Pandemic Times, November 1 - 7

 Sunday, November 1

All-Saints Day. Mother, Clara Nelle Taylor Westmoreland, was among the saints that we recognized this year. Many church members knew her. The Sunday routine is being re-established.  I have mixed feelings, having enjoyed the quiet pace of Sundays at home.  My SS lesson was on unity from the perspective of John Wesley.  He was amazingly progressive in his thinking.  I took a dozen pears for Bonnie and another dozen I delivered to Mary Mills.  I enjoyed a brief driveway visit with her. 

Monday, November 2

Baking day started at around 8 am.  The levain was prepared before bedtime las night and I started the actual baking of the loaves at about 4 pm.  The whole process is about 24 hours. Sitting at the dining table, between rises, I thought I saw a few Cedar Waxwings at the pond and bird bath.  They often travel with migrating Robins. I've seen more Robins than usual, but not large flocks like we get sometimes.  It was impossible to get a picture through the window and the migrating birds are not habituated to our movements like our home-birds are.

Kathy came over for a drink and visit around 5.  It was too chilly to sit outside and I needed to be close to the stove anyway.  Our visit was warm and welcomed.  The bread turned out good, so I sent her home with a loaf.

Tuesday, November 3

Election Day has finally arrived!  Of course, we voted weeks ago by mail-in ballot. Anyone over 65 in Tennessee is eligible to request an absentee ballot.  I picked up Walter at 9:30 and we reported to the Election Commission office in Loudon before 10 am.  We were on one of the three 6-person counting teams.  Each team processed 1200 ballots.  The process was tedious, but secure.  The actual ballots were scanned, so we did not know any totals when we left later in the evening.  We all knew that we were stuck in the building until the pols closed at 8 pm (or later if necessary).  Fortunately, the process was well-organized and we were finished before 8.

When I got home, I learned just how close the results were so far.  Trump was already declared the winner in Florida. In some states where the Dems thought they might take a Senate seat turned out to be clear Rep wins. As midnight approached, it was clear that there would be no decisive winner declared for several days at least.  Of course, the Republicans swept Tennessee.

Wednesday, November 4

We woke up to uncertain election results as votes are still being counted.  It is very close and I determined to not watch TV until after 5 pm.  I can't change any outcome today.

I spent a couple of hours posting worship and updating the church website.  That is a first of the month job. Then Amanda and I went into town to post a couple of packages, pick up lunch and eat our picnic at LC Park.  Once again, feeding the ducks was the day's highlight.

Then I was back to the computer for Santa's Helper shopping. Kathy came over at 5 to share a glas of wine on the deck.  

At the end of the day, there was still no election decision, but Biden's chances are looking better.

Numbers:

TN has 3445 new cases today, the 3rd highest count.  In the US, the news reported that there were more than 100,000 new cases today.

TN Dept of Health:  3445 new cases today; 269,802 total case count; 0-10, 13,158; 11-20, 35,703

Loudon County: 1775 total case count; 13 deaths to-date; 13 new cases today, 20.3 case rate; 9.5% pos rate  These numbers are bad but not the worse.

Thursday, November 5

When I woke up this morning, I realized that I completely forgot our wedding anniversary yesterday.  In 48 years that has never happened.  I didn't realize that I was THAT absorbed in the election news and COVID news.  We had a good laugh about it.  Later in the day, Bill bought be a sweet card - two kids, still in love, with a picture of a pair of little goats.

Amanda is back to workouts today, so I was out early.  I went to WalMart for some Santa Helper shopping mid-morning and then to FRC to sort packages.  Judith and I have been ordering from Amazon and WalMart, so it is necessary to open each box/package, determine who it is for and label it with the child's code.  I worked until about noon and then visited with my friends there while eating our various lunches.  

Friday, November 6

Back to town once again this morning on church business and a meeting with Cindy at GSC. The long-serving Clinet Services Manager, Judy Howell, had to retire to care for her husband who broke his leg.  They are both well into their 80s. Judy has been an amazing repository of community knowledge and has served the center with passion and compassion for the community. Cindy and I talked about the job mechanics of the job search process - seems I am to chair the committee.

I went to Bonnie's for a lunch visit and was home early in the afternoon.  These fall afternoons have been perfect for deck-sitting around 5 o'clock.  With earlier sunsets we are getting more shade for our wine/beer time.

Saturday, November 7

After several tense days of vote counting, at mid-day Biden was declared the winner and President-Elect by all the media outlets, even FOX.  Of course, Trump is not accepting the defeat yet and is making claims of voter fraud and a stolen election (has been doing so all week). No credible evidence has been produced to support his claims.  Pennsylvania became the deciding state with Nevada, Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia and Alaska still undecided.  Biden leads in both Electoral College and popular votes. The Senate balance is still undecided, too.

Football Vols don't kick off until 7:30. They are playing Arkansas so we have hope.  My White Chicken Chili was in the crock pot before 1 pm.   Kathy is making cornbread and Bonnie is bringing her famous eggs and a Mrs. Edwards Key Lime Pie.   We eat well, regardless of game results.

On this lovely fall afternoon, Bill helped me clean up the garden, put aways hoses and tomato cages. Many years, I don't get around to this job in the fall.  It is a pleasure to see the garden ready for winter.  There are still herbs to harvest, but I didn't plant any fall greens.  I'm sorry now! It was nice to be working outside together. I picked another basket of pears, 27 pounds.  Don't know what I'll do with them. While working in the garden, I declared this "Getting Rid of the Old to Make Way for the New" day.  That will be my theme for tomorrow's SS lesson.

Pandemic Times, October 25 - 31

Sunday, October 25

We resumed in-house worship today and Sunday School as well.  I facilitated my class and probably will most Sundays through Advent and until we start a new topic in January.  Church attendance was 34. 

The afternoon weather was lovely for a walk through the park and back around the corner for a picture of the Dinsmore-Jones house.  I got my 10,000 steps today!

After supper I got a "Marco Polo" response from Owen regarding my latest "Science Challenge."  I had sent him a video picture of two leaves and asked him to find all the similarities and differences.  He did a very good job of noticing details.  Marco Polo is a video sharing app that David's family uses for safely sharing.  

Marco Polo Screen Shot

Monday, October 26

I woke up thinking about the basket of pears I picked a few days ago.  Today is the day to do something with them.  I have enough pear honey, so these will be canned in a light syrup.  They will make great salads all winter.  From start to finish took all day.  I started with about 17 lbs of pears and ended with 3 quart jars and 4 pint-and-a-half jars for the pantry.

For supper I made lemon-sauced chicken thighs.  I hardly left the kitchen all day!

Tuesday, October 27

Between picking up Amanda from early work-out and taking her to after-school batting practice, Bill and I went to Knoxville.  These days, that is an occasion! Our primary goal was River Sports on Sutherland Ave to look for a replacement kayak.  We didn't buy anything, but we settled on getting a Wilderness System Tarpon 105 in Mango (color scheme) to replace the one that was lost.

On the way back down Kingston Pike, we stopped at Whole Foods and the Asian grocery.  After a take-out burger from Backyard Burgers, we made one last stop at the liquor store to stock up.

Later in the afternoon, Bill found a visitor (actually probably a resident) on its way to the garage.  He manage to detour it but it will be back, no doubt.  It is a harmless Eastern Garter Snake, but we still don't want to run into it unexpectedly in the garage.

Eastern Garter Snake, a little more than 2 ft long

I got a new cookbook from America's Test Kitchen last week called simply "Bowls." With some of the special ingredients from the Asian market and left-over chicken thighs, I made Bibimbap.  It turned out great!

Wednesday, October 28

Santa's Helper at Family Resource Center kicked off today when Judith and I met with Susan to start buying gifts for families on the lists who have not been "adopted."  Families apply and are approved by the FRC using income guidelines and their own knowledge of the family needs.  So far, there are 125 families on the approved list.  I don't know how many children. Our church adopts 5 children and the mission committee will shop and wrap for them.  We will dedicate the gifts in a church service on the 2nd Sunday of Advent and deliver the gifts to the school FRC for distribution.  The sponsor only knows the first name of each child, their clothing size and gift wish list (limited to 3 items). This year many more sponsors are electing to give money instead of adopting children and shopping for them.  As FRC shoppers, Judith and I will be busy.  We will purchase as much as possible online from Walmart and Amazon. We will not focus as much on wrapping gifts since we have more shopping to do.  We will provide gift wrap for the families instead.

For supper, I made another new dish - cod, baked on a bed of sliced red and orange sweet peppers, served over vermicelli with asparagus on the side.

Thursday, October 29

Hurricane Zeta cam ashore in Louisiana last night, but also left a lot of damage on the Mississippi gulf coast.  It is the 27th named storm of the season and the 5th to hit Louisiana this year.  It was predicted to be a Cat 1, but came ashore 1 mph short of Cat 3.  The powerful storm raced through AL, GA, NC and VA on its way our to sea. 

We had a lot of rain overnight in advance of the storm.  School was called off for the day.  I'm not sure it it was weather or covid related.  Either way, Amanda didn't have workouts and I didn't have to go out early on a rainy morning.  Instead, she and I went to Chik-Fil-A and took our lunches to LC Park to feed the ducks.

Later in the afternoon, Bill and I had a lovely walk up Brock Way.  Pork chops, purple hull peas and green beans for supper.  The garden is still paying dividends from the freezer.

Friday, October 30

Is it Friday yet? All day yesterday, I had a Friday feeling.  But today must be Friday because I had lunch with Bonnie, even though we're no longer having Friday video sessions.  I first went to Walmart at Turkey Creek to pick up a gift item that I had order for Santa Helper and then delivered it to FRC. 

I finished my online course.  The final assignment was an online prayer for unity.  I will use some of the ideas of unity for my SS lesson this week. There was nothing else remarkable about the day except for our taco supper.

Election day is getting close and COVID is getting worse.  These are anxious times.  I've been thinking about Anna and Jake all day.  This is the day for packing the truck for their move to Newport.  Deb and John and helping, along with Heather and Jarrett.  Anna has everything packed in boxes and labeled, I'm sure.  

Saturday, October 31

I enjoyed a day without getting in the car, after an active week. I prepared a Sunday School lesson, did some laundry and went for a walk.  I also made a few masks- one for me and four to share.  The best thing about the day was its simple ordinariness.

Anna and Jake are having anything but an ordinary day.  This is moving day for them.  Truck was loaded and they stayed with Heather's family last night.  Heather and Jarret are driving them and a loaded U-haul from Virginia to Rhode Island.  They have all been in our hearts and minds all day.

This afternoon I picked another basket of pears with the intention of sharing most of them.

Halloween never brings trick-or-treaters to our country door.  However, I texted Amy next door to bring Lincoln and Tucker over to show off their costumes and get a little candy.  They were adorable as the Hulk and a Swat Team guy.

Daylight savings time ends tonight, so I enjoyed one last long evening and a beautiful sunset.  Then Fried Rice for supper!

Numbers: Oct 31

TN Dept of Health: 260,672 cases; 3353 deaths; 
        0-10 - 12,733 cases;  11-20 - 34, 477 cases

Loudon County: 1711 cases; 155 active; 13 deaths; 
        26.2/100,000 case rate; 12.2 pos rate

White House Orange Zone.  The White House category is looking back and comparing to previous weeks.

Pandemic Times, October 18-24

Sunday, October 18

We had a beautiful clear day with no wind for our outdoor worship experience.  Pastor Kristie asked me to offer the prayer.  We had a few songs and a short devotional.  About 26 people attended.  Before leaving for church I started some red beans and a ham bone.  After I got home, I got that into the crock pot with some chopped onions, celery and peppers.

During the afternoon, I worked on some fall-themed masks for the Missouri Whitakers like the ones I made for the Matzeks.

I fed my sourdough starter and before bed I made the levain to be ready to bake on Monday.  I used the leftover starter to make a focaccia to go with the Red Beans & Rice for tonight.  That's andouille sausage floating in the bean/ham broth. Both turned into a great supper.

Monday, October 19

I started the bread before breakfast.  It is an all day, off-and-on process.  Since I would be close to the kitchen all day and had pears picked and ready to use, I also undertook another batch of pear honey.  So between bread steps, during the rising, I washed, peeled and chopped pears.  Then cooked them with sugar, jarred them and processed them in the water bath. I hardly left the kitchen all day.  

By 5 pm I was almost finished, just the baking left to be done.  And I was almost done in! I sat on the deck for a well-earned rest and a dose of "back medicine." Melanie and I had a nice chat, too.  We had been texting throughout the afternoon.

I baked first the loaf that proofed in the new banneton (basket), using my new cast iron combo cooker. My ancient dutch oven has worked well, but I wanted to try a new cast iron.  The first load turned out beautifully - the best yet. The other two were just ok.

I was glad to have Red Beans & Rice leftover for supper, with a salad and focaccia.

Tuesday, October 20

I went to Oak Ridge for lunch with Marie.  We haven't gotten together for a couple of months and I had not been to her house except for one brief visit.  We ate on her patio and had a great conversation.  We often talk church and/or theology.   She is my only friend (except Anna) who is interested in that kind of conversation. I stopped for Chinese before leaving town so that we will have a treat for supper. 

Bill had a squamous cell skin cancer removed from his left forearm this afternoon.  He wasn't feeling so well when he finally got home.  The incision is almost 4 inches.

Wednesday, October 21

Bill and I had thought we would drive to Fall Creek Falls for a fall-color tour today, but he didn't feel like making that long drive.  We decided to drive (RV of course) across Ft. Loudoun Lake to south Loudon County to check out two campgrounds and have a picnic.  It was a beautiful fall day, sunny and warm.

We drove through Yarberry Campground on Ft. Loudon Lake and then on to Lauderdale Cove Campground on Tellico Lake.  Lauderdale Cove is down toward Greenback.  We took Axley Chapel Rd, which turned out to be a scenic but narrow and winding country lane.  Axley Chapel is a beautiful, historic UMC, which appears well-kept and vibrant.  It is a traditional white board country church.  I wish I had taken a picture. Both campgrounds were nice, and scenic on the lake, but neither appealed to our taste - too congested. We enjoyed our picnic at Lauderdale Cove. 

On the way back we took National Campground Rd.  I have heard of National Campground but knew very little about it and had never visited the site.  The site was a Union Army encampment during the Civil War as General Sherman's army rested there in preparation for the siege of Knoxville.

After the war, in 1873-74, a group of former Union and Confederate soldiers established the site for religious camp meeting for the purpose of creating "union" in the region.  A large open-shed tabernacle built in 1874 still stands today. Many different denominations were represented in the founding and in the annual revival meetings that are still held every fall.  

https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/national-campground/

Thursday, October 22

We gathered again on Connie's deck for our monthly neighbor lunch today. Five us enjoyed the beautiful view of the Cumberland Mountains and the hillsides just turning orange, red and brown.  The colors are still spotty.  Linda was able to come today, joining Connie, Marilyn, Kathy and me.  We hadn't seen her in months, so that was a treat.

After I got home, I took Amanda for a practice drive - her driving practice, not mine! She wanted some lunch so she drove us to Chik-Fil-A where she navigated the drive-through.  We then decided to go to Lenoir City Park on the lakefront so she had to manage a U-turn on Hwy 321.  She did a great job and got us home safely.  At the part, we enjoyed feeding the ducks.

Friday, October 23

No video recording this Friday! We will have church in the sanctuary this week and will begin recording the service live for rebroadcast later.  I met Bonnie for an early lunch at Burgers then I went to Food City for groceries and BBQ.  Their smoker truck is in town and I got some pulled pork for our game-day supper tomorrow. For Bill and me, I got ribs for tonight.  I fried eggplant slices for our side-dish.

Saturday, October 24

Bonnie will join us again at the Brocks to watch UT get creamed by Alabama. We all just hope that we can hold them to under 50 points and score a few for our side.  The game didn't start until 3:30, so I had time to get some housework done.  The game went as expected We ended with a 48-17 loss.  Somehow, it didn't seem as bad as last week's loss to Georgia.  The best part was the food and company.  Bonnie brought her deviled eggs, I made slaw to go with the BBQ pork and Kathy added baked beans and baba ganoush.

Numbers:

Earlier this week I though that the number of new cases in Loudon County might be on a downward trajectory, but the last 2 days they shot up again with 46 new cases. US had the highest daily total of new cases on 10/23.

US, NY Times
    8.584,100 total cases; 85,085 new cases; 925 new deaths; 224,400 total deaths
The 14-day change in new cases is +34%

TN is listed among the states where new cases are increasing and are above 15/100,000/day. TN ranks 8th in the total number of cases /100,000 and 10th in the number of new cases/100,000.

TN Dept of Health: 
+2574 new cases since yesterday; 244,087 total cases;
+24 new deaths; 3100 total deaths; 
11,912 cases age 0-10; 32,320 cases age 11-20; the relative percentages of 5 and 13 have stayed steady

Loudon County
1612 total cases; 150 active cases; 11 deaths; 47 hospitalized
7-day avg case rate is 26.2/100,000
14-day avg of new cases is 16.0
pos rate = 10.3%

The last day that I recorded numbers was Oct 14, 10 days ago.  Loudon County has added 129 new cases and 2 deaths since then.

Pandemic Times, October 11-17

Sunday, October 11

We had our outdoor church inside this morning because of rainy weather.  About 22 people were there and everyone seemed to enjoy it.   Regular services and Sunday School are scheduled to resume on October 25.  I am glad for a rainy afternoon to catch up on blog posting.  I'm behind online having not posted since September 20 - 3 weeks!

As the numbers attest, the rate of Covid cases in Loudon County is increasing and we are in the Red Zone.  We are not safe, yet somehow we think we are.  The President returned to the White House earlier in the week and he had not been humbled by his experience.  He is scary!

Numbers:

Johns Hopkins - Global: 37,300,677 cases confirmed (many more likely); 1,074,412 deaths

                        - US: 7,733,258 cases confirmed; 214,599 deaths

TN Dept of Health from Oct 10
            212,649 cases, +1646 since yesterday; 2,758 deaths; 0-10 10,525 cases; 11-20 28,356 cases

Loudon County: 1396 cases; 190 active; 9 deaths
            case rate 37.0/100,000; pos rate 12.0%

Monday, October 12

As I write this, it is Thursday morning.  My goal is to write each morning about the prior day's activitiy, while I can still remember. But too often I get up with another more urgent task to be done and I don't get around to writing the log. It's not that I'm that busy all day, but it is a matter of focus and attention.  If you've followed my blog for a while you know that it is not a journal of personal reflection, although I occasionally wander there.  It is not record of politics of the nation, although I occasionally mention current events other than tracking the progress of coronavirus. I started this daily log as a way to keep track of my daily life when everything "normal" was put on hold by the quarantine.  It has been very helpful to remind me that I do something useful and different every day; that "normal" is not really normal; and that life is an accumulation of small moments, not big events.

Monday, as usual, was a day made up of small events.  Most of my time was spent posting last week's blog which included the trip to Cataloochee and lots of pictures.  Going through pictures and choosing a few favorites from more than 50 is time-consuming.  There were pictures and video from both the camera and phone to upload and sort. Even more time-consuming is working with video and I got side-tracked on that. Also, today I began an online course through BeADisciple for Lay Servant certification the the UMC. The book arrived mid-day and I read the intro and complete the first assignment. 

 

For supper I made pork chops with fresh cut corn and fried okra.  Thank you Bonnie for the vegetables from the Farmer's market.

The Matzeks got home from their beach trip late this afternoon and we took LeRoy home just before supper.

Tuesday, October 13

We talked about going for a walk, but the early morning was cool and foggy. We decided to make a needed trip to Walmart instead.  It was the first time that I've been shopping in Walmart since the end of February when I stocked up on supplies in anticipation of quarantine. Later in the day, we never found time for that walk.

The online course that I'm working on is called, "The Method of Our Mission - United Methodist Polity and Organization."  It sounds a bit dry, but the facilitator is skilled. I've taken one of her courses in the past. I expect to spend an hour or two each weekday on the course - reading, writing a response to discussion questions, and responding to the online discussion board.  I like that it is asynchronous and I can work on it at my convenience.

I picked some more pears in the afternoon and had a delightful encounter with my two little neighbors, Tucker and Lincoln, under the pear tree.  They even followed me home and Papaw Bill had to follow on his 4-wheeler to retrieve them.

Supper was fried rice using the leftover pork chops.

Numbers:  Loudon County- 1459 cases; 43 hospitalized; 9 deaths
                  case rate, 7-day avg: 37.0/100/000; pos rate 13.4%; continuing in Red Zone and getting worse

Wednesday, October 14

Our morning walk was put off again.  The pears that I picked last week were ripening fast, so I decided to can them.  From about 12 pounds of pears, I filled two quart jars and four pint & half (24 oz) jars.  I quarter them and cook them slightly in a light syrup and process in a water bath. It took about 4 hours.

Working on my course plus other odds and ends consumed the rest of my day until it was time to make supper. Tonight's menu was hamburger steaks & gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans.  I had the TV on while working in the kitchen and listened to some of the Supreme Court nomination hearing for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. She is a very conservative person and judge being pushed through by Senators McConnell and Graham, even though the election is underway.  Early voting started today in Tennessee and many other states.

The rate of new Coronavirus cases are trending upward in the US, in Tennessee and in Loudon County.

Thursday, October 15

I decided today that if I wanted to get some face masks made for Halloween, then I'd better get busy.  Claire is expected home for the weekend and I want to be sure I have one or two for her to take back to school.

I took time out for a boat ride up the lake with Bill.  The fall colors are not at peak, but beautiful nonetheless.  Maybe we'll be able to do it again next week.

Osprey in the tree-top

Working on my online course takes at least an hour every day, maybe more if the reading is longer.  It is not exciting, but may prove useful when we face a pastoral change.

Friday, October 16

This is the last Friday recording session.  Next week, on the 25th, we will meet in-house and record live for posting on the following Tuesday.  We now have 2 video cameras and new tripods, so my phone camera and tripod will no longer be needed.  I will probably be needed to turn one of the camcorders on and off. We have also just gotten approved a bid for installing some extra lighting in the sanctuary. And the conference came through with a $3000 grant to help us.  Finally, they have done something good for us.

I had a good conversation with PK after our session and then lunch with Bonnie.  She and I will have to make a new plan!  Not long after I got home, Claire and Amanda cam over for a visit. Claire needed to print a worksheet for a class assignment.  After they left, I finished the masks for Claire and Amanda. They are all reversible. 

I had picked up a piece of tuna at the grocery which went well with baked sweet potatoes and asparagus for supper.

Saturday, October 17

Today was another perfect fall day.  We went to the Brocks for noon football, Bonnie, too. UT suffered a disappointing loss to KY, but the Subway sandwiches and the company were good.  Kathy made a pear upside down cake which was very good.

I finished several more masks while Bill took a post-game nap.  We took them over to the Matzeks and had a nice late afternoon visit.  We were in the mood for a simple supper, so I make Ramen noodles.  I used the cheap package, but subbed some beef broth for part of the water and added chopped onion, carrot, celery, sweet red pepper and left-over peas.  It was very satisfying.  

Tonight gave us another beautiful clear-sky sunset.

Pandemic Times, October 4 - 10

Sunday, October 4

If not for Hurricane Sally two weeks ago, we would be leaving today for Orange Beach for a 10 day stay at Wind Drift, with the Matzeks and Missouri Whitakers joining us for a long weekend.  Our condo cancelled all rentals because of the wind and water damage.  Instead, I went to Trinity's 2nd outdoor gathering this morning. It is not a full worship service, so we aren't calling it that.  The weather was perfect.  I gave the devotional, a 5-minute meditation on Communion because today is World Communion Sunday.  I didn't write a full text, just notes, so I haven't included it in my "Sermons and Essays.  The gist of is was that Communion is a coming together and finding unity that supercedes our differences and World Communion is an opportunity to look for and celebrate diversity in our community. About 20 people attended.

Sunday afternoon was restful as it should be. I did find time and energy to mow the garden and I needed that bit of exercise.

Amanda did not play up to her own expectations in the golf tournament, shooting 100 both days.  She said that on the 2nd day of 18 holes she just ran out of steam.  However, it was a good experience to compete in a statewide match.

Monday, October 5

Monday started with picking up Amanda from softball workout before breakfast.  After breakfast, Bill and I had a nice walk, taking our usual route through the park.  

The big project of the day was making pear honey from some of the pears I picked on Wednesday.  Ten plus pounds if pears peeled, cored and coarsely chopped took me about an hour.  The pears were then put through the food processor in small batches and put into my big pot.  Twelve cups (6 pounds) of sugar was stirred in the cooked "until clear."  We are not making jelly, so not pectin or sure-jell is required.  Pint and half-pint jars were run through the dishwasher while I was working on the pears.  When the pear/sugar mixture was cooked enough, it was ladled into the jars and processed in a water-bath to sterilize and seal.  The recipe produced 7 pints and 7 half-pints.  I don't know how my grandmother did it without the modern conveniences that I have.  She worked on a small gas stove and until later years did not have air-conditioning in Mississippi. 

We are not making jelly, so not pectin or sure-jell is required.  Pint and half-pint jars were run through the dishwasher while I was working on the pears.  When the pear/sugar mixture was cooked enough, it was ladled into the jars and processed in a water-bath to sterilize and seal.  The recipe produced 7 pints and 7 half-pints.  I don't know how my grandmother did it without the modern conveniences that I have.  She worked on a small gas stove and until later years did I don't know how my grandmother did it without the modern conveniences that I have.  She worked on a small gas stove and until later years did not have air-conditioning in Mississippi. 

I fixed an early supper of pork chops and lima beans before heading off to a church meeting to finish a busy day.

Tuesday, October 6

Another beautiful fall day!  Temperatures are trending closer to normal after being cooler for several days.  This is the first year since I retired that we have experienced an East Tennessee October.  I am really enjoying the early fall change of season.  Our morning walks are crisp and we see more change of color every day.

Today's project was to get ready for our trip to Cataloochee tomorrow for one overnight in the RV. Laura, Mike and Amanda are heading to the beach at Destin tomorrow afternoon to arrive on Thursday.  Ironically, Hurricane Delta (we've run through the alphabet have are on the the Greek names) will be impacting the Gulf Coast this weekend.  If we were there, we would likely be impacted.

Numbers:

    US: 7,519,600 cases; 210,500 deaths

    TN: 205,375 cases, +1676 since yesterday; 2,621 deaths; 0-10 - 10,181; 11-21 - 27,436

    Loudon County: 1319 cases; 171 active; 8 deaths
            31.7/100,00 case rate for last 7 days, The case rate has increases for the last 2 weeks
            11.1% pos rate, 7-day avg  

        Loudon County is in the Red Zone as defined by White House guidelines.  All trends are getting worse

Wednesday, October 7

We always like to record the time that we leave and the mileage when we start a trip.  We often forget to record the time and mileage when we get back home! Today we left at 9:17 am (mi 99,181) in the RV for the Cataloochee Valley on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  We travel on I-40 into the mountains and get off at the Maggie Valley/Lake Junaluska exit #20.  At 11:46 am we were exiting the interstate and embarking on the adventure (mi 99,293).  After a brief stop for gas and firewood, we started down Cove Creek Rd at noon.  The road goes from paved two-lane to paved one-lane and then to gravel. We steadily climbed the narrow switchback and reached the park entrance at the top of the mountain ridge (mi 99,299.6).  The road going up drops off steeply on the outside (passenger side).  It is a very uncomfortable experience for me being on the edge of the cliff, especially when we met a car coming down.  Fortunately there were enough wide places to pull over.  We made it across the gravel switchbacks and down to the pavement at 12:39 (mi 99,301.3).  The three miles of gravel took about 20 minutes drive time.

After a brief stop at the scenic overlook, we checked into our campsite #13 at 1 pm, just in time for a lunch picnic of salmon spread and apples. Our campsite was spacious and scenic.  

From my recliner
Green and blue in harmony
The view is awe-filled.

At 3 pm we left for the area of the valley where we hoped to hike and/or see the elk.  Our plan had been to drive to the end of the paved road, then continue for another mile on a gravel road where we would park and walk another mile to a restored homesite, the "Woody Place." We hoped to see elk in the fields or woods along the way.  Last year they were almost in the road where the paved road changed to gravel.  

We found that the gravel road was blocked, closed to vehicles because of road repairs. So we walked the mile to the trailhead, not seeing any wildlife.  There were plenty of people, though. After a short rest beside the Cataloochee River (Creek), we continued on the wooded trail, walking alongside the river for about a half mile to the first log bridge.

A rock to rest on
Called me. Unexpectedly
Beauty captured me.

About half way back on the gravel road, we spotted a herd of elk which included a large male moving through the field ahead of us. We finally caught up to them, a dozen or more including cows, calves and two young males.  Another small herd with its bull was moving away into the next field and was quickly out of sight so we stayed put. We watched the elk and took pictures and video for almost an hour.  They didn't disappoint.  The bull was very active, bugling and chasing after on or another of the cows.  When he was in pursuit, his tongue was out and licking is lips. He never succeeded in mounting one.  He chased off the two younger males who he must have thought were getting too close.

For more pictures and video go to https://photos.app.goo.gl/CYseiVkpiqpgVMoP6

On the drive back to the campsite, we passed a great crowd of people on the roadside watching a herd, probably the one we had seen earlier.  This herd was very close to the road.

Finally back at our campsite, Bill build a nice fire and we relaxed and enjoyed the fire before supper.  I brought a home-made veg-beef soup and corn muffins that just required reheating on the camp stove.  We ate by the fire and continued to appreciate its warmth.  With no electricity or running water, bedtime was early.

Thursday, October 8

We had a comfortable night, not too cold. Bill turned on the new "Little Buddy" propane heater early in the morning to knock off the chill.  It worked great but the new propane coffee maker was a complete bust.  it took over an hour to drip a scant cup of coffee and that too strong was not hot.  Bill finally got up, braved the chilly morning and started a fire and the camp stove to heat what little coffee we had, diluted to two cups.  It was almost 10 by the time we finished breakfast and were were packed and leaving the campsite by 11.  We drove back to the school house area where we had seen the elk yesterday, but they were not there.  We went searching to the other end of the valley at the Palmer House, but no luck there either.  We went through the house and barn.  By noon we were back on the gravel switchback on our way up and over the ridge.  We pronounced the trip a successful Cataloochee/elk experience.

Friday, October 9

A busy day started with video recording at church.  At noon, I went to the LoCo Dem 'headquarters at LC Park to meet Bonnie and work until 2 pm.  There were 3 other workers there, all from Tellico Village.  One woman had Mississippi Delta roots and MissState car tag.  There had been a lot of traffic from 10 am until noon, but after noon we had just one customer.

When we finished, Bonnie and I had Subway sandwiches at her house, then for me a round of grocery, pick up LeRoy at the vet, go by the Matzeks to get his things and tend to the cats and finally home at 4:30.  I really hadn't done much physical work, but it seemed tiring nonetheless.

Laura, Mike and Amanda are enjoying a short beach trip to Destin and we are dog/cat sitting.  They hope that Hurricane Delta doesn't veer east.

Saturday, October 10

Happy Birthday, Anna!

This day started rainy and continued rainy, not heavy just a steady drip that did not affect our game-watching plans.  I spent the morning baking two loaves of banana bread and one pumpkin sourdough loaf.  After the breads came out of the oven I put in the chicken wings that had been marinating all morning in a sweet teriyaki sauce.  While the wings cooked, I prepared our favorite crunchy cole slaw which I will toss together just before serving.

We got to the Brocks in time for 3:30 kickoff and in the first half the Vols looked really good.  Kathy had baba ganoush and bean dip for snacking and I brought veggie sticks to supplement the bread and chips for dipping.  At half time, we began our main course of ribs, wings, slaw and caprese salad.  The food was great but, unfortunately, the Vols playing was not!  They ended up loosing 21-45.