Mowing, photographing, and of course slow cooking.
I started off this morning by preparing a dish for the slow cooker – quinoa black bean chili, then hauling a load to the dump, followed by mowing the front yard and some of the back yard with the tractor and big finish mower. After that I headed up to Nashville to take some pictures of the apartments that my dad has for rent. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed sitting in his new garden for a bit. I came back to the farm and mowed the rest of the grass and moved a lot of dirt around the house. I also went over to Chapel Hill to look at Stihl weedeaters. I need one and this dealer was good. I didn’t buy one, but will soon. I also bought a nut and bolt for the tractor at Co-op. We didn’t go on a walk this afternoon, but did sit on the front porch with Luke in his swing for a nice while. This evening after dinner I worked on the photographs. The other big news is that our seeds came. I need to get going with preparing the ground for them.
A two walk day.
The weather continues to be glorious here at the farm. We went on two greenway walks in order to really enjoy it. We also played with Luke a lot on the bed. He has started “flopping” backwards, and loves it. I made another slow cooker dish that turned out pretty well.
Cleaning, cutting, cooking.
I started the day off by splitting some firewood from the huge cherry branch that fell a couple of weeks ago. Then one of the guys that we bought the farm from came by and picked up some of the old flooring and the doors that I had saved. What he didn’t want was taken out near the burn pile. Most of the wood has gone bad from sitting out in the elements for so long. That’s frustrating, but it also feels nice to be getting rid of it.
I went to Kroger for a few items and then returned to prepare a meal in the slow cooker. It took a while due to a lot of chopping. Speaking of chopping, I also bought a bunch of bell peppers that were super cheap. I chopped them up and froze them. What a pain! After that I ate lunch and then returned outside to move more wood around and also move some dirt and rock. The place is really getting cleaned up.
Liz’s friend Susan came over this afternoon and will stay the night. We chatted with her and played with Luke. He was having a lot of fun “falling” backwards on the bed. Dinner was the butternut squash and lentil dish that I prepared in the slow cooker.
Stumped!
It was another beautiful day. Sunny and not quite as warm – perfect for getting stuff done. I spent the morning in Franklin and was productive. This afternoon I pulled up a huge cherry stump in the front yard and added it to the burn pile. Tomorrow I will burn if it isn’t too windy. I continued the backyard cleanup process and made good progress. I also moved a ton of dirt from the big pile out front to various places around the house. That is slow going, and there is still a lot yet to move.
Luke did pretty well today. We didn’t walk at the greenway, but did do a quick loop around the back of the property.
Finishing the wall, more slow cooking, new trailer put to work.
It was a glorious morning – overcast and cool. I took advantage by hauling a load of trash to the dump with the new trailer, and finishing the wall. I tracked down my little chainsaw, put on a new chain, and was able to get all of the railroad ties cut. This was after putting the last six in place. The wall looks pretty good. I backfilled it with gravel and graded out the dirt. Now we just need some grass to grow. There is still some dirt work to do at the base of the wall, but that should be pretty easy. I also continued to clean up the back yard, and have prepared another burn pile.
I prepared another meal in the slow cooker for dinner – butternut squash and black bean chili. It was delicious. Will definitely be making it again. We went on another evening walk along the greenway. It is very nice to have such a great walking spot nearby. Luke seemed to enjoy the time outside, as usual. He hasn’t been sleeping well recently, but is still usually in a good mood.
Happy birthday, Mama.
Today is Liz’s birthday. I won’t throw out a number. I got another bundle of railroad ties this morning and prepared my little chainsaw to cut them. I also got a tetanus shot. Liz and I went out and picked up lunch, which we then took to the park for a nice little picnic. I did office work all afternoon and then we all went back out for a little walk along the greenway. Luke had a blast. Dinner was served on the back deck. It looks like we will order all of our seeds this evening. The shopping carts are loaded up and I just need to click one button.
Long, but fun day on the road.
I spent a lot of time behind the wheel today. It sure was enjoyable though, there is nothing like a drive through the Tennessee countryside on a lovely day. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures. I drove first to Smithville, then on to Sparta and Mcminnville. After finishing up everything I needed to do I headed to Monteagle. I helped my dad cut grass at the cottage and then we went over to Tracy City to buy an old military trailer. The guy had a pretty interesting setup. We had dinner at Jessie’s Grill in Monteagle. The hamburger was pretty good. I left the cottage around eight and got back home at ten. The back roads plus the darkness plus the trailer made for slower going.
Building a wall in the hot sun.
The sun was shining brightly and heating up the land today. The area around the deck started off fairly muddy this morning, but was mostly dry by the afternoon. I started the day by going to Great Clips and Home Depot, started the retaining wall, then returned to Home Depot. Once I finally had everything I needed I was able to make good progress. Until I ran out of railroad ties. The ties weren’t as heavy as I remembered from my youth, and of course having the tractor helped. I couldn’t find my little chainsaw to cut them with, so they aren’t as staggered as I would have liked. Oh well. They aren’t that level either. But hopefully the wall will be solid and do what it’s supposed to.
I didn’t cook anything in the slow cooker today as the refrigerator is pretty much full. I’m sure it is grateful for the break. This evening I’m working some more on my vegetable seed list. Now instead of adding to it I’m subtracting, due to space considerations.
Little man’s first Easter.
Luke was born on the day after Easter last year. Fortunately today was a beautiful, sunny day. I made an early run to Wal-Mart to stock up on some staples and had a surprisingly pleasant experience there due to the dearth of fellow shoppers. Upon returning I prepared the first of two slow cooker dishes for the day – white bean, quinoa, tomato, and kale soup. It was pretty easy. Luke took a nap and Liz and I listened to an Easter sermon online. After that we went on a walk along the greenway. Or maybe before. I don’t remember. We ate a delicious lunch and then I prepared another slow cooker meal. It was one that I prepared a couple of days ago but used regular potatoes this time instead of sweet. My parents and sister came over this afternoon. We hung out and then ate dinner on the deck. It was so lovely outside. Luke was in a good mood.
Rainy start, sunny finish.
I cooked another dish in the crock pot today. We had friends come visit, which was very nice. The evening sky was lovely. Luke had a busy day with limited napping, but went to bed easily this evening.
