Pre-Cherokee Ceremonial Site & Smoke Signals

We went to Betty's Creek today, a beautiful area about 10 miles NW of us as the crow flies.  We were particularly interested in visiting the sacred, pre-Cherokee ceremonial site that Thomas Rain Crowe wrote about in his book Zoro's Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods (click on the link to see the description in his book).  This is an excellent read if you are interested in living off the land descriptives.  After having read the book, Johny contacted Mr. Crowe, who was gracious enough to speak at length with Johny, and told him exactly where to look for this ceremonial site.


We have been to this particular spot many times and have always found it extremely peaceful and beautiful.  We have not however, experienced the same response as Mr. Crowe describes in his book.  Here are some photos from our trip...

An ancient oak tree, so large I could only get my arms around 1/3 (at best) of the trunk.  The ceremonial site is to the right of the tree, the cleared out area.

There is an old spring that has now been surrounded with rocks and covered with a board (to protect visitors I imagine), but they put a pipe in it to keep the water flowing.  It is located just to the right of the tree as you look at the photo; though it does not look like anything extraordinary, we have been told those spring waters were part of the sacred ceremonies.

As I stood looking around, I noticed that the hemlock trees in the immediate area surrounding the ceremonial site clearing, were alive (you can see the branches of the tree on the far right as well as those in the center)!  I have mentioned before that a hemlock eating bug infested the hemlocks in Western NC and devastated the trees.  While there are still some at very high elevations, I found it fascinating that the ones in this small area were not affected; behind where I stood to take this picture, which is on the other side of the dirt road heading up the mountain, the hemlocks were dead.  Perhaps it is the healing properties of the pre-Cherokee ceremonial site keeping those hemlocks alive...

Once we left that area, we met Bobby, the Betty's Creek Grounds Keeper, for the first time.  We enjoyed everything he had to share about Betty's Creek, and even traded some mushrooms we harvested while walking in the woods for some grapes!   Delicious:)

I'll continue to share more about our visits to Betty's Creek; it is on of our favorite places to hike, and it is absolutely magical.

Speaking of magical, it does appear my MiFi is not faulty, as my Internet signal is now working.  How 'bout them apples!  Makes me want to skip and jump and say woo hoo (for the most part, as now it is my carrier that must keep the connection going in these mountains; I did find out that Bertie also could not get access late yesterday); I am so very happy I have signal again!

Speaking of signals, I am sure you have heard about the Cherokee Indians (and others) using smoke signals to communicate?  There was no standardized smoke signal language like the sign language the Indians used to communicate between tribes, as their spoken language varied.  But they used smoke signals to communicate quickly over long distances;  1 puff meant "attention", 2 meant "all is well" and 3 puffs of smoke, or 3 fires in a row meant "danger, trouble or need help".  Click on the smoke signals link for more. 

Where oh where am I going with this?  In the future, if I am unable to publish the day's post on my blog because cyberspace is being uncooperative (which is extremely distressing for me), don't let your disappointment ruin your day or evening, just look to the skies for a long, vertical puff of smoke (you know, like a post, ha ha), which will be me sending a smoke signal letting you know, "all is well in our log cabin, today's post is a comin' as soon as the information superhighway cooperates".  It will be much easier than trying something like the Pony Express concept:)

(No disrespect intended here, just trying to bring some levity this situation!)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

What Happened to Thursday's Post?

Better late than never!  I've had the unfortunate experience (for the first time during my Log Cabin Life, and in fact ever, here) that the internet is a bit persnickety up here in the mountains...I was not able to connect yesterday afternoon, and after much conversation with Verizon, the only internet carrier option up here at this point, they determined it was my MiFi unit.  Oddly, even our nearest neighbors Charlie & Andrea were not able to connect...Verizon said they still thought it was my unit and there were no access issues in our area...  They are quick shipping me a new one (which of course I have to pay for or I wait 5 days or so), so by noon Saturday I should be back in full swing.

But WOO HOO, happily for me, this morning the unit it working!!!  (Makes me wonder what the real problem was.  Or maybe the universe knew I was distressed that I could not publish my blog post yesterday and got the unit working...good karma working for me or something like that.) Which means I don't have to drive the 20 miles into town to use free wifi somewhere.  So this Friday morning, you get Thursday's post that I had begun preparing but never got to publish.  I sure hope the unit is still working this afternoon so I can post today's post, or I will be going to town!

This is a Jack o Lantern mushroom.  Beautiful. Big, Bright. Bountiful.  At night they say they glow in the dark. POISONOUS!  It won't kill you, but it will make you extremely sick.  This is the first time we have ever seen them.  This is up close,,,

...this is the field...if a person were to eat all these mushrooms, they very likely would die.

Jack o lantern's look a lot like Chanterelle mushrooms, a delicacy.  This is a good example of why caution must be used when hunting mushrooms.  Fortunately for me, Mountain Man is very knowledgeable on this subject, and for the experience eye, the differences are obvious:)

I am sharing a quick video of our creek.  Because it is soothing.  Because it sounds like music.  Because it is not poisonous!  I hope you enjoy:)

It is serendipitous to me that I had decided to post this calming video for you yesterday, being that I could use some calming after all this internet fiasco.  Love the sound! 

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you later this afternoon,
Lise

Today is Purple

I'm beginning and ending with purple today...I want to begin with sharing our first ready to cook (by roasting) purple potatoes...aren't they lovely?  Just wait until you hear how they tasted...

A couple days ago I mentioned we had to harvest all our green tomatoes because of Late Blight.  Yesterday we uprooted all the infected plants and put them in a garbage bag (can't put them in the compost because of the blight).  Yes, I did cry; I was so sad to have to destroy our first tomato plants, especially because some of them still had flowers (some of which were already affected) and though we did get green tomatoes, it still was emotional for me.  Of course, Johny reminded me that we learned a lot that we can put into practice with the next garden, (which I did know); I really appreciated the support:).

The positive from it is we have more space to plant a fall garden:).  Mountain Man had already planted some turnips and rutabagas, which have been doing well and needed thinning, so we transplanted those that we pulled (we always like to try transplanting rather than discarding; the last turnip crop responded well to transplanting, in fact we still have some in the ground).  We also planted mustard and collard greens (already sprouted, gifted to us from our friend and neighbor Charlie), more beet seeds (Mountain Man planted those along with the turnips and rutabagas, but only a few sprouted, so we planted more in a different spot), and again some radishes, which thus far we have had zero success.  Tomorrow, we will plant more bush beans (need to have the seeds soak overnight before planting, this results in higher germination rates).  Looking forward to harvesting these crops in early to late October, depending on the crop.

We are pleased with the progress in the 3 sisters garden, lots ears of corn growing, and many pole bean flowers...we've had a couple beans so far, but I think there will be lots of pole beans in the near future!  The squash is looking good as well, though we did have one fall off the vine with some rotten spots, not sure what happened there.  The rest look healthy.  We have pretty much decided we would not plant a 3 sisters garden again though...the pole beans have done exactly what they are supposed to do and have climbed up the corn stalks; but the stalks are all being bent over because of it.  Between that and the squash growing everywhere, walking through that portion of the garden is very difficult (probably because it's only 10'x10'), so we will likely just plant the 3 items separately next time.

I have a couple pictures of bees to share; I find them so beautiful, and since we were busy bee's today, and I encountered them on the way back from the garden, seemed appropriate...

 

And to end the day with purple, as promised but for the fact that I wanted to start with our purple potatoes,  this is a Great Blue Lobelia, a pretty wildflower that grows on a stalk...

About the purple potatoes, they were delicious!  Mild, light and fluffy inside, very similar to a fingerling potato, only better because we grew them ourselves!  And a pretty potato when you cut it open, lending to the appeal while dining!  Nothing beats eating vegetables fresh from the garden...it's an extravaganza for the taste buds:)!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

5 Months & Loving It!

Hard to believe it has been 5 months since the initiation of my (our) Log Cabin Life.  In many ways, it seems we have been here forever, and then again, it is like the beginning of living.

I am so very fortunate to have this opportunity!  I'd like to encourage anyone out there who is wondering 'can I do it?', 'should I do it?'...whatever 'it' is, follow your dreams!  Anything is possible if you really want it, and as Mark Twain said, "twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones that you did".  If I can do it, you can!   

This morning we woke to this little guy (as dawn was breaking), no, he wasn't feeding on the rabbit food we put out, but rather the wild greens growing in the yard...makes me wonder if we ever needed to invest in that feed...

...regardless, seeing him in the morning makes me happy to be in a place where nature abounds.  This is right in our front yard, and while we continue to try to draw nature closer to us at a safe distance (for them) up our mountain, waking to the wildlife in the front yard is priceless!

Each day, long before the sun rises, the birds begin awakening, first with individual chirps and songs sounding now and then, deep in the woods.  As dawn approaches, the symphony also begins, with a multitude of birds singing their morning aria.  Oddly, they are nowhere to be seen.  It takes some time before they come to the freshly stocked bird feeders (I go out first thing each morning and put black oil sunflower seeds into the many feeders we have for them), but when they do, the yard brightens with their chirps and songs.  This coincides with the sun rising over the east mountain; it is the dawning of the day for all of us:)

I love this time of day, and I love awakening this way!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

When Life Gives You Late Blight, Make Fried Green Tomatoes!

I'm starting with a piece of the good stuff, so you have an enticing picture to lure you in...yes indeedy, fried green tomatoes...read on my blog friends, read on...

We have confirmed our garden tomatoes have been hit hard with Late Blight.  Not a pretty sight, and heartbreaking to say the least.  The cooler, very damp weather we've had this summer has encouraged it's spread throughout Western NC and many other areas throughout the states.

 
At this stage of the disease, we don't have many options.  We can leave the tomatoes on the vines and hope they grow and ripen, but having observed how quickly this terrible fungus affects the plants, we have opted for the only other choice we have...pick the green tomatoes!  We did leave the Black Russians on the vine, because those plants do not seem as severely affected at this point.  I suppose it is really a desperate hope they might turn at least a little bit red on the vine.  But believe me, we will be monitoring them very closely!

These are the Cherokee Purple tomatoes.  Notice the small one in the front of the photo, we cut it open to be sure there was something to salvage, and it looks very promising!  We also did confirm that you can eat tomatoes affected by the blight, just don't replant the seeds or any parts of the plant to your compost!

These are the Cherry tomatoes, (well, we thought they were Cherry tomato seeds, but they sure look like they might be something else, too big for Cherry's)...

Here is an example of how quickly the blight affects the tomato...here is the whole tomato, notice the slight blemish at 6 o'clock (ish)...

...this is the tomato cut open, see the browning already going on?  You don't want to eat that part. 

I'm glad we decided to take action and rescue (literally) the tomatoes.   After cutting all the affected areas, we used every single one of our green tomatoes you see in the photos above, except one, which we put on the windowsill with the hope it will ripen. (And we did decide we will be cutting the Black Russians first thing tomorrow morning as well.)

So, being the type of people who make the best out of everything (we do try anyway), I am making fried green tomatoes w/ horseradish dipping sauce for dinner. This will be accompanied by Mountain Man's Goat Cheese Bruschetta (his secret recipe and I am not allowed around him when he is cooking...well, really my choice...he asks me a recipe load of questions before he starts, only likes some of the answers, and, well, doesn't do things the way I would, resulting in my butting in, which you know can not be beneficial in the long run, and then there is the whole cleaning as I go thing which we are polar opposites in that regard, so, vous faites cuire, Chez Johny, cook on, I'm outa the kitchen!).

The menu d'jour...

Lise's Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients:
Green Tomatoes, sliced
2 eggs, beaten (well, we only had one good egg, the other was a little cracked, so we added a little white wine to the 1 beaten egg, and you know what, it was a great success!)
Kentucky Kernel Seasoned Flour, for dusting the tomatoes
A mixture of even parts of bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs and corn meal
salt & pepper

Horseradish Dipping Sauce
Mix 3 large tbsp horseradish, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, dash of lemon juice, salt & pepper.  Set in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

Being that I was so engaged with examining the tomatoes, I failed to take lots of pictures.  But it is a relatively simple process and recipe, so I am completely confident you don't need my photos to progress successfully:)  Here is the end result of the tomatoes...

Mountain Man's Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Here is the end result, I bet you can guess some of the ingredients...mostly garden fresh, just the right compliment of veggies, cheese, oil and vinegar!

A very enjoyable meal and relatively healthy too, minus the fried part!

All things considered, we have enjoyed our tomato crop.  We still have a couple tomatoes ripening in the square foot gardens that look like they have been spared the blight, though they do have a fungus.  Fortunately, it is much less devastating than the Late Blight, and we have actually enjoyed one magnificent vine ripened tomatoes from it so far!  We are hoping for a few more.

This experience is definite confirmation that we need to try this again...we now know that we should treat all tomatoes and potatoes (being that they are in the same family...did you know that?), with copper as soon as the plants mature from seedling to new plant, as that will keep the fungus' from starting.  And copper is a natural fungicide (at least that is my understanding, anyone knowing any different, please do tell), so less dangerous than chemicals that are man made and nasty.  We also know good, quality seeds are critical, and you must be very careful when buying plants...fungus and blight are hiding everywhere!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Rain, the Garden & Feeders

A day of rest.  Well, maybe not rest, but no major physical labor.  Well, some physical labor, but no hammering, climbing ladders or lifting heavy beams.  Well, maybe just a little working with wood and screwdrivers...

We've had a little rain, on and off.  I love the rain, very restful:)

This morning we went to the garden, as we didn't go yesterday because of the early start to the deck building.  This is what I harvested (I know the 2 beans don't look like much but we just keep collecting them until we have enough for a meal). This is the first of the endive lettuce we have harvested, and the zucchini, well it just keeps on a comin'!

We also harvested the rest of our purple potatoes, 7 pounds in all, we are pretty happy with that though it isn't enough to last through the winter!  We also had harvested about 2 lbs of red potatoes.  

While we harvested the potatoes, we uncovered 3 small ringneck snakes, about 5 salamanders, and several worms as we moved the straw that covered the potatoes.  This is one of the salamanders...next time we start digging in the straw, we know to be quite cautious:)

Mountain Man worked on the fall turnips we planted, as all the seeds germinated, so he weeded some out and transplanted them; we had good results the last time we transplanted turnips.

I am sorry to share that it looks like all our tomatoes have been infected with what is called Late Blight.  So we are faced with the choice of pulling the green tomatoes now or risking they become totally infected and inedible.   We have 2 tomatoes that ripened almost completely, but that is from the square garden boxes, and they too have some kind of fungus infection. I'll share more about the blighted tomatoes, as we are still deciding what to do.  But this is a picture of the 2 almost ripe "fungused" tomatoes, and let me tell you, after cutting off the bad spots, they were some of the most delicious tomatoes I've ever eaten.  Cherokee Purple are scrumptious, even if they are susceptible to attackers of tomatoes...

Then Mountain Man, upon my request (good man), built a deer feeder and a rabbit food holder.  We brought the deer feeder deep into our woods and put the trail cam on it.  We are hoping to attract some deer; we put some feed off a deer block and then some apples and we placed it relatively near to the creek, so I believe we have all the ingredients for some interesting activity!  No doubt that something will like it!

We have been seeing two rabbits in our front yard, so we want to feed them a bit (no Patti, we are not going to fatten them up to have them for dinner, LOL!).  The rabbit food holder is a smaller version of the deer feeder without no legs.

This evening closes with a heavy rain shower, a perfect close to a day filled with restful, satisfying and not physically demanding activities.  Have I told you lately how much I love this mountain life? 

One further note: my grandson Liam called me the other day for my birthday...he can now sing the entire Happy Birthday song, and ends with blowing out the candles!  How cute is that:)

I am indeed, a fortunate girl!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Deck Building, Day 3

This has been a day of building, all day, and though I will not say sunrise to sunset, it sure felt like it!  A good 9 full hours of Mountain Man, Ronnie (our hired expert, and that he is) and me.  We learned a lot today.  The primary thing was that the reason builders have many experts working together on a job is they all know what they are doing and are able to catch small omissions and say "hey, we forgot this..."  As you may surmise by now, we left off a pretty crucial step which is to run a line of string from one end post to the other to ensure you line things up properly.  We ended up having to redo some post and girder work because we forgot that small detail.  No worries, we still got a lot done.

The beginning early this morning...

...our ending point late today...

Starting to look like a deck, isn't it?  Definitely making progress!  We still have at least one good day's work with Ronnie, in addition to all the "finishing" steps we can do on our own, both prior to his return and after he is done with his portion of the project.  So far, so good.  No more serious boo boos.

I'd like to share that I really don't like the act of hammering, it's tough on the arm and wrist, but I sure do like watching that nail sink into the wood with each whack!  Something about it that feels like "accomplishment happening".  And the sound of each whack, and the final blow of the hammer hitting the head of the nail into the wood that is absolutely, wonderfully satisfying!  Way better than painting, I don't get that same feeling with painting, even though you can see your progress (maybe it's the smell), I much prefer to hammer!

All is good today, thanks for your positive feedback and thoughts...closer to 52 today:)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise