The Mountain Thymes

We've had a little break from the frigid dreary January weather.  Overnight temperatures have been in the 30's and 40's with some days pleasantly reaching 55 degrees.  Last week when we looked ahead at the 15-day forecast, it was depressingly gloomy.  It showed the first week of February with six days in a row of rain/snow/freezing conditions so yesterday we went to Ingles and replenished our stuck-on-the-mountain food supply.  Just a few minutes ago I brought up the app again and noticed the first eleven days of February look fairly average which is positive news to keep my spirits up.  I can deal with snow showers off and on. And it could change again. Pumpkin pie just came out of the oven.  Visited the library earlier this week.  Put the knitting away for a bit and trying to get back into reading again.  I picked up a couple of mysteries set in the Carolinas and two mysteries written by Alexander McCall Smith.  Years ago I read the first of his detective agency series

Hopefully, the teen-high temperatures are a past memory.  Teen lows are still possible.  After all, we still have February to go. The ground is clear of snow and ice as the last few days have been more normal with temperatures reaching 50-ish and today was 60 by 3 pm.  The bitter cutting cold disturbs me emotionally, not physically.  I feel like a caged tiger pacing back and forth needing to be set free.  I don't mind bundling up warmly to get out and walk but the wind chill is too much.  To ease my winter blues, besides consuming brownies, I started a few herbs in plastic egg containers.                                                 Thai holy basil Also have, dill, cilantro and parsley sitting on a sill.  Seed catalogs started arriving after Christmas and I've been making my wish list.  Lowe's spring seeds display is set up and after a Mexican lunch at Monte Alban today, I bought sage, basil, and oregano and a few 8 x 12 boards.   The sun and warm air were so comfort

I am so-o-o bored.  It's 27 dreary degrees outside with brisk gusts to 14 mph.  We were supposed to see some sun with the clouds today but it's 3 pm and that hasn't happened yet.  Yesterday it poured so loudly while Cliff and I were in our yoga class, we couldn't hear the instructor.  Being stuck in the house due to the drenching rain, after our lunch I baked a chocolate cake in a 9" pan, brewed up a Tuscan Chicken Soup with Fennel, and four large baked potatoes, and a Broccoli Frittata with Ricotta Cheese.  The potatoes were our supper, loaded with broccoli, some freshly cooked bacon crumbles, and extra-sharp cheddar cheese.  The soup and frittata will be another day's meals.  As of this writing, there's only two slender wedges of moist chocolate cake left.  We had some old mint chocolate chip ice-cream that needed to be eaten with the cake.  Some roads were icy this morning as the front passed through dropping the daytime temperature from 57 to 27 last

Beginning the New Year .................. Our thermometer registered -1 at 7 a.m.  Downtown Murphy was a balmy 5 degrees.  Late yesterday afternoon, I noticed the chickadees going in and out of the gourd hanging in the front tree.  I wonder if any took cover in it throughout the night.  Morning doves shared the steamy warm 40-degree birdbath water with other birds this morning.  On the winding road to the gym, there's a small fenced area that contains five young goats.  The only shelter they have is a clam-shell type structure that's too little to contain five goats on below zero nights.  I wonder where the farmer's head is.  She baffles me.  I know animals acclimate to their environment but this is an unexpectedly early frigid front. Our days are only reaching mid-20's. At the end of last summer I pickled green and yellow beans from the garden using a new recipe.  Two weeks ago I opened one and had to use the kitchen fire extinguisher on my mouth.  This morn