Saturday Hodge Podge

It's been an interesting week......leaving me dragging!





But...........hope has risen! I'm headed for my Smokies this week for a MUCH NEEDED vacation!
I'm so pepped... I'm thinking I'll make the hike up to The Walker Sisters Cabin while I'm there!


This is the view from our Townsend cabin taken by my daughter a few weeks ago....


I'm hoping it has or will change to this while I'm there!!!!



And when I return to the farm, maybe this view..............


Will look like this..............



Spinach ............this went in the freezer



I put up Turnip Greens too this week! I was going to go the freezer route but decided they'd be worth the extra trouble and canned them!


The Prison Chicks are doing great! We have eggs out to you know what! We started with 9 hens and 1 rooster. We now have 16 hens and 2 roosters! That's Queen Vicki keeping her distance and posing! She lays an egg big enough to be a double yolk!



Oscar Wilde is head warden and keeps a tight rope with his 4 inch spurs! He has yet to jump the young one named Bragg ( named after Rick Bragg) but I'm watching for it!




Can you believe we have been running 10 degrees cooler than the mountains this week!
33 night before last and 37 last night! They caught up today! Foggy Mornings too!


Took this pic of a "volunteer" yellow Squash plant in the pastures edge the other day.
It had blooms but I bet the cold got em!


My faithful Rosemary bush!



My Butterfly Weed keeps on keeping on! Waiting on the Monarchs?


This is a Double Bloom Hardy Hibiscus! It doesn't bloom till fall..........


Ahhhhhhhhh the Roses! This is the front bed.........


One of the back beds..........


And some I gathered this morning....I froze my patooty off too!




HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND YA"LL.......XOXO

" Before & After "

We went to Townsend on Sunday as our closing was on Monday morning. It was an exciting day to get the keys and start doing a few things to make it "ours". As soon as we got there and got started to work, our neighbors began showing up on their golf carts to welcome us! We were shocked at how many of the full time residents are from right here in South Mississippi~~~

There is a lot going on in Big Valley Resort! On Tuesday nights they have a Pot Luck dinner @ the Club House which used to be an old barn and afterwards they split into groups and play cards, domino's and bingo. They have a non-denominational church service on Sunday morning. There is a library there(not that I don't have enough reading material for my life time). On holidays like July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day they have Golf Cart Parades and cook outs~~~~

We met some awesome people and just hated to leave............

I got a few things done and wanted to show you some before and after shots. There is still a lot to do and we'll take the truck next time so Eric can take all his tools. We'll be painting and putting up bead board and chair rail along with some curtain rods and curtains.

The fall colors weren't at peak but were really looking pretty~~~

BE SURE TO CLICK ON PICTURES

Mornings on the back porch were really Smoky~~~

BEFORE ~~~~~ This was the living room minus the TV looking from the front door ~~~~

AFTER ~~~

BEFORE ~~~ from dining room toward front door


AFTER ~~~~~


Before~~~~ dining area


AFTER ~~~~


BEFORE ~~~~ front bedroom~~~~



AFTER ~~~ need to hang rod for curtains that go over sheers~~



BEFORE ~~~~~ back bedroom ~~~~


AFTER~~~~~~~~


BEFORE ~~~~ kitchen






AFTER~~~ how do you like my vintage Tupperware Canisters from EBay? They will keep staples fresh longer!




Another After~~~~



BEFORE ~~~~~~~ back porch ~~~~



AFTER~~~~~~~ put the swing in the store room till Spring----



ANOTHER AFTER VIEW ~~~~~




This is a prize possession I found at an Antique place in Maryville by Tennessee's First Poet Laureate( 1971-1994) Richard M."PEK" Gunn called "Frettin "~~~~~~ It has the state seal and is signed...........


It also came with a signed 1st Edition of his book " Tales of Tumblin Creek" you see laying on the desk~~~~~~~




I'll leave you with a shot of some color from below the deck~~~~

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE !!!! XOXO

It's Finally Here!

Finally..........tomorrow morning we close on our new property in Townsend !!!!


We'll be there all week so of course we'll drive through Cades Cove which looked like this 2 weeks ago!



We hope it looks like this now !!!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE !!!! XOXO

A Smoky Mountain Birthday

ALL Pictures are Courtesy of The Internet or Realtor Websites ~~~~~

We drove up to the Smokies last Sunday to celebrate my 58th birthday which was on Wednesday, September 22nd.




We rented this cabin on top of Bradley Mountain in Townsend, my favorite place in this world!


We knew that we would spend our time up there looking @ property for sale as I was to get my OWN place in the Smokies as my Birthday Gift! :)

On Monday morning we drove to Del Rio, Tn on the border of North Carolina to look at this place which sits on the banks of the French Broad River.




It was a beautiful setting but the cabin was a glorified camp, meaning it had NO electricity or
running water except for a cistern. It had a fancy out house as the only bathroom. The whole downstairs was screened in and the steps to the enclosed bedroom upstairs was also outside. It would have taken a good deal of money to make it comfortable............ Nix this one!


On Tuesday we went to Seymour which is between Sevierville and Maryville to look at this one. We did not like the location. Nix this one!



On to Gatlinburg! This one was in the Arts Community of Gatlinburg which is an area I love but it needed LOTS of work meaning LOTS of additional money put into it. Nix this one!




On Wednesday it was looking in Townsend. Liked it ,but the 1/4 mile gravel road that was in need of some serious work turned me off and there were NO mountain views at all! NIX!


This little house sits in Townsends Historic Kinzel Springs area on the Little Pigeon River. It was WAY overpriced and needed serious updating! However it was on the short list with one more.


It had a wonderful balcony right over the river..............
The winner however was the one least expected! I knew from years of visiting Townsend, about the Big Valley Resort but had never driven up in it. We were just in awe and loved it!
It is a gated community right off of the main drag, Hwy 321 in the heart of Townsend. Just a beautiful drive in..........

It has 2 swimming pools, a 9 hole Golf Course..............

A stocked fishing pond............


That is just gorgeous.............
With a cute picnic area...........

A real nice Club House.........

A playground for the GRANDS............

Tennis Court......

We found a place we love in there! This is one of the views from the screen porch across the back!

Do I see myself sitting out here reading? YES ! I DO!

See the barn down there? Eric and I got married right down the road from that barn!

We put in a offer on this place and are waiting to hear from the seller! I hope to hear tomorrow!

If and when we get it, I'll show you the inside~~~~~~~~`wish us luck ???????????
3 hours and 30 minutes till my Titans play !!! Have a great weekend and I hope your team wins unless you are a Giants fan !! HA! XOXO