Lawn And Order: Special Seeds Unit 😂

Did more manual labor earlier in the week, UGH!

We raked all the old straw from the entire knoll; top to bottom and from left to right and carted it all off.

We then spread pelletized lime and grass seed over the entire area, and then covered using 100'x6' straw seed blankets, 17 rolls!

Before, with old straw -

After, with straw seed blankets laid and stapled in place -

Fingers crossed that our hard work pays off and the grass takes off and starts growing!

Of course, it will depend greatly on making sure it's kept watered and doesn't dry out but that'll be the challenge, as that area sits and bakes in the hot sun all day AND it's a super large area that requires the sprinklers to be moved constantly to ensure the entire area is getting plenty of water.

“Seed, Water, Pray: The Holy Trinity of Lawn Care”

Find The Critter

Can you find the critters, two of them, in the below pic -

Things Are "Coming Together"

Well, great new, Yurezz actually stepped up and sent a crew of four to fix the setup issues with our house!

The crew drove over 9 hours, from Georgia, and arrived Tuesday afternoon.  They wasted no time in assessing the issues, then up on the roof they went and began pulling off the ridge vent (which was not an actual ridge vent) and flashing that the setup crew had originally installed -

Reminder of what the issues we were facing -

From the room, the crew was able to correct the 4" left to right offset and pull the two halves back in line AND they also we able to close the 4"-5" gap between the two halves!

Once everything was in placed and lined up properly, they secured the two halves with bolts, installed a proper ridge vent, completed installing the trim and siding on both ends -

What a difference!

We thought this issue was going to be a battle and that it would linger on for weeks before getting resolved but pleased it's been fixed!

With this issue resolved, the trim out team, which had been put on hold pending this issue, was back at it yesterday and making progress inside the house.

Things are starting to "come together", no pun intended...

Up And At Em!

It's shaping up to be another East Tennessee beauty again today -

Get after it!

So So Weird!

A Black Beauty For Sure

Caught this beautiful Black Rat Snake on our farm yesterday!

It tried to get away but there was no where for it to go, as we were in the open field. Guessing close to 3 feet long and not overly aggressive at all.

When bushhogging the property last week we noticed oodles of mice scurrying about, so after admiring this dude, I let it loose with instructions to search out the rodents and help keep them in check -

Hoping to see more of these beauties about!

A Stairway To Heaven

"Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow? And did you know

Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?

And as we wind on down the road

Our shadows taller than our soul

There walks a lady we all know

Who shines white light and wants to show

How everything still turns to gold

And if you listen very hard

The tune will come to you at last

When all are one, and one is all

To be a rock and not to roll

And she's buying a stairway to Heaven"

Led Zeppelin ‧ 1971

We have front stairs (still a work in progress) and much easier access into the our house!

The Ole Frye "Fishin' Hole"

Similar to the iconic opening of the Andy Griffith show that features Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son Opie walking to a fishing spot.

Below was me recreating a similar theme in the Frye pond (not Myers Lake) and my soon to be wholesome life in Limestone (not Mayberry) -

The fishin' hole -

We've not had much rain, so the pond is very low, too low actually.  I could see some small fish, perhaps sunfish, oodles of tadpoles and several frogs but not a bite or a nibble was to be had, alas.

However, you know the ole saying, "A bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work!", well it's true, VERY true.

#Blessed

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the first picture below -

This Garter snake was peacefully coiled and staying cool under a large piece of cardboard in the trash pile.  Was a bit covered in this beautiful East Tennessee red clay and seemed a bit disoriented -

There was no aggression when I first picked it up but got embolden once I put it down on the green septic tank cover.  That's when it flattened itself out and started striking towards me, big toughie.

The dude was missing the end of it's tale - 

It slithered off under a pile of straw that was out of the way of being stepped on or disturbed.  Perhaps, we'll meet again once I'm official in our house.

What The Flock Are They Doing?!

There was a "wake" of turkey vulture positioning themselves to dine on a, unfortunate but delicious looking (not to me), beat up and ripe looking opossum roadkill.

We kinda ruined their gathering as we approached but here's an adult and a juvenile perched just above the carrion they're after -

Now here is where my camera skills, if you can call them that, come into play trying to capture these dudes taking flight.

There goes the adult -

There goes the juvenile -

Oops, but a good looking and health feather pattern -

Um... -

The back end of the juvenile -

Seems I need to work on my camera skills.

As a stuttering Porky Pig would say, "Th-th-th-that's all, folks!"...

Speed Check

Certainly NO speedsters here!

MOOOOOve along 😂 but please be mindful of the posted speed limit -

Even monsieur bull was partaking in un somme -

The entire herd was lying down, which is so odd to me. I've seen it more and more since moving down here, oodles and oodles of cows lying down farm after farm.  Do you think they plan it or discuss it, so they're all on the same page.  Like this is their allotted break time, then up and at 'em time to get back at it - grazing, eating, pooping?!

A very good looking herd, White Angus, I'm guessing.

Making A Splash!

More Frye Brothers work on display!

A fresh coat of brown paint after a good power washing and scrapping  -

Before -

After -

Sure does look SO much better!

It will look even better once the algae green water in the cement pond is taken care of.

We're Getting Decked Out!

Progress in the making, literally!

The front 20'x10' deck is being installed and almost completed as of last night! For a free standing structure; not mounted or connected to the house due to warranty issues, it is super solid. What a nice job too, very meticulous!  -

We asked the builder to use galvanized hog wire instead of the typical pressure treated spindles for the side and VERY pleased with the look -

We'll have 6' wide stairs that'll run up next to the house, which is just off the driveway -

The view standing on the deck looking out and off into the distance -

The builder sent us several pictures of their progress yesterday morning, so after we ate dinner we took a drive out to check the progress out in person AND we're not disappointed, finally!

Once they complete this front deck, they'll start building the back deck... 

Liquid Dessert, Perhaps

Raise your Left Hand Brewing Co., and repeat after me...

As described via their website - "Rich and Savory with Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Notes

Rhythm and Blues. Batman and Robin. Peanut Butter and Chocolate. These classic duos never go out of style. Enter Peanut Butter Milk Stout. We took the pure milk chocolate bliss of our classic Milk Stout and added peanut buttery goodness. It’s like an adult peanut butter cup you can drink. It’s rich and decadent on the palate and lusciously lingers into a nutty, dry finish. A perfect pair you’ll want to share."

The chocolate taste and aroma dominates with only slight hints of the peanut butter.  More of a dessert type beverage in my opinion. A bit pricey but all in all, not too bad. 

One Day

Happy Easter 2026

Easter gathering with the family was special!

The decorations were perfect -

The food was delicious -

The flowers were lovely - 

Easter day started out rainy and chilly here in East Tennessee, fortunately the rain stopped so the egg hunt could happen but the chill remained, brrr

#Blessed

Outta Brumation They Come!

An Eastern Box Turtle!

Still dirty from it's brumation too!

How symbolic that it was rescued while crossing the road on Easter morning, a resurrection of sorts -

This dude was sealed up nice and tight. Box turtles close up in their shell as a primary defense mechanism, utilizing a unique hinged plastron (bottom shell) to seal themselves tightly against predators like raccoons and foxes. This "door" allows them to seal their limbs and head away from danger, acting as a near-impenetrable armor. They use if as a defense mechanism when they feel threatened or in fear.

I really wanted to keep this dude. Clean it up and wait to see it emerge and start crawling about.  Was curious what color eye it had and weather it was a boy or a girl.  But alas, we set it down on the other side of the abutting chain link, to keep the dogs away from it, and it has since skedaddled off, alas. Hoping we come across another one or two as we make our drives from Johnson City to Limestone.

In case you were wondering - "Brumation is a state of dormancy and metabolic slowdown in reptiles, amphibians, and other ectotherms (cold-blooded animals) during cold winter months, usually from November to February. Similar to hibernation, it is a survival mechanism to conserve energy when temperatures drop and food is scarce."

The Best Seat In The House

Bella made it home just in time to watch Nickelodeon -

Um, yeah, don't just stand there, can you grab me a snaky?!

It's Said, "When In Rome"...

We stopped in and had lunch at the original Burger Bar, located in downtown Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee. This classic diner has been around since 1942 and is famously known as the last place Hank Williams, Sr. had his last meal and was seen -

It's a tiny place, with the inside looking like two different restaurants joined by a small hallway between both places.  It had an old diner feel with thick stools and a Formica counter -

I went with the "I Can't Help It" burger, which is a cheeseburger with bacon -

The walls and ceilings are adorned with signed one dollar bills, that I'm assuming were taped up by visiting customers -

Seems the blue state of Virginia is keeping in line with their taxation, geesh -

All in all it was a good take. I'd stop in again if in the area.  The burger was tasty, as were the onion rings, and it was nostalgic traveling back in time if only for a short time. I now regret not ordering one of their milkshakes, alas.  They had quite a variety and they looked delicious too, next time...