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.

Long day, mostly on the road.

This morning I took Luke to High Hopes and after we went to Publix. He was excited for us to get a watermelon. I did some work on the computer at the house before leaving just after noon. I drove up to Franklin and got three concrete culvert pipes. It was about all I would want to tow with my car, especially since the roads were still damp. It took quite a while to get to Monteagle as I went through Lewisburg and Fayetteville with a food stop around Belvidere. On the Mountain I dropped off the pipes at the job site and then took the trailer to the cottage. I went to the Goat Market for a drink and talked with Eric for a while. Then I returned to the cottage and have been reading for most of the evening.

A less productive, but still good day.

I was pretty tired and sore when I woke up this morning. I took some trash to the dump and went to the library parking lot to use their internet. Unfortunately it wasn’t working. So I drove over to campus. Back at the cottage I made breakfast and did some reading, although I still didn’t finish my book. I got to the job site a little before eleven. I did lots more cleaning up and added to the stacks of logs. Dillon came and got another trailer load of them. After he left I worked a little more then returned to the cottage to finish the book and take a shower. I also made some soup. Or heated up some soup I should say. Just after I finished Dillon and his wife and daughter came by. He was bringing me a trailer to borrow and he is buying the big army trailer from me. After hooking that up we all went to the Goat Market for dinner. I returned to the cottage afterwards and took a picture of the Smokehouse on the way. After hooking up the trailer I drove home. Luke was not quite in bed so I got to see him briefly.

A productive but crazy day.

I took a Tylenol this morning to help with the pain in my ankle. Then I went to work. I cleared a bunch of the downed trees then cut down a lot more. I took a late lunch break and then got back to work. Mid-afternoon Debbie texted to say that the Smokehouse was on fire and the road was closed. So I worked until 7:30 hoping it would open back up. I drove towards the cottage and got turned around before Piggly Wiggly. So I drove down to Pelham, over to Alto, then headed up to Sewanee via Roark’s Cove road. Unfortunately a couple miles from the top a semi truck was jackknifed on a hairpin curve. So I turned around and went near Cowan to go through Sewanee that way. When I got to Mooney’s the fireman said the road was closed and wouldn’t let me drive the quarter mile or so to the cottage. He couldn’t give a logical reason. So I walked there. But after a shower I walked back to the car with the intention of driving anyways. Just as I was getting into the car I saw him let somebody through. I stared daggers at him and asked what was up. He said “do you need to go to Cliff Tops?”. I said “no, I just need to go to the military museum, like I told you multiple times before”. He let me go. Now I am about to read a little and hopefully finish this Jack Carr novel.

Starting the week off with a lot of productivity.

I got to the job site about eight this morning and starting chainsawing. My only break was this afternoon when I bent the saw’s bar and had to go down to Home Depot in Manchester for a new one. I cut and stacked logs and hauled the smaller stuff to the burn pile. I got a lot done. Towards the end of the day the guy that I’m giving the logs to came and got a load. He was super happy. I left at nearly six and pretty much collapsed back at the cottage. It felt good though. The only issue was that my ankle started hurting again.

Having fun and getting stuff done.

This morning Liz and Luke made breakfast cookies. Then we went to the playground at Port Royal. Luke had a good time and there were some other kids there. Afterwards we went to Kroger. It was crowded but the experience wasn’t too bad. After lunch Luke tried to take a nap and I tried to buy straw at the farm supply store down the street. Neither of us was successful. I mowed the back field then talked with Jerry for a while next door. Liz and Luke came over and he showed us his new cows. Luke enjoyed that and also enjoyed riding around with me on the mower. He then helped Liz do a little work in the backyard while I did some stuff on the computer. We had a nice dinner and he is now doing the bedtime routine with Liz. I’ll head to the Mountain in about an hour.

Crazy day, but finally progress.

This morning upon waking up I just happened to look at the Monteagle community Facebook page. I was shocked to see that the town was shut down due to a toxic chemical spill on the other side of town. So I hung around the cottage for a couple more hours until all was clear. The excavator had texted asking what was up, because he hit a road block. I wasn’t sure if he was going to another job instead or what. Around eleven he texted again saying he was at the site. We chatted a little, then they got to work. It took about four hours to get the trees down. They didn’t take down all that I wanted because I think I will cut some down myself and grind the stumps. The root balls just leave too big a hole to remove all of them. After the finished we had a late lunch at Hardees. I called down to the Kubota dealer to see if my mower was ready, and it was, so I hooked up my trailer, packed my bags, and headed on. I got it and continued home. The drive was uneventful until I reached Highway 431. There a pickup tried to pass a car on a double yellow line and the car accelerated to prevent it from happening. Just beyond that at a stoplight the female driver of the truck pulled out a pistol and started waving it at the car. Both sped off. Liz and Luke were eating dinner when I arrived home and it was good to see them both.

Still not getting much done.

This morning I left home as Liz and Luke were headed to speech therapy. I took a route that I rarely use just for a little variety. My first stop was at the lots to see if the land clearing man had arrived. He had not. I drove around town a little before going to see Debbie and Charles at the store. They were really busy getting ready for the market this weekend, so I helped prepare some jars for candles. Randy and his daughter Trinity came a little later and helped too. I went to the Goat Market for a drink and small pizza, then returned to do more work. It was a nice time and it felt good to help them out. Now I’m pretty tired and will try to go to bed soon.

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