Flu Shot Time!

This morning, hubby and I completed an important task on our “to do” list. We got our annual flu shot!

The flu season is arriving, so I hope that you and your loved ones get your vaccine soon!

Evins Mill

On my last post, I promised to share some pictures of charming Evins Mill. Sorry for a bit of delay, but my bad knee has been paining me something awful since we got back from our trip. I think it has been taking revenge for the rest of me having a good time, LOL.

The property’s history dates back to 1824, when a Tennessee Land Grant recorded it as Lockhart’s Mill. There have been numerous owners over the years, but it gets its current name from Edgar Evins, a state senator and businessman. He bought the property in 1937 and built the present mill two years later. Milling operations ceased after only five years. But the family continued to use the property as a summer retreat after Mrs. Evans built the log-cabin styled lodge. The complex is now owned by a Nashville family business.

Because of structural problems with the gristmill wheel foundation, neither the granary nor gristmill is operational. However, the mill building has been refurbished to include a game hall for guests at the inn and also a conference center. The grounds also provide a beautiful backdrop for numerous weddings parties.

The mill building is accessible from the inn via a long, vertical series of stairs. Since I am trying to avoid a lot of stairs these days, we opted for a very short drive over to it for exploration. We had an enjoyable afternoon visiting the mill and sat a while in some big wooden rockers on a deck overlooking the pond. It was a gorgeous fall day!

The Inn at Evins Mill

We are back from our little journey to middle Tennessee! We had a wonderful time of exploration and relaxation. We treated ourselves to a stay at The Inn at Evins Mill, a beautiful country inn located in the town of Smithville. This 40-acre property consists of the main lodge, three bluff-view cabins (housing four rooms each), a former gristmill (circa 1939), pond and streams, walking trails, and a 90-foot waterfall.

We had great fun exploring the easily accessible grounds and facilities. The trails were too difficult for us to go visit the waterfall. But, there were plenty of other sights to keep us entertained, such as the old mill and dam down below the main lodge. Of course, we spent a lot of our time at the charming old lodge too.

Our cozy cabin room had a beautiful vaulted ceiling, and it was just a short walk away from the main lodge. We took full advantage of the lovely porches on both the lodge and our cabin: rocking, swinging, reading, and visiting. Outside, we could always hear the trickle of water flowing over the mill dam and down the creek, passing by our cabin at the bottom of a steep embankment. It was sheer tranquility!

The gracious staff made sure we were comfortable and fed us gourmet breakfasts and dinners. After a weekend of entertaining a large wedding party, the inn was only half full during our first night’s stay, and there was only one other couple during our second night. The inn was also conveniently located so that we could visit some interesting areas nearby.

Isn’t this a glorious place? Even though it was just a few short days, we felt like we had been gone much longer! In later postings, I will share some pictures of the mill area and some regional discoveries!

Tennessee Road Trip!

We’ve gotten a wild hair - not to be confused with Marty, the original wild hare on this blog! The scenery and fresh air are irresistible this time of year. We have hit the road and locked in our GPS unit for a unique and pretty destination in middle Tennessee! We’ll be traveling with our laptop, so I may have a chance to check in with some of my blogging friends during our homestead absence.

I’ll fess up later on about this latest traveling adventure. Hee-hee, don’t you love surprises?

Photo Challenge: Old

Time for the latest Brenda Photo Challenge! The subject is Old, picked by the current challenge hostess, Donna of Made in Heaven. While we were staying at a spectacular guest ranch resort during our western vacation last month, I took a few snaps of things that definitely fit the bill! Once I picked these images out, I chuckled that they all happen to be in brown and grey color tones. How fitting for the theme!

“Kick Up Your Heels” Old – This pair of worn boots was a cute prop outside one of the guest cabins. Because the lighting was flat, the original picture didn’t have much depth or character. So, I jazzed it up with the “poster edges” filter on Photoshop. The camera settings were f/5 and 1/60 second.

“If Only These Walls Could Talk” Old - It is a treasure to taking pictures with early morning light. The sun was just rising over the adjacent hillsides, and the golden sidelight captured the rustic texture of this old log cabin. The original ranch settlers built it in 1903. The picture was taken at f/6.3 and 1/160 second.

“Way Past the Expiration Date” Old – This remnant of a bovine fellow was hanging outside the ranch’s main building. He wasn’t nearly as fun to pet as the horses! The camera settings were f/4.2 and 1/60 second.

Western USA Vacation - Grand Junction

Okay folks! It’s time to start a new series of posts devoted to our latest big vacation! As you may recall, we took in late September a Tauck World Discovery tour of National Park areas in eastern Utah and western Colorado. Because the tour did not include the Colorado National Monument, we decided to start the trip early with a few days on our own.

Our journey began in the town of Grand Junction, Colorado. We stayed at a downtown hotel and were very impressed with the quaint character and ambiance of the town’s historical area. We had fun exploring and walking down Main Street, particularly the first evening. It was the very last farmers’ market of the year and the place was buzzing with people and many of their furry friends. Adding to the charm of this downtown is a huge outdoor sculpture exhibit. (Please put your mouse pointer over the pictures for captions.)

Grand Junction has several microbreweries and a multitude of wineries. Just a short walk from our hotel, we dined and satisfied our thirst at the Rockslide Brew Pub & Restaurant. The sign over the door said to come on in and so we did! In addition to delicious food, hubby had the “raspberry wheat” beer and I had the “rabbit ears amber ale”. YUM!

On the day that we traveled to the Grand Mesa, we had a lovely visit at the St. Kathryn Winery and bought some bottles to enjoy and share during our week-long trip. We were also entranced by the dramatic scenery in the Palisades area, about a dozen miles east of Grand Junction.

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! What will be the next feature of this series? Grand Mesa National Forest!

Blogging Friendships

It still astounds me how one can make great friendships through blogging. This certainly wasn’t something I was counting on when I started down the path of creating this little locale of the big web universe. It is one of those sweet, unexpected blessings. Your life becomes richer in sharing thoughts, perspectives, joys, sadness, ideas, and everyday experiences. You learn that kindness still matters and is real in this topsy-turvy world. And, you are grateful.

I am certainly grateful to have Kim of Homesteaders Heart as my dear blogging buddy. This funny and kind gal just gifted me with “A Perfect Blend of Friendship Award”. I am honored and hope that I can continue keep each one of those cups of friendship traits full to the brim! I love reading Kim’s blog to keep up with her life and get inspirations. And, she sprinkles in a generous dose of good cheer along the way to keep me coming back for more! Thank you, dear friend!

This award isn’t just any award. It comes with a questionnaire. (Oh boy, another homework assignment!)

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood?
No, I haven’t kept in touch with my childhood friends. My best friend during those years died quite a while ago. Her name was Brenda. She set the gold standard for friendship.

2. What do you value most about your friends?
Honesty, dependability, cheerfulness, and trust.

3. Are your friends your sounding boards?
You bet! I won’t always follow their advice, LOL. But, I will listen to them and know that they have my best interests at heart!

4. What is your favorite activity to share with your friends?
Sharing common interests, chatting, lunch, and little adventures!

I am also supposed to give this award to 5 friends. Kim has been an enthusiastic supporter for my little blog, so she certainly deserves a boomerang award right back at her! That leaves 4 left. Oh dear, oh dear. I always have trouble with this part because I want to share it with everyone on sidebar! All of you deserve it!

Here goes:

Donna of Made in Heaven – Right when I was beginning to worry about getting my new blog off the ground this year, Donna somehow discovered it and became an instant cheerleader. She’s made me laugh countless times, wishes me nighty-night, and plots schemes on how she could steal my darling blog greeter rabbit, Marty. Her blog name fits her to a Texas “T”.

Kylie of A Bite of Country Cupcakes – We have recently discovered each other’s blogs and have quickly found a bond that spans the many miles between Tennessee and Australia. Her young and energetic family has recently settled into a country house. As busy as she is, she always find the time for showing me kindness and good cheer. I was so excited when she recently won my little rabbit ornament (a mini Marty, LOL)! Now Kylie will have a little reminder of me with her!

Brenda of What's UP down South – If it wasn’t for energetic Brenda and her sensational Brenda Photo Challenge, I wouldn’t have made countless new blogging friends this year. Thank you so much for building a friendship bridge! Brenda regularly offers me positive encouragement and helps me stretch my photography wings.

Karen M. of Loved and Engraved – She has been a bit preoccupied these days with tax accounting deadlines. But, Karen has always found the time to check out my latest postings and leave me kind and joyful comments. She is the kind of friend who could surprise me with an unexpected visit on my country porch!

Chipotle-Lime Shrimp

A new grocery store in our area had a great sale on shrimp last week. So we splurged and got some. We also tried out a new recipe and loved it! Since this is a Weight Watcher’s recipe, we didn’t feel too guilty to eat a piggy-size portion of it, LOL. As an added bonus, it is quick to fix.

Chipotle-Lime Shrimp

4 teaspoons olive oil
2 Teaspoons grated lime zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotles en adobo
2 garlic cloves, mined
¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled
Lime wedges

Spray the broiler rack with nonstick spray. Preheat the broiler. Combine the oil, lime zest and juice, chipotles en adobo, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Arrange the shrimp on the broiler rack. Broil 5 inches from the heat until just opaque in the center, about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with lime wedges.

4 servings. 116 calories per serving; points value: 3

Note: Chipotle chiles en adobo are smoked jalapeno peppers that have been canned in a sauce of ground chiles, herbs, and vinegar. Look for them in the Mexican food section of well-stocked supermarkets. If you can’t find chipotles en adobo, substitute the same amount of chipotle pepper sauce.

Walk to the Mailbox

Goodness, the calendar doesn’t lie. We have been back from our western trip for two whole weeks, and I haven’t done the first post yet to share my vacation pictures! I’m sorry to keep everyone in suspense. Back to the Photoshop salt mine!

In the meantime, how would you like to accompany me on a walk to the mailbox? My sore knee is improved to the point where I can easily do the hike now. Our cottage sits back from the road about 350 feet and the ground is not level. So, it truly is a bit of a hike! Since the fall colors are getting so pretty now, I made Saturday’s trip to the mailbox a leisurely stroll. Please join me!

We walk out the door onto the front porch. With the leaf canopy of the three large pin oaks out front, you can barely tell there is a road to the south of us.

We’re walking past the rows of Bradford pear trees along the driveway. Soon we will be feeling the incline of the little knoll in the front of our property.

We admire the beautiful foliage of the maple trees on our left.

As we get closer, we stop and tilt our heads back.

We look right and see some fall colors beginning to show on this side of the driveway too.

We meander from the driveway's path and head toward the neighbor's fence. We look to see if Cosmos, our horse friend, is out in the front pasture, but he is nowhere to be found. This view is our reward when we look back at our path from the cottage.

Now we are almost at the road. We stop briefly to admire the assortment of nature’s colors, including the scarlet red of the dogwood trees.

We retrieve a few pieces of mail from the box and take a quick picture of the western edge of the driveway entry.

Walking back down the gravel drive, we appreciate the eastern row of trees once more.

We look up as we pass by. How can we resist?

We look to the left and give thanks for the natural beauty all around us.

Before we know it, our stroll is over! We turn the corner and head back to the front porch. It’s almost time for dinner!

Thank you for keeping me company during this lovely walk!

"The Five Tag"

My good friend Kim at Homesteaders Heart just tagged me! I’ll get even, Kim! Be looking for the flying monkeys to arrive any minute now! Hahaha!

The rules of this tag are to list 5 things about these 5 things that are about me. And, then I have to “tag” 5 people. (Oh no, I bet I will have to set some extra places at the dinner table for the flying monkeys that will end up at my doorstep too!) Kim said this wasn’t hard. Yes, it was! I had to bruise my poor little noggin’ trying to answer these questions! And, I am still trying to understand why there are SIX groups of 5 questions! I suspect that “The Five Tag” got warped while it was zipping through the blog-o-sphere.

10 Years Ago:

1. My hubby and I had been together 17 years.
2. I had been an environmental auditor for 10 years and was looking for a different job.
3. I was saving like mad so I could retire early. (Mission accomplished - yeah!)
4. I was enjoying a lovely vacation with my hubby to Port Townsend, Seattle, and Victoria.
5. I was doing projects around our 6-year old homestead.

5 Things on Today’s “To-Do” List:

1. Complete this listing and get it posted!
2. Catch up on the laundry.
3. Run a shopping errand.
4. Watch a little of the football game on TV between UT and whoever, LOL.
5. Breathe slowly into a brown paper bag when I do my weekly check of the investment portfolio.

5 Snacks I Enjoy:

1. Pretzels
2. Nuts
3. Chocolate!
4. Diet root beer
5. Frozen grapes

5 Things I Would Do If I Were Millionaire:

1. The same things I do now!
2. Travel
3. Clip coupons and buy things on sale
4. Contribute to my favorite charities (Salvation Army, Paws with a Cause, St. Jude Medical Center)
5. Breathe slowly into a brown paper bag when I do my weekly check of the investment portfolio!

5 Places I Have Lived:

1. Manhattan, Kansas
2. Decatur, Illinois
3. Chattanooga, Tennessee
4. Silver Spring, Maryland
5. Knoxville, Tennessee

5 Jobs That I Have Had (or still have today, in some cases)

1. Janitor
2. Restaurant cashier
3. Restaurant assistant manager
4. Design engineer for a nuclear power plant
5. Licensing project manager for a high-level radioactive waste facility

(Just a little clarification - the above job listing is in chronological order, from age 15 to 25! I wasn't moonlighting as a janitor while I was working in the nuclear industry, LOL!) Okay, enough about me. It’s time to tag these wonderful blogging friends!

1. Cindy of The Gathering Room
2. Joan of Joan's Journeys
3. Cindra of Knits and Pics and Favorite Things
4. Kylie of A Bite of Country Cupcakes
5. Jeanette of Net on the Net

Fall Arrival

The weather has been cooler since we returned home. The fall colors are beginning to show their glory here in east Tennessee, and this year is looking exceptional so far.

Here are some pictures I took along the driveway last week. This Bradford pear tree got a jump start on all the others. After another week and a rainfall, its red leaves are now all scattered on the grass.

The October Glory maples change colors at different times and vary in their colors.

One maple along the row always turns a beautiful shade of crimson.

Bloggy Giveway – Drawing Results

Sound the horns! It is time to announce the results of my first bloggy giveaway! My sweet hubby had the honors this morning of picking the names out of the hat for each drawing.

The lucky winners are…

Rachael Ray Cookbook
K. Cleaver at Not Enough Time in the Day

Stitched Rabbit Ornament
Kylie at A Bite of Country Cupcakes

I think I can hear their squeals of delight all the way to Tennessee, LOL. Congratulations and thanks to all who entered! I hope that you will keep visiting my little blog and cheer me on for the next 100 posts.

Giveaway Reminder!

Hurry!

There’s not much time left

to enter my Bloggy Giveaway!

It ends tonight!