Just Looking Around plus Changes at Our Home

‘Freedom’ is nigh as our second dose of the vaccine nears!  We’ll be out and about a couple of weeks after our vaccination process is completed…masking as required but with most of our Covid-19 worries behind us.  Most of all we are looking forward to visiting with family and friends after they’re safe, but beyond that just dining out and exploring the countryside, visiting inviting stores, antique shops and historical sites. 

In addition, finally I’ll have a bit more interesting material to work with as I write the posts for my blog site!

But that happy time isn’t here yet…

Laurie took this photo of some old guy wandering down the street… She can be dangerous with that camera!

Along the way, we spotted these daffodils blooming…spring is coming!

Laurie also took the photo of this large grouping of Lenten roses in a neighbor’s front yard.  When we got home I took the second photo of one of our Lenten roses from underneath it…just so I could show how pretty these flowers are.

This construction site is no more than a block away from our house.  The views are stunning but the lot did cost “an arm and a leg!”  As the home is being built into the side of a hill, it will have a lower level too, something that doesn’t happen too often in our neighborhood.  Much of the area is covered with underlying rock which makes excavation difficult.

Laurie took this photo of a boulder in the turnaround circle at the end of the street across from the property shown above.  She spotted an animal’s shape…and I agree with her.  I see it too!  Can you see what we see?  The answer is at the end of this post.

Last year we had some rocks put down on one side of our house complete with a mulched area where we planted 4 bushes.  The area had been bare and ugly, and since it was sloped it was also a drainage problem.  The problem is that the contractor that put it down didn’t put sheeting under the rocks so grass was constantly springing up between them.  The same problem existed between the flat stepping stones plus they weren’t set in the ground and they weren’t stable.  Time to get the problem fixed and improve drainage as well…

A load of rocks, some heavy lifting and a few hours later and the project was finished.  The area to the back and right of the rock work is common ground.

While they were at it, the contractor furnished us with a new stepping stone off the stairs to our back deck.  They also moved our flat stones around to improve safety and appearance.

The next issue involved a notice that we’d received last fall from the one of the inspectors from our POA’s Architectural Control Committee.

Our home and that boulder has been here for 21 years.  The new inspector and his supervisor decided that due to its location it was in violation of the ACC code and that it was a hazard and had to be moved!  For 21 years it was either OK or they weren't doing their job!

I had ignored the notice for months but it was always in the back of my mind.  Micah, one of our lawn service guys was here doing spring clean-up.  We talked about the boulder and he pointed out that this 5 minute job would cost hundreds of dollars if someone had to truck in a piece of equipment to move it 6 feet.  He suggested that we chat with an equipment operator who was working on a new house down the street and see if he would do it as he had the equipment on site.

We asked the contractor if he’d help us out and he agreed.  Laurie moved the rocks that had been in front of it.  When he was done moving the boulder, I asked him what I owed him for the job and he said whatever I felt it was worth.  I gave him $80 and now we don’t have this little problem on my mind.  

The first photo shows what the boulder and its immediate surroundings looked like after it had been moved and Micah and his brother Elijah had redone the landscaping around it.  The second photo shows what it looked like after Laurie and Ella (who weeds for us) had redone the area to match the rest of our frontage along the street and to expand street parking if needed.

Note: That painted yellow stone with the flowers was given to us by our friend Norm...

I decided to close with one more home/yard related issue.  A few weeks ago we noted that this big dead red oak, (just left of center in the photo), in the lot adjacent to our home…was leaning toward the house!  It is covered with tinder fungus/hoof fungus over most of the trunk of the tree…

This parasitic fungus produces large polypore bodies that are shaped like a horse’s hoof.  They grow on the sides of various species of trees, which it infects through broken bark, causing rot.  In this case, the tree has died and the parasite is now a decomposer…further weakening the tree.

The good news for us is that we don’t have to deal with a remote property owner or investment company to deal with this threat to our house.  We had a previous experience with a giant but dead ironwood tree on the same lot…and we’d learned that the property belonged to the POA.  So, I called and the next day 2 inspectors showed up, agreed that it was a hazard and they’ve added the tree to their project list.

Did you decide what that boulder in the 7^th photo resembled?  Laurie and I both agree that it looks like a baby elephant lying down… What do you think?

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Feathers and Food +

Although the end of the worst of the Covid-19 lock-down or self-isolation experience is nearing, we personally are faced with one more month of super caution.  Once we receive our second dose of the vaccine and another week passes after that, we will not be concerned about our chances of catching this virus, although we will still wear masks as suggested in order to protect others.

We are really looking forward to dining out, shopping and exploring both near and far with our Covid-19 risks removed!  I will also enjoy the opportunity to experience, research and write about topics other than homemade, store bought and take-out food as well as the plethora of photos showing our local or home-bound scenery.  

But, for the immediate future, the contents of my posts are what they are… In this issue it’s all about birds and food.

Male bluebirds are really blue aren’t they!  We have lots and lots of bluebirds hanging around our back deck.  They awkwardly use our feeder although they really aren’t too adept at it.  However when Laurie puts a scoop of dried meal worms on the deck railing bluebirds don’t waste any time and they rush to fill up on one of their favorite foods.  

Look at that sweet bluebird couple in the last photo above…or is she giving him the cold feather?  

Our local hermit thrush is still hanging around the feeder as well.  We hadn’t seen any of these birds until this year but the feeder has proven to be a powerful draw for this visitor.

Now onto a few food items…

While visiting our local Food Lion grocery store, we noticed these Crinkle Cut Zucchini Fries by Birds Eye in the freezer.  We’d never seen them before and we decided to give them a try.  

After they came out of the oven, we sprinkled parmesan cheese on them.  The breading wasn’t too heavy and we both liked this convenient pre-prepped vegetable item.  Despite the breading, I’m pretty sure that they are healthier than the sautéed zucchini slices I’ve made in the past…given the stick of butter that I usually bathe them in!

We paired the zucchini fries with a pair of ribeye steaks that I grilled on the stove.  Laurie is more of a purist than I am…although she melts butter on her steak as soon as it comes to the table, after all, butter makes everything better!  I just covered mine with crumbled blue cheese!  Unfortunately, instead of the steaks being medium rare, I overcooked them and they were medium.  Laurie wasn't a happy camper.

Another dinner, another food experiment or experience… We keep looking for different pre-prepped food items as we just haven’t been into doing much cooking during the pandemic.  In this case I zeroed in on a box of Jose Ole queso chicken nacho mini tacos in the freezer section of our grocery store. 

Laurie ate hers with sour cream and I used a lot of hot taco sauce.  They were OK…and easy to prepare.

Another full moon and more opportunities to take eye-catching and not dramatic photos.  Laurie took both of these photos.  I like the effect of the moon shining through the trees but I did think that the second photo using our zoom lens came out quite nicely.

I thought that I’d end with more ‘feathers’.  My only concern was if this black vulture in our big tree knew something I didn’t know.  After all, I’m not getting any younger!

FYI, black vultures don’t have a great sense of smell so they can’t find carrion by scent alone.  They do exploit the superior food-finding skills of turkey vultures by following them to carcasses and then shoving them aside for food.  While turkey vultures are larger than black vultures, black vultures operate in flocks which can easily drive away the more solitary turkey vulture.  Given this poor treatment by black vultures, it’s surprising that turkey vultures frequently roost with black vultures at night…  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Winter in Tennessee plus Donut Shop Breakfasts

As winter winds down here in Tennessee, I thought that this would be a good time to recap and to provide examples of the contrasting weather where we live.  There are basically 3 weather zones here in East Tennessee, the Cumberland Plateau, the Tennessee River Valley and the Smoky Mountains.

The plateau acts as a buffer for most severe weather approaching the valley from the west and to some degree, also from the north.  In addition, the Smoky Mountains screen us from the worst of the weather rolling north up the Atlantic coast.

These photos show the ‘terrible’ snowfall that we who inhabit the valley suffered through early this year.  Other than this, we had about 2.5 inches of snow for Christmas, an unusual occurrence, and that’s it so far for our 2020 – 2021 winter season.  We would be surprised if we had another bout of snow that actually stuck to the ground…

As for the plateau, at Fairfield Glade, the average annual snowfall is about 13 inches.  In Loudon Tennessee, near where we live, the average is 6 inches but we’ve only seen that much about 3 times in the last 10 years. 

We have a neighbor who loves to hike!  She is much younger than we are and she’s in much better shape too… Actually, Debbie is just a year older than our son.  In any case, she posted these photos as well as the next 2 on Facebook, after hiking up to the Mount Le Conte Lodge in the Smoky Mountains following a series of snowstorms.  Did I mention that Mount Le Conte Lodge is situated at an altitude of 6,400 feet?  Where we live the altitude is about 990 feet above sea level.

Mount Le Conte Lodge is located in Sevier County Tennessee.  Depending on the altitude you’re at on the mountain, snowfall averages between 40 inches and 60 inches every winter.  Mount Le Conte itself is 6,584 above sea level. 

The hiking trail Debbie took up Mount Le Conte is 10.6 miles long and it’s rated as difficult in decent weather.  I can’t imagine what a challenge it is when hiking through all that snow!  Debbie’s round trip from the viewpoint was almost 22 miles long… Her photos and her views, especially as shown in the last photo were amazing.  She did chat with the Mount Le Conte Lodge winter caretaker but that was about it for human contact on this hike!  The lodge is about 70 miles from our home. 

FYI, Mount Le Conte Lodge is the highest guest lodge in the eastern United States.  It can only be reached by hiking…there aren’t any roads to the Lodge.  All supplies are delivered via Llama caravan.  In season, visitors can sleep overnight in log cabins with propane heat, kerosene lanterns, clean linens and Hudson Bay wool blankets.  Meals are served family style in the dining room.  For more information, go to http://www.lecontelodge.com/.

So much for winter where we live in East Tennessee… Today is 2/27/21 and its 65 F with no freezing temperatures forecast for the next 10 days.  I hope that I haven’t jinxed us!

Moving on to food…my usual pandemic topic…this was an assortment of mostly breakfast items that we’d picked up from our favorite donut shop, Master Donuts in Lenoir City Tennessee.  We’ve been there many times for donuts, Danish and apple fritters but this time we decided to check out their other products.  As per Nextdoor.com, lots of folks really enjoy these other items…

For me this is a breakfast item but most folks would probably wait at least until lunch.  This is Master Donut’s Jalapeno Pig…a hot dog in a blanket with jalapeno bits added in.  The jalapenos are indicated by the green dot.  They also offer a Cheese Pig.  We enjoyed our pigs…far superior to the typical pigs in a blanket.

This was my breakfast burrito.  I’d frozen it, thawed it, put a little shredded cheese on top and zapped it in the microwave.  It was filled with egg, sausage and cheese.  It was a bit bland for me so I dipped it in my Mexican Valentia Hot Sauce and I was happy...and full too!

The Breakfast Egg Rolls are probably the crowd favorite at Master Donuts.  These deep fried gems are packed with sausage, egg and cheese.  We liked them a lot!

Breakfast Bagels and Biscuits are also on the menu.  In either case, customers have a choice of egg and cheese with either ham, bacon or sausage.

The Breakfast Croissants were probably our favorites.  We both had the sausage, egg and cheese version although ham and bacon are other available alternatives.  These were far superior to others offered by the fast food chains.  Dessert croissants are also on the menu…

Master Donuts is located at 507 East Broadway (US Hwy. 11) in Lenoir City Tennessee.  Phone: 865-816-6058.  They are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Masterdonutstn/.

That’s all for now… Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A “Jab” or “Needle” for Freedom

Finally!!  After registering on-line back on January 12^th for my first Covid-19 vaccine ‘jab’ and not hearing back for a month, at Laurie’s urging, I called our county health department and managed to get through and talk to a real person!  She promptly set us both up for our first doses of much needed vaccine!  We never have heard back from the on-line registry…

So only 10 days later, here we were, in a line for our first doses of the vaccine.  The police car viewed through the rear window of our car was responsible for ensuring that people lined up correctly and that they had appointments.

This drive-thru vaccination site is located at the Loudon Municipal Park.  We hadn’t been to the park before and the recreation facilities looked quite impressive and up to date.  Sports related features include 4 baseball diamonds, a soccer field, an 18 hole disc ‘golf course’ and a sand volleyball court.

We correctly guessed that this structure was some kind of amphitheater.  The Performing Arts Amphitheater can accommodate up to 7,500 attendees for concerts, plays or other events. 

We also learned that the Municipal Park also has a half-mile walking track, a nature hiking trail, a 50+ picnic shelter, a dog park and a Lions Club pavilion. 

This was Laurie’s view down the line of vehicles waiting for their vaccinations.  We arrived 10 minutes before the operation was open for the first ‘jabs’ of the day.  You can just see the drive-thru tent down the line...

These members of the National Guard look like they were checking their phones just before going to work.  They were assisting the county health department personnel and nurses operating the site.

Our anticipation rose as we neared our goal and the first glimmer of eventual Covid-19 freedom!

Almost there!!

We didn’t take any photos once we were inside the tents.  There was verification that we had appointments, a check of our IDs and a form for each of us to sign.  There was also a handout to take with us.

Most importantly after getting the needles with our vaccine, we were given Covid-19 Vaccination Record Cards like the one pictured above.  They verified that we’d received the shots, listed the type of vaccine and its batch number.  On the back it listed our follow-up appointment for our second doses in the not too distant future!

I took this less than perfect photo after we’d received our vaccinations.  The tent to the right was the tent we first entered where they screened us and we signed the paperwork.  The tent with the ‘windows’ to the left is where the nurses actually gave us our initial doses of vaccine…and our first real promise of freedom from self-isolation!

One final photo.  Since this vaccination site operates based on appointments only, the line of vehicles waiting for their vaccine was never very long.  Also, this is yet another advantage of living in a small, relatively lightly populated county.

Not only was this a hopeful day, it was also a beautiful sunny day and we discovered a park that has a lot to offer! 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Stay Safe and Take Care, Big Daddy Dave