Start Your Engine

An interesting choice for a mailbox -

What category might this fall under - Redneck? Gearhead? Artsy? Robotics? Alien? Other?

Do you find it creative?

It’s unique for sure.

Five-And-Dime Diner

I stopped and grabbed lunch today at Clinchfield Soda Station in Erwin.

What a cool breakfast and lunch spot. Located inside the Clinchfield Drug company building. It’s an old school diner type counter with swivel stools along side the drug store wares, even a pharmacist filling prescriptions!

Very similar to the good olde F. W. Woolworth Company, aka “Woolworth” diner, if you’re familiar with this five-and-dime store from back in the day!

I got a cheeseburger with pickles, fries and a sweet tea. It was delicious! One of the better burger I’ve had since moving to the area. It was so tasty and tender, cooked perfectly and the fries were also tasty and piping hot -

These sodas look interesting too -

I’ll definitely be visiting again. They have an “Iron Horse” burger that sounds and looks delicious but I’ll need to bring a BIG appetite to tackle this burger 🍔 but I’m up for the challenge.

Might even top it all off with an old fashion milkshake!

The service was great too. I give it two thumbs 👍 👍 up!

Lap It Up

Seems I was sold a bill of goods!

They said this was a bird bath but clearing that is NOT the case after witnessing the below this morning -

The Eyespots Though

Whatcha look’n at bub?!

This male Hackberry Emperor Butterfly thought I wouldn’t notice him perched on the back porch light fixture -

The row of white spots near the tips of its forewing is the tell that this is in fact a Hackberry Emperor butterfly and not its closely related Tawney Emperor butterfly. 

Learn something new every day 💡!

Put Me In Coach

No vampires in this old barn, just bundles and bundles of tomato stakes -

Rain Rain Go Away

Took this picture and video, click link below, of Sinking Creek in Afton this past Saturday afternoon -

This creek runs parallel to Ripley Island Road and is usually a slow running and winding stream. However, with all the heavy rains we been having, this creek came alive, and overflowed its banks and washed out and over the roads in several spots!

Click link below -

Roaring Sinking Creek

The Nolichucky river was roaring too and running super high -

This is an interesting pic below. It looks like the field of corn is now in the river, the water had risen so high -

Fortunately, it seems the water levels receded fairly quickly once the rains stop but it’s left behind quite a bit of damage once you get off the beaten path.

Jiminy Crickets!

What in the Sam Hill and tarnation is going on here in East Tennessee?!

It’s a coming a gully washer with all these sudden torrential downpours! There’s enough rain to wash out ditches and flood fields I tell yeah!

Some of this rain is like a cow peeing on a flat rock! Just incredibly hard and a bouncing rain all over the place!

Somes even like the Devil is beating his wife, with pouring rain and the sun a shinning!

Golly! I recon this is normal round these here parts of East Tennessee…

I do NOT care for it, any of it! 

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the first couple of photos below -

This beauty (beauty is in the eyes of the beholder of course) is actually a Black Vulture, not a Turkey Vulture!

It’s very common to see Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures soaring overhead together. The Black Vultures often follow Turkey Vultures to carcasses because Turkey Vultures have a better sense of smell, while the Black Vultures rely on their eyesight.

The Black Vultures have a dark gray-black head and are a chunkier bird. They flap more when flying versus the soaring of the Turkey Vultures.

This dude was just chilling and didn’t seem to mind me stopping to take these pics, very photogenic I’d say.

Go For It

When given the opportunity, take it  -

Hi Ho, Hi Ho…

Despite the humidity and downpours, I was still able to get seven days of walking in!

Here are the stats for the week, Monday to Sunday -

Disregard my laziness in May and June above.

Making up for it here in July!

Found a couple nice walking trails in Greeneville!

Enough All Ready!

With all this foolish heavy rain we’ve been having, our pond has breached the top and now running overtop of the driveway -

We had the grade level of the driver’s raised in that area of the pond specifically because it seemed to always be “wet”. It was raised quite a bit, so very surprised to see it breaching.

It’s ironic because not too long ago, before all this rain, when it was dry, the pond level dropped quite a bit! It was super low. One neighbor said it’s gone dry in the past. Well that’s not an issue today.

Doggie Land Mines!

Different state, same issue -

I just assumed things would be different here in East Tennessee but I was mistaken.

Different state. Different town. Same lazy, disrespectful dog owners who do NOT pick up after their dogs do their business! They ignore the posted signs AND even though there are “doggie” stations with poop bags and their own trash receptacles, still there are those lazy, entitled POS that refuse to comply.

It was more obvious to me yesterday, as I needed to walk on the grass berm next to the paved walking trail that was flooded out with all the rain we’ve got. So, not only did I need to navigate puddles and mud but also mounds of neglected dog poop. And this is at a seemingly popular walking trail in Greeneville.

I’m not surprised, more so just disappointed.

Flowering Band

Here’s a unique plant with lavender flowers that I’d never seen before. Apparently, it’s not uncommon to see this beauty here in East Tennessee. I’d say it’s hard to miss being that it can get up to 8’ tall!

It’s called, Common Teasel. It’s a non native plant and actually listed as invasive -

However, it does provide some benefits for bees and butterflies (nectar), as well as its seeds for Goldfinches and other birds in the fall.

The way the flowers grow out add to it’s uniqueness.

A “Good” Bug

I spied this BIG dude, and a second smaller one beneath it, on a walnut tree leaf this afternoon.

These are both Wheel Bugs, a type of assassin bug. The giveaway in identifying this bug is the spiny, gear-like crest (the wheel) on its back - 

Seems these are very beneficial to have around, as they’re excellent predators and help control pests, e.g. Japanese beetles, stink bugs, caterpillars and other insects that damage gardens and crops, so don’t squash them.

An interesting find, if I do say so myself.

Left Right

Paw-paw…

A Stunning Double Rainbow

What an outstanding double rainbow 🌈 taking place right now! SO bright…

This Is (Water) Fowl…

Pig Pile With Goats

A pile of goats -

How many goats 🐐 do you see?

AKA Wild Carrot

The Queen Anne’s Lace is a blooming here in East Tennessee and looking good -

I refer to this plant as, “Uncle Tommy”, but I honestly cannot remember the specific reason as I write this, which is frustrating.

Uncle Tommy refers to Tom Taggart, my former uncle by marriage.

Interesting fact, I worked for Tom at my first real full-time job out of high school - The Faxon Company, which was many years before he would unknowingly become my uncle by marriage.

He was a terrific boss and an even better uncle. Sadly, he passed suddenly in early 2000, shortly after I bought my house in Franklin. I sure could have used his guidance and carpentry expertise over the years with all the projects that were done, he was very handy and great with that stuff.

He fondly comes to mind when the “Uncle Tommy’s” are in bloom and this year is no different.

#Blessed

Those Ain’t Handles

Check out this stunning dude, WOW -

And his ladies -

Just down the highway and can often been seen out in the field grazing from 11e, so cool!

Yes, female Texas Longhorns do have horns too! In fact, female Longhorns often grow longer and thinner horns than males.

The horns are for natural defense but also to help regulate their body temperature, so now you know!

Either way these are stunning animals, especially seeing them up close!

When It Rains It Pours

Another scheduled visit to the dentist today, well actually the oral surgeon.

Today’s appointment was to expose (yes, slice my gums) the post that was implanted four months ago and to install a small plug in said post, which will eventually be used to mount the fake tooth.

I was a tad worried leading up to today’s appointment, that was made worse as the doctor kept me waiting almost 40 minutes!

Seeing the tools laid out as I sat back in the exam chair surely had an effect, as my blood pressure was 155/95 -

With the anxiety producing procedure over with (multiple novocain shots, and yes into the roof of my mouth too), I relaxed a bit and waited for the numbing to take effect.

When the doctor started, I could hear the slicing of my gums, fortunately I didn’t feel a thing, phew.

The problem came when the doctor said “oh no”!  That’s when the red flag went up, and even though he had his hand knuckles deep in my mouth I got out the word “what”?!

Well, seems the post; the post that was painfully drilled into my jaw back in March, which looked perfect in the xray they took before starting today’s procedure, came out! Yup, the f’n post that was supposed to have grafted to my jaw these past four months didn’t do the graft thing and instead it just “popped out”!

As if that wasn't bad enough; here’s the bad news - the post that popped out cannot be put back in, nope. Instead, the doctor filled and packed the hole with grafting material.

This grafting needs to set for four months, I kid you not! So when I go back in October, yes October, I need to go through the whole process again where he’ll drill a new hole and set a new post AND I’ll need to wait ANOTHER four months for that work to set and bond…

Burst my bubble is an understatement! I was expecting to FINALLY be in the homestretch of this ordeal but instead it’s just beginning, <sniff>, and as I write this post my mouth is aching and sore, and the three sutures installed today are still bleeding some.

I guess one piece of good news is when the doctor said he would not charge me to “fix” and redo the procedure - dam right, the first procedure did NOT work!!

Not sure why I have this black rain cloud overhead…

Kids Being Kids

There were a couple of hawks screeching and carrying on while I was out for a walk. I don’t think it was my presence causing the commotion, as I could hear them after I’d passed.

This juvenile Red-tailed Hawk wasn’t overly scared and let me get close enough to take this pic and below video -

Carrying on and taking flight 

Beautiful birds!

 

Where’s My Nitroglycerin, STAT

Just got the scare of my life, and emergency SOS text message from Emilie -

I called her immediately and happy, and relieved, that she answered and told me she was OK and inadvertently called 911, thank god!

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shaken…A LOT!

Just Poking Around

Made my way to Horse Creek in the Cherokee National Forest, while just poking around and doing a bit of Joe-Faber-back-road-puttering this morning -

Not too exciting all in all but peaceful and a potential hiking option or two -

Rhododendron maximum, otherwise known as Great or White Laurel in bloom and looking beautiful-

There were oodles of theses plants all over the area but only a few had flowers. Seems they’re just getting started and will bloom through July. Will need to revisit in a couple weeks to see if the others open up too -

I’m getting more familiar with the area!

Look 👀 Both Ways!

I saved this Painted turtle this morning attempting to cross 107 Cutoff (Rt.351) -

I moved her some twenty feet off the side of the road, in the direction she was headed.

If only USPS mail carriers could tell the difference between rocks and turtles 🐢, I’m sure others would be saved too…

A happy ending nonetheless!