Just when you thought it was safe!!!

Go figure.  Here we were with beautiful spring weather, temps in the mid-high 70's, overnight lows in the high 40's then----------------

We wake up to this stuff.  What a shock.  Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor alright.  But I don't think the blooming foliage is gonna be laughing.  My Dogwood and Weeping Willow seem to have weathered the freeze.  Just can't tell about the Walnut and Hickory trees yet.  Time will tell tho.
     I took some time from my ultra busy schedule last Sunday to go on a walk about down to the saw mill, hunting for arrow heads.  Found tons of chips and pieces.  Then when I was on my way back to the 4 wheeler to head home, I saw this little item laying in a washout.

It's missing the top third of the point but I haven't been able to identify it yet.  Still doing my research on the base.  Also found this:

Unless you collect these things you wouldn't recognize this as another broken base.  You can tell by the notch in the bottom right corner.  This would be nearly impossible to identify as to type because the left side is missing.   Also came across this rather large flake:

This is a flake or shard of chert that was broken off a larger piece in the process of making an arrow head or other point.  It's about 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long.  Don't usually find flakes this long just laying around.  Anyway - that's about it for now.  Hopefully the weather will start warming again and return to a more normal spring.

WOW - FINALLY!!!!!

I believe spring has finally sprung here on the mountain.  The weather is starting to warm up but the nights are still fairly cold.  Occasionally we have a near freezing night.  But for the most part it's looking good.

 

 

 

 One of our first signs of spring is the Dandylion (Dandelion) that crops up throughout the yard and that most people despise.  But the honey bees really like them.

 

 

 Next is the Flowering Dogwood, which is just getting started but should be in full bloom in another week or so.

 

 

 Then there's my Asparagus.  It's just breaking ground and, as I now see, a little out of focus.  Cathy loves getting them fresh out of that garden and I must admit I truly enjoy eating them.

 







 

 

My Flox is popping out in and covering the small hill at the head of the driveway.

 

 



 



 And last but not least, the Toms are on the hill gobbling and strutting around.  This morning tho, they're alone.  None of the Hens are apparently interested this early in the morning.  All in all, it's a lovely spring day here in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.  Hopefully it will continue to warm and I can get the boat out of the water for service for the summer leisure time.   

 

 

ARE WE THERE YET!!!!!!

I know it's March and the weather for this month is usually totally unpredictable but this is getting really ridiculous.  Last night the temp dropped down to 22 and it didn't get out of the 20's all day.  Ground fog set in real early and started freezing on the trees.  This is the road, in front of our house, going up the mountain.

 

You can see the ice forming on the trees further up the mountain.  As the fog moves through everything, on the upper level of the mountain, gets a thicker coat of ice.

Even the spider webs were freezing.  I must say that it was kinda pretty looking across the wooded side of the mountain and seeing the evergreen trees with a layer of ice on them.  Then hundreds of clumps of spider webs, throughout the brush and smaller trees, frozen solid in their intricate patterns.

Somehow God's nature always has a way of bringing out the beauty even during times that try your patience.  If this is some kind of test of my patience, I ain't gonna get a very good grade. Heh heh heh!!!

"In the Doldrums"

A good nautical term for those southern latitudes where winds were slight or variable and "Ships of old" wallowed about without making headway, while the crew became listless and bored.  That pretty well describes today here in the mountains.  It's heavily overcast with drizzling rain and just cold enough to make it miserable outside.  Ah Well - ya gotta take the not so good with the good.  I forgot to post a picture that I happened to take yesterday morning while I was admiring the sunrise.

These two gobblers were strutting about and making quite a fuss trying to impress the girls, which you can't see.  There was about 6 or 8 hens just over the rise that were taking no interest in these braggarts.  I only wish I had had a longer range telephoto zoom that would have made the picture clearer.  With my old eyes, I have trouble getting a real clear focus so that when I enlarge the photo the picture is clear.  But you get the idea.  This hill in back of our house seems to be the gathering place for all kinds of critters - year round.  We almost always have morning and evening deer grazing and in the late spring, the hen turkeys begin their parade of young.  I've seen over 40 turkey parading about on this hill.  Too far to shoot but too close to sneak up on.  So I admire them from afar.  I'll get my lens one of these days.  Anyway - back to the doldrums.  Today is my "girlyman" day.  Cathy goes to town for her weekly shopping and while she's gone I spruce up the house.  I vacuum, mop and wax the floors for her cause she has trouble with her legs and back.  And I can do something useful for a change.  Actually it's a very small price to pay for all the super meals that Cathy has made. 

Spring is just around the corner

I love this time of year.  I really enjoy getting up early and watching the sunrise over the mountains here on the Tennessee Plateau.

I know - I know.  You're not supposed to take a picture directly into the sun but sometimes, if you're lucky, you can catch the shot just right where there's no reflection on the lens.  Sure - I should get the right filter, polarizing or something.  Seems like lately I've been posting lost of food articles and today is no different.  I just gotta tell ya about the meal Cathy orchestrated last night.  Firstly, ya have to understand that for the past 10 years or so, Cathy and I have set aside every Friday night just for us.  We call it our Friday Night Soiree.  So, every Friday we set up the coffee table in front of the couch and prepare for a leisurely evening meal.  Well, last night the love of my life truly out did herself.  This was absolutely the most outstanding meal I've had, - bar none.  Even Mom's home cooking can't compare.

Of course the diet went out the window - but it's only one meal out of how many every week.  She made Bay Scallop Gratins, with stuffed baked quahogs, shrimp cocktail and freezer Cole slaw and, of course, a good wine.

The gratins were from the Barefoot Contessa cook book.  All the other stuff we have had in the past.
Now - ya gotta understand, I'm not a real big fan of Ina Garten cause she's just a little too preppy for me but I have to hand it to her on this recipe.  However, I'll give all the credit to Cathy cause she did all the work, about 1 and a half hours.  The cole slaw recipe was given to Cathy by our neighbor, Jan Cook.  It's absolutely the best slaw I've ever had and probably the only one we'll have in the house from now on.  It doesn't have any mayonnaise in it and I hate mayonnaise.  After our leisurely meal, and feeling somewhat stuffed, we followed it up with an aperitif.  Now ain't that just a preppy word.  Cathy had Crème de Menthe over cracked ice and I had my old standby - a fresh cup of Joe (coffee).  Then we settled back and watched a recent release called "The Book Thief."  It's a real good movie about Jews during WWII.  All in all - a super evening...

Winter's last Hurray -- I hope

Seems like it was raining all night, a heavy rain too.  When I got up this morning it was overcast and  the temp was 58 degrees.  By 11AM the temp had dropped to 32 and the wind was gusting heavily.  It's supposed to get to 20 degrees tonight and start warming up again.  So - it was a good day to spend relaxing inside, reading, watching some tele and nodding off.  OH, I almost forgot.  Cathy thought it would be a good day for making cookies.   Uuuummmmmm!!!!

We made about six dozen Snickerdoodles and they're all mine.  Cathy won't eat them cause of her diet and I really have to hand it to her, she's sticking to it.  She usually doesn't eat cookies but I know it's still a temptation.  Not to worry, they won't be around long.  Since it's getting so cold outside, we let the cats in for the night.  It doesn't take long for them to make themselves at home.  I guess they have us trained about as good as people can be trained.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day...

Hum - Is it Spring yet!!??!!

Here we go again.  It's 73 degrees out today but tomorrow we're getting a cold front moving in and temps are gonna drop to 17 with a prediction of snow flurries.  I was gonna put my long johns away for the summer but think I'll wait just a little longer.  The usual flurry of warm weather critters has started but boy are they in for a surprise.  Saw some wasps and carpenter bees around the front porch this morning.  Although not necessarily a warm weather critter - I found this little guy hanging around my back porch

Not really sure but I think it's a Brown Bat.  They're about the size of a mouse and native to Tennessee.  Talked to my friend Ken, who's a caver (spelunker) and he says that Tennessee is experiencing a disease called "White Nose Syndrome" in our bats.  I think it's fatal and we're losing a lot of the bats to it.  It's not just in Tennessee but apparently all along the eastern seaboard.   It's a fungus that grows around the bat's nose when they hibernate.  Researchers haven't been able to find a way to control it except to have cave explorers sanitize their clothing and equipment after leaving the cave.  Cute little guy and it would be a shame to lose an entire population or species of bats because of this.  I wish them luck in finding a control.