April visit to Tennessee 2012

 I just wrote this on another's blog:  I have to say..I try to catch up on a few blogs about once a month or so. I just signed in to update my blog, which I haven't done for over a month. It's so easy to get caught up in other things..and I don't just mean the mundacity of life..I mean facebook..reading..watching old movies. Lazy, entertaining, immediate gratification. I'm sorry I'm not more supportive of the blogs I follow..and that I'm not more creative on my own.

I had just signed in to add a note and pictures about and of our last trip to Tennessee and the property.  I read the other blog and realized, I'm not just lazy and forgetful about my own blog..but about the blogs that I follow.  Many have links from Facebook, and I'll link over and read an article or comments..and then link back to Facebook, not realizing that I never left a footprint on the other blog..no comment..not even a thanks for the smile, or an atta boy/girl.  Sorry about that!  It's partly lazyness, I think..and partly that thing we've developed, and raised our children with..the need for immediate gratification/entertainment. 

We call this the "tree of life"!  Looks like it..no?

Fencing the orchard..

What is it about blue birds!?  I love them...

Went into the 20's 2 nights and all the blooms frosted..including in the orchard! This little, old, gnarled dogwood suffered!

Darian mowing the orchard..

The first building (the shed)..built by Larry, with a little help from his cousin, cousin's wife and son, and Darian..I mowed!  :o)

The new building..this trip was to pour the cement floor..

If you look closely, you can see both Larry and Darian mowing!

On the road to Virginia...

On the road to Virginia...

Livestock dog..Great Pyranees, and below, the goats..I LOVE these dogs!  They're like polar bears!

Deer prints down by the lake..deck side of the lake rental..

Larry's tractor finally made it from Florida to Tn.

Self explanatory..yes? 

Bebe has turned into the BEST travel buddy ever!  Bebe's 2nd trip with us.  For a rescued little sad sack, she's turned into the best little companion ever!

From the lake rental deck.

So..back to our last trip to Tn.  We (daughter's family and my own) rented the lake house in New Tazewell, Tn. that we like so much.  It' costs about the same as one hotel room, and we sleep 4 to 6 or more people there, comfortably, and less expensively than we would using a motel.  The blue birds were busy feeding their babies.  The swallow was feeding her nest in the deck eaves.  They were all so busy we were able to get lots of pictures.  Bebe discovered and chased a few rabbits.  She was SO full of herself over that!  Saw a few deer, but not at the lake as we have in previous visits.  The property is developing nicely.  Lots of mowing whenever we go up.  Darian worked herself to the point of exhaustion this trip..Larry put up a solar elec. fence around the orchard to try to keep the deer out..we'll see how that works.  More fruit trees were added. The cement floor was poured in the pole building.  And then we all piled into one car and drove to Virginia (ha, ha..about 25 miles or so) to visit a goat farm one day.  Lots of fun!  So, I've posted some of the better pictures, and comments.  And thank you, whoever reads this.. 

And the building is done!!!!!!

                                                       Working in the rain to finish up!

                                           Finished pole building, happy dances all around!

                                     

Burning off the hillside..

Hoop Creek, usually a babbling brook, is up and rushing through the valley from these storms.

Pineville Mtn.State Park and Resort, Ky, just through the Cumberland Gap and up the road a piece..

Well..what a weekend..tornadoes all around..the kids battened the hatches and went to Middlesboro, Ky. to stay in a hotel while the storms flew through at over 55 miles an hour.  Tornadoes to the North, tornadoes to the South..but the valley, property, new pole building and the "kids" were all good.  I had NO sleep last night, worrying about the "kids".  We are in a tornado box right now, in NE Florida..the very tail end of these storms..but looks like it's mostly going to stay to the North of us. 

A week well spent.  The first commercial build on the property.  The construction trailer now has TV, wifi, running water..hooked up to electric and sewage..all set for the next phase! 

The pond is full!  Just added this because I've had this conversation with area residents.  The ponds are dug into red clay, but they range from mostly empty to half full most of the time..depending on spring and rain runoff.  But, after these storms, the pond is full! 

I want to plant rhododendrons on the far bank, with a few dogwoods and/or other flowering trees, and some flowering ground cover..maybe crown vetch.  I know it's "invasive", but ground cover is preferable to bare clay, or weeds! 

So, it was a very enventful week for the "kids" and for us.  Looking forward to the next trip..and hoping I can make it!

The pole building goes up today!

My daughter will be posting pictures of the build..the pole building..which will be our garage and "man cave', which means the music, game, and TV room.  I haven't been able to accompany the daughter and son in law..to Tennesee the last month (2 trips)..so, living vicariously. 

From start...

By the end of the day, all the walls were up, doors, etc. Just the roof is left to do.

Close up of the woods behind the polebarn..

Taken from Pine Mtn. Resort Park just up the road..

Just that much closer to the house and move!

The coolest part..Larry and Darian set up a web cam and streamed the whole thing to my laptop! Very cool!

3/2/2012

 Pole barn is done..I'm watching the live stream from the property..the builders are wiping off the chalk lines..everything is done..a really nice, tight building!

Which is a good thing..as they are inside the bulls eye on the extreme weather map today.  Darian did a happy dance in front of the camera.  Another milestone towards the move to Tn. 

 

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!