Plaster NOT So Fun Time

There was a section of wall in one of the closets that needed to be repaired, which required the plaster to come back out onsite.  We were not there when he came but immediately knew he had come as we pulled up to the house.

Seems the plasterer thought it was okay and a good idea to, I'm guessing, clean his plaster bucket in the front yard, right off the front deck and neck to the driveway, GRRRR

There are clumps of now dried white plaster littering the front yard, circled in red in the below pic -

Frustratingly, there is the THIRD time this person has been out to the house to do work and the THIRD time he's dumped his leftover plaster in the yard.

It's not so much the plaster itself, as it's relatively easy to clean up when dried.  However, it's more the gall of this dipstick and his inconsiderateness that bothers me!

And for that reason, I'm awarding him an "Asshole Merit Badge" -

This is, perhaps, a nitpicky post or maybe it's just my OCD but regardless of which, it irks me and I think the guy's a douche!

Hold Your Horses, Literally!

We've completed the horse pen and covered run-in!

75'x75' square -

We "Gutter" Dun!

Gutters and downspouts have been installed!

Four wide downspouts, with special extension on the ends, installed at each corner -

They built the gutters onsite using exact measurements taken from the house. The downspouts are secured nicely to the house and hung perfectly vertical.  The crew did a great job!

Signs Of The Past

Here are a handful of pics of local state historical, or roadside historical markers.

These are Tennessee specific style historical markers. The red circle with the three stars is the Tennessee emblem, and the “1A 29”, "1A 113", etc., are the marker identification numbers.

These signs are typically placed by state historical commissions or departments of transportation to commemorate the following - early settlers, battle sites, historic homes, notable people and important local events.

They're difficult to read as you pass them by, especially the older ones that are fading, so I started taking pic of some to read later (and before I knew about the below online reference sites).  Here are several photos that I've taken to date -

Check out the following website - "Historical Markers of Tennessee" for additional information on these signs, their locations and more. However, from my quick poking around on this site, it doesn't look like all signs are listed, for example "1A 26" is not showing under the Pioneer NorthEast section.

Or you can also try the HMdb Historical Marker Database, which has all sorts of information and oodles of search options too!

In any event, it's all very interesting and clearly the East Tennessee area is rich in history!

Light At The End Of Tunnel

Our heat pump has been installed!

The dryer vent has been installed!

The required trim vents have been installed!

Most of the trim out repairs inside the house have been completed!

What remains should have no affect on the home inspection...

We're in the home stretch baby!

The county home inspection is scheduled for tomorrow, believe it or not!!

Fingers crossed everything passes and we get our occupancy permit and can FINALLY move in!

Burn Baby Burn

A little afternoon pyromania is all!

Before -

After, the following morning - 

Welcome To Mays Earth Sign!

For those of you that are into horoscopes, here's one for you - 

As an additional PSA from yours truly, this advice extends WELL beyond May!

All Decked Out!

Our decks have been completed!

The contractor did a great job on both.  They're super solid and look terrific. The hog wire siding and extra wide steps, and their placements, we requested really make them stand out.

Front Deck 10'x20' -

Back Deck 8'x25' -

We had to have them redo the front stairs railing.  Seems they forgot what we wanted and what we had originally discussed.  They installed with the hog wire running downhill, tsk tsk tsk, it looked just awful.

Before -

They happily redid them and it looks fantastic now, makes a BIG difference.

After -

Having the two big decks is SO much better than having (3) separate smaller decks, one for each door, which is the standard with this manufactured home - (2) 4'x4' and (1) 8'x8'.  Glad we opted to upgrade now!

We're Officially A Gated Community!

We've successfully install two (12') galvanized farm gates at the entrances to our farm!

The first gate is at the main entrance. We also added some attractive curb appeal eye candy fencing too -

Here are a couple before pictures of what the same main entrance looked like before we began any work on the property.  As you can see it was WELL overgrown and inaccessible -

We installed the second twelve-footer off the Oakdale lot -

Here are a couple before pictures of what the Oakdale entrance looked like before we began any work on the property.  As you can see it was too was overgrown.  However, this entrance was used as the main access point onto the main property the last dozen or two dozen years, which you can tell by the worn tire ruts -

Surely, this will keep the rift-raft out...

A Mole In A Hole

We found, and rescued, this Eastern Mole yesterday in one of the post hole holes we dug last week -

There's no mistaken this dude with it's velvety gray fur, tiny, tiny eyes, pointed snout and almost invisible ears.

They spend almost their entire lives underground, tunneling and feeding on insects and earthworms, so us seeing this one was pretty unusual.

Kinda cute for a rodent.

Can I Get An Amen!

They don't call this area the "Bible Belt" for nutt'n!

Churches galore, all denomination these days, dot the landscape here in East Tennessee.  From major cities and on major roads, to tiny obscure buildings off the beaten path on windy and twisty back roads. Their signage can be seen all over, along roadways, at intersections, even at the ends of driveways.

Remember, Jesus loves you -

Here are just a handful of signage samples that I stopped and captured when out exploring.  Some are pretty creative too -

Although, I couldn't find a bible reference to this one below, nor on the Google machine, I'm fairly certain this is a VERY important one from Jesus Himself -

Have a "Blessed Day"!

Is This Considered A Fake Smile, Hmmm

You're looking at quite an investment of money in that x-ray below, as well as many visits to the ole dentist and a lot time spent in a dental chair!

Or perhaps, just a money pit...

Either way you look at it, it's all been necessary -

Seven crowns, of which most have already been replaced at least once, UGH, and two root canals which you cannot see but trust me I've had them! 

Smack dab in the center of that x-ray is my newest investment, the "post" that was drilled into my jaw bone back on March 3rd, that will eventually hold my new tooth\crown, which is another pending expense.

Here's a closer view of said post -

Hoping to have my new front tooth in place before East Tennessee corn on the cob comes ripe!

Gotta set goals.

A Couple Hens Live Here!

"What's the deal with" "The Chicken Coop"?

There are no chickens in it! There are no roosts! There's no chicken wire to be found! So, why's it called a coop?

Ah, that's because this is a convert garage, turned into a lovely backyard bar!  With a couch and chairs, instead of roosts, games to be played, karaoke to be sung 

No nest boxes, rather a refrigerator full of frosty cold wobbly pops!  Whatever you do, just do NOT drink the Miller Lite beers.  Seems they came with the fridge many years ago, EWWWW

I've not yet been invited when the place is a rock'n but it's definitely a coop of some sort, so I'll still give it two thumbs up 👍👍!

Can You Dig It?!

Oh, Snap, Literally!

Have a look at who paid us a visit yesterday afternoon, a gorgeous snapping turtle!

It was underneath the lone tree we having close to the back of our house, which is a good 400+ feet from our pond.  We were standing nearby the tree talking when this dude decided to lumber out and make a run (I use the term run loosely) in the direction of the pond -

The timing was perfect, as my second cousin once removed (thank you Google for clarifying), Ms. Emma, was with us.  She wasn't as impressed as I, and a bit scared of this prehistoric looking creature - 

It behaved as snapping turtles typically do once they feel threatened and began acting tough with it's mouth open, while lunging and snapping.  However, I know the act and wasn't swayed in the slightest -

Against my better judgement I put her back under the tree and left her alone.  Really should have relocated her far away from our pond.  As much as I adore turtle, these snapping turtles are really an environmental hazard!  They can disrupt small ornamental ponds by eating fish and vegetation.

We'll meet again I'm sure, at which time we'll address her living arrangements.

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below photo?

This is an easy one for you to start the week -