fix your hat...

Mary made the trip to middle Tennessee this past weekend and she brought Caleb with her. It was his first time on a commercial airline so that was fun. I had wanted to see Puss in Boots and when I heard he was coming, I waited for his visit. He proclaimed it the best movie ever. I took advantage of having slave labor and he took the garbage out for me a few times. giggle. We visited a nearby park and it had this neat merry go round pedal thing. A video is attached. We also ate 2 huge pizzas and drank more Coke than we should have. burp. We bought him some new clothes and a Tony Hawk cap. I tried to make him wear the cap with the bill facing the front. I've never been a fan of the sideways or backwards look. It's a generational thing....

itchy and scratchy....

The nightmare is over. I have taken control of the sun room. The beast occupied the room long enough. A little helper came over with a saws-all and the hot tub is no more. I can't tell if I itch because of the fiberglass dust or the dry autumn air. My new obsession is the ugly carpet that's in the room. All I need now is a nice saltillo tile floor and some wicker furniture. There is probably a better use for landfill space but I'm glad to be rid of it.

froot loops....

Look Mommie - the trees have Froot Loops on them! I'm probably paraphrasing but Mary's sister told me that she used to say that when she was young. I love that visual so I'm going to stick with that quote. These trees are the ones along the back edge of my yard. I've been very pleased and surprised by the foliage in middle Tennessee. I need to figure out which trees produce what color. I've seen some really outrageous red, orange and yellow trees. Some of my neighbors have one tree in their front yard and in most cases each yard has a different color. I figure if I can plant a good mix in my backyard, I'll have a good sized bowl of Froot Loops every autumn.

you're the first, the last, my everything.....

My new house came with a very nice sun room. In this sun room is a hot tub that looks like it would seat 4 people. I'm not a hot tub kind of guy. I don't have enough Barry White albums, gold chains or candles to be a hot tub guy. When I made an offer on the house, I suggested that the owners sell the thing. They never responded so I thought that they would be taking it with them. No such luck - they left it. I advertised it and it sold in 2 days. Yahoo - I now had money to buy a lawn mower. The problem is, the previous owners had the hot tub delivered and they built the sun room around it. The only way to remove it would be to open up a big hole in the wall. So much for the sale. urgghhhh. I probably have more pressing house issues but I'm obsessed with getting it out. I'm going to take it apart as much as I can and then I'm going to cut it up. This picture shows a hot tub without any pumps and electrical controls. I hope I have 10 fingers when I'm done.

....to grandmother's house we go

I bit the bullet and bought a house. Apartment living wasn't so bad but it was so boring. There's something to be said for chores. The house I bought is a cape cod and it sits on a .75 acre lot. Grass grows like crazy in middle Tennessee. I see a John Deere in my future. The house is close to work which is nice. It is also near the edge of town which provides some nice running routes in the countryside on the weekends.

The drawbacks... The house was built in 1991 and the kitchen looks like an old lady's kitchen - my apologies to the old ladies out there. The interior of the house looks like a wallpaper store had a big sale on wallpaper that wasn't selling. There's also wallpaper border everywhere. I see a paper steamer in my future.

One fun aspect - there is a finished basement. I see a very large screen TV in my future. Maybe a small refrigerator, too. giggle.

brrrr....

It's September 5 and I'm declaring summer to be over. It may be wishful thinking but I'm ready for cooler weather. The temperature never got over 65 degrees so I've been lounging around with the windows open and a sweatshirt on. The AC hasn't come on all day. My room fans have been enjoying some idle time as well. For now I'm going to get in the mood for some high school football and Halloween decorations. I wonder how the middle Tennessee area is for apple cider? I may have to import some but it's a minor price to pay to celebrate the end of a hot, humid summer.

smoke em if you've got em....

A few years ago, I was an anti-smoking zealot. I couldn't stand the sight of it, the smell of it or the waste associated with it. It just seemed like such a destructive and nasty habit. My thoughts have changed radically and I'm not as righteous as I once was. I'll never take up smoking but I've taken a more "live and let live" attitude with a touch of curiosity. Maybe it was all of those episodes of Mad Men that made smoking look so dreamy.

It's tobacco harvest time in middle Tennessee. The plants are much bigger than i imagined. The plant is chopped off at its base which is a very heavy stem. The plants remain on the stem and are hung upside down in a long barn like the one shown. Then the fires are started and the doors shut. I'd love to know how they keep a low smolder going. This barn has been smoking for a week. It was the first thing that the natives told me when I arrived - come summer, don't call 911 when you see a smoking barn.