Doing a little bit more of everything.
This morning after breakfast I went to Kroger and then the gas station, then cut the grass in the back field. The mower did great. After that I went to get straw for our straw bale garden. We just kind of hung out around the house for a bit – I showered and prepared dinner in the slow cooker while Liz and Luke played outside. We had lunch and the rain started while we were eating. We drove up to Lauren’s to have a Mother’s Day celebration with my parents as well as their friend Megan and her son JT. It was a nice time. We returned home for dinner and Luke talked all about our time there. Due to the storms he didn’t have a real bath. I am waiting around for the rain to stop or at least slow down before I drive up to Monteagle.
Doing a little of everything.
This morning after breakfast we went to the farmers market to get bread, carrots, and cheese. Luke enjoyed seeing everybody. From there we went home and all worked on cutting up the fallen tree and hauling it to the burn pile. After a return trip to the market we went to TSC where Luke saw the chicks and drills. We had lunch and a failed nap attempt, then went for a little drive. Our first stop was the Dotted Lime so Liz could get some coffee. We drove out towards Santa Fe, then over to Spring Hill to the library, where Liz got a card. Unfortunately she forgot Luke’s shoes, so he couldn’t go inside. We went to the Port Royal playground for quite a while. It was pretty crowded but Luke handled himself very well. We got pizza from a place in Spring Hill that we hadn’t tried before, Frankie’s. It was pretty good. Luke really stretched out dinner time and didn’t go to sleep until nearly nine. He should sleep well tonight though.
A beautiful, but still muddy day.
Last nights storms made everything even messier. I went to the library parking lot to send emails and make phone calls, many of which I had been putting off for a while. So it felt good to do that. I took trash to the dump and stopped by the Goat Market to chat with Eric for a bit. After going back to the cottage to clean and pack I went next door to see Debbie. I didn’t stay for too long before returning to the cottage to watch an episode of Magnum PI that I had downloaded on my phone. The drive home was uneventful. I arrived to see a tree down in the back field, and so I started cutting it up. It will take several trailer trips to get it all over to the burn pile. I also need to get more gas for my chainsaw. It was good to see Luke and we played a bit before dinner. He was quite rambunctious at bed time but eventually went to sleep.
A productive day before the rain arrived.
After breakfast and saying goodbye to Liz and Luke I drove p to the Mountain. I met Dillon and his buddy “Rat” at the job site and loaded up some logs, and talked with Rat about a little backhoe work. I had to run to the cottage but returned and got to work about 10:40. It was a muddy mess but I still got a lot of work done. Branches hauled to the burned pile, stumps as well, more logs cut, and some topsoil graded off. The mud kept me from doing everything I wanted to, and I’m not sure if tomorrow will be any better. I took an afternoon break and went to the Goat Market for a drink. When I returned there was a deer at the first lot. I worked until about seven and was turning onto the highway next to the Goat Market when I saw serious clouds. They reminded me of the “Derecho” in Columbia last year and I was a little nervous. I didn’t even know it was supposed to rain. The wind and rain really picked up, but it didn’t last terribly long. I watched an episode of Magnum PI on my phone and did a little internet surfing this evening. Hopefully the rain won’s make too much more of a mess but I’m not confident.
More rain, less work.
It was gross outside this morning, and with some encouragement from my dad I decided to make it an “administrative day”. That involved finishing a Clive Cussler book, using the library’s internet to map out some property, and organizing the back of my car. A little after two I hit the road and drove down through Cowan. Before Lynchburg I took a bit of a route I had never done before. It was quite pretty and I enjoyed seeing something new. Luke was in the back yard when I arrived home. He showed me some things in the house and we played a little until dinner time. He stretched out the meal and then goofed out when it was time to clean up toys. He did well at bath time and seems to be going to bed without fuss. I just finished cleaning the kitchen and have a little work to do on the computer.
Getting a little done, despite the mud.
I woke up to rain again this morning. I went to the library parking lot for some internet access then drove down to Winchester to get more chains for my saw. After a little reading back at the cottage the rain ceased and I went to the lots. It was a muddy mess there. I was able to cut down some more trees and haul a bit of the debris though. I also stacked more logs. Now I only have two more trees to take down. My dad came by to check on the progress and I worked until about six when it started raining again. I went to the cottage for a shower and after my dad returned we went to Piggly Wiggly for a little ice cream. We chatted a bit and I have been reading a Clive Cussler paperback. It feels good to be holding an actual book. It has been storming more and I sure things will be nasty tomorrow.
Slow start, strong finish.
It was raining this morning and I was in no rush to get going. So I did some reading, went to use the internet in the library’s parking lot, and just kind of relaxed. About 1:30 I went to the job site and got to work. I cut down more trees, hauled off some big sections to the burn pile, and got the site looking a lot better. There is still a little ways to go, but I am getting close. I worked until nearly dark. Unfortunately they are calling for severe storms tomorrow. Mud was a little bit of an issue, but I managed okay. Tonight I am just taking it easy.
Fun at Meme and Pop’s.
We left the house about 11:30 this morning and drove up to my parents’. Lauren and McGarrett were there and we had a nice lunch. I was pretty exhausted and so spent time on the couch after while the others chatted. Luke enjoyed seeing the garden and climbing stairs. We returned home for dinner, which Luke stretched out a bit. He is getting his bath now, and soon I will drive to Monteagle.
Surprise trip up the Mountain.
This morning Liz and Luke baked mango muffins. We went to the farmer’s market and got some bread from Erik and Maria. From there we returned home for a few minutes then drove towards Monteagle. We stopped in Cowan to see the train cars at the museum, and while we were looking at them a train drove by. Luke was thrilled. We next went to see Debbie at her store and she was really happy to see Luke. We drove to the Goat Market but it was packed, so we went to the playground across the street. I walked to check things out but there were just too many people inside to even get food to go. We walked over to Up in Smoke but it was closed. We drove to Dixie Lee Diner but they didn’t have macaroni and cheese, which Luke really wanted. So we went to Piggly Wiggly to get some, and returned to the cottage to cook it ourselves. During lunch a helicopter landed at the military vehicle museum next door, which Luke thought was awesome. We next went on a little tour – to campus to see goats (they were kind of hiding) and Lake Cheston, and Laurel Lake Drive in Monteagle to see where I work. We returned to the cottage to clean and pack, then drove home. We had leftover chili for dinner, which Luke has stretched out to nearly two hours. It was a lovely sunny day and was nice to be outside a bit.
All aboard!
This morning I got up, cleaned the cottage, and hit the road. I drove to Columbia via Fayetteville and Lewisburg, but instead of going home I drove to Maury County Park. Luke and Liz were there and I surprised them, as they weren’t expecting me to arrive until dinner time. After a relatively short wait we were able to ride the miniature train. Luke seemed to really enjoy it, and after we played at the playground for a little bit. We went home for lunch and he tried to take a nap. After quiet time we went to the playground in Spring Hill and then I went to a meeting with my insurance agent nearby. I returned to the playground to pick up Liz and Luke afterwards and we went home to dinner. This evening the sunset was lovely.
