Winter Hiking

The day after Thanksgiving is a very good day to go hiking, especially, if you eat like we do! We rarely go hiking in the winter, but I have to say that I really enjoyed this trip. We were back at Lewis Hollow Trail, one of my favorite trails to hike. Despite the fact that it is straight up, there is a prize at the top: Skylight Cave. My pix today are of "mast". Do you know this word? Is it commonly used where you live?




These are hickory nuts, or rather the shells of hickory nuts left by a squirrel or other creature in the woods. Acorns, hickory nuts, beachnuts, etc. are all considered "hard mast". Mast is any fruit or nut used as a food source by wildlife. Around here, we think of it mainly in the winter. It is the food source for bear, deer, and other mountain wildlife that gets them through the winter. An example of soft mass would be persimmons and berries. From these pix, I would think that our mountain critters will be eating high on the hog this winter season. I hope so. The bears of course will settle into a den for a nap, but they have to forage for mast before they hibernate, and get fattened up before they sleep. Some years we will hike and hardly see any signs of mast. We saw very few acorns, but they could have been gathered before our hike. I did see a few on a beautiful moss-covered rock that had been the banquet of a squirrel or chipmunk.




The last time we hiked Lewis Hollow Trail, part of a bridge had been built across a dry creek bed. It was finished this trip. The drought has caused many of our mountain streams to disappear. I guess someone has faith that we will have our lovely creeks again some day.




Baby stalactites in Skylight Cave.

Mountain Icicles

I live in the mountains of southeastern Kentucky. Many of our highways are carved through the mountains, leaving tall cliffs on either side of the road. When it rains, run-off spills out of the hills and down the cliffs causing thousands of waterfalls on the sides of the roads. Some are big, but most are very small and some only appear as mist. In the winter, after heavy rains, all the water freezes into magnificent icicles.

Cornbread at Mamaw's

My mom taught me how to make cornbread when I was a little girl. It was one of the first things I ever learned to cook. I guess a mountain girl has to know how to make a good pone of cornbread. She taught me how to bake it in a little cast iron skillet.

Shortly after that, I went to spend the week with my Mamaw and Papaw who lived across the mountain. This was many, many years ago when one of my aunts and two of my uncles still lived at home. My uncles worked at the quarry and would come home for lunch. Mamaw and my aunt would cook a huge breakfast on the coal stove before my uncles left for work. Then they would clean up the mess and start cooking lunch. Then they would clean up the mess and start cooking supper. You get the idea. Cooking was a big deal and they took great pride in their meals. I have to add here, that both of my uncles were skinny as rails and they still haven't fattened up much.

One day, I told them that I knew how to make cornbread and wanted to make it for my uncles and papaw for lunch. Mamaw said I could. I got Mamaw's little metal mixing bowl, that I own and use to this day, and made up my batter. Mamaw got a large cast iron skillet and sat it on top of the stove. I noticed that it was much larger than the skillet I used at home, but being little, I had no idea how it would affect the outcome of my bread. I poured my batter into the skillet and Mamaw put it in the oven.

We had crust for lunch that day. My pone of cornbread had a top crust and a bottom crust, but there was no bread in the middle. My aunt just smiled and said, "Just the way Papaw likes it."

Random Ramblings

It has been a while.

I am sick and have been sick the whole month of November. I think I now hold the record for suffering the most days with the common cold. Many people here have it and cannot seem to get well.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. For years now, I have cooked at home for my dear husband and sons. Oldest son was in four days from college and dear husband and a four day weekend. I cooked a huge dinner:

turkey
dressing
dumplings
Stovetop stuffing (don't ask)
mashed potatoes
gravy
green beans (canned from the garden)
corn (frozen from the neighbor's garden)
deviled eggs
Pillsbury crescent rolls (because we love them)

For dessert
two cherry pies
Pina Colada cake
chocolate cake with chocolate icing
Fantasy fudge

Moms sent over a pumpkin roll and some cranberry bread.

Thursday, we watched the parade and had dinner. Friday, we went hiking up Lewis Hollow Trail to Skylight Cave. This was the first time we have hiked it in the winter. It looked very different. We walked on a foot of fallen leaves. We saw a couple of chipmunks and squirrels that we probably would not have seen in the summertime. Saturday, we put up the tree and Sunday, we cooked supper at our local soup kitchen. Of course we had turkey salad sandwiches. I made them and I have to say they were very good!

I guess that's it for now. This is a busy time of year for me. I will try to blog more. I have just been busy and also dry. I have never thought of my blog as "a phase", but for some reason, I have gotten out of the habit of writing and can't seem to get back in a routine. If you miss me, there's plenty here that you can read. Just click on one of the links in the sidebar. I personally love the funny stories like this one and this one.

Take care.

Love,
Fairlight

Natural Tunnel State Park

The natural tunnel sits at the bottom of the gorge. It provides a way through the mountain for the freight trains in the area.


This little engine sits just off the parking lot of the park. You can climb aboard.


More on the little engine.


Man-made tunnel known as "Little Tunnel" just opposite the natural tunnel.


We saw several trains the day we were there. Here's one coming through Little Tunnel.


View from one of the overlooks. The natural tunnel is in the mid-lower right of the pix. You can see another overlook on the other side of the gorge in the upper left corner of the pix.


We hiked across a bridge and into the woods to find this cabin.


One view from Lover's Leap. Notice the train in the lower right corner going through the gorge. Another overlook is above it.


Another view from Lover's Leap.

Still On The Planet; Among The Living

I didn't fall off the planet, and yes, I am still among the living. I have just been...busy...weary...uninspired...and scatterbrained...in no particular order. I had no idea I would ever be so disorganized. I thought that the older I got, the wiser I would get, and life would be so much easier, being that I was so smart and all. I wish. I have found out that the older you get, the more things you have to worry about. To make it worse, your brain doesn't work like it used to and sometimes...it quits on you all together. I have started misplacing things. Right now, I have a book missing, along with my one-fourth measuring cup. I have looked the house over and cannot find either one of them. I hadn't even read the book and I have no idea how long it's been missing. I am in the process of organizing and moving books and I realized it was gone. I've also started talking to myself. It seems to help.

I've decided to title my posts again. I grew tired of giving them all a name, but it is so much easier to locate a post if it has a title. Also, I am not finished with the Free Things in the Smokies posts. I stopped to look for a pix and never started back again. I will try to do that soon.

Dear husband pulled 18 frames of honey off our one little beehive. We bottled 18 quarts of honey this year. That is the most we have ever gotten. Most of the honeybees in this area have died. We have had this one little hive since 2001 and it is thriving.

The humming birds are all gone now. They left about a week ago. I miss them. Many of our other birds are gone, too. I love fall, but it always makes me a little sad. I know that winter is coming.

This is one of my favorite poems. I usually post it on the blog this time of year.



Something Told The Wild Geese

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go.

Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered,--"Snow."

Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,

But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned,--"Frost."

All the sagging orchards
Steamed with amber spice,

But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese
It was time to fly,--

Summer sun was on their wings,
Winter in their cry.

by Rachel Field

Thanks for stopping by.

Monday, September 22, 2008

We woke up this morning to another week and another season. My favorite season. Welcome, fall. I've missed you. We have been having cooler mornings and shorter evenings. Some of our leaves are already changing colors. Fall is a great time to find spider webs, especially in the morning dew. Here are some older pix of webs I have found:

A Variety of Webs

Webs on Laurel Lake

More Lake Webs

Have you ever learned about something and then wondered why you had never thought to wonder about it? I read in the newspaper on Sunday that cashews are never sold in the shell. I had never noticed this before, but it's true. What a strange little bit of trivia that had escaped my attention for 47 years. Cashews are in the same family as poison ivy! It takes quite a bit of work to get the cashew out of its shell. You can read a little about that HERE.

That's it for this post. Happy Fall or Autumn. Whichever you choose! I think autumn is a lovely word, but rarely used around here.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #10

This is a terrible pix, but such a good photo op! Go on...stand beside that gorilla in front of Treasure Quest golf in Gatlinburg and get your pix taken! It's fun!

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #9

Visit one of the churches in Cades Cove. Go in and play the piano. Sit in a pew and pray. Stand behind the pulpit. Walk out into the cemetery.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Better late than never...
Back in May, I sent an email to Cornell University to ask if they knew why we didn't have any hummingbirds this spring. I received a response from them today! I had almost forgotten about it. I saw a new email in my inbox this morning and was trying to figure out who I knew named "Cornell". According to the email, Cornell has received many letters from people in the southeast concerned about the decline in hummers this year. They think the decline has been caused by the drought. They also are concerned about how Hurricane Ike will affect the hummer population next year.

We have a few hummers visiting the feeders now. Since the days are getting shorter, they will be migrating. Be sure to keep fresh sugar water for them in your feeders. You do not have to worry about causing them to linger and not migrate. They know when to go. They will not stay unless they get trapped in a garage or something like that. I leave my feeders up until they completely stop feeding. Sometimes, I forget to take them down.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #8

Keep your eyes open for strange and wonderful things. We found this tree behind a cabin in Cades Cove. The bottom was just a hollow shell of what was once a large tree. Only the bark remained. From the shell grew two smaller "trees".

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Some mornings you just don't have anything to say. I guess this morning is one of them. I'll leave you with a poem...


Best of All

He doeth well who doeth good
To those of his own brotherhood;

He doeth better who doth bless
The stranger in his wretchedness;

Yet best, oh! best of all doth he
Who helps a fallen enemy.

Anonymous

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #7

Play the giant stringless harp in front of the Guinness World Records Museum.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Well...gas prices here have jumped up to almost $4.50 a gallon and some gas stations ran out of gas yesterday or were rationing. I think it will get worse here before it gets better. We live in a mountainous county that is kind of isolated from the rest of the world. Lots of gouging goes on. If we are traveling, we always wait and buy gas in another county. I'm not sure if we will be able to do that now. I'm not sure we will be doing any kind of traveling now. Dear husband went yesterday and filled up his work truck. He has to work and he drives clean across the county to get to work. Oldest dear son filled up because he has to get back to school three states away. I didn't fill up. I rarely go anywhere during the week, except to trade. I know this is nothing compared to what the people in the path of the storm will go through. We will make it. We always do.

Is it normal for a cat to lie down to eat his supper? Sweet Potato did this for the first time yesterday. He seemed fine. He just plopped down beside his bowl and ate. Before, he would sit over the bowl and eat with his tail swishing. I have never been a cat person and I have no idea if this is normal. Now that I think about it...there is nothing normal about cats.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #6

Enjoy the scenery! Enjoy the peace and quiet.

Friday, September 12, 2008

As you may know from reading my blog...hello...anybody out there...dear husband and I love many different music genres from blues to bluegrass. On one of our recent trips to Walmart I bought a Dean Martin CD and I love it. It is one of those little cheapo CDs in a paper sleeve. I even love the paper sleeve. It's much easier to get the CD out instead of trying to pry them off those little spindles. I am always afraid I am going to break the CD getting it out of some of the tighter cases. I played the CD in the car on the way home and couldn't help but notice that all four of us were singing "That's Amore", or as we had always called it, "The Big Pizza Pie" song. Who wouldn't love a song about love and pizza! It's a great album to play while cleaning house. I should do a top ten albums to listen to while cleaning house.

Today is Friday and that means oldest dear son will soon be making his way home for the weekend!! I love the weekends! He will have to work on school some this weekend. He has to write a review on a book about the history of the footnote. I had no idea the footnote had a history worthy of a book when in fact I googled it and found two books. Who knew?

Have a good weekend. Toodles!

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #5

Throughout Gatlinburg this year there are several groups of traveling musicians who wander in and out the town performing for free. You never know where they are going to turn up, so keep your eyes open and your ears pealed. We found them once performing on a roof top. They are very talented. The shows do not last very long, but we caught three in a short period of time while we were walking around.

Also in Pigeon Forge, look for the small white gazebo near the Ernest Tubb Record Shop. It is on the right side of the strip heading toward the park. A bluegrass band plays here at night. Many people bring their clogging shoes and dance in the parking lot. You can bring a lawn chair and sit and watch, or just stand as we do. They pass a bucket for tips, but the show is free.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

On Saturday, dear husband and I were driving home along a creek. We came around a curve and I looked over and saw a doe with a fawn. They were standing in the water just off the creek bank still under the trees. They both looked so small. We just barely caught of glimpse of them as we drove by.

I need a new pair of tennis shoes. Do you call them tennis shoes? Sneakers? My mom calls them gym shoes. After years of working as a nurse on concrete floors, my feet are very particular about the shoes I wear. For years, I wore a particular style of easy spirit that I could find at Belk. They discontinued this style and I had to find another one. I found a pair of K-SWISS I could wear and they...yep...discontinued them. I was desparate for a new pair of shoes. I ended up buying a pair of newbalance and I think I have worn them maybe five times. I hate them. They hurt my feet. I am going to give them away. I cannot go barefoot. The first thing I do every morning after I awake is put on my glasses and my shoes.

Sweet Potato's violent streak has ended. Earlier, I had written that he had killed two birds. I am happy to report that he hasn't killed anything since.

Today is September 11.

Fairlight's Free Things To Do In The Smokies #4

Don't miss the huge tree on the riverbank in front of the aquarium. For scale, there are two people standing on the rocks in the lower left corner of this pix. You may be able to see them better if you right click the pix and open it in a new tab or window. Walk across the bridge and look for the ducks in the water and on the bank.

While you are in this area, walk across the street to Mountain Mall and visit the teeny, tiny music shop called The Rhythm Section. It's on the ground floor. Notice the pond and fountain in the small lobby of the mall. Follow the fountain all the way to the top floor.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

I admit, I do not like to watch the news. I'm sure I am very behind in current world events, but I cannot believe that I hadn't heard of this! Dear husband listens to NPR almost every day and he had never heard of it, either. Switzerland Begins Big Bang Experiment I also heard this morning that there was an earthquake in Iran. I wonder if the atom smasher will be blamed for it?

Oldest dear son is on week three of living away from home in his little apartment. The drain pipes under his kitchen sink were leaking. Two men came to fix them. Dear son had to leave to go to school. Before he left, he explained that both sides of the sink were leaking and even pointed with his finger to the exact place they were leaking. The men said they would fix them and lock up when they left. He came home from class and found his front door unlocked and one side of the sink fixed.

He is working as a teaching assistant in an American History class. Friday, he graded quizzes. Two hundred and twenty quizzes to be exact. It took him 6 hours. This was just for one class.

It is still hard to get through the day without missing him. Youngest dear son and I are kind of lost until dear husband gets home from work. Oldest son calls often and emails, but it just is not the same. He calls every night before we go to bed and we put him on speaker phone. We all talk and laugh and I know he is in safely for the night.

I still have an empty, unsettled feeling most of the time. Like something is just not quite right. For 23 years, there were three of us. For fourteen of those years, there were four of us. Now we are back down to three. Four was better.