I went down to Winston this morning to help Al and Frances with some outdoor projects and for a visit. Frances fixed a light lunch then I headed back up the mountain. It was warm down there but we had a good breeze. Of course, the temperatures up here tend to run about 10 degrees cooler.
I harvested a zucchini from the garden yesterday that I fixed for dinner last night. This morning I dug up two hills of potatoes to take down to Winston.
67 degrees, sunny, and calm this morning. I worked on outdoor chores this morning. It was warm in the sun but temperatures were cool with an occasional breeze. Then I did the laundry for the week.
This afternoon I drove over to Donna’s house, about three miles or so from here, to see her baby goats and bunnies. She also has ducks, 4 indoor little dogs, and an outdoor beagle that adopted them. They live at the end of a short gravel road on 15 acres.
I am reading A Vineyard Killing by Philip R. Craig.
67 degrees, sunny, and calm when I left for the gym this morning. Clouds off and on again today but no rain with mild temperatures and low humidity. Lovely weather for the end of July.
I worked at the gym again today. We are short staffed right now which means I may be picking up an extra day a week for awhile.
69 degrees, sunny, and calm this morning when I left for the gym. Another nice day with cool temperatures, some high clouds, and low humidity.
I worked again at the gym today. Not as busy today as it was yesterday.
59 degrees, sunny, and calm this morning when I left for the gym.
I did my grocery store run this morning then back to the gym to work my midday shift. It’s a beautiful day with blue skies and temperatures in the upper 70’s.
61 degrees and raining this morning.
I’ve had a little over two inches of rain since yesterday afternoon. I volunteered at the bookstore this morning. Temperature in the mid 60’s today with rain. Low in the 50’s tonight. We needed the rain.
71 degrees, cloudy, and calm when I left for the gym this morning.
Joyce picked me up at 10 to spend another day on the Parkway picking up trash and working on mile markers. It’s amazing the beautiful things you notice when you are cruising at a slow speed looking for trash. Tiny, colored mushrooms, lovely areas of land back off the road covered in ferns and other lush greenery, cute little brooks, etc.
We covered several miles due to there being long stretches where we did not have to stop to pick up a lot of trash. Storms, some heavy at times, were predicted for this afternoon and tonight. While we heard an occasional rumble of thunder the heavy rain held off until about 2:15 when we were close to stopping for the day anyway.
It had rained about half an inch here and is thundering.
78 degrees, sunny, and humid
I drove over to Galax, VA this morning to volunteer at the Friends of the Parkway booth set up at the Smoke On The Mountain BBQ contest in downtown Galax. I left here early enough to drive out to the Lowe’s store, which is several miles from downtown, to get bird food and then make it back to town for the festival to meet Joyce by 9:15.
Temperatures are in the upper 80’s both here and in Galax. At least we were under a big tree on main street and had a tent to keep the sun out.
I am reading Poisoned Pages by Lorna Barrett.
I have several robin’s nests on the cross boards that run under the deck. This morning when I went out with Colin I found babies in one of the nests peaking out over the side.
Hershel, my plumber from Shaw Brothers, came first things this morning. Last weekend when I checked on the downstairs I found a large black discoloration on one ceiling time and a wet spot, not yet turned brown, on another. I called Elaine to have her put me on the schedule. I go down stairs every couple of days to check on things and flush the toilet down there between cleanings. I had just been down there a couple of days before I discovered the leak.
Hershel found several corroded couplings that needed replaced. That is what happened two years ago when we had the flood downstairs. Several fittings finally blew and we did not know they were spewing water. I had to be at work mid-morning so I left him here to finish replacing old supply pipes and fittings. With the new drop down ceiling it is easy to replace those fittings as needed. Since the flood I’ve kept an eagle eye on the ceiling and will now be even more vigilant.
