Soooooo Nice Having Monday Off...

With beautiful weather; sunny skies, 70 degree temps, a slight breeze, how could we not have a comparatively beautiful weekend?

Friday stayed chilly enough to keep on a light jacket during the afternoon hours and evening. We didn't have much planned other than ribeyes on the grill and baked sweet potatoes with baby peas for dinner. We felt pretty spoiled :) The roosters and dogs hung out with us - surely hoping for a morsel to drop to their level but alas, the morsel never came. The dogs did benefit after dinner since they always get that hunk of fat on the end of the ribeye... we snuck their aspirins in with the fat and they never knew the difference ha ha ha!

I fed the roosters by throwing their scratch up under the back porch. Again only the Lone Rooster is brave enough to get up under there to eat it so he is beginning to stand out in the crowd, not just because they shoo him off but because he is quickly becoming the fattest rooster we have!  LOL The other roosters don't let him get near them but they follow him wherever he goes because he's usually onto something good to eat. They just don't seem to be smart enough to figure it out like he is.

Since their roosting tree fell over in the storm, they've taken to roosting on the hitchin post out back. They don't roost there overnight but will sit there for a half hour or so during the day. I guess that must be their nap time :)  I still don't know where they sleep since their tree fell down. I tried to follow them on and off throughout the day but eventually had better things to do.

I have a feeling they are out in the tree beside my garden. When I hear them cock-a-doodle-dooing in the mornings (around 4ish), it sounds as if the noise is coming from that direction. I'm usually awake already and just waiting for their song to begin. Honestly, I have to laugh at them. It almost sounds as if they are in pain. I know they aren't and I know it's their job to crow like that but it just sounds so funny I laugh! You'll see when you get here.

We were up early  Saturday morning and decided to go riding. We took some sweet feed down to the pasture to catch the horses but Smokey wasn't having anything to do with it. Rebel came right up and he got fed and then saddled. Usually Smokey will come along since he doesn't like to be separated from Rebel but not this time. Wally rode Rebel down the road and back while I stood inside the gate with the sweet feed. Smokey got close but no cigar. He was snorting and whinnying and prancing around but he wasn't about to come near me. It was really my fault. We brought a bag of hunting signs with us and I took it out of the truck. It looks like saddle bags so Smokey probably figured out why we were there and that was that.

Wally came back on Rebel and changed from his saddle to mine so I could take Rebel down through the holler while Wally followed in the big, black, 4 wheel drive truck with the flames painted on the hood. What a beautiful ride that was. I don't think I've been on Rebel in over 6-7 years and I completely forgot what a pleasure it is to ride him. He is so smooth and calm compared to riding Smokey. Rebel is a natural and he's so comfortable you don't even realize you're moving along as quickly as you are.

We were up through the holler in no time and I still didn't hear Wally coming behind in the truck. I did hear Smokey and Rebel calling back and forth to each other over and over again. You can definitely tell they prefer not to be separated after all these years. It's actually possible to ride Rebel without Smokey and he behaves perfectly. When you try to ride Smokey without Rebel, you've got yourself some attitude to deal with for sure. Wally says I have to be the boss of him and he's right and I will in time. For now, I need to just get used to riding again and learning the personality of the horse while I'm on his back. It's not quite the same as standing in front of him with a couple carrots in hand :)  LOL

Since we couldn't catch Smokey, we fed Rebel and let him go. He took off down that hill so quickly I couldn't tell him from the reddish-gold leaves falling to the ground. He missed his buddy and had been whinnying back and forth for 20-30 minutes so we figured it was time.

I made us some fancy ham and cheese sandwiches and then we decided to go riding on the 4 wheelers. The horses weren't interested but we still wanted to ride so the 4 wheelers are the next best thing. The sandwiches? Well, they were made with thin slices of baked ham, thin slices of Monterrey Jack cheese melted on toast under the broiler. I put spicy mustard on one side and mayo on the other (not mine - ew). Then I sprinkled some oregano and black pepper on them, added some lettuce and some tomatoes from the garden (yep, those little maters are still coming in like crazy...) and put it all together. YUMMY!!

Our bellies were full and the 4 wheelers were waiting. It was still cool enough for me to wear my flannel shirt (love it!!) and of course Wally was in his short sleeved t-shirt. Do men ever get cold??? lol We rode through trail after trail, stopping on occasion for little breaks and time to enjoy the scenery. One would think that surely by now my eyes would be filled to the point of overflowing but that's just not the case. I can look at these woods day in and day out and never get bored. I've learned my way through all but one side of the property - the right side of the holler if you're heading down from the driveway. It might not sound like much to you but there are literally miles of trails and for me to have learned them this well is something to be proud of.

I could probably find my way home or to the barn on the trails I haven't learned as well but it would be difficult and slow going. I'm getting it though :) Wally says we need to name the trails so we know which ones we're referring to when we talk about them - good idea!! On one trail there's a falcon nest so I thought that would be a good name, "Falcon's Nest Loop" or something similar. As Wally pointed out to me, what if the falcon moves the nest? LOL yeah well, I never thought of that...maybe we change it to "Empty Nest Loop" if that happens... haha! We're still working on the names :)

I have a few pictures and I'll bring Wally's phone to work so I can post them but today the picture portion of the blog will be down for Google Maintenance so I don't want to risk losing them. We rode all around the property and then down to a swimming hole that's across from where our mailbox is. It's down a really steep hill and then back up another one. Then you go into the grass and follow a pretty well-worn path down to the water. The water is so clear you can see the bottom no matter where you stand. You can climb up on the rocks and look about 15-20 feet down and still see bottom. The little fishes are swimming all around and the leaves go floating by like little frog rafts - only so far I haven't seen a frog on one of them... one day :)

We finished our ride and started cooking the chili. We were supposed to be having people over for the bon fire but as things turned out, some got sick and others didn't have a ride. Kurt, Beverly and Tenneshia showed up and we enjoyed our chili out at the outdoor kitchen. It was getting colder outside and the chili was hot so it was the perfect combination. I made some marinated mushrooms and some salsa so we had some appetizers. The mushroom were wonderful :) The salsa was good too but I've had so much of it this summer that I'm ready for new things. I cut them into quarters and some into slices because they were so big. I put them all in a jar and covered them with Italian dressing. You have to turn the jar a few times so all the mushrooms will soak in the juice. Oh they are just delightfully tasting little fungi :)  Give it a try!

We never did light the fire. The burn pile is so big we're going to need a day or two at the house or an overnight snowfall. Since it's not likely to snow for a while, the burn pile remains. Maybe we'll save it until you get here? Better get on the calendar :)

Sunday the horses came up to see us so we fed them and tied them up and decided to ride them. I saddled Smokey by myself and then Wally had to help tighten the straps. We had to make a few leather repairs and then we took a break while the horses calmed down and got used to having the saddles on them. Their hair is really thickening up nicely now that the weather has cooled off. Smokey's hair is so thick it almost feels like cotton when you run your fingers through it.

I still have to have a little boost to get in the saddle and then we were off. Mostly because you can't just load up on Smokey and expect him to stand there - ain't gonna happen. I led him down the hill off the front yard and Wally came up behind us on Rebel pretty quick. Through the gate and down the hill and we were headed for the trails. Well, Smokey was all keyed up so we decided to take him for a run. When we crossed the dry creek bed, we took off. He was galloping so fast that I never even came out of the seat until it was time to stop. He would have kept going too except I didn't want to be running past the swimming hole and have it spook him. We slowed them down and made our way up the hill where their pastures are.

We walked them around a couple times but Smokey kept trying to unload his passenger (namely me)whenever we came to a stop so Wally said we would give him another run and see if that would calm him down. We went to the very bottom of the pasture and turned and let them run up that hill. Whoa!!!! That was a thrill I haven't experienced since I was a teenager. He went flying up that hill and in seconds we were at the top. His mane was blowing against the wind and so was my hair. He was really prancing around at this point but it did take the edge off him. I could tell he liked it every bit as much as I did.

You just have to see that big, black horse, with mane on both sides of his neck, running full speed up the hill in the grassy pasture that he calls home. Me being on his back, with my gray hair blowing in the wind, is a little bonus for you to add to your imagination - ha ha ha ha ha. He was a sight to behold even from where I sat.

Now that he was calmed down, we could walk around and enjoy the ride. We took them up and down the hills through the holler and up to the driveway. We rode passed the trail we were on yesterday (up by the mailbox) and down Oak Springs Road a ways. We got back on our property and rode the trails on the opposite side. I felt so at home out there in those woods that I never wanted the day to end. Rebel was leading the way and putting on a show just by being himself. He doesn't even have to try. Smokey was a little leery of everything that moved in the woods but he was still a good ride. I did eventually tire before anyone else and had to say that I was ready to go home.

I'll get used to riding Smokey as days go by, but for now, my posterior was starting to get a little annoyed with the fact that I was still on him so the ride was over for the time being. That was okay - I had a chicken to roast for us for dinner and we still had to take care of the horses after the ride. I took off their saddles (have to learn the hard way) and brushed them down. We took a little break while the horses rested and then we gave them a bath. Of course once we set them free, they immediately rolled in the only spot of dirt that wasn't covered in leaves - after all my hard work, dadgummit!!

We got ourselves cleaned up and talked about our day. We watched football (Steelers vs. Browns) while the chicken did its thing in the oven. I had cut up a butternut squash, 4 or 5 carrots and a couple of onions to lay in the roaster under the chicken. I covered the bird with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. I also thawed out some chicken broth that I had made over the summer and put some of that in for flavor and the added benefit of the condroitin for my achy joints.

We set the timer, filled the cooler and headed up to the deck. We sat up there for two hours just looking out over the property at the colors of all the leaves, the differences in the view now that the leaves are starting to fall and the fact that there are no neighbors to be seen. I couldn't believe we were up there for two whole hours. It seemed like maybe 20 minutes. When I went inside, I heard the timer going off so back downstairs we went.

We could smell that butternut squash and that roasting chicken everywhere in the house! They should make a candle scent like that! lol I put the thermometer into the thigh and it quickly reached 170 degrees. When I pulled it out, the juices ran clear so I knew it was ready. I cut half the breast away for Wally and then got my leg quarter onto the plate. We filled the rest of the plate with the veggies and feasted like royalty on that succulent bird. You know what comes next... that's right beddy-bye time :)  LOL

Out in the brisk October weather, all day long on the back of a horse, having a few beers upstairs and then eating our comfort food, nothing sounded better than getting some much deserved rest. That's exactly what we did too. 

All that and it wasn't even Monday yet... :)  Hope you aren't bored???

We left out for town Monday morning being sure to time our departure for after the working class had already made their way towards Nashville. We still encountered a few cars on the road but we had avoided going into town all weekend and we did have errands to run so we accepted our fate.  :)  We were probably gone a few hours total and had a list of chores to do when we got back.

Well, Monday turned out to be just as pretty as Sunday so we talked ourselves out of doing chores and opted for going for a motorcycle ride instead. We got our riding in that's for sure! I put on my overalls and boots and grabbed my goggles and helmet and we were off. We rode through some of the most awe inspiring views you could ever imagine. No matter which way I turned my head, it was pure beauty.

Wally took us up on the Natchez Trace Parkway where we meandered over miles of blacktop with no traffic lights, no traffic and really only us and nature. I can daydream away the hours doing something like that! We turned off the Trace onto Hwy. 50 (no, not like the hwy. 50 in FL) and rode over to Pee Wee's Place. We were hanging out there until time to get my basket. At 4pm we cruised through Centerville over to the soccer field where my lady was waiting with the baskets filled to the brim!

The basket was overflowing with crisp, purple-top turnip greens with the roots intact. There was the biggest bunch of red radishes with 3 or 4 white ones included. There were 4 smaller size sweet potatoes and another gargantuan one :), two green peppers, 4 or 5 hot peppers, a combination of braising greens and a head of heirloom lettuce called "Galisse" or Black Seeded Simpson lettuce. Talk about chocked full of vitamins and healthy goodness! When we got home and unloaded everything I found there was also a little baggie of what they call "micro-greens." I've read about these but never tried them before. I put them on the heirloom lettuce along with the radishes, a few beets, a few green olives and it was ready for my lunch today.

After we got the basket, we rode back over to Pee Wee's for a few minutes but then had to leave because we were on the bike and it was chilling down pretty darn quick and me without my trusty gray jacket... oh nooooooo!  LOL it was okay, we left in the nick of time and were home before dark.

We saw the horses had come to visit so we gave them some sweet feed. We had some daylight time so we took off on the 4 wheelers again. This time we were hoping to run off any hunters that might have been on an afternoon hunt and possibly on our property. We set up a couple of beer can targets and shot the 9 mm at them. At close range we were both pretty good shots. LOL If there were any hunters or deer in the area, we surely ran them off between the noise of the 4 wheelers and the gun shots.

Another evening sitting at the table in the warm cabin, watching the sun setting while eating some heated up, left-over, chili and we were ready to call it a night. I put away the veggies from the basket and cleaned up the kitchen. We turned off the tv and all the lights and man did we ever sleep good :)

I hope you had just as fine a weekend as we did - although I'm not sure ours could be topped :)

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle