Water for the barn,

While NOTHING is done yet.  I had an appointment yesterday with a woman in the area who specializes in water solution's for animals and gray water systems.

We are both in agreement on a LARGE water container, but it will have to go on the south side for winter exposure and I want a solar pump!  I do not plan on running any other electricity to the barn.  That money will be used for clean energy systems.

I am enjoying my barn more and more everyday.   But I digress...

Both women agreed, we needed to use only one tank in order to use the system to it's fullest. 

I am in the process of getting clutter???? free??? gutters. I am only getting bids at this point.
then I need to install down spouts to the area the cistern will reside.

I also need to worry about the cistern base.  Do I bury it?   or Do I create a concrete platform?

I am looking into both?  I have no idea which I will decide on at this point.  It may depend on how much rock or bolder we run into when digging it.  we shall see!   They each have their advantages.

Concrete... a clean area to walk around the cistern? but harder to hide into the natural setting I have. And it will be colder in the winter? what will it do to my freezing issue? All matters I will have to research.

Digging a hole?  Well it will look better from the road and in the barn BUT what about settling?  I may have to go down 3 feet or more for this to work for YEARS ... which is what I am expecting... and nothing less. Which will cost me as well.   Labor is not cheap and now that the barn is up this is not an easy area to get to!  Which is why I called her earlier(over a year ago) but she ???? needed something to go on, as where I would have dug the hole at the same time I was digging for the poles.  BUT that is me!  and as I always say... I have never fit into a perfectly shaped whole/ group in my life, why would I expect to now?   NOT...

Rush of the Holiday!

While everyone else is rushing around, worried about having all the normally forgotten last minute items, my life is as normal and steady as any other day. We are NOT traveling to our families for the Holiday, and not even preparing any large meal for us to share. I am saving my calories for exotic foods later in the year, and I am not sure of Jerry’s reasoning. 

I took the longer way around to and from the barn today as I was afraid to get into the lines that are regular the day before Thanksgiving. There is a nice little farm store on Sugar Hollow, that provides the area with all the free range turkeys, and any other meat you prefer for the season. But with the killing, plucking and cooling of turkeys that gobbled just yesterday, people were sure to be lined up to get their lbs ordered.

It is nice knowing where your food came from, how it was raised, and how it was humanly put to rest. This little store prides it self with Cattle, Sheep, Goats, Chickens, Pigs, and Turkeys.  Note, most of cute animals on the side bar of this blog are of their animals, happy, healthy, loved and cared for. 

Not only does this farm store provide the area with abundance of meat, they have apples of all types, home made cider, soaps, locally made pottery, and other nick nacks that one might like for home and garden and the satisfaction of knowing you are supporting the locals with every purchase.



 
 
 

 

 

This little place is Hickory Nut Gap Farm, in the apple season, provides daily horse rides, petting zoo, games, along with the seasonal pumpkin picking, and corn maze. This place is truly one of those little treasures that if not venturing off the main road one would miss the wonders that could be shared with family and friends.

 
 
 
 
IF you come to the area a trip to Hickory Nut Gap Farm is one that should go on your list. As when NOT the apple season the store is open on Thursdays but if you call ahead a Horse ride (they have a variety of horses for ANY skill level , over 20 horses) can be scheduled on most days except Sunday. This place even has one of the best summer camps around offering horseback riding, clay, drawing, acting classes; it is an amazing place!

A Morning of Energy...

The morning sun is bright and electrifying, the cool breeze from the mountain tops roll down to the valleys. The farms are in full steam, putting rich nitrogen waste from the dairy farm on the pastures so the cover crops will be perfect all winter. The morning is so full of energy I grab the camera because I know with the feeling in the air my horses will be full of life and run and frolic as soon as I let them out.

When I arrive at the barn the horses are dull, dirty, and almost still asleep. As soon as I open the second gate allowing them access to the pasture, it all kicks into another gear. Sweetpea no doubt wakes up Joe and Steve with her snorting and prancing the length of the pasture. Navarre is so heavy his feet tear into the pasture throwing mud in his wake with a sound of a heard of horses instead of just a baby at play. He loves to run and play but Sweetpea is too stodgy to play with him, she sees herself as either his protector from other horses or the only one allowed to beat up on him when ever she feels like it. He is after all only a toy to her, he amuses her, and she pushes and tells him what to do.

The reality is Navarre could put her down with one kick, but he is too sweet and kind to hurt her, he loves her but only cares about food! As long as he has food, he could care less what she wants! She on the other hand is the boss of everything, and he is only allowed to look at her if she feels like it. Such opposite personalities, such opposite rides, but this is after all why I have the two opposite ends of the spectrum; to allow me a choice of what kind of ride or mind I want to deal with. I can not wait till I can ride Navarre at any time, for any length of time I wish. I have only been at this dream for almost 4 years now. Jerry has had several motorcycles in the time I have chosen Navarre’s parents, awaited his arrival and now just allowing him to be old enough to ride. I can not wait, but at last the wait is almost over.

To continue my ride to and from the barn …as you can see just across the pasture, is a small but incredible log cabin. I do not have access to the history of the cabin any longer, as the owner is now elder and in an assisted living facility. But from the little time I was able to spend with him over the years I did collect that he purchased two small cabins and fused them to create the one he has standing. He and his family use this as a guest house, but they rent it out when the family is not residing within. It is a lovely place, BUT the interest in this property is NOT the cabin for me… it is the connection to my living in a fish bowl that I can not resist mentioning as I have not repeated this story to anyone other than Jerry.

Mr. Gordon James, worked for an oil company back in the early 1900’s and ran the district around Nashville TN of all places. When invited to his house years ago for cheese, wine and hors d‘Oeuvres. I never imagined I would hear stories of his account in Joelton TN. Yes Mr. James Gordon was the connection for Aunt Mary’s store .. JB’s as we called it in my day to get their gas. Can you imagine? Uncle Roland, Aunt Mary had direct connections with this man that lived across the street from where my horses are until just recently.

I questioned him, Oh yes I know the Lain’s he said… I know exactly the place across from the little white church… I don’t remember the name of the church but a little white building. It was on the way to … my next county… that farm town… Springfield. Yes Springfield was it. If you can only imagine my heart skipped a bit. I could not believe this man states away again knew my family in an indirect way. Of course being so far away, having lost 3 of 4 of my grandparents by this time it only warmed my heart to know that fish bowl effect was still there after all these years.

Several more trips to Mr. James’ house gave me much information, he directed me to my favorite cheese company in the area and for this I am grateful, as I too, much like Navarre, can be driven by food.

A cute little place that one could easily miss driving down the road. 

Today started out well enough. I got through my chores; but on my way home from the barn for the first time in a week, I stopped to take some more pictures. While I have yet to post even 1/100th of what I have taken, I find it is the act of taking the pictures that inspires me to write.

So to continue my drive to the barn in description… up Hollywood Drive up this incredible little road there is an old corn crib that catches my attention each day, but no one has been at the house in order for me to stop and ask permission to take pictures. My parents taught me to never trespass, regardless it was not allowed, some things in my life have not changed.

This little corn crib is different every day, the rolling fog, the lazy sun, the trees around it. While my family didn’t have an existing corn crib by design we did have a building we housed all our yearly corn for the cattle. This little building brings back all those memories of walking into our corn crib and looking around to see all the wondrous tools no longer used, old, rusty, and lonely in my mind.

This corn crib I pass each day makes my mind wonder of old cattle, the day I got Spirit, the OLD Tobacco barn and its lovely smell. One of my favorite smells, the smell of dark fire tobacco in the fall. Days of playing in the old barn on Aunt Mary’s place, no longer there, but still vivid in my mind. How the road divided into pastures and a round about road so used the old truck had a hard time leaning hard to one side and eventually retired in my days. I wonder what ever came about that old road? The property long sold off, new houses, people who have no idea of its rich history. The property that housed the only mill in the area, the old family houses long gone and barely remembered at all. How sad the houses were compared to what now stands on that land.

It is amazing what driving by an old corn crib can do for your mind, memories, senses, and mood. One lone piece that puts my mind at ease and takes me back to riding in the truck with my Pawpaw when ever he allowed me to tag along.  Both I and what ever dog he had at the time would wait at full attention, not being able to ask to go; as Friend (the first dog I remember him having) couldn't ask and I wasn't allowed.  There were plenty of times he didn't take either of us, plenty of times only the dog was allowed, but when I went, we always took the dog with us.  To me it only ment we were going to have more fun, I had someone (the dog) to run around with when we stopped.

Weekend Report

Saturday.. I took the horses out for a little ride. I Ponied Navarre, while I was riding SweetPea ... we only went around the block, round trip is just barely over 4 miles, but a good little ride for Navarre. Everything is mostly up hill.

Navarre was wet when we got back around 3pm and when I went back at 6:30 he was still soaked. So I have to watch how late I take him out from here on.

Sunday I loaded SweetPea up by 11am got to Susans as we rode from the back of Barewallow to the other side of Little Pisqua, it took us about 5 hours round trip. It was wonderful, beautiful, peaceful and just plain perfect.

I'm soar today ... not my legs but my ribs, back and stomach. If you want to work your core try riding over two mountains bareback for hours at a time. ha ha ha...

Jerry and I just went walking on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The leaves are almost gone due to all the wind and rain but it is still beautiful over here.

OH YEA... While I have asked, begged and pleaded for people to come see us over here. DON'T...
I 40 had a rock slide and will closed for MONTHS... so right now there are only back roads to get from North Carolina to Tennessee. I need to travel home, now I am deciding do I want to go through Chattanooga or Johnson City ???? either way is HOURS out of the way.