Phew! I've done it again, haven't I? Neglected my blog and stayed away too long. But I've taken care of the farm, garden, house, cabin, etc. enough that I should be able to get back into the swing of things again.


This particular blog is "all" about my dad, a.k.a. "Buddy" or Larry Carty. I got to spend quite a bit of time with him this past weekend due to the Powell Valley High School 1960-1969 class reunion held here in Big Stone Gap, VA. He and my mom were the first graduating class at Powell Valley in 1960. I think that it is pretty cool... as well as the fact that I graduated from PVHS, myself, only 20 years later in 1980.






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My dad also made a big announcement on his visit here with friends and family. He brought along his lady friend and fiance, Wanda. She was a delight! We got to spend a lot of time with both of them at our cabin up at Huff Rock the Sunday/ Monday after the reunion

















Toward the end of the visit, we retreated back to the old farm house and dad took Wanda on a tour of the area. And my daughter (the photographer), Miranda, got to spend some quality time shooting their engagement photos on and around the farm. Lots of good food, laughter, and memories shared that weekend. I'm glad I got to share it with my "blog" friends.






Until next time...

Yes, I've been gone a while...

I've spent the past two weeks at our cabin with the remaining parvo pups that lived. We had to be quarantined to ensure that the pups at our house did not get contaminated. Phew! It's been crazy, but the things we do for our babies.

I can't say that it was a difficult time or that I did not enjoy it. The Fall colors, the morning fog, and the breathtaking views everyday definitely made life on the mountain a pleasure that I already miss. I think the puppies miss it too.









Kent and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on Oct. 7, and since I was quarantined to our cabin, we invited my daughter and her boyfriend up for fillets on the grill (compliments of my wonderful in-laws) and a good glass of merlot.


Quarantine or not... it was a very happy and peaceful anniversary.

Trey and Miranda hiked down in the woods to retrieve photos from their deer cam and found quite a surprise! Apparently a pretty large black bear decided to play field hockey with the camera. But they managed to get some really nice photos from the battered camera before taking it to be fixed.

I'll be sure to post a lot of the photos from that trip for all of you wildlife enthusiasts very soon.

Our Cozy Cabin in the Woods



I'm getting ready to pack the truck and 4-wheeler with cabin supplies for the weekend. And then Kent and I will make the drive up the narrow, rocky road to our cozy retreat. (As soon as he gets home from golfing. Ha!)






We put up a deer cam about a mile from our cabin last week, and we're pretty excited about it. We'd like to check on it to make sure it's still in place. With deer and bear running through the woods, you never know what shape it might be in.






There were many days that I stood on our cabin porch last Summer and early Fall and watched the deer graze in the field above us. It was usually the same doe and her two fawns. Occasionally a large buck would run through the middle of them and down the hill through the woods. I swear the porch shook as he thundered past our cabin.

With that in mind, keep an eye out for a new post with deer cam updates and our latest cabin adventures.

I hope everyone has a nice and relaxing weekend.

This is the first view you get when driving up the old road to my grandfather's cabin, circa 1904. I love this old place. I grew up here and spent many days watching my grandfather sharpen knives, clean his rifles, make squirrel gravy, and talk for hours in front of the fire. I split the mud holes dry, caught fish, and didn't have to wear frilly dresses. I was pretty much raised my granddaddy's only son.



No one stays here anymore. My mother's side of the family has moved on to bigger and better things and now since I drive by almost every weekend, I tend to want to nurse the old thing back to health. Due to vandalism, I decided it was time for a new back porch and new porch paint on the front of the old cabin. We spent most of Saturday and Saturday evening revamping the place where I spent my childhood.

Once the rains came, we decided it was time to pack up and head back to the house. Kent has to work on Sunday (unfortunately), so we thought it best to get home a.s.a.p.

I love the time we spend here. There are so many wonderful memories. I hope to share more with you in the future.

Hope I didn't bore you to death and that you all had a safe and fabulous 4th of July weekend!

I did!

Post for: July 4, 2008

Mira (a.k.a Miranda) took this immediately after a rain shower this morning. She has such an eye for beautiful things.

The beans had soaked overnight and were ready for the fat bacon and to be slow cooked to their tender taste. Time to soak the corn as well, and baste the 7 pound pork tenderloin. Wow! It was a doozy!

I realize there a million ways to baste and grill a tenderloin; even one this size, but I took my grandmother's tips along with a short cut and it worked really well for us today.


Orange Marmalade Pork Tenderloin

• 5-7 lbs. pork tenderloin


• McCormick's Grill Mates® Pork Rub - it basically has all the ingredients that my grandmother used and as I now have access to these wonderful items at the grocery, I figured I should make use of them. ;)


• 1 Jar Orange Marmalade - we really like Smucker's, but not necessary


• Basting Brush


• Meat Thermometer - very important when cooking pork!


• Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil - juices will run heavy and you don't want to burn the pork.

Pre-heat grill to a very low heat: around 250 degrees if possible. Slow cooking insures juiciness.

After taking the tenderloin out of the plastic wrapper, you will want to rinse it off and pat it dry. Start adding the Grill Mates rub. If it doesn't want to stick, add just a small portion of olive oil to the loin first, then rub away. Once the loin is covered, wrap in heavy duty aluminum foil and place on the top wrack of your grill. Watch and turn for about an hour.

Take the loin off, open up the foil and baste the loin with 1 entire jar of orange marmalade. I know. It sounds like a lot, but it is soooo good. And it soaks into the meat for a nice, tender, taste.



You can now raise the temperature of the grill to 400 degrees.

Re-wrap in the foil and place on the grill for about 15 minutes, flipping the loin halfway.

You also have the option of placing the loin straight on the grill. The sugar in the marmalade will crystallize and form a brown glaze over the outside of the loin. I have found I lose the taste of the marmalade this way and so we opt to keep it wrapped. Choice is yours.

Check the temp. of the loin with your meat thermometer quite often at this point. You want to take it off at around 140-145 degrees. The loin will continue to cook after you take it off the grill and there is nothing worse than dry pork. Ugh! I guess maybe dry chicken. Ha!

Voila! There you have it. Simple and yet so yummy!

I also cut and added baby red potatoes and peaches and cream corn cobs to my bean pot while all of this was going on. I have poured the buttermilk into the cornmeal mix and pre-heated my cast iron skillet. Cornbread will be out in 25 minutes. Let's eat!

Bellies are full and the time is about right for fireworks. Miss Winnie and the puppies were not fond of the booms and bangs, but they lived through it. And, Lil Sasha seemed to enjoy her ear of corn. So cute!



Afterward we rode out on the 4-wheelers to the field that overlooks the lights in the valley below. We watched other firework displays for a few minutes before the rains came. Ack! We were soaked by the time we made it back to the cabin. But it was a fun day! Lots of laughs!

Post for: Late Evening July 3, 2008

Now keep in mind this photo was taken by my daughter back in March before there were leaves on the trees. But that being said, this is the beginning of the 30 minute ride to our cabin in the mountains. And this is the nicer portion of the road. Most of it consists of a dry river bed with an occasional creek that you have to ford. Needless to say, if you don't have 4-wheel drive, you must crawl in the back of mine to get there. We love our cabin and our seclusion.

We drove up late Thursday evening to get everything unpacked, shelves stocked and air out the cabin. If it's left locked up for a month at a time, it can get stale and musty.

My husband, Kent, offered to help me with the large mess of beans that I held in my lap at around midnight. I yawned and shooed him away to build a fire outside. I strung and broke beans for at least an hour; enough to feed 20 or so and then soaked them for the evening.

The family had decided a week prior that they were just simply tired of the usual 4th of July dawgs and burgers. With all of the rain as of lately, my garden has been booming, and our mouths were watering for some good old southern home cooking. Fresh green beans, baby red potatoes, corn on the cob, orange marmalade tenderloin pork, and homemade cornbread. Yum!

Now that the beans were soaking, I poured a nice Merlot and headed outside to the fire pit. The one great thing my husband has talent for: a nice, roaring fire. We didn't sit long. It had been a long day and the wind was kicking up a storm. The clouds were moving in and we decided that we should as well.





It's 2am, and I'm as snug as a bug in a rug. I love this cabin.
Good night!

Hello from Miranda :)

My mom is running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get things packed up and ready to go to the cabin. Sooo, here I am guest-blogging.

I was told to write about "puppies and things... You know, just say I'm at the cabin partying and happy 4th and whatever". There you go. Puppies. Partying. And whatever.

Now that I've got that out of the way, here are some pictures to make you squeal.

You can view the pictures larger by clicking on them. :)

Please ignore our nasty brown grass. The heat has been miserable this summer and we've had very little rain. It's mighty crunchy and dead.



Have a wonderful (and safe) 4th of July! Try to not burn anything down.... I can't promise that we won't.

We drove off the mountain pretty late this evening. We had to wait for the thunder showers to clear because we were on the 4-wheeler.......and fully loaded.

We did a lot of mowing, weed eating, and built a new back porch on my Grandfather's old cabin, circa 1904.

Since it is so late, I will post more blog and photos tomorrow.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend.

After my first major blog, I'm taking a day for myself. My husband and I are going 4-wheeling up to our cabin in the woods about 10 miles straight up a rocky road above the farm.

We have enjoyed lots of adventures and good times with friends at our cozy cabin. We also enjoy just taking time for ourselves, relaxing on the front porch, watching the deer or drinking a cold one in front of the fire pit. I can hear thunder in the distance now, so I'm guessing we will be cozied up on the sofa tonight. Or maybe we will venture out onto the porch for a view of the "fireworks". The lightning is amazing at 4,500 ft. altitude.

Until tomorrow...