“Darn” It!

Seem Ms. Trixie got a little too excited with Emma’s visit last night and was playing, or showing off, a bit too rough with her jaguar chicken (I refer to all her plush toys as “chickens” and she knows them as such.) and we now have a casualty in our midst -

A severed rear leg! Oh the humanity!

It’s a darn shame is what it is. Darn it, I’m new to the area, so not sure if there’s a local seamstress who could darn this leg back in place, darn it!

Snip, Lop, Cut & Stack

I’ve spent a couple hours each of the last two days clearing and cleaning up a section of the fence line on our Limestone farm, see pics below -

This is area is where our contractor removed a bunch of trees blocking our view of the mountains off in the distance and also brush, briars and vines that had taken over.

We’ll need to repair the barbed wire fencing in this area, as it got damaged, which was unavoidable, in the process of the tree and brush removal.

I’ve added quite a bit to this growing burn 🔥 pile, see below -

Our contractor will eventually burn all this!

Making progress.

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the picture below -

This is the pond on our property in Limestone, which looks to be down quite a bit due, in part, to the dry summer we just had. Hoping it will eventually fill back up.

The critter in question, of which I saw two of them, have me a bit puzzled since they’re not hibernating. Except for a couple cold 🥶 day and nights, the weather had been pretty mild since my arrival. It was in the low 60s yesterday with the sunny ☀️ shining. Perhaps, the warmer temps have the hibernating critters confused.

I’m unable to determine what type of 🐢 this is -

I’m already looking forward to finding my first East Tennessee box turtle 🐢!

Fairies or Fairways

Oh baby baby!

Pink or blue?!

What’ll the little one be, a girl or a boy?!

What you say magic 8 ball -

It’s a BOY 🍼 -

So exciting!

Congratulations Kyle and Maria! 

Burn Baby Burn

Things are heating up and afire at the ole Frye brother homestead, and it’s not my arsonist cousin this time 😉

The site prep crew have been after it, working every day to get the site prep’d and ready.

With the grass being so thick, it’s making it difficult for their grading machine to scape the ground as designed, so their solution is to burn 🔥 the grass in the areas needing grading, which is working perfectly!

This first pic below is actually a pile of brush and limbs and trees, roots and stumps that they’ve cleared and taken down. Burning 🔥 it is a great way to get rid of it all and is more cost effective than loading it up and trucking it off -

That John Deere tractor 🚜 and grader is an impressive monster of a machine -

The site where our new house will sit is ready. Yurezz has been notified and they’ll schedule a crew to install the house footings!!  Once those are set, the actual house delivery will take place!

Things are progressing nicely!

Enf Said!

They say, “when in Rome”, so I had my first Dr Enuf today!

And it wasn’t bad at all. Has a similar taste to Sprite but it’s “vitamin fortified”! Now, you can’t beat that with a stick.

“Dr. Enuf is a lemon-lime flavored, vitamin-fortified soft drink created in 1949, known as an "energy booster" with B vitamins, caffeine, and sugar, marketed as a healthier alternative to other sodas. It has a strong regional following, particularly in the Johnson City, Tennessee area where it's bottled by Tri-City Beverage, and is recognized for its unique taste, which some describe as medicinal or less sweet than Sprite/7-Up”…

My Own TSA Agent

Ms Trixie checking out my Amazon packages that just arrived.

She has a nose like Jimmy Durante and is highly trained to verify all incoming packages to ensure they’re safe AND to see if there are any doggie treats -

Alas, no treats to be found in tonight’s delivery 🚚 

Better luck next time.

Filler Up!

⛽️ and 🥪 

I can’t recall the last time gas was this low back in Massachusetts.  Gas prices here in Tennessee are less expensive, which is a nice change!

I needed a refuel for myself too, so an inexpensive and tasty grilled cheese with ham sandwich 🥪 from Johnny’s  filled my tank too.

We’re Looking At You!

Mr Oscar and Ms Violet were more interested, fixated actually, in the piece of pizza I was eating and not the New York City New Years Eve ball drop that was seconds away from dropping!

So I shared. I mean how could anyone not share with those two, c’mon now…

OH! It’s Begun…

The site prep work for our new house has begun!

This first pic was taken back in, I’m guessing, the early 1980s, shortly after we purchased the farm, at the Pritchard street entrance and shows the gate my uncle Joe, my dad, my brother and I built and installed -

Jump ahead to Monday December 29, 2025 at the same Pritchard street entrance but SO much has changed. Trees and brush and weeds have taken over, and frustratingly someone stole the actual gate believe it or not! Piece's of shite 💩 -

Tuesday December 30th view of the same entrance. Site work has officially begun -

Wednesday December 31st view. The driveway is really starting to take shape -

And Thursday, January 1st 2026 view. Even though it was a holiday, BRDW was onsite and working! It’s hard to tell in the pic but the grade level has been raised in the section of the driveway besides the pond -

The site prep is progressing nicely and it’s only been 3 days! They’re doing a good job and making some great progress!

More to come, stay tuned -

Happy 2026 New Year

Roadside Dining

A bit of a backup on Old State Rte 34 in Limestone the other afternoon, as a wake of Black Vultures were doing their jobs and scavenging some roadkill carrion -

For the squeamish, my apologies for the graphic pic below, but Mr bunny never had a chance, alas.

What I failed to capture in the pic, because I didn’t realize it when I snapped this, was a similar looking, squashed Mr opossum just out of frame to the right.

Perhaps why these vultures looked a bit puzzled; trying to decide what they each had a hanker’n for, rabbit or opossum -

A word to the wise, always look 👀 both ways when crossing the street!

Food (Cereal) For Thought

You know what I suddenly realized while driving to Limestone this morning?  

I drive with my left hand, essentially putting my life in the hand that I can’t even eat a bowl 🥣 of cereal with!

Hmmm 🤔 

The Old Bait And Switch

Well, well, we’ll just when I post about how unseasonably warm and nice it is here in JC, I wake up to this -

Okay, this isn’t funny -

I’d like to speaker to a manager, NOW!

Storage Galore

The Frye brothers are now in the import export business -

All 40’ of it!

December Blooms

I took advantage of the warm weather yesterday and went for a couple mile walk around a section of the ETSU athletic fields -

Seems the super warm weather has the cherry trees fooled, as many of them are loaded with buds with oodles literally blooming -

However, today, the weather changed and the temperatures dropped. Back to seasonal temps in the thirties, Brrr 🥶 

Gonna be a rude awakening for these cherry trees…

My Favorite Arsonist

I learned yesterday that my cuz is a firebug!

With lighter fluid in hand, those branches, limbs and sticks had NO chance…

Actually, it was perfect timing, as the sun went down shortly after lighting this bad boy and it got a bit chilly. This roaring fire 🔥 warmed things up!

Soaking It All In!

We had an awesome day here in JC yesterday!

Actually, the weather has been more spring like since I arrived, nice and warm -

It was SO nice that Ms. Trixie and I relaxed on the porch swing enjoying the sunshine ☀️, just toiling the afternoon away -

I’m ready to argue the saying “Almost Heaven, West Virginia”, should apply to Sunnydew Circle in JC as well!!

Just can’t be beat!

#Blessed

What Time Is It Anyway?

This is what 6:45AM looks like here in JC.

I find it deceiving being it’s still so dark, unlike back in MA, but I’m adjusting-

Communication Challeges

Sure would be helpful if there was a Google app or some utility that helped with translating Massachusetts speak to Tennessee speak and vice-versa!

For example, I was explaining how I needed to run out and pick up some basic “staples”, you know to get me through a couple of days. Things like milk, eggs, bread, etc. - necessities! 

Well, some Tennesseans misunderstood and thought I was needing actual staples 😂

One smaht ass left me the above note, see pic -

Clearly, she doesn’t get it or me yet! But also seems she doesn’t get that the above item is a “staplER” and NOT “stapleS”!

Staples can be supplies and/or what goes inside a staplER!

I’ve got my work cut out for me 😉

Love, Peace and Joy

Wishing my family and friends a VERY Merry Christmas 🎄 and a happy and health 2026 New Year 🎉!

#Blessed