Yesterday and today on Rolling Meadow Orchards...

The daughter and her hubby, Larry, are at it again!  I'm so bummed I couldln't go along!  Had some surgery last week and just couldn't ride in the car that far..it's 10 hours from here. 

Lest anyone think we must have big pockets to have done so much to this land..much less the purchase of the land itself..be reminded, this is a 2 family effort..5 yrs of savings, and my retirement savings thrown in to boot.  The orchard has been a two year project..nut trees were planted last fall..more fruit trees were on sale at Big Lots, so they're going in now..and the original plan was to have blueberries..so yesterday they planted blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.

And, so far, all improvements have been done by us, with the help of Larry's son (the fence) and our wonderful neighbor, Mr. Billy, who has a plethora of large equipt.  Tonka Toys, my daughter calls them.  Then, last Spring we built the storage shed..a one car garage size shed..built by Larry and Darian, and Larry's cousin and his wife..along with water runs by their young son.  I mowed and planted more trees!  We all have contributed.  My husband is contributing financially..more than he and I had pledged to do. 

At one point we had thought to put our own log cabin on the property.  But then we thought, why not build a multi family home in one footprint, under one roof, but with separate and private living spaces (like a mother in law suite).  That way we could build one nice house without borrowing any $.  It's been coming together in fits and starts over the last 2+ years and I can see my gardens already..in my mind's eye.

So, this week..besides building a deck in front of the construction trailer, and planting fruit canes, bushes, and trees, the pole building is going up.  This we had contracted and my hubby paid for it with a check from his layoff pkg from work last fall.

I guess the layoff my daughter and my husband experienced last fall could be looked at as a "bad" thing..but we were expecting it, and the severance pkg's have helped us move our Tennessee project up by several years! Yay!

Here is the pole building..well, the parts, anyway!

I can just see Darian doing her happy dance right now! 

***SMILE***

 One of the caves/underground creek just below the building site..you can see the trailer above..it has been moved to the front of the property to plug into the elec. and septic.

Morning glories! First day I am wearing "real" clothes..in sweat pants and t-shirt all week until today. Outpatient surgery/removal of 3 lypomas on Monday.  Just jeans and sweatshirt..lol! But feeling GREAT! Bebe's (my little Shizu-poo) glad I'm walking faster! Darian and hubs off to Tn. agn. They spent the night in S. Carolina last nite..yeah, I know..2 tornadoes! It'll be chilly when they get to Tn.

I can't wait to make the next trip with them next time. I will take bulbs and seeds along..I'd like to broadcast orange cosmos in the meadow around the caves (underground creek), and bulbs along the fence row and front hills..they're burning off the hillsides along the fence this week.

They are spending the week.  Will visit some of the friends we've made up there.  Will supervise the pole barn raising, and will be purchasing some of the house building supplies we will want down the road..as the prices are soaring because of gas price increases! 

They are staying in the trailer/RV type for the first time.  We usually rent a lake house because they are so inexpensive and wonderful, but we share the price, and we couldn't travel with them this time..and... it's time they get used to the trailer for future trips while building the house!  It's really roughing it for Darian!**SMILE**

** This is too funny!  Darian slept 3 hours in the trailer last nite..she's going to a motel tonight!  She said..when did I become a "girly girl"?  I said..when were you NOT?  There were a number of reasons they didn't sleep last night..Larry is addressing them today, but they'll get a good night's sleep tonight..and then back to the trailer.  SMILE! 

Hah! I did not know..the tulip poplar is the STATE TREE in Tn.! Lol! They are my fav. up there..besides the cedars.  And they come up like weeds all over the property.  I'm going to try to move them around..landscape! 

Passion flower is the state flower..I've never seen any there..will have to introduce some to the property..maybe in my courtyard garden. And then, the real state flower, which is not the official flower, is the daffodil..they're everywhere!

Daughter and her husband are heading to Tennessee again this week..the pole barn is being raised!  I just had surgery so me and the hubby will not make this trip.  Surgery was just removal of lypomas, but I was feeling a sense of mortality. Both parents were gone by the age of 65.  I am 65 this year.  I don't want to sit here in this condo waiting for "old" age.  "Old" being relative of course.  I want to build gardens again, grow some of my own food, walk through the hills, play in the dirt, dance in the rain!  That's really what this move is all about! 

Hibiscus outside my front door!

It's hard to think about moving North when Florida weather is at it's best, as it is right now.  Cool days, little humidity, soft rain after a morning freeze to green the browned grass back up again!  Our move to Tenn. seems foolish during these days.  How many of these days do we have per year?  Maybe 45?  Hah!  I think we'll still head for Tenn.  Smile!  

We were talking to family last night at dinner.  They don't get it either..but what can I say??  Dreams of gardens and veggies and walking on our own land and FREEDOM from Condo politics?  Yeah..I'm ready!  

It is a boon, really, though..to have snowbird friends stop by throughout the Winter and Spring months..I don't know how many visitors we'll get in Tenn.  Maybe Spring rhododendrum seekers..and fall color lookeeloos.  We'll see.  SMILE! 

The Orchard!

The dwarf orchard...

Rhododendrons!!!

I want to plant these along the back of the pond!  And then underplant them with something that blooms thru the summer mos. Still working on my virtual gardens.  Larry wants to start the veggie gardens this year.  I'm not sure I agree.  We don't get up there often enough to watch over them (weed, feed, water). 

More pics from this trip (last 5 days) to Tenn.

 New calf..

View across the road..

 Driveway to property..

                    New pond..filling up..





Graded pole barn site..

Perhaps the title should be..Moving to Tennessee, Back to the Land, and/or Other Impossible Dreams

Pink Sunrise at my condo in Paradise (Florida)..

I remember being in my twenties, having a baby daughter and a husband with, shall we say, "issues".  We were unemployed off and on in the 80's, with some of the highest unemployment figures ever.  I was laid off from a bank and thought..hey, I can get unemployment and stay home with my baby daughter for awhile.  NOT!  I walked in to sign up for unemployment (you had to go stand in line with everyone else then) and they hired me!  Yikes!  How does that happen. 

Many more chapters of this story, but, long story short..we wound up selling our very cute bungalow in town and bought a 200 yr old farm house with large red barn and 5 acres.  More to come....




Gate and lane to Rolling Meadows Orchard

Another of Mr. Billy's Tonka Toys..leveling the building site.

"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides." ~W.E. Johns

The name of the property (26 acres) is Rolling Meadows Orchard.  We have embroidered hats, so it's official!  

Mr. Billy and one of his "Tonka Toys"!

I heard (read) an expression today..blog crickets!  Lol..I guess that's what my blog has..I never get comments.  Don't know what I'm doing wrong..or, perhaps there's no interest in moving from Paradise (Florida) to the back of beyond (26 acres in N.E. Tenn.).  On Facebook, though, I've found many "back to the landers" (what we called it in the early 70's economy scare) and love to peruse their pages for recipes, gardening/farming advice and animal husbandry.  We're not planning to raise too many animals, but it's interesting and fun to read.

We are getting closer to the build!  The ground was leveled this week for the pole barn/building.  N. ext trip should actually be during the pole barn raising!  

Each trip to Tennessee, we discover new wonders on the 26 acres.  The discovery of the underground creek was so cool.  You can hear the babbling current as it passes thru the caves under the meadow.  A few springs trickle along the back ridge and we're trying to train them to drain to the pond Mr. Billy dug for us.  The "wild" daffodils are already blooming in clumps all over the road frontage and the pasture (what I like to romantically call, the meadow). 

I'm making a list of flowers and plants I'd like to integrate into our landscape at the "farm".  A few wonderful bloomers we've not been able to have in Florida are Lilac and Peonies!  I am SO excited about these!  So far, all my gardens are "virtual" gardens.  We have planted a small orchard, and some property line trees (cypress)..but the gardens and landscape must wait for the building to take place.  We have been doing a little at a time.  Larry, the son in law, and Jack of all Trades, does the most.  But we are his team, crew, and cheering squad. 

Daughter Darian and her hubby in Tenn. this week..

This picture from October trip...

Pictures from this trip:

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Mr. Billy, our neighbor in Tenn. and BIG equip. owner/operator helping out again.  I don't know where we'd be in the "plan" if he weren't there.."meant to be"!

He dug the pond..he's leveling the area for the pole barn, he dug the trenches for the water lines..and he bulldozed a bunch of dead trees.  He also dug (with a giant auger) the fence posts, and dug and buried our septic system and the cistern.  He's 78 yrs old!