Today I’m sharing our September Mountain Moments. When I started this blog in 2013, it was a form of diary to document what we did and most importantly what we ate. Sometimes I get so caught up in sharing our delicious food, I forget about all the stuff in between.
So here’s a little recap of what happened the month of September in and outside of our mountain kitchen. #MountainLife
Welcome Fall!
Fall is finally here, but it has been hot as hell on the mountain. This week the temperature was almost 100 degrees! We are also very dry. We had hardly any rain for the entire month of September. It has us concerned about our well water. The poor critters on the mountain are thirsty!
I’m hoping eventually the temperatures will reflect the time of year it actually is. This week sure felt like summer. The warm weather sure has made it hard to think of things like apple picking or even baking for that matter.
I avoided using the oven whenever possible most of the summer and up until mid-September. Our HVAC System was only 7 ½ -year-old, but dying a slow death because the indoor coil was leaking. Rather than patch a dying system with no warranty, we opted to go ahead and spend the money on a brand new system.
The new system is working great! Our HVAC guy did a great job with the installation. I have been using the oven a little more and I’m happy to report that the new system is able to keep up with the heat produced from using the oven in the kitchen.
Burn the Ballroom
We started off September with some great music! On Labor Day Weekend, we ventured out to see a band called Burn the Ballroom. The lead singer, Adriel, plays at some wineries near where we live. He told us about his band’s concert. The band is very popular abroad and hasn’t played in the United States in quite some time. Being the music lovers we are, David and I were intrigued. So we decided to make the drive up to Creek’s Edge Winery to check them out.
Creek’s Edge is located in historic Taylorstown, Virginia. Taylorstown is in Loudoun County in an area I refer to as “the end of the earth”. It seems like a short distance, but it takes about an hour from either work or home.
The scenery is gorgeous, but the twisted, hilly and curvy roads really don’t allow you to sightsee very much.
Creek’s Edge Winery is a beautiful winery with some pretty good wine to go along with the scenery. It was a fun night and it was great to see Adriel in his element performing with the rest of the band. So much fun!
Not only did we get to see Burn the Ballroom, but we were also introduced to Elizabeth II who opened the show.
You can check out their website here: https://www.burntheballroom.com/
Peanut Dirt & The Family Reunion
David and I made our annual trip south to his family reunion in Hertford, North Carolina.
On our way down, we stopped to visit my mama. I was finally able to deliver the sweet pickles I promised her. She had run out and not really able to do her own anymore, so I made her a batch using this sweet pickle recipe that she gave me a few years ago.
My sister told me to get some peanuts out of the field over by my mama’s house. My brother-in-law had just dug the field.
The smell of peanut dirt was intoxicating to this old farmer’s daughter. Peanut dirt practically runs through my veins. All the happy memories of playing on the farm as a child came flooding back to me. If you have ever been around peanut harvest you know exactly where I’m coming from.
It makes me miss my daddy something awful!
David was in HOG HEAVEN with his cousins cooking a whole hog for the family. They also smoked some briskets and made burnt ends too. He looks forward to the reunion more than anything else throughout the year!
Thank God He’s ok!
September was pretty scary for us. David had a heart catheterization that revealed he had an 85% blockage in an artery of his heart. A couple of stents were placed to open up the artery and get the blood flowing like it should again.
In August David experienced some chest pains a couple of times. At first, he shrugged the pain off as muscle pain from lifting paper and being physically active on the job. However, when he had the pains again for the second time he knew something wasn’t quite right.
David mentioned the pains to his doctor at a scheduled routine checkup. He told his doctor he had some unusual chest pains that didn’t feel quite right. She was concerned and started the ball rolling to get him checked out. As a precaution prior to a stress test, she prescribed baby aspirin, a statin, and some nitroglycerin just in case he was close to having a heart attack.
It’s not very comforting to know your ticker may be a time bomb just waiting to go off.
Not only did David have one stress test, but two (one with dye and one without)! Both of which he had no problems completing. However, they could tell something was abnormal with the blood flow of his heart. So they sent him to a cardiologist who ordered the catheterization.
We are relieved to know that he did not have a heart attack and that this was caught in time. Despite what you may think about David’s love for pork, beer, and anything sweet, his bloodwork numbers were fine. All within the range of where they need to be.
The take away from this is don’t always trust your bloodwork numbers and know your body! Had he not mentioned the chest pains all of this could have been so much worse. Thank the good Lord he is ok!
Top Recipe of the Month
COMMENTS OF THE MONTH!
“OMG! These wings are OUTSTANDING!”
– Dwight (Comment & 5-Star rating on Brined Applewood Smoked Chicken Wings)
“OK now I can comment, I’ve seen your “Friday Field Trip ” and Like your comments about the Tin Cannon Brewery and Giuseppe’s looks like a “Fun Place ” to chow down on Calamari (one of my Faves) i’m 82 years young and enjoy food from many places and There are a few places here in North Carolina that make Great Pizza however I like to make my own Dough and sauce for the pizza ! My Daughter-in-law makes a great topping of Caramelized Vidalia onions Ricotta (Badia spices Granulated Garlic and parsley) Home grown Basilico and Pignola nuts We usually have for the Five of us about nine rustic pizzas (plenty for all ) I also like experimenting with Sous Vide Cooking which is a whole other topic and have had great results with that!
– Vincenzo (Comment on September Field Trip Friday • Tin Cannon Brewing & Giuseppe’s Ristorante)
I watch for you “Food blog” ,always interested in “New recipes” Thank You, “Vincenzo”
“Loved reading about your journey! I am so glad that you were able to realize your dream. Your mountain home is beautiful. Hope there are pictures of inside too.
– Katy (Comment on What Staycation Really Means: PART XII Home Sweet Mountain Home!)
I would love to have a cabin in the mountains someday…
We live in Hokie country, so we aren.’t too far away. Love the Blue Ridge mountains. We spent a week driving and camping along the Blue Ridge parkway too. Loved making memories although setting up and taking down a tent each day got old.
Love your blog, and look forward to reading more.“
‘TIS THE SEASON!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Bread
Flavorful and moist, this pumpkin cinnamon bread is bursting with fall pumpkin flavor in every bite. This easy recipe should be on your fall bucket list!
Sausage Apple Fennel Sheet Pan Dinner
Sausage Apple Fennel Sheet Pan Dinner, a sweet and savory combination of roasted apples, fennel, and spicy Italian sausage and rice. A great weeknight meal!
AROUND THE MOUNTAIN!!
Dry Rotted Sling Chairs
The fabric on our barstool set of sling chairs has dry-rotted. It’s frustrating because there is nothing wrong with the metal, just the fabric that you sit on. We decided that the screened porch was too crowded and move the Ikea set outside to the deck. It won’t be long before it all goes to the basement for the winter, but it is nice to already have a plan for next year.
If anyone knows how to fix a metal sling chair, please let us know!
The holidays are coming fast! If you are looking for some good quality pecans to use in your recipes, order pecans from Millican Pecan Company. We have tried them personally and are so very happy with their quality. We know you will be too!
The Mountain Kitchen participates in the Millican Pecan Company Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program that allows sites to earn commission by advertising and linking to MillicanPecans.com.
There is no extra cost to you for clicking! It just helps us afford to do what we do here at TheMountainKitchen.com. Thanks for your support!
September Mountain Views
That’s all of the September Mountain Moments. See ya next month with more moments from the mountain.
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