A Trip To The Farmer's Market

A Walk Through the Garden

 The weather has not been nice since I have been in Alabama. Every day it has been gloomy, raining one minute, sunshining the next, and then rain the next. Enough to make you want to crawl under the covers!

I've been reading a lot! Yesterday was a good day. We actually got out and went to Cracker Barrel and had lunch! But, more rain is scheduled for today. I swear!! And, next week the heat index is gonna be over 100. Can't win for losing!

After we came back from Cracker Barrel, I finally got a chance to check out Michael's garden. He's so good at gardening! He does the square foot type. Just look at what's happening there!

                    The Cowhorn peppers are ripe enough to pick.

The Jalapenos are getting big. 

He has dwarf marigolds planted to help with the insects and his cucumbers are blooming.

There are blackberries just beginning to ripen, 

I picked one and popped it in my mouth. I got a surprise!

Until they have totally ripened and been on the vine a bit, those things are SOUR!

Maybe there will be enough for us to make a blackberry cobbler before I go home.

He has grape vines as well as muscadine and scuppernong. 

This Korean dogwood sits by his back walk. All the other dogwoods have long since blooming so it was nice to see this one. 

So, that's a small portion of his garden and yard. More to come! if it ever stops raining!

Toodle-oo

Wisdom Wednesday #1

Getting old puts a whole new twist on life. You get so philosophical, so reminiscence. You begin to realize just what you missed, what mistakes you made and yes, your accomplishments. 

I've kept a diary, I've journaled, I've done the gratitude list etc, etc, etc. Still journaling but some years back I started writing down my 'life thoughts' (how I view things both personal and general). I then started adding to my "My Thoughts" notebook, quotes from other writers which really resonated with me. 

And, yesterday during one of my 'thinking' time I decided that I really needed to share these with other folks. Maybe it might inspire them to write down their inner-most feelings and hopefully share them with others. 

                So..... (drum roll please) 🥁 

Here is the first installment of 'Wisdom Wednesday'. 

I promise to not bore you to death by posting every 'cotton-picking' Wednesday, just once a month!                                                                                                                                                                                               

                                          Not Too Old To Try

I sometimes think of something I want to do, some place I want to go, some goal I want to achieve. At my age, they seem so unattainable. That makes me sad.

There's too much involved, the pathway is not clear to me and I am afraid of the unknown. Fear begins to control me. Suppose I miss my train, my plane or I lose my luggage. Or I get lost and can't find my way. Suppose my strength doesn't hold out, I get sick, I die. 

Sure my strength is low, my steps falter but that should not hold me back from trying. I need to perhaps plan on something a little less involved, but I must plan and do!

The fear will lessen with each step I take. So, I take the first one, then another and soon I feel I can reach my goal. I must always live in the moment, keep my eyes on the 'road' and enjoy the journey.  (source: Willie Latane Barton)

Making Memories, Making Mama's Fried Apple Pies

 It seems that I can't get rested from the long journey from Virginia to Alabama. Of course, two days on the road put a kink in my disposition! 😀Travel just gets harder and harder, the older and older I get! 

Today my daughter and son-in-law, who brought me down to my sons, left to go back home. Then a couple swung by to visit my son.. sailing buddies and they talked for 2 1/2 hours.... about... you guessed it.... SAILING. And I don't know a jib from a rudder! So, I got hungry and I got sleepy but I sat there just as attentive as I could be, like I knew everything they were talking about. Soon as they left, I gobbled down a sandwich and crashed for a nap! Lordy! 

We've been doing some fun stuff. We went to the Rattlesnake Saloon, a cafe under this huge rock hangover (like a big cave with a Big opening at the front). I'd been before but Shirley and John had not so it was nice watching them enjoy it. To see that adventure click Here

One afternoon we fried some apples pies (some people call them hand pies) just like my Mama used to make. Michael's friend gave him some apples last year and he dried them in his dehydrator. I cooked those ---

then made the crust dough, squishing the shortening into the flour just like I had seen my Mom do a zillion times. 

Man, that stuff is sticky so I washed my hands and yes, I am barefoot. Usually am when I am inside!

and then I let the younger generation take over from there. Each kid took their turn rolling out the dough, 

cutting it into circles,

plopping some apple on one side

folding the dough over, 

              crimping it with a fork 

and in the iron skillet it went. 

It really brought back so many memories for me and for them, too. 

All of them fried, cooled and ready to eat.... with Mom's apple bowl that she used to keep her cooked apples in while she was frying pies for me. 

Quilt Barns and Log Cabins!

I love the fact that we travel through the area where people display 'wooden' quilt squares on their barns. The Appalachian Quilt Trail goes from the Cumberland Gap to the Smoky Mountains.  

Although we seldom get off the beaten path to search them out, I am able to get pictures of some as we pass by. Sorry these are not more in focus but a gal's gotta do what a gal can do!

These two I already had on file from a previous tripl

We saw a couple log cabins, too.

Have a blessed Sunday!

    

 

Traveling Down The Road

                   Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore (Wizard of Oz joke)

I knew that Shirley, John and I were going to visit Michael in Alabama but thought it would be several days before we left. Lo and behold, Tuesday at noon Shirley called me, 'Mom, we're leaving in the morning'. 

You should have seen this old woman juning around getting all my stuff together. Since I will be staying most of June, I had to have a lot of stuff. I was about ready to scream/collapse/run for the hills by the time we left on Wednesday morning!

                          So, my next posts will be of my trip to Alabama! 

It's about a 12 hour drive, except when you're old and have to pee lots. And, eat often, and you get tired and cranky.  Then it's 14 hours! So, we break it up into two days.

I usually have my camera ready while traveling. Either in my hand or in my lap. Sometimes, I'm successful in taking pictures on the fly, sometimes not. We see all sorts of things and I just snap away.

When I was growing up, the field in front of the house was full of purple vetch. Little feathery leaves, pretty flowers but it's feed for cattle. So, when I kept seeing these pink flowers growing alongside the road, I was really curious as to what they are. 

There were some growing around the perimeter of the hotel we stayed in! Photo time! Looked it up on the internet. It's Crown Vetch. Well, the change in color had me fooled. Pink, not purple of my childhood. But, aren't they pretty?