Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

Weekend Coffee Share

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia.  How you doing this 25th week of 2023?  We went to a yard sale & got a bunch of good stuff for $10.  It was my Sunday to work so I was up at 3:30 am to get that task completed. We made lists, went shopping, ordered a canopy & packed stuff in the camper.  We moved rocks.  We roasted strawberries.  Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & we'll talk more, come walk with me...

*  Kevin got that tote of spray paint at the yard sale that included this polyurethan that we needed to finish the headboard/shoe rack/storage unit for the camper.  I got a cutting board that we needed for the camper, a retractable dog leash & a couple of frisbees that I put in the camper.  I got hangers we needed for our closet & I also got several DVDs.  Kevin got some other workshop type things, I don't remember what all.

The headboard/shoe rack/storage unit installed in the camper.  We needed pillowcases
for the pillows I got to go in the camper, so I ordered us Mickey & Mini mouse for
the fun & cuteness of it.  

Rose likes to be in on the action
when there is opportunity.

*  There were lots of rocks around the big ol camper that didn't need to be there anymore since the camper is gone.  We're making the covered shed a place to park the tractor, jeep & camper then I'll be able to park my car under the garage.  Several bucket loads of rocks were moved to the azalea garden behind the house.  Several more loads went along the creek. 

Working together to put
rocks in the bucket.

When there are lots of rocks, there
has to be rock stacking involved & it
made a good decoration for the garden.

Kevin dumped the rocks & I started
placing them around the edge.
        

 

*  We went exploring in the mountains to check out a camping spot & look for firewood.  Kevin got a permit to get trees that are down & dead to use for firewood.  The wild rhododendrons were blooming.  There was also a pink flower blooming.  I put the pink blooms out there to the plant identifiers to identify. 

Japanese spirea, Spiraea Japonica, Eupatorium, Spirea shrub, Joe pye,
Iron weed, Joe pye weed, Spirea.  If you recognize these blooms,
what would you call them?

We cooked our supper over the fire 
several evenings this week.  Have
you ever roasted a strawberry? Our
strawberries were picked fresh out
of the garden, dipped in marshmallow
cream then held over the fire for a
few moments to gently toast the
marshmallow cream.  Delicious! 

These are some of the things that's been going on around in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?

Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

 

Weekend Coffee Share

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia.  How you doing this 24th week of 2023?  My week started with a Grammy's themed dance recital & ended sitting by the fire roasting a cheddar dog & marshmallows.  In between, I worked more hours on the job than usual.  It was tuff not being used to working those few extra hours, but I did survive.  Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you about a few other simple joys, come walk with me...

Waiting for the show to start.  This was my 1st ever
dance recital.  I really enjoyed the whole experience.

I got to go backstage to get a
peek at how the dancers get
ready for their performance.

    

I got my picture taken on the red
carpet with my 2 favorite dancers.
Kevin told me I looked like I was
going to the Kentucky Derby
 instead of the Grammy's.

4 dozen quail eggs set. 

*  Kevin sold the big ol camper & got it moved out of the way.  He finished the chicken fence & ordered an incubator. 

The chickens are growing.

 

Happy Birthday to Grand Gracie.

*  Nana Grandjoy Camp Run-A-Muk - Grand spent the night then we celebrated her birthday with a "Taco Twosday" party hosted by her parents.  Tacos were the main course along with a birthday cake that looked like a taco. 

Strawberries taste the best when
 ate directly from the garden.

Bubbles, bubbles!
We love bubbles.

One of her favorite things to do
was to walk across the bridge & 
along the creek to see the water.

  

  

*  I took a brief short walk before work one morning to look at the wildflowers behind the house.  

I discovered some different chips for
us to try with our hotdog.  If you're
 a Funyun fan, you might like these.

These are some of the things going on in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?

Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

Weekend Coffee Share

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia.  How you doing this 23rd week of 2023?  There were flower buds on the plants in the container by the fire pit, sure enough, it was balloon flowers.  The bloom looks like a balloon before the flower opens up. We had some more family celebration get togethers.  There were graduations & parties that included a little hula dancing & a flaming birthday cake.  Kevin bought us a camper & got some quail.  Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you how the garden is growing, come walk with me...

This property we moved to back in March, already
had the 4 large raised beds with a fence around
them.  We added some smaller beds & put the
mulch down.  The raised beds seem to dry out quick. 
There was a pump included in the garden stuff that
 draws water from the creek to use for watering.

We might get a few apples off this young
apple tree.

We've picked a few strawberries.

Onions in the front.  Carrots in the back.

        

There are several peppers growing.
We hope to get enough to make
a batch of stuffed peppers. The
plants are yellow looking & don't
look real healthy.

  

The blueberries are doing good.  We've picked
a lot.  We thought the birds would get the berries
but so far, nothing has bothered them.

Tomatoes, green beans on one side,
cucumbers on the other side
& okra down the middle.

The tame blackberries have
some blooms.

*  There was head start graduation, 8th grade graduations & high school graduations.  Then there were graduation parties.  Brother came from Texas for a visit & to see his Grand graduate. I probably mentioned before that it had been about 18 years since I had seen Brother in person.  I spent the night at Moma's house on the last night of Brother's stay. Moma had all 3 of us kids back home under one roof for a night, though we didn't fuss & fight or wet the bed like we did when we were kids.  I certainly enjoyed talking with Brother, getting his views about world events over a cup of coffee before he headed back to Texas.

Mine & Kevin's oldest Grand
graduated high school the next night.

Brother's oldest Grand graduated
high school one night.

  

*  Grand & Girlfriend celebrated their graduation together with a family & friends feast of a meal get together hosted by their parents.  The 2 grads had no idea who the wrapped packages were from that were on the gift table.  Their anticipation grew.  Grand double & triple checked the gifts to see if he could figure out who they were from.  Each thought they had gotten a box of coffee as they opened their gift.  Girlfriend said she liked coffee.  Grand said he could probably start liking coffee.  A card inside revealed the packages were from me (& Kevin too). The box was filled with some of their favorite snacks, a blanket, candles, a travel mug, some cute graduation themed socks, a little money along with a bear hug.  I've been giving bear hugs to the Grands ever since they popped out of the womb, so the teeny tiny teddy bear with a card saying that it was a bear hug, was kind of sentimental to me.

I thought these little candy
boxes were adorable. 

  

Friend turned 12.  There were
burgers, bubbles & a lit
birthday cake.

*  There were 2 birthday celebrations.

Grand turned 16.  There was a
pool party & he got his drivers
license.

   

Getting our mountain exploring vehicle set up.  Kevin raised the camper 6 or 8
inches so it won't drag on rocks going through creeks & such.

Rose

These are some of the things going on in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?

Happenings on the Homestead in the Appalachian Mountains

Weekend Coffee Share

Hello there Adventurous Friends & Family, greetings from Georgia.  How you doing this 22nd week of 2023?  We went to a family reunion & hosted a hotdog roast.  Brother came from Texas for a visit.  I hadn't seen him in person in about 18 years or so.  

I had ordered a Georgia cup & received a Michigan cup. I processed a return & replacement.  I got Georgia but then found out I had printed the wrong shipping label to return Michigan.  I did attempt to correct my error, but it didn't work out.  I could have kept on it but decided what the heck, everybody needs an extra unwanted cup or 2 hanging out in their cabinets.  Michigan has already come in handy when an extra cup was needed for serving hot chocolate during one of those family get togethers.

Moma brought us some hostas & primrose to add to our flower gardens.  I got those planted.  Kevin helped dug a hole or 2.  Grab a coffee or your favorite beverage & I'll tell you how visiting with family went, come walk with me...

Moma's birthday cake was
made by Cousin.

*  The family reunion was supposed to have been a surprise from Brother to Moma for her birthday, even though her birthday was earlier in the month.  After it was all over & done with, Moma said it was truly a surprise.  She said she had known nothing about the family reunion.  She also said that if she had of known, she wouldn't have ate lunch before she left the house going somewhere to see something as Brother had told her.  There were 4 generations represented at the potluck get together along with lots of hugs & giggles.  There were 4 high school graduates in the family that were recognized being showered with cards, gifts & such.

Sister, Brother, Moma & Me

Brother with his Daughter & Grandboys

Moma with her 2 Grand Daughters

Moma with all 11 of her Great-Grands that make up the 4th generation decedents.

Ladder golf was played,
it was pretty fun.

* Kevin & I hosted a hotdog roast dinner party to get in more visiting time with Brother & with our other immediate family too.  The guest list was for about 30 people, rain or shine.  It did end up raining a bit, but the trees provided enough of an umbrella that not everyone moved under the covered areas.  

 Fish were caught.

The baby chicks were cuddled.

Mud pies were made.

If you're invited to our house to eat, more than likely you'll
 be cooking your own food over an open fire.  

Can you tell those 2 are brothers?

I request Sister's homemade
spinach dip every get together
that involves food.

Brother & his dog Harley 

Honor to those who served.  Brother helped
place flags on graves along with other local
veterans during the Memorial Day Holiday
this week. Brother is a Desert Storm Veteran.

These are some of the things that's been going on around in my neck of the woods, how has your week been?