The busiest day of Luke’s life.
My day started super early as I went to Lake O’Donnell for sunrise. The fresh air felt amazing, and it was so tranquil having the lake to myself. I took a lot of pictures with my “real camera”. Here are a couple from my phone.
My next stop was Green’s View overlook. It was stunning as well.
We took the rest of the morning pretty easy before heading of to campus for the crafts fair. We talked with our friend Debbie who sells amazing candles. The fair was rather busy as it was graduation weekend. Luke started out in the stroller, but got a little fussy so I carried him in the ErgoBaby most of the time. There weren’t many booths and we didn’t feel like hanging around much. Plus it was really hot. We got back to the car and Luke started fussing in a hungry kind of way, so he nursed there in the parking lot.
We had lunch back at the cottage then went to Lake Cheston for a little hike. We did two laps around the lake, with me carrying Luke in the ErgoBaby. It was ridiculously hot, but it still felt good to be outside and active.
Of course we had to stop by and see the goats after that. They took down the “keep out” signs, so we went inside the pasture to get close to them. The babies have really gotten big and are starting to grow horns.
This evening I picked up dinner at a new-ish place in town, a BBQ joint called “Up in Smoke”. I thought the brisket was pretty good, although Liz said hers tasted like lighter fluid. They have several other tasty looking items on their menu, and their prices are reasonable. Luke has continued to be rather fussy this evening, so I have been walking him a bit. There are tons of stars out and it feels amazing outside.
Mountain mayhem.
We hit the road mid-afternoon today and headed up towards Monteagle. We actually made pretty good time, stopping only once for gas. Luke pretty much slept the whole way. At the cottage we were greeted by some lovely rhododendrons and markedly cooler temperatures.
After a little feeding we drove over to campus and saw the goats from afar.
Luke was kind of fussy through most of the afternoon and evening. I spent a lot of time walking him up and down the driveway in the ErgoBaby. For dinner we just had sandwiches and chips.
A good day on the farm.
I hit the road at about 5:45 this morning. It was nice to beat traffic and start working while it was still relatively cool outside. The morning was glorious and it was nice to look over the back field. As usual, the photograph doesn’t do it justice.
I spent a bit of time tidying up the job site and adding to my burn pile. I need to haul a bit of debris to the landfill, but first I must make some modifications to one of my trailers. My big victory of the morning came when I vanquished an old maple trunk at the front of the property. Unfortunately I didn’t get any before pictures, but below you will see it on the ground, and getting carted off.
The framers arrived this morning and put the sill plate on. I really liked the foreman. He is from Guanajuato, Irapuato, and speaks decent English. He is coming back with the rest of his crew on Tuesday. I am very excited about them getting to work.
After finishing at the farm I drove down to Pulaski to visit a building materials store. The drive was absolutely beautiful and very relaxing. I only stopped once for pictures, at a cool old church in the middle of nowhere. I am always stunned by how gorgeous Middle Tennessee is.
Relaxing in his happy place.
Oddly enough that seems to be the changing table.
His second happy place is the ErgoBaby carrier.
A distant third is the stroller. We went for a nice walk at the AG center this evening. The irises were lovely.
My arms were not a happy place on this occasion.
Son and godson.
We got a little treat this afternoon when our friend Emilie and her youngest child Nicholas came to visit and go on a brief walk with us. Nicholas also happens to be our godson. Luke was a little fussy until we went outside. He really likes being carried in his ErgoBaby carrier. I just ordered one for myself so that we don’t have to adjust one back and forth between me and Liz. I am excited at the thought of being able to go on walks with him. That should be good for both of our health.
We also got in a little tummy time…
Pretty field.
This one is not too far from the farm. There were two different types of flowers in bloom – one scarlet colored the other a lavender shade. It was really pretty. Hopefully soon I will start riding my bicycle through this area and really being able to enjoy the scenery.
Two walk Sunday.
We took advantage of this afternoon’s lovely weather and went on a couple of walks. The first was with the stroller and the second saw Luke being carried in an ErgoBaby harness by Liz. Unfortunately I didn’t photograph the occasion. Next time. Both walks really relaxed him and lulled him to sleep. We will definitely be doing a bit more walking. Below are a couple of pictures from the rest of the day.
Sleepy Saturday.
It’s a pretty nasty day outside. Lots of rain and dark skies. I drove down to the far at the crack in order to check on the (lack of) progress. I returned in time for Luke’s first feeding. We also gave him a bath. He was pretty relaxed until the very end at which point he started crying. Perhaps he just got a little cold. Drying him off and putting him back in clothes calmed him back down.
It’s too bad about the rain because it would be nice to take him on another walk today. At least it’s supposed to be clear tomorrow. He hasn’t really been fussy yet today, but we are only just coming up on two o’clock. I had a little nap this morning but am still pretty tired. Luke and Liz are sleeping now.
The view from the back.
I did a bit of tractor work today, and went into the back field for the first time in ages. The view from the very back corner was pretty cool. It was neat to not see the road and it made the property seem huge. There is more slope back there than I realized. It will be fun once the field is mowed and also once the goat sheds and pens are built.
