Road Kill Cafe

Ernesto turned out to be nothing more than a rainmaker for Florida. This I am very happy to hear.

We talked to our oldest daughter yesterday and she told us that most businesses were closing down, including the one where she works. This is definitely in contrast to what a lot of businesses have done in the past.

During the approach of Hurricane Charley a few years ago, the restaurant I worked for didn’t close down until the last minute. This left me with a harrowing drive home, into the teeth of the storm. I finally made it home only minutes before the brunt of the hurricane hit. I think that it was the longest 20 mile drive I have ever made. Not knowing even if I would be able to make it home and staying at the restaurant was not an option, per the franchise owners. The thought of having to spend the storm stuck in my little car was not a happy one, needless to say my decision to no longer work for these folks was made shortly after this incident.

I was glad to hear that both my daughters and sons employers were not that stupid.

Now it may sound funny for us to be watching a storm that will probably impact Florida, a state far removed from the gulch. However, we have two of our kids and their families that still live in SW Florida. So the watching and monitoring continues for us.

I hope that they are watching the progress of Ernesto. I hope that they have their hurricane supplies in place already. I know from experience just how crazy things become with the approach of a storm, and how quickly things disappear from store shelves.

Even-though, at the moment, Ernesto has been downgraded to a tropical storm, it is quite possible for it to re-strengthen to a hurricane. We have seen this happen before, especially with Hurricane Charley a couple of years ago.

We will continue to monitor the progress of the storm and will be in contact with our kids.

We went to the fair yesterday with some of Jeff2s family. I think that a good time was had by all.

The fair was quite large and due to the fact that the fair grounds are located right next door to Six Flags, the amusement park rides were open to the fair goers. Being a rollercoasteraholic, this was good news to me! More about that a bit later……

We started our day at the fair by looking through various exhibits and entries. Everything from photragrapy to sewing/quilting and jams, jellies and other varied food entries.

One of my favorites was the cow barn. I loved the aroma, the sweet smell of hay and cow…..OK I may be crazy, but I love that aroma. One of the first cows we came across was a Jersey. This is by far my favorite breed of cow. The fawn color of their coats, large eyes and delicate features. This is also my favorite type of fresh milk. They do not give the large quantity of milk like a Holstein, but their milk has a much better flavor due to the high butterfat content. This is the type of cow that I would eventually like to have here at the gulch.

We also looked at goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese and pigeons. I guess that I am still just an old farm-girl at heart and could have easily spent more time in the barns. But other adventures were beckoning………..

We stopped and had some over priced and relatively greasy lunch, but what is a trip to the fair without indulging in fair food? Besides, who cannot be tempted with all the delicious smells from a food area? Hickory smoke, onion rings, corn dogs and funnel cake all mixed together to tantalize your appetite.

After lunch we were off to the rides. There were the more standard carnival rides along with the rides available in the Six Flags section. My favorite among the carnival rides is the Tilt-a-Whirl. I could ride that thing until I got sick. But we wanted to save most of our ride coupons for the roller coasters in the amusement park…….

We rode all the coasters they had available. A stand up coaster, suspended coaster, wooden coaster………I loved them all. We even took in the one water ride that was open. Naturally we came off that ride soaked, but it was a rather warm day and the soaking felt good!

Six Flags has a Sky Coaster. Basically you are strapped into a harness, hauled up 180 feet, pull a rip cord and swing! Jeff2 and his cousin rode this one. I wish I had the video camera with me, that footage would have been priceless! They really enjoyed the experience and both said that they would do it again, even-though much trepidation was experienced by his cousin in anticipation of the ride. She just kept saying “I can’t believe I am going to do this”.

The day was puncuated on both ends by thunderstorms with outragous lightning, but in between it was sunny, warm and humid. All in all a great day to be at the fair!

Jeff2 was out mowing the pasture just a bit ago, the tractor decided it was time for mechanical failure. It is possibly a connecting rod and probably more. Now there is water in the crankcase and the poor thing was spewing steam from the stack.

While it is not completely dead, it is in critical condition. It is probably going to take a rebuild. We are hoping that the block isn’t cracked. Right now it is still too hot to do much of a diagnosis.

Our grandson, Hunter, loves that tractor. We had better, for many reasons, have it up and running again before they move up here in February. That boy would be heartbroken if he couldn’t go for rides with “papa” on the tractor. I guess we will have to do everything we can to save it.

I didn’t think that I was going to even have any tomatoes this year. The plants did not appear to be doing well earlier in the season. But I guess they got a second wind.

Not all of the tomatoes I planted came up or survived, but those that did are bearing very well. Both the Big Boys and the Romas have put out lots of fruit, and the Romas are still blooming.

Depending on just how many I end up with, I may have to re-evaluate how many I plant next year. At the rate the few plants are putting out fruit, if all the plants had survived, I would be swimming in tomatoes.

I have been impressed with the Big Boys. They are a large, solid tomato, heavy for their size. They are excellent sliced on sandwiches, in wedges for salad and prepared for canning/freezing. I will definitely be planting them again next year.

The Romas have outdone them selves in the production department. The amount of fruit that each plant has produced has been amazing. The fruit is large for a Roma and their flavor is also excellent.

I have harvested a few tomatoes so far and am keeping a close eye on the rest. There are quite a few that should be ready in the next couple of days.

We finally got some rain yesterday, and I’m sure that will help. Even the yard was turning brown in spots. We are supposed to have some more rain today. This weather pattern has been good for more that the rain we have gotten out of it, it has also been cooler.

One book that changed your life?

Illusions by Richard Bach

One book that you have read more than once?

That is tough, due to the fact that if I enjoy a book I always read it multiple times. But I will choose The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

One book you would want on a desert island?

A large blank journal and something with which to write.

One book that made you laugh?

Anything by Patrick F McManus

One book that made you cry?

A Parting Gift by Frances Sharkey

One book you wish had been written?

How To Choose Your Family. It is one of life’s injustices that you don’t get to choose your own relatives.

One book that you wish had never been written?

I can’t come up with a good one for this. There are many I could choose, but then I would be tromping on someones right to creative expression.

One book you are currently reading?

Walt’s Gulch by Joel Simon

One book that you have been meaning to read?

Another tough one. I have such a list. I think I would have to wish for more time to read. Maybe this winter when outdoor projects slow down here at the gulch.

I am supposed to tag five people here……….if anyone is interested tag yourself and let me know in the comments.

If you love yard sales and the like, do I have a recommendation for you. Every year during the first week end in August is the hi-way 127 corridor yard sale. It is a yard sale that stretches for 450 miles. It starts in Kentucky goes through Tennessee and into Alabama.

You can find just about anything you are looking for somewhere along the route. In the distance between our gulch and the nearest good sized town, it would probably take us the better part of a day just to look at everything available. And that is a distance of just 15 miles.

So I am going to take some time out tomorrow and Sunday to look around. I didn’t find out about this event until people were renting out spaces and setting up shop. Next years sale starts on Aug 2…………..if you want to overdose on yard sales, this is the event for you!

As the oppressive heat and humidity drags on, I find my thoughts turning to fall. Not all that unusual to be sure. I’d bet that lots of folks are thinking about cooler weather. Even our daily breeze has failed us lately. Our world seems to languishing under a heavy mantle of unrelenting heat and humidity. I will be glad to see this weather pattern move on……

The tomatoes apprear to be happy however. The still green fruits are getting larger and the plants are putting on even more tomatoes. I don’t know whether to wish for them to ripen all at once, or a few at a time. Both scenarios present unique challenges.

One of our dogs had decided to go and visit the world outside of the fenced yard the other day. He managed to create an opening in the chain link on one of the gates and squeeze his 120+ lb body through. Our first clue that he was out was when we heard the cry of an injured dog. He had run out in front of a passing car.

After hearing this we were out the front door in a flash. He came limping up to us, crying in pain. He was struck near his left front shoulder, he has some minor abrasions, but his whole leg is swollen. I do not believe that he has any broken bones, even-though he took a good whack from the car. He is just very bruised and does not want to put any weight on that leg. We are watching him closely. Hopefully the swelling will begin to diminish soon and he will remember that cars are not a good thing to challenge.