Some Excitement At Walmart

The Walmart in Newport had some excitement when a car decided to take out a section of the Garden Center at Walmart.  The car never hit the building but it did take out an eight foot section of plants that were displayed in the front of the store.  Surprisingly, the display did do some damage to the car tearing off the front bumper.  I don't know if anyone was hurt because by the time we got to the Walmart a tow truck was already there getting ready to tow the car away.  It was raining at the time and the pavement might have been slick but otherwise I am thinking that it was another mistake of hitting the accelerator instead of the brake.  I hope all that were involved are okay.

A New Place To Eat In Newport

We have found a new place to eat in Newport that is locally owned and run.  It is called Andy's and it is a nice place, locally, with good food at very reasonable prices.  Lisa and I met our friends Larry and Linda for lunch yesterday. Tim and George were suppose to come but they were waiting for a mechanic to come and work on the dump truck.  It was TMT again ( Tennessee Mountain Time) the mechanic said he would be at the farm in the morning and when we got back from lunch he hadn't shown up and called around 6:00 saying he would be by this morning...TMT.
Andy's opened up in November 2015 and had it's grand opening in January.  It is located on a side of Newpot we seldom visit but we will be by more often especially when we are hungry.  We tried their pretzel bites and cheese for an app and it was huge. Five nice size soft pretzels and a cheese sauce that was absolutely delicious.  Next time I will either try their fried cawliflower or fried pickles.  They have daily lunch specials and have 5 or 6 choices of an entre with two sides for $7.00.  I thought it would be lunch portions but it was a full portion.  If you are in or around Newport and want a good meal try out Andy's. We will be back!  Thanks Lisa, Larry and Linda for a nice lunch and a great time together.

Checking Out The Orchard

Lisa drove me down to the orchard to show me all the work she and George have done in the orchard while we were in Florida; it looks great!  What a difference from last year and I am in awe of the knowledge they both have with crop placement, the use of chemicals, etc. that will aid in the growth of the crops.  Several of the fruit trees have signs of fruit and hopefully they will not be infected with the red cedar dust that attacked the trees last year.  There is a bed just for corn with a quarter of it planted.  Every two weeks another quarter will be planted until it is full.  This will help during the harvest.  The blueberry bushes have been moved and expanded.  Last year we picked blueberries from about three bushes, which produced a lot, but several of the bushes had to be replaced this year.  If they all take there will be a bumper crop of blueberries!  The other crops have been rotated to different beds to aid in the growth and all four beds have been planted.  This year the crops consist of two kinds of pumpkins, four kinds of squash, two kinds of cantaloupe, lettuce, peppers.  There will be zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, beets, four kind of tomatoes, three kinds of potatoes - red, Yukon gold and sweet, peppers, onions, okra, beans, peas and eggplant.  I may have forgotten some but there will be a variety.  The grapes are coming in nicely and this may be the year we try to make wine; more on that later in the year.  There is even a few almond trees with fruit so if we get to harvest the almonds it will be a brand new experience for all. George and Lisa have really worked hard on the garden this year and it shows.  I was very impressed with the layout and all that was completed - Great Job!
Lisa made a delicious meal last night, Sheppard's pie with broccoli/cauliflower salad and rolls and for dessert strawberries and whip cream over angel food cake...yummy!  Thanks Lisa!

We Are Back At The Farm

We are back at the farm after being in Florida a little over two weeks.  We originally were only going to be there until the end of April but due to my stupid little accident it got delayed a few days but we have finally come home to the farm.  Those two weeks certainly allowed nature to really let Spring sprung especially the trees that were just getting their leaves just before we left but in our absence they have fully "leafed out" and are a beautiful green.  The view is beautiful as always but in a very green way.  We came home to cooler weather.  It was only 72 degrees when we got home; I say only because in Florida the temperatures were 90 plus every day. We sat on the deck with George and Roxy, Lisa was at Bible Study, and enjoyed the cool air.  It got down to the low 40's last night and the high today is only suppose to be in the high 60's and we are very happy for it.  I am hoping to be able to tour the orchard today and see the progress and hard work George and Lisa have been doing. I do miss being with my kids and Rory but it is good to be home!

The Fruits Are Starting To Grow

George and Lisa have been busy working on the beds and fruit trees in the orchard.  While George was tilling another corn bed and spraying weed killer between the beds Lisa was busy putting nitrogen around the fruit trees.  Lisa was happy to report that the apple, peach, pear, cherry and almond trees were already showing signs of fruit which means the recent freeze did not hurt the trees.  Unfortunately the apricot, plum and peach trees that blossomed early have not shown any signs of baring fruit.  I guess the early freezes did damage those trees. Great job once again Lisa and George. 

May Flowers

Lisa sent me a beautiful picture of the irises blooming at the farm.  April showers bring May flowers is apparently true.  The phrase in like a lamb out like a lion for March was true this year too.  I hope this doesn't mean we are going to have an extremely hot summer.  The picture of the iris is really quite beautiful.  Thank you Lisa!
Today I find out just how badly the break on my foot is.  I am seeing an orthopedic surgeon so hopefully it won't too long.  Since I am seeing him at the base it means all Active Duty will have to go first.  We have no idea how long it will take.

The Blueberries Get Sawdusted

George and Lisa were busy getting a couple of truckloads of sawdust to spread over the blueberry beds.  Sawdust is a common material used when planting or maintaining blueberry beds because it helps cover and protect the roots of the plant, maintains moisture for the plant and helps with nutrients for poor soil.  Unfortunately now that. housing markets are down sawdust is harder to come by and not free.  They still have three more loads to go to complete the bed.  Great job George and Lisa.
I was looking forward to helping with the planting but it will be a bit of a delay for me.  I had an accident over the week end and sprained my ankle.  Because of the swelling and pain level we went to the ER to check it out. At that time the Dr said there were no broken bones.  Last night I got a call from the same ER Doc who informed me that I did break a bone in my foot.  I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on Monday.  WooHoo!