The Wood Farm

So the farm may be renamed to the wood farm only because for the past few days, when it wasn't raining, Tim and George qhave been busy cutting up the fallen trees.  There were quite a few and they have all been big trees so there has been a lot of wood to be had.  George has a log splitter which makes it a bit easier to take care of the logs.  Along with the trees on the farm there has been a couple trees that have fallen on our road.  Tim and George have been responsible for those too.  Way to go Tim and George.  Check out the wall of wood!

New Life At The Farm

Our wren is being very productive with its second batch of eggs.  The strange thing is that the same nest is being used. Wrens will build four or five nests then choose from there which one to use.  This year the same nest has been used twice but then again where the nest is located is a very safe place.  It is on top of one of the lights on the tool shed under the porch roof.  It will not have to deal with any weather, wind or predators.  I guess this wren is pretty smart after all.  Four eggs and waiting!

Happy Memorial Day

Today we honor the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice that we may be free.  It takes a special kind of person who is willing to give their life for our country and its citizens.  Thank you, you will not be forgotten! To all those celebrating the holiday, be safe out there.

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Tim and I were truly blessed the day Jenny was born.  Today is her birthday and not only is it her birthday but it is her special birthday.  She has turned 28 on the 28th!  Not a lot of people care about "thee" special birthday but I have always thought it was special and celebrate it just a bit more. 
Happy Birthday Jenny!  You mean so much to dad and I and we can't love you enough.  You are fantastic, loving, smart, beautiful, and caring.  We love you and hope you have a wonderful birthday and I am extra happy to be with you on your special day.  We love you! Happy Birthday Jen!

Preparing The Orchard

As the seeds that were planted, just about a month ago, there was some prep work that went into the orchard before planting could be done.  One major project that Tim and George worked on was taking down all the trellises that was put up quite a while ago.  It was there to help the Kiwi grow and kiwi did grow but never had any fruit.  George decided to take the trellises down since he was going to give up on the kiwi and it would make working around the beds easier especially for tilling and mowing.  Now that it is gone and just the pavilion was left up it looks good and it will make it a lot easier to work around the beds.  Nice job guys!

May SAS Door Prizes

It's Door prize time again for my sister's May SAS that happened last week end.  Now that it is over I can reveal the door prizes I made for her.  Each person that attends her SAS got to choose one of the four door prizes.  The most popular one was  the Birthday adventure (the ones with the little girl, baker, etc).  That is a brand new set from the new catalog that will be available shortly.  A lot of work and days goes into making the door prizes but I am always happy to help my sister out.  So glad the May SAS went well.  Way to go Pam! 👍🏻

Designer Jeans - Farm Style

There was a story on the news the other day about high fashioned jeans that looks like they have been worked in at a construction site or farm.  The thing is to buy a pair it costs $200 to $500 dollars.  Well if you are interested in a pair I can get them discount or it could be a dyi project; your choice!  All you have to do is let us know whether you want a pair for $50 or do it yourself.  Tim is very good at creating these high fashion jeans especially the hard way; working!  Or you could come to the farm and put in a day's work and create your own high fashioned jeans.  Either way, you can have the latest style in jeans at a discount price!

After The Rain

Talking with Tim yesterday he said it was raining and had been doing it all day so it was a quiet day at the farm. Tim worked on a trip we are planning in August and watched television while the rain continued to fall.  In the early evening the sun peaked out and created a huge rainbow the filled the sky.  It was so big that Tim could not get a full picture of it and had to take three pictures to see the whole rainbow.  The colors were pretty intense.  So, after the rain comes a rainbow!

The Crafty Cottage Got A Little Rehab

The Crafty Cottage got a little rehab or at least the screen door did.  Since the screen door was installed some of the screen on the door had some rips and tears that I repaired with tape.  The door also did not close tightly  but yesterday Tim took care of it.  He swapped out the hinges and rescreened the door so now the door is functioning correctly both closing tight and keeping the bugs out. He also added a handle to the door on the inside so I can shut it tightly.  I love the screen door on the crafty cottage because it allows great fresh air on days when I can have the door opened.  Thanks Tim!  It looks great!

Planting - Stage Two

Last week was the second stage of planting in the garden with more green beans, lettuce. Carrots and beets. The reason we plant in stages is so we will not get too many beans all at once.  Now the growing season has been expanded and so will the enjoyment of the veggies picked in stages.  There is one more stage to go before we are done planting.  The crops planted earlier are showing signs of life with little green sprouts growing from the ground.  Thanks George and Lisa for the second planting!

Throwing Hay

Tim and George had a great afternoon the other day throwing Hay.  They got home from playing golf and got a message saying the hay was being delivered, could they help.  So, they both got to go throw hay for a few hours.  They have done this once before so they knew what they had to do.  It took about four hours to put up over 155 bales of hay but they got it done and are waiting for the next delivery for the following day.  After waiting for a few hours for the next delivery of hay it ended up raining so it was cancelled to be delivered at a later date.  Way to go Tim and George!

Another New Visitor To The Farm Orchard

When George was walking around the orchard yesterday he came across another visitor to the farm.  He took a picture and Lisa and I think it is a Tennessee snapping turtle.  Without being able to see its pointed snout we are not 100% sure but it meets all the other criteria.  Tennessee snapping turtles live around lakes, rivers, streams, wetlands, ponds and vernal pools.  They range between 8 inches to 18 1/2 inches in length.  Their mating habits are done in the water but then the females will travel over land to dig a nest to lay their eggs. To get to the right place to lay her eggs the female will even use roadways and several do get run over by cars.  The turtle that was in the orchard was about 12 inches long and we can only wonder where it came from although there are a couple of ponds near by.  Welcome turtle just don't touch the crops!

The Keys Go For A Ride

On Tuesday we celebrated Rory's birthday at Mellow Mushroom.  Since it was by Rory's school we decided to meet Rory and Nate there.  Jenny rode in our car with Tim and I and she had put her keys on the seat.  When we got to the restaurant she didn't need her keys and left them in the car.  Well, she rode home with Nate and still not needing the keys they sat in the car.  Tim left to head to Tennessee after the party and so did the keys.  Jenny realized it the next morning after we got a text from Tim letting us know he was home.  We then decided to have the keys overnighted, there is only one set of keys to the car, but then we remembered that Lisa was coming to Jacksonville the next day so she brought them down with her.  I met her last night to get the keys and now Jenny can drive her car again.  Thanks Lisa for bringing the keys!

The Iris In Tennessee

The Irises are in full bloom right now and they are beautiful!  The ones at the farm are violet, white and yellow and the cul du sac is full of them.  The Iris is the state flower of Tennessee and when they are in bloom it is amazing.  Irises are only suppose to bloom once a year but every once in a while the irises at the farm have bloomed twice a year.  Last year it happened so we will have to wait and see if it happens this year.  Right now they are beautiful!

Fruit Trees On The Farm

Tennessee is a good state for several types of fruit trees to grow because of it's mild climate but still having four seasons.  There are some different soil varieties in Tennessee from clayish dirt in eastern Tennessee to a more sandy dirt in western Tennessee.  The best types of fruit trees that grow in Tennessee are pears, plums, apples, cherries, grapes and persimmon.  I think George has planted everything on this list and a few more.  This year the fruit trees are looking good and if they continue to grow we will have a bumper crop of peaches, cherries, apples, pears and grapes for sure.  Check back on the progress!

It's Rory's Birthday

Rory turns three today and we are all together to celebrate.  I was there and watched her birth and I will be there for every birthday I can possibly be at.  I remember watching my friends when they were having grandchildren and thinking eh, what's the big deal.  Well, now I get it!  Having a grandchild allows me to be part of a child's life again and watching Rory grow has been wonderful.  She has brought new life to me and everyday spent with Rory is a great day.  Tonight we are celebrating Rory's birthday at Mellow Mushroom with family and friends.  The best part is Rory understands it is her birthday and she is so excited.  Happy Happy Birthday Rory; we love you!

The Granddogs Are Home

When we drove down to Florida on Friday of course we had all three dogs in the car.  Lily and Ace were heading home after spending a week with us and I think they knew it.  As soon as we took them to the car they jumped right in.  With the new car all three dogs were able to travel very comfortable and had the whole back of the car to themselves.  Lily and Ace are great dogs and very well behaved at the farm.  They never ran off and listened to us when they were called.  Shadow was very good with sharing his place with them.  We enjoyed the puppies and they are welcomed back.  For now, they are glad to be back home and with Jenny, Nate and Rory.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and I would like to wish a very Happy Mother's Day to my daughter Jenny and my mom in law Mary.  Today I get to spend my very first Mother's Day with Rory together and get to spend it with my girls for the first time all together in 6 years.  I am one lucky mom and gamma. Happy Mother's Day!

The Wood Pile Continues To Grow

Tim and George were once agin cutting up the trees that fell in the holler down by the orchard.  It has been quite a chore and for three days straight all they have been doing is cutting the trees, putting the logs through the wood splitter and creating a wall of firewood.  George and Tim will get a rest from tree cutting for a few days while Tim and I are in Florida which is good because they are really worn out right now. Come winter George will be ready; maybe for the three or four years.

Bowling For Fun

Now that the Coffee League is done for this year, it will start back again in August, I have begun to just meet with other Coffee Leaguers and bowl for fun on Thursday nights.  Whoever wants to bowl shows up at the bowling alley and we bowl with whomever shows up.  The first night we only had 5 but last night we had nine.  I think as word gets out we will have more and more show up.  It is fun and the only person you are bowling for is yourself.  I won't be there the next two weeks because I will be in Florida but I will be back after that.  The best part is the bowling alley is allowing us to bowl at a discounted rate and sets it up in league play for us.  It is just plain fun!

More Trees Are Down

With all the rain and high winds we have been having over the past couple of weeks we know we could lose some trees but we had a bit of a surprise the other day when in the middle of the afternoon there was a huge crash that sounded like thunder yet there was not a storm in the area.  The crashing sound was actually three trees that had fallen in the holler just below George and Lisa's house.  At first George and Tim thought is was just one big tree but after going down to the area and looking at the tree it ended up being three trees.  They had rotted away at the base of the tree from ants tunneling in and living in the tree.  When they began cutting up the big tree they even discovered the queen's nest.  With the removal of a tree near us and now with the three trees in the holler and then four more to be taken down George and Lisa are going to have enough firewood for a few years.  Unless we get a fire pit then I think we could get rid of some firewood for them!

Another Widow Maker Comes Down

Yesterday another tree, aka widow maker, was taken down by Tim and George.  It was one that was suppose to be taken down last year but it was not a big threat so it was left.  Well now with the new car it is a threat.  Tim and George roped the tree and George started cutting.  Things were going great until the rope slipped off the tree. George could not hear us calling him so he continued to cut.  When he stopped the tree fell just where it was suppose to so it all worked out in the end.  The tree is down, the car will be safe and George has a whole bunch of firewood cut and stacked.  Good job guys!

The Trees Get Fed

The Fruit trees are doing well and if they keep going like they have been we will have a bumper crop of peaches, nectarines, cherries, apples, plums and pears.  In order to make sure we do get a good crop the trees needed to be fed.  We have clay soil here and so it needs to be treated to make the soil better.  George has been adding horse manure to the soil in the garden beds to help but you really cannot do that to the trees.  Instead George and Lisa treated the trees with 10-10-10- fertilizer.  The numbers 10-10-10 refers to the composition of a particular mix of fertilizer.  The numbers are the percentage and the component parts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in that order.  So 10-10-10 fertilizer contains 10 percent each of these three main nutrients.  This will help feed the trees and hopefully make them grow and produce healthy fruits.  Thanks George and Lisa and great timing in getting it in down just before it started to rain.  Now we wait and see what grows!

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

I really liked the movie Guardians of the Galaxy when it came out a couple of years ago.  It was a different type of Marvel movie but still good, funny and enjoyable.  This past week end we we went and saw Guadians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and enjoyed it even more so than the first movie.  It is very funny and very entertaining.  These are some big names in the movie too; Kurt Russel and Slyvester Stallone.  If you want a fun movie that any age can see and just have a fun night then this is one you have to see!

Dog Sitting

Tim and I are dog sitting for the week.  Tim drove down to South Carolina and met up with our son in law, Nate, who drove up from Florida.  They were meeting to swap the dogs, Lily and Ace.  We had Lily and Ace at the farm a couple of summers ago for a few months while Nate and Jenny were flying back to the mainland from living in Hawaii.  They are great dogs and they know us so well.  Jenny says she has sent Ace to the fat farm.  Last time he was here he dropped quite a bit of weight which was good because he needed to.  She would like him to lose some more weight while here.  We will see what we can do.  I am hoping if I do a good enough job with the dogs then she will realize I would do an even better job if and when we get to have Rory visit.  Jenny just isn't ready for her to go yet.  Tim and I keep thinking someday.  After all we raised her and she turned out okay! With Lily and Ace here this farm really has gone to the dogs.  There is now six!

Cinco de Mayo - Farm Style

Last night we celebrated Cinco de Mayo the farm way.  I actually had not heard of Cinco de Mayo until 1983 when Tim and I were living in California; we were stationed at NAS North Island.  When May 5th came along there were celebrations everywhere and I was looked upon like I was crazy because I had never heard of it.  Of course, at that time, only California celebrated Cinco de Mayo until it became more popular Nation wide in the later 1980's.  Cinco de Mayo is a military celebration in Mexico.  It is celebrating the day the Mexican Army had beaten the French Army.  It was a major victory especially since the French Army was double the size of the Mexican Army.  In Mexico the holiday is not celebrated like it is here in the U.S.  It is a more serious holiday celebrated by a ceremony with speeches and maybe a military parade.  The U.S. version is a party. We celebrated with tacos and white sangria and a discussion of the real meaning of Cinco de Mayo.  It was a good night with good friends, food and drink.  Dessert was good too!

David "Davy" Crockett

David "Davy" Crockett born August 17, 1786 in Eastern Tennessee was a 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician.  He was popularly known as "King of the Wild Frontier".  He was elected to the U.S. Congress twice and served in the Texas Revolution.  His reputation started early when he lived in Tennessee by his hunting and storytelling.  He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1825 but lost in 1831 then to win again in 1833 but when he lost in 1835 he was so angry that he left Tennessee for Texas to join the Texas Revolution.  He was killed at the Battle of the Alamo March 6, 1836.  Crockett had become famous in his own lifetime for the larger-that-life exploits that became very popular due to stage plays and almanacs.  It continued after his death which later continued into the 20th century and eventually television and movies portraying his life.  All of this has made David "Davy" Crockett one of the best known American folk heroes.

Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park

We visited Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park Limestone, TN and had a really nice day.  Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park sits along the Nolichucky river and is a 105 acre park that is centered on the birthplace of David Crockett aka Davy Crockett.  Davy Crockett was a Tennessee frontiersman, soldier, politician and also fought at the Alamo in Texas. The State Park has a replica of Davy's cabin, at the time of his birth,  that has just been moved by the campground.  The park is in the middle of a small renovation to include a village  to show what life was like during Davy Crockett's time.  It also has a nice campground, pool, playground area, picnic areas, hiking trails, boat launch and rentals and a museum.  It was such a nice day that we decided to pick up some sub sandwiches and have a picnic lunch at the park.  There is one major renovation that will be taking place very soon; the name of the park.  The park, going forward, will be called David Crockett Birthplace State Park.  David Crockett never went by Davy.  The name Davy was due to Disney's Davy Crockett movies and song.  There will now be two state parks in Tennessee called David Crockett.  There is the David Crockett State Park located in Lawrenceburg, TN and the newly named David Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone, TN.  There will be more on David Crockett tomorrow so check back!

A Taste Of Greeneville

Last night we attended the 28th Annual Taste Of Greeneville in Greeneville, TN.  It was held at the General Morgan Inn a historic hotel in Greeneville.  This event is sponsored by the GFWC Greeneville Woman's Club and the funds raised allows them to continue their mission work around Greene County.  There were 18 restaurants from Greeneville and Greene county serving up their best dishes to be tasted and then voted on the patrons of the event.  This was our first time attending the tasting and we enjoyed the event very much.  The foods served were very good and we walked out full.  The event was well attended as we waited in line for over an hour just to get in.  We had to vote on best savory dish, best sweet dish, best beverage and best décor.  We voted but we did not all agree on the same food and drink which is good because we do have different tastes.  Thank General Morgan Inn for holding the event and to the Greeneville Woman's club for holding the event.  It was a  good evening after a good day. 
We visited Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park and will share our experience in tomorrow's blog.

It's Planting Time Again

Now that we are in May we feel we are safe against any frosts so the time has come to plant the beds in the orchard.  There are five beds to be planted this year.  We are planting much of the same veggies that we did last year: three kinds of tomatoes, green peppers, eggplants, okra, sweet potatoes, green beans, lettuce, two kinds of carrots, beets, zucchini, three kinds of squash, two kinds of cantaloupes, pumpkin, two kinds of watermelon, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers and corn.  We did eliminate potatoes, peas and onions.  The onions were a complete fail the last two years, the peas did not produce as much as we wanted and the potatoes were too expensive to grow compared to what it costs to buy potatoes.  It was a group effort this year;  George and Lisa have planted by themselves the past couple of years but this year Tim and I were actually in town so the four of us were able to plant everything in a little over two hours.  George did buy this great seeder that was going to make planting all the seeds easier but the machine did not work with the kind of dirt we have in the orchard.  So, we did it the old fashioned way, with a hoe, a couple of spades, a shovel and our hands we dug, put down the seeds and buried them all with the hopes that everything will grow.  We are staggering some planting this year so we do not get a bunch of the same veggie all at once which means we will have another couple of smaller plantings to do soon.  Now all we have to do is wait!

The Road Has Been Graded Again

Quail Way is a long narrow gravel road that leads to the farm and since it is a private road, right now, the families that live along it has to maintain it.  Which breaks down to George having to maintain it with Tim and our local farmer friend Larry's assistance.  The road, once graveled and leveled is good for quite a while.  This has been the case with the exception of not using all wheel drive or four wheel drive on it.  What makes the road rough are vehicles not strong enough to travel up the gravel road.  Unfortunately when a car comes that cannot handle or know how to drive on a gravel road it creates ruts like a washboard that make driving for any vehicle tough.  George went to work and used his new tractor with a grader on it to smooth out the road and for now the road is good again.  Thanks George, you did a great job for the first time on your tractor!