The best part of living in a small town...

is experiencing some of the "regular" activities through the town you live in. For us, this weekend we attended the local high school's homecoming game - the Friday night lights from Union County. If you come to Blairsville on a Friday night and wonder what has happened to traffic, you will be happy or relieved to know no one disappeared. Check out the high school, middle school, elementary school and surrounding points to find all of town parked and folks headed to the stadium for the football game. They cheer on their Panthers, heart and soul. That kind of dedication is never found in big cities, where so many high schools exist in one town. The game was a little disappointing - they got beaten soundly - but folks enjoyed all the dresses and hoop - la any way!

Today was a visit to the local farmer's Market - fresh honey Crisp Apples, corn and cucumbers so I can put up corn and pickles....amazingly fresh...friendly folks...and the Culinary students from the North Georgia Technical College took the challenge to make food for First Responders from local produce and items sold at the market. They had Brasstown Organic Beef and all the produce - the students were creative. They made so much that everyone was invited to share. Sharing is what makes this place so different from big cities - kindness, consideration and caring - all part of the people here. Just a taste of "Country Life".

So at home I worked with the Seal-A-Meal to put up corn. Easy portion sizing. Fresh made with just blanching. Tomorrow will try some cream-corn assembly and pickles - new recipe and old one - new one - Garlic Cinnamon pickles - old one - Bread and Butter pickles. Maybe next week to try Garlic Dills - emphasis on the garlic!

Also want to create some jams - maybe peach/blueberry or apple/pear combos with toasted walnuts. The barbecue ribs for dinner were from a local guy with a great little stand - sending some of his original barbecue sauce to Drew at school, along with Honey Crisp apples and apple pies along with hot apple cider mixes - a mouthful of the mountains and i little piece of heaven from home!

Ahhhhh....I hear the rain....herbs to harvest tomorrow- church and errands....maybe a nap.

Be Blessed,
Kim

Labor Day....

is an interesting idea, but it does not really apply to many folks around here. Farmers can't take a day off for Labor Day and they are some of the most hard-working folk around. Truck drivers were still driving yesterday. Hourly and part-time employees were working in stores, at hospitals, emergency and fire departments and police stations. Some of our staff worked, taking care of our patients. Labor Day is kind of like Boxing Day - a day off for the working class, but not everyone gets to enjoy it. It seems it was so much better when nearly everyone had off Sundays with their families - not everyone did, of course, but most did. A day at home and church. Time for dad to throw the baseball or listen to/watch a game. Everything was closed down - stores, most restaurants, the mall. We lost that (or gave it up) to make more money. LOVE of money is the root of all evil - and it cost us our Sabbath. Families lost time to play together and even to NAP! We suffer as a result. This sleep deprived nation of crankies stays up watching cable TV - whatever happened to stations signing off at midnight and starting again at 5 AM or 6? If everything (and I mean computers and all) shut down at night, folks would learn to go to bed and sleep....I hear my bed calling and know I need a NAP. So off to enjoy my delicious luxury....refreshment.

Be Blessed,
Kim

Happily Home Again...

now that youngest is settled in at JWU in Miami for the next part of his journey. We are home again in our mountains. There are so many things that made us ready for the trip home...the heat/humidity/stickiness of Florida (both South and Central) - here it is cool and the windows are open this evening. It has been down as low as 41 degrees in the morning this past week. The weather is perfect. Next we will not miss the smells of carbon monoxide and rubber tires on hot asphalt....here, as we drive through the forest, we smell a fresh, strong, earthy smell - is it the sourwood or the oak trees? It is heady and rich and so sweet to smell - soon to be mixed with the smell of burning hardwoods as we begin to light our fires in our fireplaces....we also will not miss the rudeness of the people (not the JWU folks - they were wonderful - or our daughter and sil) but clerks and others - pushing, swearing, rude, unable to even acknowledge a kind word or polite greeting. I suppose it comes from living in such crowded, noisy conditions - and that is another thing I won't miss - the noise - overwhelming and continuous. Here I am listening to the cicadas chirping ....rhythmic and reassuring. No traffic noise. No people noise. The trip only makes it easier to appreciate the homestead and the mountains that surround it.

Youngest chooses the big city and the hustle and bustle... not for me. Very little rest in the past 6 days, but feel at peace now that I am home. Tomorrow it is back to early morning wake up call and work....ahhhhhhhhh.

Be blessed,
Kim