The Mountain Thymes

It's been a wonderful Christmas, the best gifts being visits from Mark and then Mike and Mike Jr two days after Mark headed back to MO.  Weather consistently gave us mild and enjoyable days.  Today is sunny and will reach 60 degrees.  What a way to wrap up the year.  We took M & M to Copperhill, TN, the Ocoee River where the 1996 Summer Olympics were held, then out to Merciers' to get more apples.  Most of the time we relaxed here at the house, cooked burgers on the grill, and just enjoyed our time together.  On one of the rides, we went to Brasstown so they could see where our fresh beef is farmed.  Mike Jr is a delightful teenager.  He picks up after himself, puts his dishes in the DW, and doesn't mind holding a conversation with adults!  And he is an NCIS fan! It's a two-day drive from NH to Murphy so they will stay with Lauria, Jim, and children again on the way back home.  I'm hoping that when Mike Jr graduates in a couple of years, they will settle in V

Mark left Monday morning after we had breakfast at our diner.  Twelve long hours, he arrived safely home in MO.  When the kids head home we wait for that phone call letting us know they have arrived safely.    His visit made our Christmas memorable.  I got the bed changed, washed and dried clothes, made the bed up again, and got ready for Michael and Mike Jr's arrival.  This morning we ran out to do a little grocery shopping and this afternoon I made another batch of peanut butter cookies.  Have to have cookies in the house when children and grandchildren are expected.  Today was rainy, windy, and chilly..........44 degrees....blah weather.  Cliff bought a new battery and installed it in the Nissan so we could take Michael and Mike Jr out and not get stuck somewhere out on a back road or on a mountain. Now we're awaiting their safe arrival here. 

Santa Claus made a brief stop at the house, quietly placed a few presents under the tree, then moved on quickly to finish his rounds in Murphy.  What started out as a joke gift from Mark became a very welcomed warm gift for upcoming cold blustery days.  Cliff has everything he needs now............lots of pistachio nuts, York peppermint patties, and the full series DVD set of NCIS.  A 5-lb kettle bell from Mark.  After too much pie, too many chocolates and overindulging since Thanksgiving, I'll need the kettle bell to burn off the blubber. Bring on the snow! Mark picking through his stocking. After we opened our presents and pawed through the stockings, Mark helped cut up our garden butternut squash for dinner.  This Christmas was far more pleasant than last year's fiasco.  The turkey actually finished cooking and dinner went as planned.  Even though a light dusting of snow would have added to the ambiance, the weather was just cool enough to feel Christmasy (actually

So far December is measuring up to the Farmer's Almanac predictions of mild but wet weather.  We've added another 2 inches to our creek in the hollow allowing the water to cascade down over the rocks at the side of the mountain.  Most days we can't hear the gentle flow down the mountain but this morning from the porch the sound is like white water rapids.  The nights have been very mild so I've been able to leave the potted plants out in the 48-50 degree air.  Yesterday our daytime temperature reached 67, with clouds, and as the rainy front moved through we heard thunder to our south.  These last days of December will return to  more normal western NC conditions of 54 degree days and 30's for a low.  It has made my late fall/early winter bearable, especially after last year's freezing temperatures that started early and lasted too long. The terrorist squirrels are up to their devious deeds again.  They can't get seeds from the squirrel-proof feeders so

The piano didn't come to Murphy with me when we moved here three years ago.  Trying to successfully move a baby grand would have been quite a task so I put it under consignment at Piano Depot in Holly Hill with Herb Young.......the shyster.  (which I didn't know at the time. But that's a whole story in itself.)  Anyway, I've missed playing the piano, been lost without making my music.  Over the past year I've thought about buying just a piano keyboard or taking guitar lessons.  Then attending the John Campbell Folk Concerts got me to thinking about Appalachian music so I began researching the different instruments, their sounds, and levels of difficulty in learning to play.  The mountain lap dulcimer has been an important part of Appalachian history for over 300 years.  The light bulb went on!  I love this area and it's history.  Today I bought a McSpadden hourglass lap dulcimer. I just recently found out we have the KelischekWorkshop for Historical Instrument

When I was a little girl, I started making my Christmas list around Thanksgiving.  Actually, Christmas started simmering on the back burner of my brain in September.  Those were the days when the mailman delivered the free Sears Christmas Wish Book to the house.  Consumed with listing all the things I "needed", I spent hours laying on the floor or sitting at the dining room table carefully studying each page so as not to miss anything that would make my heart jump.  This was a process that couldn't be rushed.  Each day the list grew longer until I had flipped page by page through the entire Sears catalog.  My older brother, Chip,  just shook his head and told me it was a waste of time.  My younger sister, Retta, had a much shorter and more sensible list. The Christmas catalog covers were marketed with bright colors, smiling Santa, and other images of Christmas pleasures and excitement to entice children of all ages.  My list numbered well into the hundreds. 1937 It

Looking forward to cocooning today.  We've been socializing and holiday partying for the last 3 weeks and I need to stay here on the mountain and do more baking and preparing for company coming.  Temperature was low 20's with ice crystals and frost in the forest when we awoke early this morning.  Cliff's fire in the soapstone stove spread the warmth throughout the house.  We love the new stove.   The feeders at the back porch and in the front garden look like O'Hare Airport during  Christmas travel.  We need to set up an air-traffic control tower.  Mark will be heading this direction at the end of the week to spend Christmas with us and we just found out Michael and Mike Jr will be arriving soon after Christmas.  On their way here, they will stay one night at Lauria and Jim's "bed-and-breakfast" and meet the last two additions to their family before finishing the trek to Murphy.  Michael has been anxious to see what Murphy offers since his father sold the

Headed to our transfer station this morning to dispose of just one bag of trash that had chicken skin and carcass from the Thursday night soup stock.  The trash had been stored down in the crawl space but we didn't want to leave it over the weekend because by Monday morning, it would be rank.  We have the neatest ladies who run our little "dumps."  They have small guard houses equipped with A/C and heat.  They keep the dumpsters and all the recycle bins and grounds around the area picked up and as neat as pin.  Also, there is a small recycle shed where you can leave items you no longer want and are still usable, but you must take something with you.  When there is no one behind us in line to dump trash and if we have time, Cliff and I always stop and chat with whoever is on duty.  Today I had a pumpkin bread and Christmas card for Jerry so I got out to chat with her while Cliff disposed of the chicken remains............. except Cliff forgot to bring the trash out from th

Slept later than usual this morning........'til 7 AM.  When the phone rang at 7:05, of course the first thoughts were family sickness or death.  It was even worse than that....................Ranger Elementary's principal called to ask if I would sub KINDERGARTEN!  AAAGGGGHHHH!  And could I get there by 7:30!  I was sipping a cup of freshly brewed coffee and scuffing around with morning hair.  Told him I'd need a little more time than that so he said how about 7:40.  I have one pair of teaching slacks that still fit since retiring.  We've found the mountain air and the altitude cause material shrinkage.  I slapped some color on my cheeks, found a pair of comfortable loafers in the back  of the closet, and threw on a red sweater.  Cliff scrubbed and halved an apple for me and by 7:25 I was in the passenger seat gulping raisin bran and balancing my cup of coffee.  Cliff got me to the school by 7:40.  I've said this before in my blog............. Ranger Elementary is a

Just some early morning sunrise photos.  I'm not sure the blog will do the color justice.  The colors were breath-taking.  This is what I saw when I stepped out at 7:15 returning the bird feeder to the front trees.  I try to get the feeder back out before the titmice tap at my kitchen window for their breakfast. The pastel panorama lasted only about 10 minutes. Monday evening Pat and I sat in the front row for the Brose Family Christmas sing at the folk school.  David Brose is the resident folklorist who entertained us with his light humor and history of the songs his wife (a former opera singer) sang.  David was State Folklorist at Colorado Council of the Arts until he came to the folk school in 1991, has produced videos and radio documentaries including some for NPR.  Wednesday night I was so looking forward to The Christmas Carol reading by Bob Grove who dresses in period costume and does the dramatic reading with character voices.  Then following that was the Rapper Swor

When you awaken in the morning hush, I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight. ~ excerpt from a Hopi prayer December 1988 All the birds are eating busily and flying to trees and back and forth to feeders.  And they are all puffed and fluffed up to keep warm.  Guess I'll go bake ginger cookies.  These are drop cookies - an old old recipe.  Made lemon cookies yesterday.  Didn't eat any yet but put away in a tight box.  Some night I'll want one with coffee.  Have a good day - hugs to all of you.   love, Mom and Dad                                                                                       

After losing last year's state championship by 1 point, the Murphy High School Bulldogs pulled off a 21-6 win at Friday night's game.  GO DOGS!!! Saturday's hometown Christmas parade marched through town under mild sunny skies. Such a pleasant day compared to previous years.   As we waited for the parade to start, black-gloved bell ringers on the steps of the Methodist Church filled the air with Christmas music. The parade lasted about 45 minutes which was just about my limit when it comes to parades.  Then only hours later, Cliff and I went to Station 25's Christmas party at the community center.  The layout ranged from a huge oven-baked turkey with homemade gravy to pies, cookies, and white chocolate desserts.  Sunday morning we ran to Mercier's Orchards in Blue Ridge, GA (always a peaceful drive) for Gold Rush and Pink Lady apples and a late breakfast in their little cafe. Then an  NCIS Marathon was on TV all afternoon so while watching Gibbs, Ducky and the cre

The December calendar page is full of Christmas activities and festivities.  Last night was the first of many penciled in  holiday "things-to-do."  The John Campbell Folk School held a free wreath-making class at 7 PM in the Keith House where all the greenery, the wreath frames, and fresh fruit were provided.  I don't have an "eye" for decorating and the only wreath I ever made years ago fell apart the minute I hung it up.  So I picked up Mary, from upper Boulder Creek Rd, and we headed to the school.  Mary has had some flower arranging experience so she could help me look good as I fumbled around the greenery.  A huge blue tarp covered the whole floor of the Keith House and large piles of boxwood, ferns, magnolia, holly, and other assorted greens were stacked for us to use in any way we chose.  Music serenaded us and we had hot cocoa with marshmallows while we created our wreaths. We started with clumps of boxwood.  Our wreath starting to take shape.  By this

Snow showers predicted later today.  We got  about 1.5 inches of rain yesterday.  Standing on the back porch, I can hear the creek rushing down in the hollow and if we go out today we'll see the cascading falls on Boulder Creek Rd.  Yesterday there was so much commotion at the bird feeders, Cliff had to do air traffic control.  This morning forty-pound black crows are walking up and down the driveway as if on patrol and squirrels are foraging under decaying leaves for discarded seed and stored acorns.  I filled the feeders this morning at 7 AM and put out two suet-filled holders.  It's interesting to observe the animals during a cold snap or a front moving through.  Days ago Cliff and I caught a glimpse of at least a half-dozen deer fleeing from our back woods, across Clay Durrett Rd and into the woods across the road from our house.  Until recently, we've only seen 3 or 4, at the most, grazing together along the edge of the woods or in my front garden.  Wild animal sightin

Let the decorating begin!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to family and friends!

"I'll tell you how the sun rose one ribbon at a time." ~ Emily Dickinson I love mornings, always have, but enjoy them immensely since retiring.  Each day unfolds the unexpected.  After experiencing 28 degrees at night, the weather turned unseasonably (such a word?) mild about a week ago.  Last night stayed 60 degrees all night.  It's drizzly this morning and will remain warm all day.  We'll take it........ no complaints.  I've been thinking about some new outdoor decorations.  Printed up directions for making log reindeer for the front yard and would like to light up an artificial tree on the front porch this year.  On Black Friday, we'll started hanging wreaths on the windows and lights on the house.  I've been researching the mountain dulcimer and as soon as I can purchase one around here, you'll find me sitting on the porch serenading the birds and the deer. An after thought................this came to mind as I was trying to make toast with

 Larry and Pat drove up from Marble (the Kingdom of Marblonia) to warm up on beef stew and have cake and ice-cream with us before heading into town for the "lighting-of-the-tree" excitement........a big event in Murphy!  They were kind enough to eat my second attempt at making whole wheat rolls and bread.  This recipe is my brother-in-law, Vic's, who is a great cook and very comfortable in his kitchen.  No one could eat the first loaf, but I'm getting more confidence and enjoying the process now. We didn't do a cake on my birthday so yesterday morning Cliff made the "cake-in-the-pan" recipe and did a mighty fine job! The merchants of downtown Murphy kicked off the Christmas season last night with performances by the students from the Learning Center.  Intermediate grades outfitted in festive garb did a really nice job of performing a few of their favorite scenes from the Nutcracker Suite.  Then the primary grades, dressed in holiday reds, sang Chris

Finally got the last two pieces of unfinished furniture stained and polyurethaned before the weather was too cold to work outside.  Now the porch plants have a home in the winter sun and my sewing boxes and other bits of junk will be out of sight.  Next time we get to the quilting store in Blairsville, GA, I'll pick up some  material, make three little curtains to put on spring rods, and cover the collection of unfinished projects.  Last year I brought in too many porch plants.  This year some are stored down in the crawl space..........sleeping..........maybe.  Whatever doesn't make it will be tossed out in the compost pile in the spring and I'll start over.   Picked the last of our fall spinach. and another couple of lettuce servings.  We may be able to get a few more helpings of lettuce.  The broccoli is still growing now that I protect  it from the hungry rabbits and deer.   When the hummingbirds migrated south for the winter, I missed them visiting me at the kitche