Tennescenic

Last night I drove over to campus took advantage of the wireless internet. I posted a number of blog posts that I’d already written and searched Craigslist for a lawn mower. Next I drove to Lake Cheston and considered looking at the stars for a while, but was getting pretty tired, so I returned to the cottage.

I slept in until about seven this morning and it felt pretty good. After lounging around for an hour or so I drove over to campus. The goats weren’t out and my stomach was a bit upset, so I just came back to the cottage. The early afternoon involved a nice nap. Part of me wonders if I’m oversleeping. It just feels so good though, and I know it’s not something I’ll be able to make a habit of.

Once it started cooling down a little this afternoon I headed over to campus. The goats still weren’t out so I drove into the forest as a diversion. It was shady and cool, but my shoes were back at the cottage, so no hiking. On my return trip the goats were out. I was too lazy to use my real camera but did snap a few with my phone. I went back to Piggly Wiggly for a little dinner food. After eating I called Liz and we spoke for a while. She said they lost power at the condo because of storms, but other than that it had been a good day. Luke was relaxed, happy, and eating well. Her mother goes back to Michigan tomorrow.

The sky was getting pretty so I decided to go to Lake O’Donnell. That was the best decision of the day! The golden light hit the trees around the edge of the lake just perfectly, and the clouds turned lovely shades of pink and grey. There was just a surreal glow to the whole scene. I felt so calm and relaxed. My only frustration was not bringing a blanket or chair. Had I brought the former I might have spent the night there! I took a number of pictures with both my camera and phone. As the light faded I decided to drive to the Templeton Library. I knew the colors would be muted by the time I arrived, but it was still a pretty scene. On the way out I saw what looked like an albino skunk. I have seen regular skunks at that same spot, so I think it is a real possibility. I can’t think of what else it could be. There were lots of fireflies out but I didn’t take any pictures of them. Those shots require a bit of planning and set up. Hopefully next trip I’ll be able to though. Now I am just relaxing at the cottage.

I hit the road a few minutes after five this morning and headed to Horse Cave, Kentucky. My goal was to purchase a vintage pedestal sink that Liz had found on Craigslist. I wanted an early start in order to beat Nashville traffic and fortunately didn’t have any issues. I texted the seller from the Kentucky welcome center and told him I would arrive at 7:30. He replied that he would be ready for me. Well, I arrived right at 7:30 and after I knocked twice he came to the door. Nearly naked. Five minutes later he came out and confirmed pretty much every stereotype of rural Kentuckians. We went to a barn behind the house and he showed me the sink. It was pretty, and in great shape. I asked if he knew any of its history, and he said “nope, my brother-in-law is the one that poached it”. I didn’t ask any more questions. I was about to start discussing the price when he began to tell me about the car in the barn. The story involved him being a mechanical genius and involved two separate women referred to as “crack whores”. Finally he wrapped that up and we got down to business. He wanted $175 for the sink and I offered him $160. That was mostly because the ATM had given me twenties and I didn’t want to have to asked him for change. He pouted a little and told me that three people had already offered him $150. I gently informed him that $160 was more than $150 and after a little more fussing he agreed. I loaded up the sink and hit the road. The drive back was uneventful, slowing only briefly on the north side of Nashville.

After unhooking the trailer I headed to Lowe’s to buy some 5 inch screws and wait for the nasty buffet to open. I got a couple of plates of food and some strawberry cobbler. Unfortunately the ice cream machine was broken. Back at the farm I went next door to talk to my neighbor James. We came back and toured the house. A little after he left, Hank, our banker arrived. He was happy to see that the money he had loaned us was actually being used to build a house. After his visit I finished organizing all of the tools. It was incredibly hot, and I was grateful to have my fan running while I did that. Dinner came from Dollar General. Just some junk. I finished the work day by unloading the last of the siding from the trailer. Lots of lightning bugs came out at dusk. I need to try to photograph them. After dark I stepped outside to relieve myself, and saw an incredible number of stars. I really am looking forward to living in the country.

It was an errand running kind of day. First I went to get a new copy of my septic permit for the installer. Then I got an oil change at Wal-Mart. That took a bit longer than expected. Next I drove over to Chapel Hill to check out a place selling beaded board. They are going to email me a price. I had lunch at a little BBQ joint right there in town. The brisket sandwich was pretty good. I will return to try their pulled pork. Back at the house I started organizing all of the tools and hardware I brought in yesterday. I tried to take a siesta during the afternoon, but even with my powerful fan it was just too hot to sleep. I went to Ace Hardware looking for foundation sealer. They didn’t have the one I wanted, but had a much cheaper option. I will research it a bit before deciding. I also stopped by Big Box Liquidation since it’s right next door. I wanted to eat dinner out and was desiring Mexican. There is a nice little place on the square, but unfortunately I learned that it closes at five. I found another place just up the road, and it was great. I had one each of four different types of tacos, and cheese sauce for my chips. They have a lunch buffet that I will definitely be returning to enjoy. After dinner I started to unload the siding off my trailer. That was a pain, mostly because of how pliable it is and because my tractor wouldn’t lift the whole bundle.

I got to the farm around six this morning. I spent a bit of time cleaning up after the roofers and framers. I have a lot of lumber that I need to pull nails from. Unfortunately my hammer seems to have walked off, so I had to pick up another one at Lowe’s. The building inspector came late morning and pointed out a few things that need to be changed in order for us to pass the framing inspection. I’ll reach out to the framers in order to fix those issues. I went to Lowe’s in order to get the aforementioned hammer, some trim boards for the siding, and a few other odds and ends. Around one my dad came and then we hit the road. Our destination was Trenton, Georgia. That is where I had purchased the siding last Saturday. The whole load was too much for my trailer, but I got 60% of it. We drove up Monteagle Mountain to the cottage. My mother was staying here for a couple of nights, so we went out to dinner at the Mountain Goat Market with her. It was great to relax out on the terrace. The sun was pretty bright but it eventually set. I hope to get to sleep relatively early tonight. In the morning we’ll drive to the farm and get to work.