Back in the Saddle (so to speak)

Well, it's been a while, obviously, since I've written anything, mainly because there wasn't much to report for a long time. My dad and I cleared out the last few logs along the driveway path back in September, a day or so after my last entry. Then I spent a couple weeks recuperating from the poison ivy and the mosquitoes. I also started back with my handyman gig, doing some work at our pastor's home (bathroom renovation, mainly).

Last Tuesday my parents and I drove up to Kidron, Ohio to check out the wood cookstoves and countless other wonderful things at the Lehman's store (lehmans.com). I've pretty much decided on getting the Heartland Sweetheart stove, which is UL listed and can be fitted with all the bells and whistles (e.g., a "water jacket" that allows me to use my stove as a water heater).

Upon our return to Cookeville on Thursday (Oct. 7), we had our second of three zoning meetings, this time with the City Council. Our zoning request was unanimously approved by the council, but we still have one more meeting in November for final approval.

This past Tuesday my parents and I drove up to Muddy Pond, a Mennonite community where several families raise and process sorghum cane into syrup. One place demonstrates the old-fashioned way of using a horse powered mill to squeeze the juice from the cane and cooking the juice over a wood fire. So we watched the operation and came away with a couple of cookbooks, a couple loaves of sorghum-sweetened bread, and lots of pictures.

This past Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I staked off the corners of my roof and the corners of the yard, and then cleared out a path through the woods for a new barbed wire fence to keep my neighbor's cows out (he rents the land from my parents).

Next week I hope to get someone in to cut down some of the tall trees (mainly pines), instead of waiting for the next big storm to blow them down onto my new fence. Once that's done I'll commence with the fence. I noticed that along the new fence row are several dogwood trees, so I'm looking forward to seeing them in the spring.

I've also done some updates to my house drawings, so I'll post those next time, along with some other interesting pictures.

Goodnight!