacuum tube when you realize that sock is a goner. Decided not to cut the Miele vacuum bag open.  They are expensive and that's the last one until I order more from Amazon. They are very efficient bags trapping over 99% of harmful allergens hermeti

 In my head, spring has arrived................ The Carolina wrens agrees.  The pair built this tunnel nest in two days.  I've seen late winters that they build but abandon and other times the female lays her four to five eggs and sets on them through the bitter cold nights.  We can still see a snowstorm one day and seventy degrees the next, especially during March's transitioning from winter to spring.   A few weeks ago I started assembling my new raised gardens and thinking about where the gardens would receive the amount of sunlight certain plants require.  The heavy wine barrel gardens had been scattered around and needed to be moved back into the sunlight.  The only way I could moved them myself was to dig all the dirt out and put the dirt elsewhere.  So a few days ago I started shoveling dirt into the wheelbarrow, moved closer to the raised gardens, and shoveled that soil into the new empty raised beds.  Once I emptied the barrel I could tip it on its side and carefully r

 It was cold here today. Not a full sun.  Clouds inhibited any solar warmth.   Birds almost emptied the feeders. Threw more farm seed from Tractor Supply on the ground for the ground feeders like my winter juncos.  Don't think we went much over thirty, dry breeze, wind chill BUT it's lighter earlier in the morning and lighter longer into the afternoon with sunset today at 6:31.  I feel spring. I'm still sleeping a restful night with no hangover in the morning.  This Rx works for me.   Sent a seed order to Baker Creek for seeds I want to try but can't find here and have been searching images of different ways to do raised gardens. Found a container through Amazon to try. It arrived today and was easy for me to assemble with pictures so I didn't need to read or call Jim and Lauria for explanations.  Being a visual person, I like pictures.  This container is a 4"L x 12"H x 2'W.  I started small and if I like it will order the 6'L x12"H x 3'W.

 I figure I'd better blog while I'm sane, for as long as it lasts.  I wasn't going to start any seeds for a few more weeks but I feel spring happening in my veins. On the 10th I planted six arugula and six collard seeds and covered the sets with saran.  Now I need Mother Nature to provide sunshine.  Germination is between 7 to 14 days.  These are cold weather greens so on sunny days I can put them outside no matter what the temp.  My poor kitchen garden that Cliff built for me about 12 years ago is no longer useful. I'll begin taking it apart on a good day.  It's rotting and falling apart but it has served the purpose for all these years.  The huge oak tree now has a canopy so large that  it shades the little garden too much.  Time to make some garden changes.   I had a large kalanchoe plant that I hoped to cut up and root for five smaller plants.  This was a week ago and they don’t look like they are dying.  I think they may be rooting by now.                      

 Thursday afternoon I had an odd thing happen.  I felt light-headed and felt like the room was beginning to spin.  It only lasted less than ten seconds but I did my BP a few times.  First time was unusually high for me because I'm not on any Rx, 155/75.  So I calmed down, took some relaxing breaths and waited fifteen minutes before taking it again. Then it was my normal 117/67 with pulse of 65 but Friday morning I called my doctor.  This morning he called back and apologized because the note got misplaced and he had just read it.  I just wanted to make sure I wasn't having a TIA.  After listening to me for awhile he suggested it very well could be from sleep deprivation.  I've been waking three to four times a night with a mind that talks to me, sometimes chattering nonstop.  Between the holidays and Cliff's anniversary in January what I'm experiencing is normal,not unusual.  If I experience any more spells, he'll order tests for me but for now I'm on a Rx t

 The first day of our three days of predicted rain was dry, overcast and 61 degrees.  I vacuumed out the red Toyota and swept out the left side of the garage. Thursday the Kia got washed and I swept out that side. Getting things done slowly.  I’m still not sleeping well some nights.  Some next days are rough and I’m so weary I can hardly wait for bedtime.   Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, the year of the Dragon so I went to our Chinese restaurant and ordered shrimp with red curry sauce.  Lauria told me to eat Asian food today.  The new Bellview Volunteer Fire Station is close to being finished. Cliff’s friend, Dutch, has been at the station daily working with the construction crew to ensure things are moving along. He’s hoping for the certification of occupancy by the end of the month. I go over often to check out the new tiled bathrooms, kitchen, and other additions. Last Saturday I drove the Toyota to the old station where the guys were packing up everything to empty

 When Mark was here at Christmas he suggested I try to blog from my iPad.  This way I should be able to go right to my photos. So…..here goes. Started this puzzle on New Year’s Day. Finished it today. After all that concentration and searching for the right fit, shape, and colors I let it set on the counter for a couple of hours then broke it apart and scooped 750 shapes into a gallon zip lock bag.  The Tibetan Buddhist ritual of creating a sand mandala came to mind when I began destroying my hours of creativity.  Using a sand filled  tool called a Chakpur the monks gently tap it dropping grains of sand creating an intricate design on a wooden board.  They then destroy it symbolizing the impermanent nature of life.  Now my creation is destroyed, bagged and returned to the box for someone else to enjoy.   I loved this puzzle.. it was peaceful and fun and kept my brain busy on the rainy cold gloomy days. The next one has 1000 pieces. It’ll be a real challenge. Cliff and I always did 750

 What a difference a day makes.  It was 23 at 8 a.m.  With a cloudless sky and full beaming sun it's a beautiful day.  Yesterday the house felt cold all day even with the heat running constantly.  At 1 p.m. it's 50 degrees and with the coming in the windows no heat is needed.  I ran into town this morning for mustard greens then stopped at Tractor Supply for birdseed.  When I pulled in the driveway suddenly a feeling swept over me that I should check the propane tank gauge.  We're on an auto-delivery but this was a strong feeling.  I think it was Cliff telling me to check it right then.  He checked more often if the generator ran or if were in an extremely cold spell for days or weeks.  Boy, was I surprised to see the needle in the red on empty!  When I called Freeman they dispatched a driver and within an hour the truck arrived.  The driver told me the day my generator ran for hours burned lots of fuel. That was the time the 200amp switch somehow caused the generator to ki

 Today is the first day the weather has a true winter feeling.  Mid-afternoon our high was 40 degrees with a heavy overcast sky.  Some snow is possible for higher elevations.  I doubt we'll see anything more than flurries or a passing snow shower.  I made a hearty winter soup full of vegetables, mushrooms, sweet potatoes in Fire and Kettle Beef Bone broth.  The Fire and Kettle bone broths are rich and hearty.  Great for winter soups.   My floor needs vacuuming and a stack of papers  need to be shredded but I had no interest in either today.  A better idea was to settle in my recliner with a hot cup of  cocoa and go through iPhone photos eliminating duplicates and unnecessary pictures.  This one brought a smile to me face. June 27, 2016 in Myrtle Beach with Lauria, Jim and grandchildren.  I went down a water slide with Grant.  It was so much fun to play! and forget that I was an adult.  Cliff and me with Kathy and Mark.  Time certainly flies.  Mark turns 80 on February 7 this year.