More progress. (Also post #1000).
I read some last night, a book of short stories from the library book sale. I wasn’t too impressed despite the glowing reviews on the back cover. It was nice to go to bed at a reasonable time though, and I slept well. This morning I woke up, had breakfast, and chatted with my parents for a while before going to work. At the house I focused on the interior and got a lot of little things done. I also made a lot of phone calls and hauled trash to the dump. I had a very late lunch at Sonic (still feeling gross from that), then went to Tracy City to Ben Lomond, then dropped off some cedar scrap wood at Kent’s house. I talked with him and Jacob for quite a while before going back to the cottage. Here I have just been relaxing and messing around on my phone.
Working hard while the weather is nice.
I got a fairly early start this morning and headed to the house after breakfast. I focused on clearing trees and undergrowth out of the front yard. That was rather enjoyable, especially with the weather being so nice. Having the tractor was a huge help as well. I hauled a lot of stuff over to the new property. After lunch I went and worked some more. Then I returned to the cottage and cleaned before my parents arrived. After they came we went on a nice hike over on the Domain. Then we had dinner on the back deck. I hope to get to bed early tonight as I am rather tired.
Saying goodbye then getting to work.
Luke woke up pretty early this morning. I played with him while Liz packed for their journey to Michigan. As preparations were nearly complete she realized they didn’t have any bread, so I went to the farmers market to buy some. They left not long after I returned. After gathering a few things I too hit the road and drove to Monteagle via Fayetteville. It is another glorious fall day. I tried to take a little nap upon arrival but did not succeed, so decided to get to work at the house. I focused on clearing the trees and undergrowth that the buyer wants gone. It was nice to have the tractor helping. The chainsaw had some troubles, but a trip to the hardware store made everything better. After finishing work I went to the Goat Market for pizza and conversation. Then I went to see Debbie and Charles and chatted with them for a while. Since then I have just been messing with my phone and computer on the couch in the cottage.
The big three-oh (months).
Hard to believe that Luke turned two and a half years old today. But he did. It’s also hard to believe that I woke up and 5:45 and went to see the moonset. But I did. It was chilly out and I was tired, but the scene at the Templeton Library was glorious. I returned to the cottage for breakfast then went on to the house to start work. The plumber had apparently been there already and left some of his tools. He returned after I had been there for about an hour. I worked for about three hours total including a couple of trips to the supply store. After leaving I went to see Debbie, then drove to Home Depot in Winchester. Fortunately they had everything I needed. Next I drove to Chapel Hill via Tullahoma and Shelbyville to the cedar store. They didn’t have what I needed. I arrived home just as Liz, her mother, and Luke were coming outside to play. So I joined them for a while. We had dinner together then bath and bed time for Luke.
October!
It was a pretty good day. Luke woke up super early so the rest of us did too. We played with Legos while Liz cooked breakfast. I helped get him ready for speech therapy, then left just after Liz, Luke, and her mother did. My first stop was the cedar place in Chapel Hill. I bought a few boards and chatted with the owner for a few minutes. The rest of the drive up the Mountain was pretty uneventful. After stopping at the cottage and storage unit I got to work at the house. I finished installing the last kitchen cabinet and was starting on some trim when Randall the plumber came by. Not to work apparently, but to talk over a few things. Just as he was leaving Kent arrived, and we chatted for about two and a half hours. It was good to see him. I went to the cottage for lunch then came and worked some more. Just a bunch of little stuff really. I needed to go to the supply store before they closed and then I stopped by the goat market for a drink. Since then I’ve been relaxing at the cottage. I thought about going to photograph, but didn’t.
Getting a bit done.
I got going earlier than usual this morning, probably due to my dad’s presence. After a stop at the storage unit we went to the house. He touched up the outside paint while I did several other things inside and out. A little before one I took him to the cottage so that he could drive home, and I had lunch. I returned to the house and kept working until my buyer and his dad showed up. We talked through the inside and outside and he asked me some questions and I asked him some. He seemed happy with how things are moving along. During our visit a guy that I am hoping will install the septic system came. We had a good conversation as well. When everybody left I went to the cottage, showered, then drove home. Luke was finishing up dinner, so it was great to see him. After bath we went outside to look a the moon. Liz is experimenting with a new bed time routine that involves an open door and her staying with him. We’ll see how that goes.
Under contract!
This morning I drove down to Murfreesboro and met with a realtor and his client. It took over three hours, but we were able to hammer out an agreement on the house. I drove back to the cottage, but stopped for some fried food in Pelham because I was super hungry. That was a serious mistake. My dad was at the cottage and he took a late afternoon nap while I read some. After that we had dinner at the Goat Market, then drove to the Templeton Library to see the last bit of pink fade from the sky. Upon returning to the cottage we have been reviewing my plans for the next couple of houses.
Driving all over creation.
I didn’t get a very early start this morning, despite it being a lovely fall day. Once moving though I covered a lot of ground. I went by the house, the supply store in town, the library where I bought a bag of books for one dollar, the electric company and a thrift store in Tracy City, and finally down to Manchester to Home Depot and Wal-Mart. That all took most of the day. This afternoon it started raining pretty hard, so I just read and spent time on the computer.
More playing, better napping.
Luke went to bed without issues last night and slept well until about 4:30. After an early breakfast we drove over to Henry Horton State Park in Chapel Hill. We started off on the playground designed for younger kids, but quickly moved on to the older kids’ playground. Luke had a lot of fun and he ate snack in the big pavilion. We dove home and he went down for an early nap. That worked out quite well. Even though it took him a little while to fall asleep he slept for quite a while and woke up in a good mood.
We had lunch, played a bit with Legos, and then drove up to the park in Spring Hill to meet my parents. The place was packed so we didn’t go to the playground, but rather played on the grassy fields on the back side of things. Luke had fun kicking and throwing his beach ball around; it had been quite a while since he had last played with it. The only downside was how it it was, at least until we settled down on a blanket in the shade. Luke enjoyed a snack and then we returned home. We played with Legos some more while waiting on dinner. It was tasty and he enjoyed his bath. We just went outside to see the moon, and now Liz has started the bed time routine. Her mother is coming in to town this evening and I will drive up to Monteagle shortly.
A marginally productive Saturday.
Thankfully Luke went to bed easily last night and slept until a reasonable hour this morning. While Liz was preparing breakfast I took a load of trash to the dump. After eating we went to the playground on Iron Bridge Road, then to the farmers’ market to buy bread and salad greens. Luke ate snack nearby and loved watching all of the vehicles drive by. We changed things up today and he had an early nap. It went pretty well and we might try to make that a regular thing. This afternoon we all played with Legos and did housework. It was a lovely day outside, but since Liz’s ankle is still a little off we decided not to overdo it. Luke ate a big dinner and is about to take his bath. This evening I will go to Kroger.
