First Mother’s Day.

Posted on May 13, 2018 by David Maxwell

I woke up at the crack again this morning but was too lazy to go out and take photographs. It ended up being a pretty relaxed morning for us. After lunch we went for a walk on the Mountain Goat Trail. Probably about two miles, I didn’t clock it. We pushed Luke in the stroller.

We didn’t end up leaving the cottage until about five. I’m not really sure where the time went. Lots of feeding I reckon. We had to stop in Murfreesboro on the way back in order to nurse again. Once safely returned to the condo we were warmly greeted by Lily. Hopefully we will be returning to the cottage on Memorial Day weekend, just two weeks from now. I’m pretty excited about that possibility.

So overall not a very exciting Mother’s Day, but memorable for the fact that it was the first. The time in Monteagle was a very nice escape. We do hope to spend a lot of time up there this summer, enjoying the cooler temperatures, outdoor activities, and of course the goats.

The busiest day of Luke’s life.

Posted on May 12, 2018May 13, 2018 by David Maxwell

My day started super early as I went to Lake O’Donnell for sunrise. The fresh air felt amazing, and it was so tranquil having the lake to myself. I took a lot of pictures with my “real camera”. Here are a couple from my phone.

My next stop was Green’s View overlook. It was stunning as well.

We took the rest of the morning pretty easy before heading of to campus for the crafts fair. We talked with our friend Debbie who sells amazing candles. The fair was rather busy as it was graduation weekend. Luke started out in the stroller, but got a little fussy so I carried him in the ErgoBaby most of the time. There weren’t many booths and we didn’t feel like hanging around much. Plus it was really hot. We got back to the car and Luke started fussing in a hungry kind of way, so he nursed there in the parking lot.

We had lunch back at the cottage then went to Lake Cheston for a little hike. We did two laps around the lake, with me carrying Luke in the ErgoBaby. It was ridiculously hot, but it still felt good to be outside and active.

Of course we had to stop by and see the goats after that. They took down the “keep out” signs, so we went inside the pasture to get close to them. The babies have really gotten big and are starting to grow horns.

This evening I picked up dinner at a new-ish place in town, a BBQ joint called “Up in Smoke”. I thought the brisket was pretty good, although Liz said hers tasted like lighter fluid. They have several other tasty looking items on their menu, and their prices are reasonable. Luke has continued to be rather fussy this evening, so I have been walking him a bit. There are tons of stars out and it feels amazing outside.

Mountain mayhem.

Posted on May 11, 2018May 13, 2018 by David Maxwell

We hit the road mid-afternoon today and headed up towards Monteagle. We actually made pretty good time, stopping only once for gas. Luke pretty much slept the whole way. At the cottage we were greeted by some lovely rhododendrons and markedly cooler temperatures.

After a little feeding we drove over to campus and saw the goats from afar.

Luke was kind of fussy through most of the afternoon and evening. I spent a lot of time walking him up and down the driveway in the ErgoBaby. For dinner we just had sandwiches and chips.

A good day on the farm.

Posted on May 10, 2018 by David Maxwell

I hit the road at about 5:45 this morning. It was nice to beat traffic and start working while it was still relatively cool outside. The morning was glorious and it was nice to look over the back field. As usual, the photograph doesn’t do it justice.

I spent a bit of time tidying up the job site and adding to my burn pile. I need to haul a bit of debris to the landfill, but first I must make some modifications to one of my trailers. My big victory of the morning came when I vanquished an old maple trunk at the front of the property. Unfortunately I didn’t get any before pictures, but below you will see it on the ground, and getting carted off.

The framers arrived this morning and put the sill plate on. I really liked the foreman. He is from Guanajuato, Irapuato, and speaks decent English. He is coming back with the rest of his crew on Tuesday. I am very excited about them getting to work.

After finishing at the farm I drove down to Pulaski to visit a building materials store. The drive was absolutely beautiful and very relaxing. I only stopped once for pictures, at a cool old church in the middle of nowhere. I am always stunned by how gorgeous Middle Tennessee is.