New Grill

Being the cooking enthusiast that he is, Michael was so anxious to be able to grill at our new home, he decided to use his allowance money to buy one rather than wait until we could budget for one. 

We assembled it in the living room. 

Ruger, of course, was part of the process. 

It took a bit of burning off of “coatings” before Michael could actually start cooking...

Pork chops!

He also grilled corn on the cob and put together a lovely coleslaw. So yum!

We ended the meal with music requests and dancing to Uptown Funk during cleanup. 

Cat and Doe

Our neighbor’s backyard is open to woods behind us and for the past few days a doe has been visiting to feast on the clover on their lawn.

Yesterday Meghan bravely stood on our back deck and alerted us to the doe’s presence, and Ruger soon followed suit. Today, it was Tigah who took it upon herself to check out the very large and odd-looking dog in the neighbor’s yard.

She didn’t get very close before the doe spotted her, at which point Tigah became more interested in taking a stroll in the woods. 

The doe followed. 

Tigah emerged from the woods a few moments later and quickly found a spot on the couch inside the house. 

Adventure over. 

Brunswick Stew

David's former landlord in Nashville gave us some venison from his freezer, and what else is there to do with venison but make Brunswick Stew. Michael, of course, had a recipe tucked away that he wanted to try.

It's not the prettiest piece of meat, but once it was seared along with some chicken and beef, it looked pretty good.






Into a cast-iron Dutch oven along with some potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, and other basics, and it simmered for a couple of hours.





Served along with some homemade artisan bread, and the feast was enjoyed by all.

Thomas, Denny, and David.

William's post-dinner contentment.

The satisfied chef.

Kittie Love

Since Day One of her adopting our family, Tigah has always been a bit of a pistol, chasing, harrassing, and terrorizing the other two cats. Biscuits pretty much steers clear as much as possible. But Bagheera seems to have more of a tolerance for Tigah's pranks, and they often end up snuggled together in whatever cozy spot they can find.

Of course, as soon as Tigah wakes up, she's at it again. It usually begins with her grooming Bagheera and end with her nipping or swiping at him. Then he smaks her down and they go their separate ways. Until it's naptime again.

Local Bounty

One of the best things about where we landed in Tennessee is that there’s a fresh produce stand minutes from the house on the way to Kroger. 

I stopped by today to see what they had and came away a happy lady. Everything is grown locally, some at the family's farm and some by other farms in the area. There are also preserves, honey, and other goodies produced locally.

Rising Tide

We were caught a bit off guard at Moon Shade Hollow by the unexpectedly heavy rain overnight. By morning, the lake had risen to the bottom of the dock's roof.

And, several of the small boats had drifted away. Since I'd never done such a thing before, I took it upon myself to wade out into the water (up to my waist, and yes it was cold) to fetch one of the kayaks, which I then used to round up the other vessels with help from Michael.

Of course, the paddles had also floated away, so I had to improvise with a fence board.