Sunday, September 23 - Settling Down

It's odd. School has been in session here for 6 or 7 weeks, and back in Maine for 4, yet it doesn't seem like that should be the case. I guess, psychologically, I'm not ready for school until I hear the first frost warning on the Weather Channel -- and around here, that's not likely for at least another month, maybe six weeks. So I should psychologically be ready to miss teaching by about November 1.

Temperatures this week have hovered in the mid to upper 80's, and predicted highs for Monday are 93-94 depending on what station one listens to. Our lows here are the highs in Maine, though I hear you all have had some hot ones. Bear in mind, "hot" in Maine means 85 for 2 hours; "hot" here means low 100's for two weeks.

We're settling into a routine here, which is why I haven't written much lately. I don't want to bore people with, "got up, ate breakfast, ate lunch, ate dinner, fed the fish, watched tv, went to bed". But in reality, outside of a few trips to Danville or Liberty for errands, we haven't done too much exciting here. That will change over the next two weeks though...

Paducah - The Barbecue is coming up next weekend. We're going over to Paducah to attend with Rick and Laura and anyone else who wants 12.5 TONS of good ribs within a stone's throw of the Ohio River.

Perryville - The Re-enactment is coming up October 6 and 7. Rick and Laura will be joining us from Paducah for two days of historical fun and excitement.

This past week, we drove down to Liberty (our county seat) twice. First, on Thursday, the 20th, we witnessed Pizza Hut cooking a 10 foot pizza, and enjoyed the county fair atmosphere. We also bought a quilt -- well, it's not a REAL quilt, just a large piece of fabric printed with a quilt pattern, then stitched to look like a quilt -- but nonetheless, it was made locally (not in China or Bangladesh) and it's just the right color combination and style for our house.

Then Friday the 21st, we drove west over to Lebanon (next county over, and I think in the next time zone, too), then south into Liberty, to witness the 10 foot apple pie being prepared. Disappointment! By the time we got there, about 4PM, it was already in the oven (we though it was going in at 9PM or so), and quite frankly, it wasn't much to look at. We didn't actually go back on Saturday to taste it, because we couldn't see how that one pie, big as it was, could actually feed the estimated 20,000 people who were going to show up! So Barry went to Wal-Mart, bought a frozen apple pie (very good I might add), and had our OWN Apple Festival!

Monday and Tuesday, Barry's going back to school. He's taking two computer courses (MS Word and MS Excel) a great way, and a great time to hone his computer skills, which should help in the job hunt. I'll be here mowing the edges of the lawn and driveway that I don't dare to get with the lawn tractor (that thing should have roll bars and a seat belt -- I feel I'm going to fall off most of the time). I'll also work on my online book business -- just this week I shall have added 100 or so titles, AND I've got Barry working with Adobe Acrobat making the files "searchable". His computer is MUCH faster than mine, I really appreciate the help, and he's enjoying it.

I'l post some pictures as soon as I get the chance to get them off the camera and cam-corder. The computer's been busy with business, but Monday I REALLY need to work on the pictures.

It's 10PM and the temperature is still 75 out -- we have 2 fans on, rather than turn on the A/C after the electric bill came! Everyone we've talked to says that this recent bill is the highest they've EVER had here. Well, when temps are over 100 for days on end, what do we expect? Interesting though -- back in Maine a bill for the same amount of electricity we've used would be about about $450. The next couple of months should be a lot less as we'll use neither A/C nor heat to any great extent.

That's about it for now. If I remember anything else I want to tell you, I'll just put it in another blog entry.

Sunday, September 16 - Just hanging around

Barry went up to Nicholasville again today to get a refund on the sweatshirts that were overcharged the other day. While there, he picked up a few things -- on sale, great prices. If Kohl's ever opens up in Danville, we'll both need 2nd jobs just to take care of what we buy.

Nice day today, dry, cool (about 75, maybe 65 in the shade). I did some reading on the back deck out in the warm sun -- it felt about like July in Maine.

Tonight, after dinner and after feeding the fish, I took the dulcimer out on the front porch played "Amazing Grace." It's the first time I've played the dulcimer here in Kentucky, which is most fitting since it was MADE here and I'm just bringing it back home. Anyway, Barry sat out on the porch and listened to some country music -- which of course was born here, or at least near here. We've never been able to play music outdoors wherever we've lived (at least not in the past 6-7 years) so it was a real treat. While he was playing "Country Roads" by John Denver, I really listened to the lyrics, and I think with a few changes, the song totally describes our life here.

Almost heaven, Old Kentucky
In knob country, Green and Barren Rivers
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze

Country roads, take me home
To the place, I belong
Old Kentucky, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads

All my memories, gather round her
Miners lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye

[CHORUS]

I hear her voice, in the morning hours she calls me
The radio reminds me it's my home from now on
And driving down the road I get a feeling
That I did come home yesterday, yesterday

[CHORUS]


It just seemed the lyrics fit -- the knobs were dark and dusty against a gorgeously painted sky, and we certainly DO live on a country road which takes us home.

Though it's not without its problems (what is?), we're totally happy here, and we both just KNOW we made the right move.

Oh, and did I mention that KENTUCKY beat LOUISVILLE last night? Just in case I didn't,

KENTUCKY beat LOUISVILLE last night.

Saturday evening, Sep 15 - UK beats Louisville

If you didn't see the game, the Wildcats got the Cardinals. WHAT A GAME! 40 - 34 for the first win by UK against Louisville in 5 years, and the first time UK has beaten a top 10 team in 30 years. And in this sports-crazy state, Lexington is total chaos right now...

Stay tuned...

Saturday, September 15 - Voting and Mennonites

It's only 52 days until Election Day. Plus there's an active Mennonite community here in Casey County. Now those two items may see to have nothing in common, but they actually do.

We needed to find K C's Quick Stop convenience store in Hustonville. That's where we will vote. So off we headed. Oh, and it's supposed to be on the way to south Casey County where the Mennonite community is located.

Well, we drove all over heck's kitchen in the Hustonville area, running from Ellisburg to Chicken Bristle (YES Virginia, there IS a Chicken Bristle, KY), trying to find K C's. Never did, gave up, headed for south Casey (many people don't even bother to say "Casey County" -- it's just "Casey" like you should assume they mean "Casey County". LATER: We called the store when we got home, so now at least we know where to vote -- we just didn't go far enough out KY-78.

In any event, I had read that the Mennonite community was located along KY-910 near the village of, get this, "Phil." There's a "Teddy" right down the road from "Phil" but that's for another trip. Well, we ended up at the end of KY-910 in Russell Springs, sort of hungry and thirsty so we stopped at McD's. I could say that we drove over into the Central Time Zone for a cheeseburger, but that wouldn't be exactly accurate. We DID drive over into the Central Time Zone, and happened to find McD's. You see, Casey is the western-most county in the Eastern time zone -- which is why our sunrises and sunsets are about an hour later than they are in Waterville. Yikes, the sun is barely over the knobs by 9AM here!

Well, wouldn't you know, we actually found almost NO Mennonite stores or businesses on KY-910. But we DID stop at the "Bread of Life Cafe" and bought a Penn's Ham, home-made bread, and some sorghum. A bit of explanation...

(1) Penn's Ham is a tradition around here. You may have heard of "Smithfield Ham" from Virginia -- well, Penn's is KY's version. We haven't tried it yet, but it is supposed to be "finest-kind" as we'd say in Maine. Cutter's Whistle Stop in Moreland serves ONLY Penn.

(2) The Bread of Life Cafe is a fund raiser for the Galilean Children's Home, begun by Sandy Tucker, a Mennonite, many years ago, taking in homeless children. It's an institution around here, and the cafe and a Goodwill-type store in Liberty, are the main fund raisers for the home. The restaurant offers Amish-style buffets twice a day, all you can eat of great home-cooked food for $11.95. It's not a bad price, and considering where the profits go, we need to return for dinner soon.

(3) Sorghum is a molasses-like syrup produced from the sorghum plant. It looks like corn, but the syrup is more nutritious than molasses. There are several sorghum mills around here where the sorghum cane is pressed for its juice, and the juice is then boiled down (10-1 ratio) much as maple syrup is made in Maine. Kentucky and Tennessee are the two top sorghum syrup producing states in the country.

Barry is in the kitchen now baking corn bread, on which we WILL spread the delicious (I hope), amber-colored sweet syrup. Doctors used to prescribe sorghum because of its high nutrition level, not found in other sugary syrups.

Now that we're home, I found out that most of the Mennonite/Amish businesses and shops are OFF KY-910, along South Fork Creek Road or South Fork Ridge Road, and there are literally dozens of them, ranging from leather harness stores to quilt shops. One place even advertises that it has hitching posts out front for you to tie up hour horse and buggy. Anything from quilts to cheese, bulk foods, leather goods, daylilies to sorghum and home-made jams, jellies and breads. I can see where we're going shopping for gifts in the future.

Now to dinner, and to watch or listen to the University of Kentucky (Lexington) v University of Louisville (not Lexington) football game -- it's kind of like the Sox v Yankess back in Maine. The results will be the headline in every newspaper in the state tomorrow.

The Advocate Messenger in Danville has videos of the candidates we saw yesterday -- Beshear, Conway, Fletcher, Lee (alphabetically). In the Beshear video, right at the beginning, he's referring to a totally scared squirrel running back and forth on the lawn in front of the stage. It doesn't come over well on the video, but in person it was totally hilarious!

My, what we're learning here.

Friday, September 14 - Catching up

OK, it's been awhile since I've written. Not that nothing has happened, but nothing out of the ordinary, or nothing unusual or or really noteworthy has happened. Well, now that I think about it ...

We went to a political rally today in Danville -- the first time either Barry or I had ever been to one (I hate to admit that as a former history-government teacher). It was the Constitution Square Celebration -- it was in Danville in 1792 that the Constitution for the Commonwealth of Kentucky was written, so Danville was the first capital of Kentucky. Candidates for several public offices were there -- governor, attorney general, agriculture commissioner, secretary of state -- in Maine these last three would be appointed by the governor but in Kentucky they're elected positions.

Anyway, Steve Beshear (D, challenger) and Ernie Fletcher (R, incumbent) duked it out for 15 minutes each. I have already decided how I will vote in this contest, but it was nonetheless interesting to hear both candidates. After Beshear spoke, I got a chance to shake his hand and comment on one of his political ads saying that as governor he would pass a law requiring universal health care. I reminded him that as governor he could not pass laws, and he said, quietly, "I know that." I only wish his campaign ad had not said that he could.

The candidates for Attorney-General couldn't have been more opposite. Stan Lee (R) and Jack Conway (D) were on totally opposite sides of the fence on every issue. I had been leaning toward one of them, but it only took about 20 seconds of one speech for me to confirm my choice. One of the candidates for agriculture commissioner is named "Farmer." How ironic.

After the speeches, we wandered around the 200 or so vendors (maybe we'll go back tomorrow, or maybe we'll go to Bardstown, to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival), but didn't buy anything. Possibly that was because we went up to Nicholasville yesterday, to Kohl's. It's always bad news when we go to Kohl's. I'm up for their "frequent shopper" award now -- I wonder if I can get sky miles...

We bought a rug steamer (on sale, plus 15% off) -- the house is 90% carpeted, and I figured that with a rug steamer of our own, we'd keep the carpet in better condition than we would if we rented a steamer every time we needed one (which we probably would not do until the carpet was totally beyond help). Of course, on the way, we checked out the 60%-90% clearance racks. Wouldn't you know -- we both found things we really needed. Plus we got 15% off for using our Kohl's charge card! Thank goodness Kohl's is in Nicholasville (about 35 miles away) or we'd be there every day!

We had to go to Lexington Monday, and we stopped in Frankfort at the Honda dealership there -- Barry needed a new side mirror (thanks to my lousy driving), so we ordered the mirror. Went back up to Frankfort on Wednesday to get it installed. Then off to Nicholasville on Thursday, Danville today, Bardstown tomorrow? The cat seems to wonder where we are all the time...

The house still hasn't closed -- one of these days I'll tell close friends in an email what is happening -- but it will all work out. My house in Waterville hasn't sold -- who wants a 2-apartment house in Waterville's South end, beautifully landscaped, for a steal? I've dropped the price twice now (it's down to $74,900), and no serious takers yet. I'm scared that if it doesn't sell soon I'll be paying for heat for a house that has no tenants -- and I don't want tenants in Waterville if I'm in Kentucky -- too much of a hassle, I mean, think of all the damage they could do that I would have to have repaired. Not worth the chance, so I'll keep it empty.

I mentioned the Kentucky Bourbon Festival earlier. Every day, there's something going on within 50 miles of here. We could literally be on the road every day -- Apple Festival in Liberty this coming week, Constitution Square festival in Danville now, Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, World Chicken Festival in London -- and those are just the ones I can remember for THIS week...brass bands, wine tasting, Civil War re-enactments...if I were working I'd miss 99% of it -- as it is, we'll probably still have to miss 75% of it because there's SO much going on. "Evita" in Paducah, is out this week (conflicts with the apple festival in Liberty), but the barbecue festival there NEXT week is on. Civil War in Richmond, Crab Orchard, Camp Nelson, and of course Perryville, all in the next 3 weeks, and it doesn't end with December either. Aretha Franklin at Centre College in Danville, plus a probable presidential debate at Centre next year...Hokey-smokes, doesn't anyone here take ANY time off?

Last weekend (Sep 8, Barry's birthday) it was the Butchertown Country Day, held 1/4 mile up the road. Food, music (Billyblues, of course), games, auction, just an old-fashioned country get-together. Oh my, I tried the sausage and biscuits and pineapple-carrot cake. Barry tried the boiled beans among other things. Now, another trip to Kohl's for larger clothes is in order. These folks can COOK!

On a sadder note (Alison and Senora, please tell Mei about this), we've now tried our 4th (and last) Chinese restaurant here in Danville. The best of them is OK, the worst should have had the 911 emergency number printed on the take-out menu. We ordered crab rangoon and "double happiness" (shrimp and chicken, at least I think I might have seen some chicken in it) tonight. Best I can say is that we didn't die (yet). OK, it wasn't that bad, but having had Ming Lee set the standard for good Chinese food, we just haven't found anything here that can faintly compare with the food that Mei would have thrown out at Ming Lee.

OK, got to sit down with Barry to plan our next outing -- Got to go back to Kohl's 'cause we were overcharged on 2 items. How about finding a festival on the way there or near there? There's got to be SOMETHING! OH, the Advocate (local newspaper) Brass Band is playing Sunday. Yeah, we won't get bored. Not for a LONG time.

Wednesday, September 5 - Kentucky Fried Chicken

Sanders Cafe. Doesn't sound like much, but here in little Corbin, KY, was where "Col." Harland Sanders perfected his fried chicken recipe.

Well, I had a hankering for good fried chicken this morning, and we needed to get away for awhile, so we went out for some KFC. Now this isn't JUST ordinary KFC -- well actually it is, but WHERE we went for the KFC was the real story.

You see, (or you have seen if you've clicked on the link to Sanders Cafe above), this is the reconstructed cafe where the "Original Recipe" was perfected. And it's only about 74 miles away. Now, we have a KFC in Danville (who doesn't have one?), but we've wanted to see where it all began. We've wanted to drive down to Corbin ever since we first found out about its historical significance.

So it was off to Corbin, about 29 miles from the Tennessee line. The more one reads about the life of Sanders, the more one is impressed. When I-75 bypassed the town which is on US-25 (once the main route between Illinois-Michigan area and Florida), Sanders's business basically tanked.

At age 66 (in 1956), he sold the cafe and the motel for enough to pay off the debt, and armed with $108, began to take his recipe and his "11 secret herbs and spices" around the country, selling both. Thus began the Kentucky Fried Chicken empire. In 1964, Sanders had moved to Shelbyville (where his widow, Claudia, ran "Claudia Sanders' Dinner House" -- yes, we've eaten there too -- Claudia still had THE original recipe!), and sold the franchise for $2,000,000. Not bad at 74 years old.

Sanders Cafe, truth be told, is somewhat a disappointment. The building is NOT the original, but is furnished with replica furniture, and the museum does have many Sanders-related items, so that part was quite interesting. The food is standard KFC fare, though I must admit, the chicken IS good!



We actually spent more time looking at the memorabilia, like the replica kitchen (to the left) which contains many items from Sanders's original kitchen, than we did eating. If you want to hear about it, I can tell you about the totally unruly little girl who nearly spoiled everything! But that's another story.

On the way home, we circled up through Renfro Valley (Kentucky's version of Nashville), where we hope to go for a George Jones concert later this year; and Berea, Kentucky's arts and crafts capital -- thinking Christmas shopping already!

We ended up in Richmond, home of Eastern Kentucky University (which has a campus in Danville, and I've applied for part-time faculty positions there). EKU's football team played UK last weekend and didn't do that well -- 50-10! Oh well.

Then it was back through country roads to Lancaster and Danville. We noticed that between Richmond and just east of Lancaster, EVERYTHING was brown. Cattle grazing had nothing to eat that we could notice; trees on the side of the road were brown and dying. That part of the "Bluegrass" should be renamed "Deadgrass" -- SO sad to see it looking like that. I have never seen the effects of drought to that extent. It makes our brownish lawn look absolutely lush in comparison, and we were so glad to see green grass again, as we approached Lancaster.

Barry's left foot is elevated and at last peek, the cat was sharing the futon with him (good kitty). The black-and-blue is less, but it's more swollen than it has been. Of course riding all over eastern Kentucky probably didn't help that, bbut he has a doctor's appointment in the morning to see if it's OK. He's been good about staying off it, or at least wrapping it with an Ace bandage, but it needs to be looked at (yes, Alison, I ended that one with a preposition -- should have said, "a doctor needs to look at it." There!) OH, Alison, I picked up a couple of travel brochures dealing with Civil War sites and re-enactments in KY. I'll get them off in the mail tomorrow.

With temps still in the 90s here, very much like a hot Maine July, my body is telling me that it's still summer -- NOT time for school. Casey schools have been in session for 3 weeks, Danville for 4 and Harrodsburg for 5. But it still does NOT feel like school, so I haven't missed being back in the classroom at all. I'm sure I will once the weather cools off here -- by November probably, it'll seem like fall.

Thus ends the saga of two Mainers in search of the "Holy Grail" of Fried Chicken! Time to publish, and off to bed soon.

Sunday, September 2 - Update on recent events

On Saturday morning, we had been invited to a local get-together -- read more in the next paragraph...but we were potentially ready to cancel, as our "Bluegrass Cat" had to see a vet. We've found a great one just up the road and on the first left -- "Double Doc" - a husband/wife combination with a huge farm, and a great, well-recommended practice. Evidently when Ramses went outdoors awhile ago he must have gotten into a fight with another cat because his left front paw was quite swollen and painful. He was sleeping UNDER my bed which he only does when he's not well. Anyway, we were able to contact Beth (the vet) and get him in right away. Fever was up, and the swelling was too, so she put him on antibiotics, and gave him a shot to relieve his temperature. The whole visit -- $48 including meds! Plus he was such a good cat, she seemed to like him just fine. He's doing better today, limping a bit but much better than yesterday morning. So we're all set now for medical practitioners!

Our neighbors, Larry and Joann, had invited us to a get-together down in Middleburg (about 20 miles away). Yesterday, Saturday, we were on the road with Joann, (and Frank and Rita, other neighbors) to a 600-700 acre farm in the really rural part of this already rural county, going over hills and valleys on one-lane dirt roads through some beautiful countryside, when all of a sudden it seems, a rough-hewn stage with a first-rate sound system appeared on the top of a small knoll. This was the party!

By the time it ended, there were maybe 200 people there, enjoying the music of individual singers and instrumentalists -- singing blues, folk, country, old standards -- something for everyone. We're not talking here about first-billing musicians one might see at top venues (Michael, Alison?) But these guys were just phenomenal, and why they're not on the top music charts I'll never know. Maybe they don't have good publicists...?


In any event, one of the main reasons we went was because of a band called "BillyBlues" which, it seems, has one of the founding members living about half a mile up our road -- so they're neighbors, too! If we want one of their CD's or a "BillyBlues" T-shirt, all we need to do is hop on the lawn tractor and drive over -- and Colin will personally autograph it (oxymorn there -- how can an autograph NOT be personally signed? - DUH)! OK, maybe the sun got to me yesterday...

In addition to the music, here was a pond for swimming and canoe races. Barry and I didn't enter, but Rita's canoe tipped so she spent the rest of the afternoon drying out; Frank's partner wasn't into canoe racing, so paddling and steering pretty much by himself, they came in last. Kids (and some adults) enjoyed the water, which by Maine standards is somewhat green; most of the ponds/lakes here are either green (hence the name, Green River), or tan (like our little piece of water). But the water was evidently not a deterrent to the swimmers!

Just about everyone brought food -- pulled pork with or without barbecue sauce, fried chicken, potato and macaroni salads, coleslaw (made with broccoli), corn, desserts. I tried as much as I could fit on one plate, and didn't walk away hungry.

The owners of the farm, who moved to Casey County about 35 years ago, started having friends over on Labor Day weekend about 4 years ago, and it's now probably the second biggest party in Casey County, after the Casey County Apple Festival coming up later this month! See all the pictures, and check out "BillyBlues".

Now, Barry is going to be embarassed by this, but I'd ask, what are the chances? Like father, like son? At almost the same time last Thursday, and hundreds of miles from each other, both Barry and Rick sprained an ankle. Not just AN ankle, but the SAME ankle. For Barry, luckily it's just a bit swollen, and an "Ace" bandage seems to be taking care of it. Rick, on the other hand -- have you seen a doctor yet? Karen, Brittany and Dalton -- watch where and how you step! I know about genetic predispositions, but this is carrying things too far guys!

Off to work on other projects now -- catch you all later.

Tuesday, August 28 - Working in the heat

Barry was up early this morning, and took some photos of the lunar eclipse. I haven't looked at them yet but I'm sure they are stunning. He walked down to the mailbox before dawn, at 67 degrees, felt SO good and cool, to get yesterday's paper. It doesn't come until late afternoon -- we almost canceled today -- but we'll give them a bit more time to get it right.

We worked in the shed today, organized the garden tools, and cleaned out. We've got a "shed" that is the size of a small garage. With the trailer/cart I bought, we can now take the trash down every Wednesday morning without putting it in my truck. Now if I wear Barry's bib overalls and a straw hat (he threatened to get a picture of me doing it but he'll have to get up AWFUL EARLY to do that), I should look like a local -- yeah, right.

Anyway, I have space for all my woodworking tools and Barry has a space for a potting bench - garden center. Everything will fit in nicely, the shed is electrified so we have light and fans, can put a radio or a TV in it, maybe an old sofa, a couple of beds upstairs -- wait a minute, it's a SHED, not a spare room!

Someone (I think Mike across the road) is bush-hogging the tomato patch down near the road. He's asked if he can bush-hog our field -- wonderful -- he can use the hay and we can use the work so we can start a garden for this fall and for next year.

We're going down to see what's happening down by Carpenter Fork, the "official" name of the stream at the end of our driveway.

Alison, PLEASE be sure all the kids on Flagstaff Team have my email and blog addresses. I want to keep in touch, particularly if they have any questions about how living in KY is different from living in ME. I also see that Aaron and Matt D's great-grandmother died -- pass on my sympathies -- I left a note on the Sentinel's obituary website. Also saw where Roberta D's mother died -- again pass on my condolences.

Maureen, call or email me so I'll know you're still alive!

OK, going out to be nosy neighbors now. Look for a pic of Farmer Mike in the next blog -- unless I can get the camera away from Barry!

Monday, August 27 - Another restful day

I had to go into Danville to run errands while Barry stayed home and made some delicious peach cobbler, and worked on various Christmas presents. Not gonna tell you what -- you all will have to wait.

We heard the our neighbor, Ron, had returned from the hospital in Danville, so I stopped at Cutter's to tell Thelma, his wife, that we would look in on him just to be sure he's ok. Thelma is 65, and works basically full-time running Cutter's. Her mother, Laura, 85, is opening up a fast food place on the way to Danville, so they can use all the help they can get looking after Ron, who -- typical of males who don't want to be told what not to do -- will simply do whatever he wants. We'll keep an eye out.

Larry and Joann (sp?, Hurschell's daughter), our neighbors, stopped by this morning and gave us a locally-produced candle -- Goose Creek (click on the link) is the name. They also invited us to a cookout and sing-along down in Middleburg this coming Saturday. Sounds like a fun time, so we'll probably go, just to be sociable, and have a good time. Also, Middleburg is near the Amish and Mennonite settlement here, and there are some great small farm markets and craft shops down there. I'm thinking Christmas again -- and my stomach, of course!

To go along with our lawn tractor, I bought a 10 cubic foot trailer -- will be useful for hauling firewood, plants, garden implements, manure from across the road. It was the last one in the store (Tractor Supply -- what you need out here - click on the link) at that price, and it'll fit our needs perfectly. Mike, across the road, is going to come over and bush-hog our field -- he can use the fodder for his cattle, and it will save us the trouble of haying or mowing, especially since we will probably locate our garden there this fall or next spring.

Speaking of garden, Barry planted collard greens, carrots, spinach, and swiss chard (Thanks, Alison!) and we should get a crop before frost. It has never been lower than 32 here in September, so we will NOT get a frost until October at least, more likely November. I bought more freezer bags, just in case we get a bumper crop of greens, to carry us through the winter -- or at least what people around HERE call winter -- 2" of snow, 20 degree temps for a few hours overnight.

We should have enough firewood to get us through the winter, and thus save on heating costs. Electricity is 6.8 cents per kw (compared to about 16 in Maine), but still saving on that will help. If we keep the thermostat at about 65, the sun should warm things up during the day, and seldom are temps below 40 anyway, even in the dead of winter.

Tonight we watched Pharoah's Army, with Kris Kristofferson, which was largely filmed around here. Mike, mentioned earlier, saw Kristofferson jogging along Butchertown Road back in 1995 when the movie was made, and offered him a ride. The scenes in the movie could have been filmed in our back yard, or at least in the clearing in the hollow out back! In fact, many Danville area people, organizations, and businesses are credited in the movie. It's not available on Netflix, so I bit the bullet and bought it through Amazon.com. It's about a small troop of Union soldiers who stop at a Confederate farmhouse in the Cumberland Gap area (southeastern KY) to get provisions. The interaction between the captain and the wife/son of the confederate soldier really show exactly why Kentucky joined the Confederacy AFTER the war was over -- the way people here were treated by the Union has a great deal to say about how they reacted. Kentucky did NOT join the Confederacy, yet it was treated by the Reconstructionists as though it had.

One doesn't see many Confederate flags around (only 2 that I can recall on the way to Danville), but the sentiment is there. Casey County in 1860 was 25% black, mostly slaves -- some families in this very neighborhood owned slaves. Yet by the 2000 Census there were only about 150 blacks out of a total population of 15,000 (and that was up from 1900) -- they had been driven out by the "Regulators" (read Klan-like) after The War, so that today there are more blacks in Waterville than in this whole Southern county! The War goes on, although less obviously than in other parts of the South, or even Kentucky (like Paducah). It's just not talked about apparently.

I got a call from the gal who works in the education division at Historic Perryville -- I had asked about volunteering, or maybe even part-time work. She called while we were visiting Ron, but she'll get back to me later this week. Wouldn't it be cool if I could actually USE my teaching experience at Perryville, the site of the largest Civil War battle in Kentucky? The re-enactment is coming up the weekend of my birthday, and WE ARE GOING. Alison, I'll send pictures you can share with the kids on the team.

OK, seems like a ritual now -- fish are fed, I'm showered and squeaky clean, so it's off to bed. We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Saturday evening, August 25 - The Riding Mower

OK, so at first it was a bit jerky, neither of us had EVER used a riding lawn mower before, and we both felt it was going to tip over when we got to the edge of the lawn, but we actually got it going today. We bought it two weeks ago, a 42" Yard Man from Wal-Mart, but it hasn't rained enough here to mow since we moved in in late July, so why waste the energy and the gasoline, plus taking a chance on further damaging an already burnt and parched lawn.

Barry went out into the shed to pull "Monster" out into the sunlight and to fire it up. He read over the directions so carefully I thought he was studying for a test. Well, wouldn't you know -- Barry lifted the hood to put gas in it, but it didn't have a gas cap. Quick trip to Wal-Mart -- when you're out in the Knobs, that's an hour out of your day IF the traffic isn't that bad and Wal-Mart isn't that busy.

Back home, gas cap in hand, and gas in the tank, we managed to wheel it out backwards -- once we figured that we had to take it out of park in order to move it. Hey, we're learning here. Anyway, fingers crossed, Barry fired it up, and as the "Fifth Dimension" 60's song said, "Up, Up and Away" Barry went. A few passes and the front was done, then it was down over the hill to mow around and between the trees. We hadn't established a mowing pattern yet, and it will probably be awhile before we do, but once that's done, the lawn will be finished in a jiffy!

Of course, after Barry had done the front lawn, it was MY turn. TERROR STRIKES! I almost tipped the mower over, or at least that's the way it felt, several times, but once I got used to the feeling of riding off-kilter, it wasn't all that bad. Of course, I also had the feeling that, mowing downhill, I wouldn't stop until I reached Gravel Switch, a town about 10 miles west of here. However, I did find that there was a brake/clutch, which I proceeded to ride almost all the time.

At least "Monster," and the lawn survived my first attempt. Once I got started, I really went to town, mowing the huge piece of lawn to the west of the drive, and the smaller piece to the south of the house. By the time that was done, I think both Barry and I would have qualified for the "Butchertown Community Lawn Mower Race," (which really does NOT exist) or at least we could START one!
Well, the fish have been fed (both inside and out), the dinner dishes are done, and we're both tired from our battle with "Monster." So a quick check of the email, and it's off to bed.

Hmm, I wonder what we can mow TOMORROW?