Solstice

Hallelujah!  Starting tomorrow every day for the next six months is just a bit longer.  The sun will shine a bit more.  Life is expanding, not contracting, or so it seems.

Christmas Spirit

Here we are, eight days into December.  Alan and I put much effort into acquiring some Christmas spirit this past weekend.  

Friday night I played in our first handbell concert of the season and then met my mom's senior traveling group at A Connie Maxwell Christmas, a free community event hosted by the local children's home.  It was brrr cold waiting for our wagon ride.  

Saturday Alan and I took two friends back and I rode the wagon again.  Still cold, but I dressed for it this time.  Sunday after church we went to the Greenwood Christmas parade.  Interesting community event.  Then we went to prison, for my bell group to play.  Another interesting event, but fun to share the Christmas Spirit.  Monday night we decorated some at the house, mostly lights inside and out, to cheer up these long, cold evenings.  Did I say already it has gotten cold? Last night we had dinner with friends, and today my mom, sister, niece and friend Sam attended my last bell concert.

Mud flats

Yes, this is our backyard.  No pond.  10 days ago the pipe was opened to drain our pond so repairs can be made to the pipe in the dam, so the road above it won't collapse.  Fish are dead.  We hope they get this repair made and improve the pond so it can refill this winter and be restocked in the spring.

Something besides football

Meet Spero, the newest bicycle to live in our garage. Alan built him up last weekend and took him out on the local trails Sunday afternoon. This weekend he went with us, in the Element, to the Baker's Dozen, our favorite 13 hour mtn bike race.

Here is Alan getting dressed for the day. No, he didn't race this year. Just volunteered as a course marshal and general flunky to the crew that puts on this great event. 72 racers hit the trail at 9a.m. Beautiful day to be outside.

Got to hang out with some of our favorite bike people, including the Hale family, pictured here, and also look at some amazing gear (note the 4 inch tires hanging). Paul, age 3, already has some mad skills on that scooter bike.

Beautiful view of Lick Fork Lake on the morning of my 43rd birthday. Sleeping in the Element Friday night wasn't the worst night I've ever had camping but it is possibly the last. Temps were around 40. In Alan's mummy bag, but couldn't keep the wool blanket from sliding off the top of me, so it was COLD. After such a sketchy night of sleep, I had little energy for the next day and needed a huge nap when we got home.

BTW - Tigers win! 8-0. Had to have a little football in this post.

Football Primer

Frequently I am asked something like "what are you doing these days?" Well, studying this takes a LOT of my time. I'm trying to move up in my football knowledge. But for me, this is hard stuff to read and comprehend. Good thing this article has videos imbedded. Maybe I'll even read the book. It's been a great year to be a Tiger fan!

Happy Tiger fans!

What a beautiful day for football! We got our money's worth in excitement on Saturday. Tigers win, 35-30 over the Seminoles.

Vermiculture

Saturday I went to a local farm and spent $2 for a pint of dirt & worms.  I am feeding them my kitchen scraps to make castings for my garden.  A person should not be as excited about this as I am.

I cleaned out the pantry and made space on the floor for the box I'm using for my worm bed.  You should have SEEN Alan's face when he asked "where are the worms?" and I replied, "In the pantry."

My sister told me a story about my grandmother keeping a worm bed, but hers were for fishing, not recycling. Although I'm sure she probably recycled food scraps too, my grandmother loved to fish.  Vikki says "Big Mama," as she called our grandmother, would send her to the worm bed to dig up some plump ones whenever they were going fishing.

Now all I need is a compost tumbler.

I'm using 2-3 gallons of water from the rain barrel almost every day.  It's awesome!  Wish I had had this to water with during the August drought.

Alan's dad sent us food for the week from his garden.  We are feasting on three HUGE sweet potatoes, fresh green beans, fresh okra, peppers, and homemade pickles.  There's a promise of peanuts.  Oh, and he sent me dried sunflowers to seed for us, the birds, and planting.  :)

Glorious September

"It's the most wonderful time of the year." I know. You think that is a Christmas song. And now some sports radio shows are using that song to describe the beginning of football season. They are correct, but incomplete.

Summer heat came roaring in before Memorial Day, but slunk away like a dog with its tail between its legs and right on time, Labor Day weekend. Ever since, we have had glorious fall weather. Bright sunshine, blue skies, puffy white clouds, cool morning temps, afternoon highs usually in the 80s (some days a little higher, others, lower). It is a PLEASURE to be outside right now.

 Last weekend Alan built me a rainbarrel. We only got about 1/4 inch of rain out of the last tropical storm, but it was enough to fill my 55 gallon barrel. The pond is low and the officials say we are in a moderate drought and it's going to be a dry fall, but for now I am well-stocked. Put in my fall garden (only seeds) this week - tiny pumpkins, lettuces, spinach, carrots & radishes. Okra still producing. Happy Happy.

So, football. High school football is on! We haven't been to a game yet, but are following the local teams closely. College football - well, I'm proceeding cautiously. The four super conferences are looming, and I'm not happy about that. It wasn't long ago that I could name all the schools who played football in the ACC, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, PAC 10, and the basketball schools of the Big East (I guess they play football too). Well, I can delete that useless knowledge and get that brain space ready for something new. I've even been mildly interested in pro football this year.

 I don't like to think about what we pay for DirecTV, but the last few weeks I have been very appreciative of the coverage of the Tour of Utah, USA Pro Cycling Challenge and Vuelta a Espana. Have seen lots of great scenery and cycling strategy and skill.

 Happy Days!

Late August

Cool mornings, hot afternoons, no rain in sight, garden wilting, pond receding.

I got to lead yoga class this morning at the Y, last minute. Our instructor was sick, but no one wanted to cancel, so we went ahead. 14 - the biggest class yet. And then in the afternoon we were in the pool for swim class and the instructor didn't show, so my class mates pressed me into service. That class was fun too!

Wonderful weekend in the mountains with my friends Judy and Miriam. Have SO MISSED being in the mountains. We stayed at the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Terrific view. Blustery winds most of the weekend from Hurricane Irene, but no rain. Wandered in Brevard Saturday afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

So happy.

Garden is wilted away to nothing. Okra still producing. Everything else drying up, and not enough of it to justify watering. Next additions to the "farm" will be a worm bed, a rain barrel, and a compost tumbler.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

by Jelaluddin Rumi
translation by Coleman Barks

Cotton mouth rattle moccasin

Well, the heat (among other things) has taken a toll on my garden. The beans are giving up. The strawberries look bad. The tomatoes never looked good or produced very much. Two baby cukes just dried up. I have replanted the onions from seed heads. The basil and cilantro bolted almost immediately.



This fellow visited Sunday afternoon. Alan said he was a cotton mouth rattle moccasin, but really he is a yellow rat snake. I wanted him dead, but Alan refused. He moved later up into the garden box and stretched out, about 18 inches. He was only a harbinger. Over night a raccoon, or possibly a possum, ate one of my three melons. Another split, maybe from the heat. Only one left. I may not ever grow melons again.

Okra are still producing. I will definitely grow okra again. And Alan found a cuke I hadn't noticed among the vines. Happy to have that because I've enjoyed two watermelon salad recipes lately and one of them calls for a cuke, so I can eat that again tomorrow. Plus I enjoy a cool cuke drink, recipe by my friend Yoko Ueda. It'll be good tomorrow when it is 100 degrees again.

Park Seed fall catalog arrived today. Next!

Dog Days

Wiki says: "Dog Days" (Latin: diēs caniculārēs) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere, they usually fall between early July and early September. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, in close proximity to the sun was responsible for the hot weather.

Well, folks, we are in 'em. The hot and languid summer time. The most miserable time of year in SC. Our main activity these days is napping.

Also, once the Tour de France is over, there are NO sports to watch on TV, so boredom knocks on the door daily. All bike riding must begin before 8 a.m. and end by 10 a.m., for me at least. And it is a joy to get in the Y pool at 1:15 three times a week.

To put a more positive spin on this time of year, in Alan's family is it also Birthday Season. From mid-July to mid-September, literally half of his family (8 of 16) has a birthday. Usually that means a lot of getting together to celebrate, like we did last night for Anita! Big meal of fresh, homegrown veggies. YUM!

Thank God for air conditioning!

Mind Blown

Please notice the post below. At 11:35 a.m. last Friday I was saying how excited I was that the best is yet to come. HA! How little did I know.

The NewSpring Volunteer/Vision event Friday night was off the charts, unbelieveable. God did a miracle and I got to be part of it.

Our Greenwood home group has been having a terrific summer, meeting, serving, giving, learning together, and praying. We even sent our pastor, Perry, a bunch of thank you notes for his 40th birthday and a Top 10 list of why there needs to be a NewSpring campus in Greenwood. So Fun!

A few weeks ago he said he'd be announcing 2 new campuses this summer, and we discerned by careful questioning of staff that Greenwood was third on the wish list and wouldn't be getting a campus. But then Perry asked a few Sundays ago if someone would please give $2 million dollars so we could open three campuses instead of just two.

Last Monday, the 18th, someone did! Of course, we didn't know this until Friday night. Our home group was sitting on the 4th row when he announced the new campuses in Spartanburg and Myrtle Beach, and then told about the gift. We started freaking out, that he was about to say Greenwood.

He said it had really been on his heart ever since a HOME GROUP sent him a Top 10 List. By then it was obvious and we were freaking out - loud! On the 4th row. So he called us out and said YES, Greenwood would be getting a NewSpring campus in 2012.

Of course God wants people in Greenwood to meet Jesus and be in a relationship with him that will change their lives. Not that anything we did "changed his mind." But we showed we are ready. Not just by saying we wanted it, but by SERVING. And God blessed us.

Greenwood will never be the same. I can't wait to see the difference in my community.

The Best Is Yet to Come

July 26, 2010 was Alan's second "first day" at Fuji. Coming up on the first anniversary of our return to Greenwood I have to say I am thankful for how our life has changed in the last year, but I am even more excited about what is ahead.

We all turn in to our mother

I just talked to my mom on the phone. She and my sister left early this morning and drove to Tennessee to visit her sister. When Mama got on the phone she said "I reminded myself of my mother. She used to get so excited about traveling that she couldn't sleep." That explains how she was able to get moving at 5:45 a.m. today. At 83, she has become her mother.

I see the road ahead.

And I'm OK with it. I didn't know my grandmother very well, but I think she must have been an amazing woman and someone I would have liked very much.

Lizard Lizard

That is, a plastic lizard that Alan fishes with. Last night about 8 we took the kayak on the pond. He caught two bass. A 1-lb on a stinky plastic worm and a 2-lb on a plastic lizard. That fish almost jumped in the boat with us.

But he was nothing like this monster, a catfish Alan caught on the plastic lizard about 3 weeks ago.



This guy weighed almost 26 lbs. I named him Abraham, the patriarch. Who would have imagined a fish this big living behind our house? When Alan hooked him, he pulled us all over the pond until he was tired enough for me to get the boat to the bank so Alan could get out and haul him in. He rolled his fat belly up against the side of the boat and I thought he was going to push us over.

Of course, we put him back and hope to catch him again one day.

Colorado Vacation

Well, here are the pictures from camping.

Headed west on I-70 we were amazed at the amount of snow still on the peaks.

At the continential divide, Loveland ski area, Eisenhower tunnel.

Then after the tunnel, west into Summit County. Then left at Copper Mountain resort on Highway 91, over Fremont Pass at the Climax molybdenum mine (where we first rode a snowmobile) into Lake County, and almost to Leadville before turning right onto Highway 24, over Tennessee Pass into Eagle County and finally a left into Camp Hale. Still following Wayne in the camper, into Camp Hale, and up the valley to the group camping site.

What we went for - fishing the East Fork of the Eagle River and Resolution Creek. Beaver dams create good fish water. Alan took these shots while he was out, alone, so sadly, we have no pictures of the intrepid fisherman.

He did encounter some sheep and captured the view. But that's not the whole story.

We had a fabulous time with our friends. Sarah says 79 campers this year. Four families cancelled at the last. 12 dogs on this trip and LOTS of children - 35 to 40 but who can count 'em? The kids started cooking with us this year and it was great to have their help in the kitchen. I made Mama's banana pudding on Sunday. No high altitude adjustments necessary. The firewords in Leadville on the 4th were terrific.

We made it 4 nights, in a pop-up (out?) camper with a heater that we shared with the McNealys. Sort of a shower on Monday in the Eye's RV, but I was SO happy to get clean Tuesday afternoon when we got back to town.

Also scored some great new Ecco shoes, 2 pairs each, from David at his new job. I love to buy shoes when I travel. We didn't get to see everyone we wanted to while in Colorado this trip, but it won't be our last, so maybe next time.

Garden Blessings

Welcome to summer! Yesterday was the longest day of the year, and we ended it with a spectacular storm that produced 1.25 inches of rain.

My garden spot is doing well. The six green bean plants produce a handful every few days, just enough to steam for one. I shared today's harvest with the next door neighbor, Brenda, who helped me with some stakes and twist ties this morning. All three tomato plants have green tomatoes. The cucumbers are producing tasty little cukes about one every other day, and the plant is loaded, so I have high hopes. That is what I've staked to the bamboo teepee. The melon vines have a few tiny melons, but nothing serious yet. One of the okra plants has tiny okra; oh, I can hardly wait for fresh okra from my garden.


I have been enjoying fresh veggies from local farmers. Watermelon for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Delicious canteloupe too.

Alan wanted purple and orange flowers on the front porch. Too bad I couldn't get the marigolds to bloom while the petunia was still in bloom. That would have been more spectacular.

I should have taken a 'before' pic of my two aloe plants in the kitchen. This is the 'after', where two pots made many. Repotting these this morning was fun.

Finally I did get a picture of the fowl highway mentioned below.


Happy Summer!

19 Fowl

No pic today. I couldn't get a good shot of the 3 white ducks and 16 geese on the pond this morning. They were cruising up and down the water like it was a highway out there. It was pleasant to be outside, in the shade of course, until about 10:30 this morning, but then I had to come in. Staked two of my three tomato plants today. And watered, since we haven't had rain. The okra is doing well. It likes hot weather. Ate the first cucumber from my own garden today. Yum.

Really have a farm theme going on right now. Last weekend we toured three farms in Pickens county and Split Creek in Anderson, plus I got to work in the garden spot at Mama's a little and also tour my father-in-law's garden acres. They both shared some goodies with me.

NewSpring even has a garden theme. The current sermon series is On the Farm. The kids are learning about the fruits of the Spirit, and we are being taught foundational info too. I love the farming principles in the Bible.

From the Farmer's Market

Today at the farmer's market I met Steve Miller from Abbeville Blooms farm and had a nice chat, so of course I had to purchase a few stems. Beautiful.


I also made my own route on the way to Spartanburg and back today for a meeting and saw 4 stops on this weekend's CFSA Farm Tour. Have already visited some of the 20 farms open this Saturday and Sunday, and will be able to tour only 3 or 4 this weekend, so I drove by the Presbyterian College garden, Live Oak Farms in Woodruff, a "yard garden" in a subdivision neighborhood near Spartanburg, and Parson Produce south of Clinton. We met Daniel Parson at Grits & Groceries several months ago and I talked with him again today at the PC garden, so I definitely wanted to get by his place.

4 lb bass

Look how happy he is. Just before we left for GTR Alan hooked a big one in the backyard on an ImaSkimmer lure.

Maconga

Or, rather, Macon, GA, home of GTR 2011. I took pictures all weekend but none is worthy of the blog. It was in the 60s last week in Greenwood but got up into the 90s at GTR. Made for some hot riding. Plus Macon is more hilly than you might imagine. Alan made maps of our 3 routes but I'm not proficient at reading the online data the GPS compiled so I can't tell total feet of elevation gain.
Riding was lots of fun. 45 miles Friday, 46 Saturday, and 28 Sunday. Right at 120 total miles for the weekend.
Again, the rally organizers did a terrific job. We reconnected with tandem friends and made new ones too. So much fun to ride along in a group and chat away the miles.

All we do is garden, bike & fish

My garden boxes are full. Well, right now I could squeeze in a few more plants, but once things really get going, it is going to be a jungle out there. Strawberries are producing. Onions are "walking." Six bush green bean plants. 3 tomato plants. 2 cucumber plants. A pimiento pepper plant. About 12 okra plants. 2 canteloupe and 3 honey dew plants. Oh, those vines!

Biking 25+ miles several times a week in preparation for the Georgia Tandem Rally, probably 8 hours of riding in 3 days, 113 miles total (we hope) coming up May 20-22.

And the fish! Well, the brim are on the beds and Alan catches one about every cast.




We have a great life!!!!

Post-Easter

Hard to believe April is almost over. I've only blogged twice this month, so I thought I'd drop a few lines as things wrap up and we move into May.

Easter weekend was tremendous. We celebrated with all of Alan's family on Friday night the 22nd. Alan had that day off and after I went to the Y to cycle, he gave blood, we had lunch with the Eichelbergers and hit the Master Gardener's Plant Sale at the Farmers' Market and then home to fill one of my garden boxes with two cucumber plants, three kinds of tomatoes, & 6 bush green beans already 12 inches high.

Saturday we spent some time with my mom and then the afternoon with his dad in the garden, mainly mulching the asparagus and blueberries (:

NewSpring Saturday night with our new home group was amazing. 4th row. Moving worship. Total for the weekend - 23 services on 5 campuses, over 24,000 adults and 4500+ kids attended, and more than 725 people accepted Christ. Check Nancy Knox's blog for insights on that which I ditto.

Easter Sunday we were home alone all day. Quiet, peaceful. A few small projects, nothing big. Just hanging out together, enjoying being home.

God is so good!

Hughes Family Easter

No costumes for this holiday but we did have a fun time together at the Cousins Egg Hunt. Left to right, Cara, Annalisa, Colton, Kade, Cooper & Libby. I hid 168 plastic eggs. They used 2 or 3 baskets each & the hunt took maybe 25 minutes. Note the beautiful pink azalea, green grass, & the "garden spot" at left, growing tomatoes, onions and strawberries. Plus the blueberry bushes in the backyard are loaded. The kids LOVE to water and want to see the garden every time they visit. That makes me happy.

Sweet Caleb, Dave & Rachaelle's 22 month old son, is always good for some FUN. All Mama's great-grands enjoy each other's company, and we theirs. So glad they get along and are so much fun to be around. Everyone enjoys being together at Mama Mott's. Left to right, Dustin, Kade, Vikki, Cara, Libby (behind her), Emily, Palmer, & Mama

Recent activities

First things first, can you BELIEVE the size of this fish? Yes, Alan caught this large mouth bass in the pond behind our house last night about 6pm.

Glad we had witnesses. Carrie, Cara and Libby were here. We had a FUN 28 hours with them, except for the violent storms overnight and the almost full body strawberry Cara gave herself falling off the treadmill. OUCH.

It was after they left today, unfortunately, that these four big guys sunned themselves on the edge of the pond on our grass. Nice pets.

And who is this crew? The Woodingtons and the MacElderrys came up Saturday to ride bikes with us.


We met in Ninety Six in the afternoon and put in about 20 miles before taking in the Revolutionary War re-enactors at Star Fort. Sunday afternoon we headed towards Hodges for another 20+ miles.

It was an awesome weekend.

Home Group

Last night Alan and I joined the NewSpring Home Group in Greenwood, hosted by the Higginbothams. We were just talking to some people, friends from years past, in the lobby after the 9:15 service in Anderson on Sunday and somehow ended up at the Guest Services computer signing up for home group info. We had an email invitation from the hosts before we even got home!

Such a fun group. Very diverse ages and life situations, from high school, through college and into professional life, singles, couples, etc. No one in our demographic, of course, but that is fine with us. We enjoy having friends who are different from us.

The message Sunday was that God is a generational God, He works through the generations. We could easily see that in the group and reminded each other of our areas of influence, primarily on those younger than us. I had an interesting discussion with a woman married 11 years and an engaged girl. Could have made me feel "old" but instead I felt honored just to listen to them share their struggles and get to know them.

Snow

What did YOU do this weekend? We went to Colorado to snowmobile. Got in on Wednesday, snowmobiled Thursday on Rollins Pass across from Winter Park (see the slopes behind Alan's left shoulder below), spent the night in Grand Lake and snowmobiled there on Friday in a foot of new powder that fell overnight.

But generally the weather was warm. Highs in the 40s in the mtns during the day made it great for those (like me) who don't like it cold. It was in the 70s in Denver. Alan bought me a new Life Is Good tee. Good thing since I had brought sweaters.

Enjoyed time with Wayne and Sarah, and John and Lana Alexander. Switched out the snowmobiles for the RV on Saturday and the Eyes took off on a spring break trip to Arkansas early Sunday. We checked out their new church facilities, Mission Hills in Littleton, and spent the day with the McNealys.

Carrie took me to the pool for a few swimming tips, which I already practiced today at the Y. Fun way to wrap up our trip. Traveled Monday and am thankful to be home.

Garden spot

The first of two garden spots is 90% complete. On each side of the deck stairs we had bushes taken out, leveled the land (Alan's job), built 4x8ft boxes 6 inches deep (again Alan), painted them (me), lined them with newspapers and cardboard, filed them with a 5 ingredient soil mixture, inlaid a dripline (to connect to our sprinkler system and use in July & August) and I planted strawberries on one end and onions on the other, gifts from Alan's dad's garden.

The second box needs soil, but I won't be doing any serious gardening for another week or two, so there is still time. Next to think about is some kind of fencing or netting to keep out the neighborhood cats and the ducks from the pond who wander freely in our yard.

I snipped a green onion top to add to my soup at lunch. Oh, I am SO going to enjoy fresh veggies and herb right outside my back door.

Happy Spring!