True Story!

So sue me...

Here Are Some Petite Charmers!

Here's some little petunia's in you eyes -

Ain't they just lovely?!

Here's a random useless fact for you all -

"Little Petunia" is also the subject of the 1947 novelty song "I'm a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch", sung by the one and only Dick "Two Ton" Baker And His Music Makers.  The lyrics describe a lonely flower in an onion patch who cries all day because the scent is too strong.

I think we'd all cry if we found ourselves in such a predicament, I know I sure would! 

Click the above link and have a listen to this classic -

Ribbit RIP

Spotted this unique sight in our pond the other day, a BIG beautiful water snake with a frog in it's mouth -

I suppose feeding on frogs and tadpole is a sure fire way to bulk up and get some size, which is what I'm guessing this slithering Nerodia sipedon (the scientific name for the common/northern water snake.) has been doing.

The epitome of a "croaking" frog, literally...

"Tennessee—America at Its Best"

Enjoying lunch on the Nolichucky river -

She's a beauty!  So, calm and peaceful. Listening to the water in the rapids, the geese on the water, cows mooing in the distance and the birds singing away. I understand Uncle Joe's decision.

The Nolichucky River is a 115-mile river that flows through western North Carolina and East Tennessee in the southeastern United States.

Kinda Crazy 'Bout My Farmer's Tan...

Like Kenny sings - She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy!

Oh no, we didn't!  Did we?!

Not John Deere green, but Kubota orange looks better on us anyway - 

Over up our driveway, lordy, here she comes -

She likes the way it's pullin' while we're bushhogg'n up our land -

Open up a throttle and stir a little dust!

We already have over twelve hours on her and she's a beauty!

As Dead As A Doornail, Literally

I stumbled upon a beautiful old cemetery yesterday that took my breath away, AND it's only a couple miles from our place in Limestone!

It wasn't the biggest cemetery but I must have spent over an hour in it reading, and trying to read, the old headstones.  It was so peaceful and quiet. Most of the headstones were from the last 1800's to early 1900's, and there was a section with some newer stones and dates too. 

Many were very difficult to read, covered in lichen, moss and other fungi but some were simply just faded too.

There were enormous cedar trees inside too, and I mean enormous.  Most I couldn't wrap my arms around, beautiful -

Many of the headstones and markers were in disrepair, with some broken and some simply sinking into the ground or perhaps the ground growing over them they've been there so long.  Here is one of the cedar trees that is swallowing up a smaller headstone -

Here is a sampling of just a few -

Oddly, I had to drive through a newer looking development with BIG beautiful houses.  Build houses.  Houses with foundations, garages, basements and attics.  That BIG! And at the other end of this development and at the dead end of a street sat this historical treasure!

How Precious

 And a 1 maybe, and a 2, and a 3...

This is udderly adorable 😂

They were all looking at me like, moooove along...

My Bologna Has A First Name...

It's a thing here in East Tennessee...

Buccaneers

I was today years old when I noticed that the middle line of the "E", in the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers logo, is in the shape of the state of Tennessee 😮, DUH!

It's everywhere...

A Bit Abrasive...

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!