Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge Fires

By now I am sure you have heard about the fires that are burning in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  Tennessee has been so dry and in drought conditions that any spark can build into a huge fire.  I am not sure what caused the huge fire in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge but 15,000 acres have burned in that area including The Great Smoky Montain National Park.  We are not in any danger at the farm but it sure is sad to see some of our favorite areas getting burned.  It rained yesterday and is raining today which is great news.  Let's hope the fires get put out.

The RV Got A Bath

Last week an RV for Travis was delivered after a long awaited period.  When it arrived at the farm it was filthy.  Now a few days later the RV got a bath and is looking a lot brighter.  Now that Travis has moved into his RV he has named the new RV pad also.  It is now called the Frontier which I have no idea why but when I find out I will share the reasoning of the name.  So, Francisco Farm has a new area called the Frontier.
Update- I was incorrect on the name.  Travis has named the RV pad the Wilderness.  He named it that because that is what his RV is called

Turkey Broth Central

Lisa, with the help of her daughter and daughter's friends managed to can 11 quarts of turkey  broth to be used at a later time to make Turkey soup through out the winter.  Lisa chose to freeze the broth for canning; a little easier process.  I am sure her homemade soup will be delicious.  While they were making the broth they also played games and watched football.  They made lasting memories and every time she makes some turkey soup she can relive those memories. 

Revisiting The Parkway

It has been a busy Holiday week end but a good one.  While I am enjoying being in Florida with our kids Lisa, George and Travis have been enjoying their holiday week end with their daughter and her friend.  They have done the usual things around the area including driving the Foothills parkway.  The colors along the parkway are even prettier and Kaitlyn, Lisa and George's daughter, got some really great pictures during their drive.  It has been a great Thanksgiving week end and I am hoping yours was too!

Back To The Farm For Tim

I am staying in Florida for a few days...10 but Tim is back at the farm to get a few things done. He will be returning to Florida mid week to help with Jenny's big show; more on that later next week.  We had a really nice Thanksgiving and the turkey turned out well.  Rory helped my make my pumpkin pies and I think she really enjoyed it.  She loved working with the mixer and she was a great help.  Tim's drive back was uneventful until he hit Columbia, SC and the next couple of hours seemed longer than they should because of the traffic probably due to Black Friday traffic.  He still made pretty good time and got home for dinner.  I hope Black Friday was good for you!

A Nice Thanksgiving

It was a nice Thanksgiving at the farm and Lisa and George enjoyed their Thanksgiving sharing it with friends, Linda &Larry and T, and family, Travis and Kaitlyn.  Lisa had a few things prepped and ready to go on Wed. Night and even celebrated a family tradition shared by T; baking batches of. Cookies before Thanksgiving.  It was a nice day!

Happy Thanksgiving!o

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and that you get to share some or all of your day with family and friends.  Tim and I are especially grateful this Thanksgiving to be spending it with our girls and their families,  We are extra grateful to be spending our first Thanksgiving with our Rory!  To all our family and friends, we are so very thankful and grateful for you! Happy Thanksgiving!

The RV Has Arrived

After a month long wait for delivery the RV has arrived.  I have not said much about why Tim and George have been working hard on the new RV pad but now I can. Lisa & George's son, Travis, is relocating to Tennessee now that his job can allow him to work from home.  Travis will eventually build his own home on the farm but until he does, he purchased a used RV to live in.  It looks a little dirty now, the outside, but inside it is really nice and it was well  cared for.  There was a slight snag with the gentleman that it was bought from but it got all worked out and yesterday the RV was delivered to the farm. Travis has some remodeling to do inside to make it his own but the bones of the RV are good and it will make a nice home.  Welcome to the Francisco Farm Travis.

My One FULL Day At The Farm

It is good to be home and I made the most out of my one day at home.  I spent the morning unpacking and repacking then Lisa and I met our friends Linda and Larry at Monterrey's for lunch to catch up and Linda wanted to know how to make a barn quilt.  After a nice lunch and a little grocery shopping I got back to the farm and visited my Crafty Cottage and gathered some items that I will be working on while I am down in Florida.  The rest of the afternoon was spent getting things ready and getting the RV ready for dinner with Lisa, George and Travis.  We are Barbequing here, yes it was in the 40's, but Tim didn't mind and we ate inside.  Lisa was so sweet and decided to celebrate my Birthday early since I am not going to be here during it.  She made my favorite cake and gave me the coolest Santa ever made by a local who has made tree decorations for the Whitehouse.  I will share in a later blog.  It was a full day home but a good one!

Back Home For A Day

I am back at home and was welcomed with some cool weather.  Well, not exactly cool it is more like COLD.  I got off the plane and it was already 33 degrees.  By the time we got back to Parrottsville it was a cool 22.  Now that is cold!  It is going to stay cool today them warm up a bit this week but that really won't matter too much to Tim, Shadow and I because we are going to be headed south tomorrow.  I just have to stay warm today!  Time for hot cocoa!

Returning To The Farm

Today I will be flying back to Tennessee.  I have had a great time here in California and I want to say a huge THANK YOU to Pam and Brian!  You both have made my visit so great and I really appreciate everything you did.  Some exciting things have happened while I was here in California like the Cubs winning the World Series.  I am so glad I shared that with Pam and Craig!  Way to go Cubbies!  We elected a new President and it wasn't who the media was pushing for.  I have to say watching election night coverage was an experience seeing the media back pedal a bit.  There has been wild fires in our area of Tennessee but yesterday there was finally some rain so let's hope it helped. I have a full day of travel but I will be back home with Tim and Shadow tonight!

The Shed Gets Lit

The shed on the new RV pad is being wired for electricity.  It will need it to run some things. Tim and George spent the day working on running the electrical lines and putting in outfits and switches.  Now, almost everything is ready for the RV which is still on hold due to the seller waiting for his house to be completed.  What's a few more days to wait when it has already been a month.  George is a very understanding guy!  At least the RV pad will be ready!

The Netty Mountain Fire

Just when you think you have things under control Mother Nature decides you don't.  The Netty Mountain fire that was 100% contained jumped the containment line and is still burning with 75% contained right now.  One of the major roadways by that area has been closed making traveling around that area a bit difficult.  Cocke county fire department is busy fighting it and just wants people to avoid the area and to be careful not to spark other fires.  If the area could get some rain that would help a lot.  Unfortunately there are wild fires in several southern states due to drought situations with Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee being the worst.  Come on Mother Nature, please send us some rain!

The Shed Gets Gutters

The shed on the new RV pad got an improvement when Tim and George put gutters on the shed.  The gutters will help protect the shed and the ground and also keep whoever walks into the shed during a rain storm a lot dryer.  The RV pad is almost completely ready for the RV to arrive soon.  Way to go George and Tim!
Update on the wild fires - the fires around our area has subsided and the wind shifted so the air quality at the farm got a little better.  In a picture Tim sent me you could actually see the Smokey Mountains.

Wild Fires Are Dangerous

It has been extremely dry in eastern Tennessee and during this time of year it is not good to be so dry especially with the fall leaves that are falling that are also very dry.  Anything can spark a wild fire from farm tractors to flat tires and sparks setting fire when pulling over to stupidity like throwing a lite cigarette out a car window.  Eastern Tennessee has been fighting wild fires for about a week and as of Monday night they have finally contained the Netty Mountain fire 100%.  With fires burning all over the county you would think the residents would be aware of it and be more carful but no, that was not the case just down the road from the farm.  Some idiot threw his cigarette out the car window that just happened to fall in a bunch of dead leave and started a wild fire.  George and Travis went to help put it out with some other neighbors but they could not get it under control.  Thankfully the Parrottsville Fire rescue got to the fire within 10 minutes of it's discovery and put the fire out.  The fire on Netty mountain was terrible but the wild fire close to home was too close for comfort.

More Prep for The RV

There will be another RV at the farm soon and prep for it is still continuing with some comforts for the RV.  We have a well here at the farm where we get all of our water.  The water here is very hard so a water softener and filter are good to have.  We do not have a softener but we do have a filter and even with that we have lost a few things to hard water.  Nothing major but it does take its toll on small appliances dealing with water.  That is why a water softener system was installed in the shed where the new RV will be placed when it arrives.  The sewer, water and electric lines were run last week so now when the RV gets to the farm it will be all ready to get hooked up and have all the comforts of home. 

The Crafty Cottage Barn Quilt

In a post in October I had mentioned that I was working on a project that I would be sharing later on and today is the day I share it.  I know that I have shared my new found fascination with barn quilts and after going on two barn quilt tours and creating one for my mail box I decided it was time to make a barn quilt for the Crafty Cottage.  I finally picked a pattern I liked and I knew I wanted to use bright colors on it.  Tim and George had saved me a nice piece of siding from when there were working on the shed addition.  The piece was 24 inches by 24 inches and Tim painted the entire piece white so I would have a clean canvas.  I gathered all my materials, pencil, ruler or yard stick, paint, brushes and green Frog tape.  I chose green frog tape over the regular blue tape because it leaves cleaner edges not allowing paint to seep in.  I picked my design, I found a ton of barn quilt designs on Pinterest, and started to draw the design on the board with a pencil.  After the design was drawn I used the frog tape and started taping around the areas of where I was going to paint first.  I decided to paint the orange color first because that color had the most spots.  After painting the first coat I followed with a second coat before moving on to the next color.  I continued the same process until all the colors were painted.  I then went over and touched up the paint that may have run or did not meet up to the lines.  Once I was done painting the barn quilt Tim took over and sealed the barn quilt with a poly seal so the barn quilt will weather well.  The next day Tim hung the barn quilt on the Crafty Cottage and my barn quilt was complete.  I love the way it turned out and from the RV you can really see the barn quilt with its bright colors.  It was fun to create one and I am ready to create another but have to figure out where it would go.  I guess until I do I will just enjoy my barn quilt.

A Turkey Mailbox

A couple of years ago we went to the Craftsman fair in Gatlinburg and there was a booth where you could purchase decorations to put on your mailbox.  Lisa and I both purchased a cute reindeer for Christmas but Lisa also purchased a turkey for Thanksgiving.  It is so cute and it is now time to place it on her mailbox.  They just got a new larger mailbox so there had to be some adjustments made to get the turkey on the box but they made it work.

Kind Of A Crappy Job

Tim and George had kind of a crappy job or it will be soon.  They installed a new sewer pipe for the new RV pad.  I did not ask what they did with the old one because that would definitely be a crappy job.  Instead I learned that the new one was relocated the
down into the holler which meant most of the work was done along the side and down a hill; a steep one.  They also took down some more trees, the picture of Shasow kind of shows the downed trees.  The new sewer pipe is in and it will soon be in use making the job kind of crappy.

Thank You Veterans

With today being Veterans Day I want to take this opportunity thank all the Veterans out their especially my family and friends who served or are serving.  Thank you to all the men and women  for our freedom and for protecting our rights and allowing us all to live free.  I would like to say a special thank you to my husband Tim, son in law Nate and Daniel.  I also would like to thank the families of those who have served and are serving.  Being one I know the sacrifices that are made and the support that is given to our men and women so they can serve.  With the new administration I am hoping veterans will become more important than illegal immigrants and that we all do appreciate all the vets because I sure do.  Thank you and Happy Veterans Day.

Moving Lines

To improve on the newly expanded RV pad at the farm lines had to be moved; water and electric lines that is.  The post with the water and electric had be moved from the current spot, the middle of the pad, to a spot where they would be out of the way but handy for hook up.  In order to do that ditches had to be dug and lines run along the new ditches.  It is not easy or fun just work.  It got done but it took some time since it had to be done by hand.   Moving nag lines and making improvements is what is happening at the farm.

We Have A New President

Congratulations to Donald Trump, the next President of the United States.  It was a very long and tough election and if you voted, thank you.  My regrets to Hillary Clinton.  As for me, I am very happy the election is over and it is now time to heal, forget, for give and get to work on making our Country great again.  It will take all of us so let's get to work!

Election Day

Well, Election Day has finally arrived and it could not come soon enough.  By tonight we will have a new Presidrnt elected and it is pretty scary.  Neither candidate is a popular one especially since they both have major issues.  With this said it is very important to go out and vote.  It is a privilege and your civic right to vote.  If you do not vote then you have no right to complain.  So please go out and vote and if you already have, thank you.

A Relaxing Day

It was a relaxing day at the farm...for some.  The weather is still great, in the 70's and it is hard to believe that two years ago we had already had snow.  I don't know if it is global warming or just Mother Nature giving us all a nice Fall.  Either way, the weather has been great and the colors are coming through even though they are getting to the end.  The trees are losing their leaves and we know winter will be upon us soon enough...well, maybe!  It was a good way to start off a week!

The 46th Annual Holiday Bazaar

This week end in Greeneville, TN the Greeneville Women's Club is hosting the 46th Annual Holiday Expo and Craft Bazaar at Henard Elementary School.  This is a huge event for Greeneville and one of the best craft bazaars around.  It is held in the gymnasium at the school that have two levels and both levels are filled with over 100 vendors selling holiday decorations and gifts.  This is one of our favorite events and had always been a success in buying Christmas presents.  This year, since I am in California, Lisa attended it by herself but said it was great and had some great gifts and gift ideas.  Maybe I will be around for the 47th!

Oh Wow! Chicago Celebrated!

I am still on a Chicago Cubs "high" after winning the World Series again after a 108 year deficit.  Yesterday Chicago honored and celebrated the World Series win and it was huge.  WGN America broadcast the entire celebration and it was incredible especially if you were a Cubs fan.  It was a 5 1/2 hour televised celebration and I loved every minute.  Over 5 million people showed up for the celebration... 5 million!  The streets along the parade route were packed and when the buses carrying the players drove down Michigan Ave.  the roar of the crowd was amazing.  Way to go to the Chicago fans who attended.  The Cubs did not expect such a greeting but deserved it.  I have always said that a Chicago sports fan is one of a kind.  They support their teams, win or lose, and the fans of the Chicago Cubs have proven that for the past 108 years.  Way to go Cubbies and Go Cubs Go!

The Mail Box Facelift

The mail boxes at the beginning of Quail Way we're rearranged yesterday in order to add the new address.  Travis, George & Lisa's son, will be joining us at the farm.  He was able to work from home with his job so he decided to relocated to the mountains of Tennessee.  George and Lisa have been doing a lot of things around the farm to make his move easier.  With a new tenant comes a new address.  Tim and George spent most of the day down at the mailboxes moving and relocating mail boxes to squeeze in the new address.  George and a couple of other neighbors upgraded their mailboxes but they all pretty much look the same.  Nice job guys!

My Cubbies Are World Series Champs!

Wow, what a feeling!  Congratulations to the Chicago Cubs - World Series Champions 2016!  They earned it the hard way by earning it.  Greatest season ever!  I am one very happy Cubs fan and can finally feel the sheer joy of winning.  As a Cubs fan, and all Cubs fans, we finally get to feel the joy of winning and it is even sweeter knowing win or lose we are fans until the end.  What a series with the Indians with the highs and lows bringing an emotional roller coaster especially in a Game 7.  Thank you to the Chicago Cubs!  This fan is very grateful and proud!  Go Cubs Go!

Go Cubs Go!

This will be a short post today and I definitely do not want to predict or curse anything.  All I have to say is WAY TO GO CUBBIES.  This has been a great World Series with its ups and downs but now it is game 7.  Let's do this Cubbies, just one more win.  Go Cubs Go!

The Dump Truck Has Donor

The dump truck that decided to break about a month ago has a life saving donor.  Another dump truck was purchased for parts to help get and keep the first dump truck running. George purchased dump truck #2 then had it towed to the farm where it will rest down neat the orchard until it is time to start giving new life to dump truck #1.  Thank you dump truck #2 for donating your parts to give life to good old dump truck #1.