movin' on up

shiplap!

help from the boys next door (kids/grandkids!)

Keith, Kyle, Matt, Curren

and... it works! 

winter

the view out our front windows, clouds, fog, distant mountains

it is that time of year, all the colors and lights of the holidays are packed away in boxes, all that is left is gray

it is a gray winter day, lack of any color, gray trees, gray sky, thousands of gray branches intertwined to make a gray canopy overhead, wind whistling through them, a few drab brown leaves skittering across the dead grass

the clouds surround us like a cocoon and feel at times claustrophobic, but for the occasional glimpse of mountains in the distance and the hope and faith that spring will come once again

it will be this way for at least two months until the March flowers have had enough and pop up and look around

walking the line

this weekend we were out walking property lines, looking for corners, iron pins, flagging, because Kyle and Allison want to move to the mountains!

which house site to choose? 

Carrie wanted to make sure her site was marked clearly so no one would get it.

A beautiful day to walk in the woods, the leaves are starting to turn, the air is cool and crisp. And we are getting new neighbors!

JOHO

The joys of home ownership (JOHO) means that there will always be work to be done on the house. If you own a house, you know this very well. Some things are small and are taken care of as time goes on, like the recent replacement of all light bulbs in our house to LED ones. The bigger things require planning for time and money and have to be worked into a schedule. In the retirement planning process we met with an advisor and one of the tasks was to come up with a retirement budget, which prompted the spinoff of a list of home maintenance projects/renovations which we wanted to accomplish, along with an estimate for the budget.

List:

replace cedar siding on the back wall of the house (the Southern exposure has taken its toll, all the other sides are fine)

replace 3 wooden windows on back wall of house

remove old paneling from master bedroom, replace with ?sheetrock

replace all carpet on upper level of house

new metal roof for shop

move AC outside unit to other side of house (away from screen porch for noise purposes)

These projects were slated to start after retirement (12/2019). But Buddy can't wait until retirement. The fact that we are working closer to home and can come home every weekend makes it harder to wait. First on the list is replacing the cedar siding. We bought new windows a few weeks ago to replace the old wooden ones, the new vinyl ones are sitting in the shop.

This weekend, the weather was nice, "I'll just start pulling off the cedar siding, a little at a time, it won't hurt anything, as the old 1976 siding is underneath."

I am working on a baby quilt with my sewing machine under the window, and the next thing I know, here come Buddy - "Uh you are going to have to move your sewing machine, I am taking going to replace this window… right now!"  It seems the old siding did not extend all the way around the windows and by pulling off the cedar planks there was no protection from weather. So the schedule was suddenly escalated.

By Saturday evening, we had 2 new windows on the main level, the cedar is removed from half the back wall, just one more window to go. A very productive weekend. I wonder if all of the projects on the list will be done before retirement?

KY to GA

Leaving the KY campground

on the road again...

Fort Mountain GA!

following the Trail of Tears

almost there, our road!

turning in our driveway

wait! somebody's parked in our spot!!

if snow falls in the forest...

If snow falls in the forest and no one is there to see it, does it make a sound? Is it still cold?

Lucky for us, neighbor/niece Heidi came by and snapped this shot for us while we were gone.

We were in Dollywood enjoying the small dusting of snow when the big accumulation was down south in Georgia!

thanks y'all

Another family Thanksgiving in the books.

We were missing some folks - Kyle and Allison were in Ohio, Matt and Sarah in California. Daniel visiting with his family in Tennessee.

It was so good to see Kennon and Kay back at our table this year, and thanks to Sue for stopping by to visit, all three Tidwell siblings in the same room one more time, the oldest generation of Tidwells!

We looked at old photo albums and shared memories, celebrating together their Folks - Felton and Inez, who were married on Thanksgiving Day 80 years ago! woohoo!

vacation 2017

Lower Falls, our back yard

Little River, Townsend, TN

we usually head to the Smokies to sit by the river but then when we get home wonder why we ever left, sitting by our creek is just as sweet without the traffic :)

home

Home

elevation changes

blue mountains

rushing water

wildflowers

moss covered rocks

sunrise over the mountain

and disappearing on the other side

family gathered in the kitchen

rocking on the porch

watching the traffic go by

only seeing your neighbors at the grocery store

but knowing they are nearby 
if you need them

old friends at the funeral home

cars stopping in respect

march flowers and tulips at the mailbox
reminders of past generations
dusty gravel driveway

rhodys shiny leaves

hemlock tiny cones

walking trails

rock piles marking land corners

bright tape marking house sites

history and hope of  
past and future generations

Home

leaves

I love to rake leaves

when I say this, my kids say yeah right mom, good one

but I do

outside in nature

beautiful colors

hearing the crispy crunch as you walk through them

feeling the autumn sun and cool breeze

instead of the sound of the leaf blower

and the smell of gasoline

and the numbness in your hands from holding it

just rake some leaves

it is therapeutic

if you sit inside all week at a desk

even though your office view is a good one

you need to get out and do something

like rake leaves

like clean out a spot for the turkey fryer

so the old man won't set the woods on fire

again

even rake the driveway 

because those leaves are covering up the gravel

and you will need that soon

for traction in the snow and ice

just get out and rake some leaves

and then more leaves will fall

and it will rain and they will get all wet and heavy

and then someone else can handle it...

with a big gasoline leaf blower

I love to rake leaves

when they are dry and light and crunchy :)

fall

down time

After working 6 days a week for months now, Buddy was coming home for a 3 day weekend. In a moment of weakness he emailed that he would like to just sit down at the falls and rest, have a campfire, and for me to see if any of the neighbors wanted to stop by to talk. The neighbors on both sides are kin, so I sent out a group message to share his invitation (before he changed his mind). Then the next day I get this e-mail outlining all the work that he needs to do at home and maybe postpone the R&R at the falls for another time. I refused and insisted on the down time. So it actually happened, it didn't rain, and was a very nice time spent.

Not one of the BIG official family gatherings that happen maybe twice a year, but just a casual drop in if you want to, it was good to see some of the kids and grandkids.

The waterfalls are popular with other neighbors who often hike back there on the weekend. This time we were happy to see some folks we have not seen in a long time, two of the Smith boys and their kids. It was also good to see little kids in the creek again, so excited to be walking up the creek, climbing the rocks, having a great time.

The newest addition to the family, puppy Georgia wanted to play with big sister Sophie, and they had a good time, separately.

Matt liked to play in the creek, looking for crayfish or spring lizards, moving rocks, he really wanted to build a dam.

We had watermelon and salty peanuts and s'mores and boiled peanuts. We heard some old stories from Joey Smith and some new stories from our grandkids, snippets of conversation…

don't ever put your toothbrush in the dishwasher

how to make a jager bomb

how to turn yourself over when your kayak is upside down

s'mores made with Reese's cups

which trees to use for hammock

where to buy boiled peanuts - you have to get them from the guy on the side of the road just before you get to the dump, those are the best, not mushy like gas station boiled peanuts

We have our token Yankee in the group, well not Yankee in the derogatory sense, and not really Yankee since she is from Ohio, but Allison has the attitude that keeps Kyle in line, fun to watch, a good match. And she is slowly embracing the Southern life - bringing the boiled peanuts!

thanks everyone for sharing in Buddy's down time, resting, talking, making memories, til next time...

Georgia peaches

it has been a hot summer here in Georgia, good for growing peaches, apparently, but still not as hot and humid as living in the swampland of Louisiana