The Earth Moved At The Farm

Yes, the Earth did move at the farm but it was moved by George and Tim.  Cross your fingers and knock on wood but yesterday the dump truck and the backhoe were both back in operation AND lasted all day.  That is all I am going to say because I do not want to jinx anything.  With the equipment working a lot of dirt was moved.  George's mountain is showibg signs of actually disappearing and the dirt from the mountain by their house is being moved to the top of the mountain where an RV pad is getting expanded.  When George fills up the dump truck with dirt then Tim drives to the top of the farm and dumps the load then returns the truck to where George is working.  The good thing is progress is being made and soon George will have more space around the house and the RV pad will be bigger too.  Let the progress continue!

Some More Fall Decorating

It is beginning to look like Fall around the farm but it is not that the leaves are changing.  So far it has been too warm for anything like that to happen.  Instead, with our decorating, Fall has come to the farm.  Lisa had decorated her back porch and it looks great.  Meanwhile, I did a little decorating in the RV.  I know I have more decorations but Tim has to climb into the basement to get them. So, until then, I did get a few things up to make it feel more like fall.  The sign area on the farm has been completed and it looks great.  We did simple decorations but it does make the area a little more festive.  Finally, we added the barn quilt I made to our mail box post.  It looks really great and you can see it well from the road.  Quick note - the Pin Busters did okay yesterday.  We won 6 of the 8 points.  As far as my bowling...I need practice!  Happy Fall everyone!

"The Magnificent Seven"

We went and saw the movie "The Magnificent Seven" yesterday.  I know it was a remake of the original one made in 1960 and I am probably the only person who has not seen the original but the remake was fantastic.  The cast was great, but then again anything with Denzel Washington in it is usually good, and the story was interesting.  It was action packed so the movie went by quickly since it was actually 133 minutes long.  If you liked the original I am pretty sure you will like this.  If you have not seen the original don't worry just go see this one; it is good!

Being Creative And A Bit Messy

Now that Christmas is less than three months away, don't hate me for bringing that up, I have been busy working on Christmas cards for my sister's November SAS which is all about Christmas and is her most popular.  Once again, I will be there for it and I am looking forward to it.  Pam does such a great job on her SAS's and the Christmas one is the best.  She has it in November so the participants have time to order and use the stamp sets to create their own Christmas masterpieces.  I will be doing the door prizes but this time I am also helping with making the cards that may be used for her SAS.  I am not normally a messy worker but I was trying to do so many different techniques that I have created a mess along the way with literally every work space in the Crafty Cottage being used.  Check out the picture posted!  I have created over 30 cards and gift tags, so far, so that Pam has several choices she could use.  I did clean up my messes at the end of the day but who wants to see a picture of that!  I will once again today be creative and messy...it's a process!

Sad Days

Sad days can come randomly but there are two days a year that are particularly sad days for me and that is just the way these two days will be.  My sad days are July 5 and September 25.  These two days are the days I lost my Dad and Mom.  July 5 has been a sad day for a very long time since I lost my Dad in 1967.  Now September 25 is be another sad day because a year ago I lost my Mom.  Do you have any sad days?  For the longest time I thought it was just me who felt this way but after talking with my sister and brothers they have felt the same on July 5 and now on September 25.  Of course yesterday was an even sadder day with the loss of  Arnold Palmer one of the greatest golfers ever.  Also because the Bears lost, again, and I got to watch it the whole thing. All my pro teams lost yesterday.  With sad days there are also Happy days and the great thing about my happy days is there are so many more of those then my sad days but that will be another post.  I do want to say thank you to my daughter Jenny who Facetimed with me yesterday morning just checking if I was okay because of what day it was.  Thanks Jen, Nate and my Rory, you made my sad day a little brighter!

Football Saturday!

I know you all know that we here at the farm are all from Florida so naturally we would be Florida Gator fans.  Now that we live in Tennessee would any of us change to being Tennessee Vols fans.  Well to live here on the farm the answer would be NO but living here in Tennessee you can't help but follow their games.  Yesterday was the Florida Gator/Tenn Vols football game played right here in Knoxville, TN.  The Gators have an 11 game winning streak going from their rivalry but Tenn is ranked higher in the polls.  So, Tim, George and Lisa were watching the game and the Gators were ahead at halftime.   Then I showed up during the 3rd quarter and things changed.  Tenn began to score.  I hope me watching the game had nothing to do with their scoring and thank goodness Lisa did not believe it otherwise I would of been kicked out of the house. The sad news for Gator fans is that Florida lost to Tennessee breaking the 11 game winning streak.  I am sorry to all the Gator fans; it was a tough loss.  Most of my college teams did not do great yesterday either  Michigan and Tennessee won but NAU, NIU and Gators lost and Navy had a bye. Another Football Saturday has come the an end.  Just waiting for the new rankings now.

The Fall Decorating Has Begun

Now that Fall is officially here it is time to start putting some Fall decorations up.  The first thing decorated was the fence and signs at the top of the mountain here at the farm.  Last year we built the fence and made the signs to help direct visitors at the farm.  This year we want to make things a little more festive so we decided to decorate for Fall.  Lisa was in town and purchased some decorations and when she got back to the farm we started decorating.  We are not quite finished so this post will be part one of the Fall decorating.  Check back for more decorating!

The Equipment Saga Continues...

The equipment saga continues here at the farm.  The day started out great with an appointment for the dump truck to get fixed and so George continued to dig up the dirt to create the cud-u-sac.  Everything was great for a couple of hours then the backhoe sprung a leak and work came to a complete stop.  A hose on the backhoe will need to be replaced so until the dirt digging will be stopped and the backhoe parked until the new hose gets delivered; bad news.  The good news is the dump truck was worked on at the farm then driven by Tim into town to have the brakes repaired.  Soon both pieces of equipment will be working again.  Until then some of the hill has been moved but there is more to do.  The saga continues!

Returning To The Pin Busters

After missing three weeks of bowling on the Coffee League I returned to my team ready to bowl.  Thank you to George and Lisa for subbing for me.  We got to throw a few practice balls and then it was time to really roll.  I am the lead off member of the team, I volunteered, and my first ball thrown was a Strike!  Okay, this was encouraging.  My second frame I got a Spare.  Things started off well. The rest of the game was okay but not great.  I ended up bowling an 89.  Okay, not great but hey, it was only the first game.  Then we started the second game and my bowling fell apart.  My first frame, in the second game I bowled a gutter ball and that continued for the next 9 frames.  Every single frame had at least one gutter ball.  What the heck was going on.  I ended up with a big 46 on the second game.  The third game I came back, after following some advice from my teammate Cheryl.  Thanks Cheryl!  I ended up bowling a 109.  So in the same day I got my lowest score, probably the lowest for the league, and my highest score so far.  Let's hope next week goes better.  Thanks to the Pin Busters for being so supportive.  Go Pin Busters!

"Sully"

We went and saw the movie "Sully" yesterday and it was not what I expected.  I thought the movie was going to be about the landing on the Hudson River and it was actually about what happened after he landed the plane on the Hudson.  The FAA put he and his co pilot through Hell and instead of treating him like a hero they were trying to prove what he did was wrong.  It was very interesting and a movie all should see.  Capt. Sullenburg was a hero but he is a modest one.  Way to go Capt. Sully!

A Mini Barn Quilt

Since living in Tennessee I have been interested in barn quilts and have seen quite a few of them on barns, homes and other buildings.  A couple of days ago I had posted that I was creating something new but would not share unless it turned out.  Well, I was creating a mini barn quilt and since I think it turned out great I am sharing it.  I am going to create a larger one for the Crafty Cottage but before I do I wanted to test out a pattern, color, paint, etc.  With the mini barn quilt I did.  I used Autumn colors because I will use the small one as a decoration and it all turned out great.  Since the mini barn quilt turned out well I now am ready to start planning the barn quilt for the Crafty Cottage.  Once I begin the project I will share and may even have a couple of polls on which pattern to use, colors, ect. so check back and see what happens.

Guest House

Our guest house was used for the first time this past week end.  What guest house?  The Little Cabin on Wheels became a guest house while Carrie and Daniel were visiting this week end.  Daniel's family has a family reunion it the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area of Tennessee every year around this time of the month.  This year, instead of getting a hotel room or cabin, Carrie and Daniel stayed with us and commuted to the reunion.  This way we got to see them more and they saved a little bit of money.  The guest house worked out well.  They slept good, had their own TV and a place of their own.  The only thing that was missing is a bathroom but since is sits right off the deck getting to our bathroom was easy.  We enjoyed our time together.  Thanks Carrie and Daniel for coming to visit.  They were our first guests to the farm two years ago and now they are our first overnight guests too!

Being Creative And Horse Poop

It was another hot day here at the farm and I cannot wait for the heat to go and we just get some nice warm days.  I spent the day in the Crafty Cottage working on some things.  I could not get motivated enough to work on Christmas cards so I shifted gears and started working on???  You will have to wait until I am ready to share what I have been working on.  If it turns out okay then I will share it but if it is terrible I will dispose of it and go back to card crafting.  While I was busy creating in the Crafty Cottage George was busy driving to a near by horse farm and getting the horse poop to put in the garden in the orchard.  He has tilled up the beds where the crops have been growing but are done and now it is time to treat the soil and get it ready for next year.  Thanks George, I know that is it a pretty "Sh*#ty" job.  Next summer's crops will be so good!

The Raccoon Season

With Fall just around the corner and the harvest season starting to slow way down I thought it might be a nice time to revisit "The Raccoon Season".  The raccoon season began once the first section of the corn started to mature.  We knew that the orchard is a haven for the local animals around here.  Remember the "jumping cow" who loved anything and everything in the orchard and gave us some lovely scented gifts, cough cough. and then there are the local deer that loved the orchard and were helping themselves to several of the crops and one was even bold enough to do it while we were harvesting one morning.  The opossum also liked our orchard and I am sure we had some more visitors too.  The Raccoons were the pesky ones because instead of just nibbling here or there they were on full destruction mode.  Not only did they eat all of the corn that was ready for harvest but they then trashed the corn stalks so if they missed an ear it would die and leave us with nothing.  We started the trapping the raccoons, taking them to the river and releasing them.  After talking to some experts on raccoons we discovered that the only way to get of raccoons is to kill them.  Here we thought that maybe we were making a dent in the mass destruction of the corn because we were able to actually harvest some corn but that did not last long.  We still have some corn that needs to mature but we have stopped the trapping of raccoon. We have trapped 25 raccoons so far and some were really cute but we knew we lost the war after taking 4 raccoons out in a day and then seeing a mother raccoon and her babies cross our path and head to the orchard was a defining moment that we have lost the war.  It is let bygones be bygones and a losing battle for us making the 2016 garden and harvest is the raccoon season.

Smaller Harvests

While I have been gone from the farm the harvests did not quit but they have gotten smaller.  The nice thing about smaller harvests is that it doesn't take as long to harvest or put away the harvest whether it be canning or freezing.  The strong crops that are still producing big time is the Okra and Green Peppers.  The eggplants, tomatoes and butternut squash are still hanging in there but not much is being picked.  The last two watermelons have been picked and we have thoroughly enjoyed them.  I was fortunate enough to share them with my family in Chicago and Jacksonville.  I am not a fan of the crops that are left to be harvested but when I return to the farm if there is mote to harvest I will be there to help; even if it is just Okra.  We still may have potatoes but we have to do some digging to find out.  I guess that will be a project soon.  Check back and see!

Pin Busters Win

The Pin Busters have won their first match by taking 6 of the 8 points.  According to Lisa no one bowled well, including the other team, but the Pin Busters bowled well enough to earn 6 points.  The first week we split the points 4-4.  The next week we only got 2 points.  Last week they were split again but this week we won.  So, way to go Pin Busters.  Next week I will be back and I am ready to bowl.  I don't know how well I will do but I will give try my hardest.  Thanks to Lisa and George who have been subbing for me.  I really do appreciate it.  Go Pin Busters!

Time For More Hay!

It was another Hay Day yesterday for our neighbors and Tim and George were lucky enough to help out again.  Since this is the second time doing it they now can call themselves experts.  There is a TMT, Tennessee Mountain Time, story to go along with the hay stacking.  Last week when they did their first Hay stacking the delivery guy said he would be at the neighbor's barn by 3:00pm.  So they waited and waited and then waited some more.  At 7:00 pm the hay arrived; see TMT time.  Well yesterday they were hoping to have a different outcome but this is Tennessee and it was the same delivery man so of course TMT came into play again.  The Hay was only an hour late which in TMT time equals only 5 minutes.  Thanks Tim and George for being such good neighbors and helping out the neighbors with their hay.  Now the horses in both barns will have plenty of hay to get them through the winter. 

It Is Fall At The Farm

It is Fall at the farm with the first tree changing its leaves. The first Redbud tree has had its leaves change color.  It is very pretty and I am very happy to be able to see the fall colors this year.  Last year I spent most of Sept and all of Nov in southern California and I miss the fall foliage so this year I should be able to enjoy it.  I am missing the Redbud now because I am still is Florida.  I did not drive back to the farm with Lisa because my daughter asked is I could stay a few more days and since my other daughter is driving up to Tennessee this week end I will be hitching a ride with them.  So I will be enjoying a few more days of summer while the weather is beginning to change a bit at the farm. 

The Dump Truck Saga Continues

After having the dump truck repaired and ready to go for a couple of months we now have a new part of the saga.  While George is running the front load Tim was driving the dump truck, once it was loaded with dirt, and dispensing the dirt that was being used as fill and other things.  Tim had just dump a truckload of dirt and was headed down to George's place for another load and the brakes gave out in the dump truck which was the original issue to begin with.  Luckily Tim handled the truck well and got it down the hill without injury but with the saga beginning again what is the next step with the dump truck?  Stay tuned to find out!

Pro Football Season Begins!

Today the pro teams begin their season for Football and right now everyone is even.  I know my Chicago Bears are still building a team and I always hope for a great season but I have my reservations about them.  However, with that said, it will forever be Da Bears!  I am actually only following four teams this year.  Three because I live or have lived in the area and the four is strictly curiosity.  The first team is, of course, the Chicago Bears.  The next team is the Jacksonville Jaguars because we lived in Jacksonville and because we have watched them from the very beginning.  The next team is the Tennessee Titans because we live in Tennessee and it will be the one game that will be televised for us.  The fourth team is only because I am curious about it since it just moved back to the town it originally started and that is the LA Rams.  Unfortunately, they start their season playing the SF 49ers and I hope they kill them.  I do not like what Kaepernick and how he is disrespecting our country by not standing during the National Anthem.  Somehow, I think it is just a publicity stunt to get some attention since last season was terrible for him.  Kaepernick, stop being a jerk and start appreciating what this country has done for you.  With that said I can only hope the LA Rams beat the SF 49ers.  Also GO JAGS, TITANS and DA BEARS!

Stacking Hay

Tim and George had the pleasure of helping the neighbors with some Hay.  Both of our neighbors have horses and they order their Hay together to save some money.  For the past several years they have shared the hay and stored it in one barn but this year with Tim and George adding on to our neighbor Cheryl's barn she will be able to store her hay in her own barn.  Tim and George were happy to help both neighbors get their hay stacked and ready for the fall and winter feeding.  Way to go guys!  Check out the picture of Cheryl's barn cat making itself comfortable on a stack of hay.  Do you think the cat was supervising?

A Road Created

A day after George cleared the dirt a road was created!  He realized that he still needed access to the top for some work that needed to be done so he created a road to the top.  Once he is done doing the work needed at the top he will remove the road and get everything flattened out.  I have no idea what work needs to be competed but once I find out I will share it with you! Ian very curious!

Pin Busters Subs Again

After joining the bowling league and my team The Pin Busters I have already missed two of the three weeks. Thank goodness I have two great subs to help me bowl.  The teams are made of three but ours is made of five which is pretty helpful to have two subs on the team.  George was the sub yesterday and he did so much better than I did I am in fear of losing my position and becoming a sub.  Of course George is not ready for the weekly commitment so I am safe for a while.  Unfortunately, another member of the team was sick yesterday so even with five members we ended up being short.  They still took two points.  I will be back to bowl next week and I only hope I can help my team get some points.  Thank you George for covering for me this week.  Go Pin Busters!

Digging Dirt...Progress Was Made

After a couple of days of digging dirt progress has been made and George was able to reduce part of the mountain by quite a bit.  There is still a lot more to do but when you see the picture it shows that progress was definitely made.  That is very good news for the backhoe which means its repair was a success.  The last time George had the backhoe repaired and started digging the mountain he got about few scoops moved and then the backhoe quit.  I am happy for him that it is still working and has not quit.  Maybe this time it was repaired correctly and it will continue to do well.  George operates the backhoe and Tim drives the dump truck, once full, and distributes the dirt to the various areas on the farm that need some fill.  So far so good and progress is being made.

New Project - Digging Dirt

George and Tim started a new project at the farm, digging up dirt to create a driveway/garage.  Step One, remove a mountain.  George finally got his backhoe returned to him after 5 months getting repaired.  It was done on TMT, Tennessee Mountain Time.  It sat for four months and then it was repaired.  It is working now, along with the Dump truck, I am sure you remember that TMT saga.  So the digging has begun to create a cud-u-sac to make things easier for turning around vehicles that come down to George and Lisa's place.  Check in on the progress this really should be interesting.

The Tool Shed Really Is Completed Now

The tool shed that George and Tim put an addition on is now completed inside and out.  They did a nice job and it looks like the shed was made like it.  You cannot tell that an addition was put on it.  The outside has been been completed for a couple weeks but the inside still needed work. Shelving, electricity and organizing of the shed still needed to be complete and now it is.  The tools are safe from the environment and easier to get to when needed.  Way to go George and Tim!

College Football -New Season

It's College Football season which is one of Tim's favorite times of the year.  He enjoys College Football so much more than Pro and will watch as many games as possible.  I like it too but near as much as Tim, Lisa and George.  This year I am rooting for six college teams.  Last year I think I was up to about 9 teams.  Here are my teams I will be following and tracking: Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks (NAU), Northern Illinois University Huskies (NIU), Florida Gators, Tennessee Vols, Navy, and The Michigan Wolverines.  They have all played their first games and four out of the six were successful.  Unfortunately my two favorite teams lost.  Check out the win/losses list below.  Go Lumberjacks, Huskies, Gators, Vols, Navy and Wolverines!  It's going to be a good season!

Lunch, Laundry And More

I took some time off from unpacking to go to lunch with our good friends Larry and Linda and Lisa.  Lisa had Lready had plans to meet up with them for lunch and they invited me to join them if I could.  We went to the local Mexican restaurant and hat reminds us of the one we all love in Orange Park, FL where I even have the same thing at either restaurant.  At La Nop in OP it is combo #9 and at Monterey's here in Newport it is combo #10; Two tacos, rice and beans.  We had a great time at lunch then when we got back to the farm I finished the laundry and started to repack.
Lisa and I head to Florida this morning for a week.  Lisa will be visiting her kids, Mom and friends and I will be busy helping Jenny with her business and, of course, spending time with Rory!  Meanwhile, back at the farm, Tim and George will be busy with some projects of their own which will be shared later.  Thank you Hermine for leaving the area we are traveling home through and to so quickly with minimum damage. Florida, here we come!

Back On The Farm

We are back at the farm and we were greeted by Shadow meeting us at the car.  Lisa and George have been taking really good care of Shadow while we were gone.  Shadow usually travels with us but this time we could not bring him.  Thank goodness we have such wonderful friends to take care of Shadow.  Lisa also made us dinner so we would not have to worry about what we were going to eat when we got home.  Thank you Lisa, it was delicious!  So we are back but for me it is a very busy day.  I leave for Florida tomorrow as long as Hurricane Hermine lets me go.  I  guess we will just have to wait and see.  Until we know for sure, it is good to be home!

Heading Back To The Farm

We are headed back to the farm and even though I am leaving my hometown I guess I am ready to get back to "normal".  We had a great time at Lake Geneva and Chicago and I know my Mom would have wanted it that way.  Just a side note, the pickles were a hit!  Everyone seemed to enjoy them.  Thank you to all who made it possible!  We have a long drive but we are getting out of Chicago with minimal traffic which is always good!  In a few hours we will be back at the farm so it can be just another day at the farm.