The Mountain Thymes

 Wednesday morning we took a trip to Crawdfordville, Florida (in the Panhandle) to visit Boni and Bill.  It's been a few years since we've seen them and Cliff needed to spend time with them one more time while he was feeling well enough to make the drive and enjoy their company.     Larry Turner, Cliff, Bill Meddock I taught 5th grade with Bill for years.  Larry and Bill taught together for most of their teaching careers.  Larry is a hoot and has me in stitches any time I'm with him.  Bill is an amazing woodworker who can build anything.                                          Ginger Turner, Boni Meddock, and me When I first started teaching, I spent my first five years in first grade teaching with Boni.  Then went to second grade for one year, up to fourth grade for a few years until Bill talked me into stepping up to fifth grade with him.  It was with Bill and Boni that I really learned teaching tips. Ginger taught gifted students through her whole career.   Cliff and I

Happiness is................... a $4 used blender from Logan's Run Thrift Store to throw in my kitchen scraps when peeling and chopping then blend to a slurry for the garden compost.  Some slurries are poured for a side dressing.  The Russian kale have been growing slowly all winter.  If the temperature is predicted to drop to low twenties, I cover them with buckets until the sun warms the air to thirty-ish.  The blender saves my winter walking up and down the slope so many times lessening my chances of slipping and rolling down the mountain into the creek.  When the blender is full the slurry gets dumps in a larger bucket on the back porch. Wednesday morning at 7:28.......... Sunrise appeared like a forest fire blazing hot changing ever so quickly.  I don't think the computer picture  transfer shows what the iPhone captured.   Thursday we had six trees taken down, some dead branches removed, and some trees that were shading the vegetable garden topped for more sun. Cliff spent