What’s Goin’ On?

We are broken here in America, as is my heart. We have to fix it.

Listen to Michael Douglas…

Represent Us has a lot of good videos up check them out…

Specifically you can look at a playlist ‘Unbreaking America’

This is their website

God forgive us, restore us, make us an agent of light and goodness, a city on a hill once again. We’ve strayed so far from Your values, Your laws. We’ve thrown You out and embraced darkness. Start with me, forgive me, restore me, create a new heart in me, free me from all that is not of You in me. Then do the same for my city, my state, my country. Our only hope is You!

Progress?

John Rich from country music’s Big & Rich released a new song yesterday on his own, no big music company, no radio help. It’s already no. 1 on iTunes/Apple Music! Take a listen and may freedom ring!

Southern Yum!

Pimento Cheese Spread! A classic southern yum! It’s something I’ve learned to appreciate greatly since moving to Tennessee. Spread some on crackers, make a pimento cheese sandwich, slathered on a juicy hamburger is my favorite!! Just by the spoonful is delicious too! So many recipes online for it. Here’s how I make it…

2 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

1 8oz. brick of Philadelphia Cream Cheese – softened to room temperature

1 4oz. jar of pimentos (drain and chop)

1/2 cup of mayonnaise (want to be truly southern? Use Dukes!)

1/4 tsp. of garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)

pinch of red pepper flakes for a bit of heat (leave out if you don’t like spicy)

I had a sandwich at Rosebud Deli a while back, a Hillbilly Heap, slightly smoky pimento cheese, pulled pork and house-made ancho-BBQ sauce, grilled to gooey perfection on ciabatta. I mean, lip smackin’ good!  The Master’s Golf Tournament has a famous Pimento Cheese sandwich they serve. Click the link for their recipe. Like smoked Gouda? Here’s one for you. Kentucky cousin to Pimento Cheese can be found right here!

And this, my dears, is the Southerner’s Ultimate Guide to Pimento Cheese! Enjoy! Anything you put cheese on is so much better with Pimento Cheese Spread! Try it soon!

Fly, Fly Away. Maybe Not…

✈️ How safe are our skies? You might want to check this video the Global Aviation Advocacy Coalition has put out. It’s a bit shocking. I won’t be flying anytime soon, that’s for sure. Click on the link for the coalition above to check out all their newsletters and keep up to date on what’s really happening in the airline industry, especially with pilots.

Progression…

We had a slow start, but the house is finally moving along quickly now!

Pouring the concrete foundation

Plastic goes over foundation for moisture barrier

Peggy’s porch!

slab concrete poured! My front porch!

Garage floor. So shiny you can see the sky reflected in it.

Framing has begun!

Moving along now! This side faces the road. We put the house sideways so the porch faces the mountains.

Roof on and wrap is on ready for the vinyl siding!

Back of house

My back porch. Doors go to dining room/kitchen and the one to the right goes into the garage.

Living room

two spare bedrooms and a bath

Master bedroom/bath/closet, small office, pantry and large laundry room.

Peggy’s porch, getting closer to sitting on it!

Kitchen cabinets are ordered, going today to pick out countertops. Next is picking out flooring. The windows were delivered Monday. I’ve been picking up faucets and shower heads, towel racks etc. Have ordered tiffany lights for kitchen and dining room. Kitchen appliances are purchased and set for delivery late August. It’s been so much fun, but my head is dizzy with so many decisions! Hopefully when its all said and done it is actually cohesive! Need to get busy getting our house we live in on the market now!

On another note, John has been having a regular visitor to his deck! She’s been enjoying the bird feeders which she thinks are out for her! Took the bird feeders in and he had to run electric wire along the deck and put some tinfoil over it with honey on it. She got a bit of a shock and decided it might be better to move on. He was so thrilled he didn’t have to shoot her! Lots of bear in the area.

We’ve been watching Still Open All Hours on Britbox. I LOVE this show! I laugh so hard at these crazy people! Eric and Cyril are so easily led into all kinds of nonsense by Granville! I’m going to be so sorry when I get to the end of the series.

Haven’t been reading any fiction lately. Finishing up the first volume in The Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall and reading The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbe too. Two Puritan classics, and not light reading. I have an O. Douglas sitting on the nightstand waiting for me when I finish Complete Armour. I’ll need some escapism by then! I have John Owen’s The Mortification of Sin waiting on me too. I’m on a mission to read the Puritans! Good solid doctrine is so missing in today’s churches. But that’s a subject for another day!

Viking Mountain

Viking Mountain view from my house.

We recently did a spur of the moment hike up on Viking Mountain. Actually its Camp Creek Bald, but locals refer to it as Viking Mountain after a now defunct ski resort built at the top. At dinner at friends one Saturday sitting on the porch looking at Viking Mountain one of us said…

‘Have y’all hiked up to the Blackstack Cliffs on Viking?’

‘No.’

‘Well we should do that.’

‘When?’

‘Tomorrow. It’s not a long hike, maybe 30 minutes. Then we can go on to the ridge trail, that is the Appalachian Trail. Only another 30 minutes or so.’

So a date was made for after church for a ‘little’ walk in the woods with the 5 of us. The group grew by Sunday afternoon and 9 and a dog set out. Our ‘little’ walk turned out to be a 7.4 mile hike! Had I been told that at the start I would have never gone! Thank goodness it had been a few years since John had done this hike and forgot how long it was, it was a grand day and a good time was had by all and I’m so glad I went! We want to keep this going now and there is no shortage of places to hike in these mountains!

Blackstack Cliffs are the rock outcropping to the right in this photo

trail to the stacks

View from Blackstacks

Onward ho to the top ridge of the mountain. This is the Appalachian Trail. The white flowers here on the left are Bear Grass. There was a section of trail loaded with this lovely plant!

Made it to the tippy top ridge!

My boyo!

Looking down on Greeneville

Tired but totally content and satisfied hikers! Wade carried my backpack full of water. He is from New Mexico and was so overwhelmed by our green mountains he asked if he could pray and what a lovely prayer he said!

Me and John, the instigator of this hike!

Mountain Rhododendron

Gorgeous delicate fern everywhere!

This peak is 4,844 ft. in elevation. The view is spectacular! The trail borders the Tennessee/North Carolina line. There are fire towers up here that can be climbed. We’ll save that for another day! You can click the link above to read about Camp Creek Bald and see pictures from when the resort was there. Nothing is left of it now.