Recovering, and getting more done.
Well last night ended up being a marathon. I arrived there at seven and left about twenty past midnight. In between we talked a lot of politics. It was nice, but exhausting. I tried to sleep in this morning but couldn’t, so I went to the jobsite and ran the chainsaw a bit. Mid-morning I got a message that my parents were coming by so I went and cleaned up the cottage and waited for them. After they came I went and worked some more. My reward for good working was a visit to the library and a bag full of books for three dollars. I returned to the cottage for a light lunch before heading home. I stopped at the auto parts store in Lewisburg for some fuses. Luke was waiting for me when I got home and we played until dinner time. We all ate well and now he is asleep. I hope to be soon as well.
A different day than expected.
It was raining hard this morning so instead of driving to the Mountain I went with Liz and Luke up to Franklin. I sat in the car while they went into High Hopes, then we all went to Home Depot. I stayed with Luke at the house for a while because Madeline was late due to getting her driver’s license updated at the DMV. By the time she arrived it was pretty much lunch time, so I stayed for that. I finally left and was grateful that it wasn’t raining any longer. I drove via Lewisburg, where I stopped at Goodwill and looked at books, but didn’t buy any. I stopped again at a gas station before Cowan and got some greasy food. This decision would haunt me all afternoon. At the cottage I just went and lay on the couch because I felt so miserable. I tried to sleep but couldn’t. Now I am getting ready to go to dinner at Debbie and Charles’s house down in Dechard.
More work and coming home.
I woke up this morning and the ankle felt about 95%, so that was great. I went to work cutting and hauling more brush. It was another warm, sunny day and I got a lot done. My dad stopped by on his way out of town and we chatted a little. I worked until time for a late lunch, then returned to the cottage to eat and shower. I stopped by the Goat Market for a drink and chat with Eric before heading on. At the Home Depot in Manchester I bought a light bulb for the microwave and two chains for my big saw. At Dollar General on the way home I bought a bird feeder. Upon arriving home Luke and I filled the feeder with seeds and hung it on the front porch. Then we read some before dinner. He did a lot of talking and eating before bath and bed. I washed dishes while Liz put him down. Hopefully I’ll be able to go to bed early as I’m quite tired.
Getting a lot done.
I woke up pretty early this morning but didn’t get to the job site until about 8:30 after going to get diesel fuel. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed working. My ankle felt much better this morning and didn’t really slow me down. I cut and hauled more trees and pulled lots of stumps. I returned to the cottage for lunch then went back to work. I am happy with the progress being made and hope to be done by the end of the week. My dad came by as I was finishing up and so we looked things over then went to Piggly Wiggly for some groceries. We went back out a little later and drove over to campus before ending up at the mini mart so my dad could get some ice cream. Now we are just relaxing at the cottage. I will read some more then try to go to bed early.
Progress and drama.
I got to the job site a little before eight this morning and started work right away. My first order of business was to hook up a chain and start yanking out the small tree stumps. That was going well until I hopped off the tractor and rolled my ankle. I was in agony. I kept working though, hobbling around to fasten and unfasten the chain, and to put branches on the loader’s forks. Things were going pretty well until I got the tractor stuck after taking a load of branches to the burn site. I went a little further to do some exploring, and hit a deep patch of mud. After that I walked back to my car and decided to drive down to Jasper and get my E911 addresses for the next two lots.
When I arrived they told me that the guy I needed to talk to was in Chattanooga but would be back shortly. I didn’t time it, but I don’t think it was shortly. He was able to get me all set up though. I drove back to the cottage and relaxed on the couch for a while in order to let my ankle rest. After getting tired of that I decided to go and try to get the tractor unstuck. It was a challenging but successful endeavor. I pushed over a few trees and pulled some more sumps before calling it a day. I stopped by Piggly Wiggly on the way back to the cottage for bananas, frozen peaches, and water. Now I am just relaxing and reading a book about the Irish.
Easter fun.
Luke was up super early again this morning. Liz had hidden some Easter eggs filled with little toy animals around the house, and he loved searching for those. He also got an Easter basket with a few things in it. After breakfast we went for a walk at the nature park. Easter lunch was at my parents’ house and we left early so he could take a long nap in the car. We took a scenic route through Chapel Hill and College Grove before getting on the interstate. Unfortunately he woke up for a long stretch before falling asleep pretty close to the house. We had a very nice lunch though. He was very happy to see Wild Dog and Pop’s garden. He also loved climbing stairs and eating blueberry tart. After lunch we walked to the playground down the street and he liked that. We drove home and he read books with Liz in the back seat. He and Liz did a video chat with her parents while I prepared dinner. He was happy to have the last of the apple pie for dessert. Now he is taking a bath. After he goes to bed I will drive up to the Mountain. Busy week of work ahead!
Birthday day two.
Luke really enjoyed his birthday and was in a great mood this morning. He was excited about Meme, Pop, and Aunt Lala coming over this afternoon. After breakfast and some playing we went to the park in Spring Hill. Unfortunately there were soccer games going on and the playground had lots of big kids on it. Luke still had a good time though. After that we went to Kroger for a few things. Lunch was good but he didn’t take a nap. After quiet time my family came and it was time to party. He loved opening presents, and his haul included a crane truck, soccer ball, plane with construction equipment, and books. He had a lot of fun playing with my parents and Lauren. He also enjoyed the cookies Liz baked. He did a lot of talking as well. After they left we raced through cleanup, bath, and bed time because he was so tired. Now I am just relaxing and reading. I hope to go to bed early myself.
Happy birthday Mama.
Today is Liz’s birthday but unfortunately it has rained most of the day and Liz has felt a bit sick. This morning we got breakfast to go from the Dotted Lime in Columbia. Luke loved eating waffles. We played until Luke had lunch and during his failed nap attempt I returned to the Dotted Lime to pick up lunch for me and Liz. This afternoon there was a little break in the rain so we went to the playground in Spring Hill. Then it started raining again so we went to Home Depot. Luke enjoyed that. Next we went to Viking Pizza to pick up dinner. Luke didn’t want to wait until we were home to eat his, but had to. I ate all of mine and am now feeling a bit sick. Luke went to bed early due to his lack of a nap, and I’m sure Liz and I will too.
THREE!
Liz spent the week telling Luke that today was his birthday, so he woke up super early and ready to see what the fuss was about. We started the morning with breakfast cookies and a video call with Liz’s parents. We went up to Spring Hill to visit Home Depot, PetSmart, and Target. Luke enjoyed seeing the animals at PetSmart. We had a video call with my parents before lunch. For lunch Luke requested mango, pasta, mixed vegetables, and meatballs. He didn’t nap and after quiet time we went for a walk at the nature park. It was a touch cool out but nice and sunny. After the hike Liz baked an apple pie and dinner consisted of quesadillas, pineapple, kiwi, and sweet potatoes, all chosen by Luke. The pie was a delicious dessert. He had bath and bed time without incident.
Back home.
I was in no rush to get going this morning given the cold. I did after breakfast though and did a little work on the green house’s driveway. The floods really did a number on it, and I need to come up with a more permanent solution. I went to city hall and picked up the plats for our new lots. Back at the cottage I packed up then drove down to the courthouse in Jasper to have the plats recorded. I next went to the E911 office to get an official address but it was closed. I drove back up to the Mountain and had lunch at the Goat Market. On my way out of town I stopped by to see Debbie at her store.
The drive home was uneventful save for some construction just before the interstate in Manchester. Back at home Luke was napping. It was great so see him when he woke up. We played together until Liz got off work. Dinner was nice and he kept us entertained. He did great at bath and bedtimes. I went to Kroger tonight and it wasn’t fun, but I got what we needed.