Billy Tills

Path to the fire pit area

Chuck had cleared a big area not too far from the house and it's on the way to the garden.  That is were we decided to build our fire pit.  Also, since we haven't had any luck with planting our pumpkin patch down at the garden, we thought we would use part of this cleared area for the pumpkins.  It had been thick with honeysuckle and you couldn't even see how big the area was.  Chuck had gotten is cut with the bush hog but it needed to be tilled.  There was no way we could have done it with the hand tiller.  Soooooo, Chuck asked Billy if he could use his tractor tiller.  One afternoon, I hear this load noise and it kept getting closer and closer.  Here comes Billy on his tractor with the tiller.  Not only did he let come with his tractor, but he tilled the whole area for us.  He went over the area like ten times.  It's going to be perfect for planting now.  Chuck has spread some wild flower seeds in part of the space.  Guess what!  they are coming up! Sure hope we get some rain so they keep growing.  ( the hose won't reach down there)  Now, it's time to get planting all the pumpkin seeds that I saved from all those pumpkins we had bought last October. 

The Flock

The beginning of April, we noticed a couple of goldfinches at our Yankee Flinger feeder.  The next day, there were a couple more.  Then, five.  Then ten!  ...I know.  I was so excited.  The next day 15!!! and the next we counted 25!!  A whole flock of them were using the feeder.  They all stayed a couple of weeks and then they dwindled down to just a couple.  Chuck thinks it's because the thistle is blooming now and that is what they like to eat.  It sure was fun seeing all of them at the feeder. We usually feel lucky to see a couple all Spring and Summer.   I guess it's a good thing for the thistle because they were emptying the feeder just about every day. I never knew it would be so much fun, just watching the birds.

Hail!



Hail on the deck and yard



Huge tree down in Miss Jackson's front yard



Helping the BNOE clean up a fallen tree



Two days after Shell and Genavive left, we got this really bad hail storm.  The wind blew like crazy and the hail hit the windows.  It sounded like someone throwing rocks at the windows.  We kept going from room to room, looking out all the windows.  Things on the front porch were blown all over the place.  It even blew the chalk board off the wall.  One of the tall pine trees out front, fell and the top of it ended up a foot from the house.  I know!  The next day, Chuck walked around Brambly Pines and found several trees down in the back woods.  We were lucky!  The BNOE had a big tree down in their back yard and their yard and deck were covered with branches and leaves galore.  We went over and helped them clean up and cut up the tree that was down.  There was a huge! tree down in Miss Jackson's front yard.  She lives next to Billy White.  Billy had three trees down also.  Someone down the road, had the roof blown off their barn.  Here we thought we were just going to get a rain storm.  Ya never know up here.   

Porches

In the Spring, Summer and Fall, our two porches give us two extra rooms to the house.  At lot of that time is spent, eating our meals out there.  The entertainment is exciting...watching all the different kinds of birds, hearing their songs or hoots.  ( we get a kick out of the owls)  We are always looking in our Alabama Bird Book to see what kind of strange birds are at our feeders.  We actually have blue birds building a nest in our blue bird house in the front yard.  There is a chick a dee feeding her young, in the bird house on our grill house. 

Our bed on the back porch gets used often.  If not just to lay down for a rest that turns into a nap or to spend the night on the porch.  Southerners back in the olden days, had the right idea when they had "sleeping porches".  I'm so lucky to have my two great porches. 

Second Annual Royal Tea Party

Lady Melanie Fay



Princess of Florida



The Queen of Florida



Saying Good bye...with tears



Bye!

This year the second annual Royal Tea Party was held on the day that the Royalty of Florida left from their Spring Trip.  It was held at Carmichael Hall and hosted by Lady Melanie Fay.  A lovey tea it was and of course there were presents!  It always takes the sting out of having to say " Good bye" when we get to go to Carmichael Hall before we head for the airport.  Another wonderful Spring Break full of memories to scrap book and look back on. 

Goats, Goats and more Goats

It wouldn't be a complete trip to Oona and Papa's without going over to Billy White's to see all of his goats.  Genavive likes getting up close and personal with Billy's cute goats.  He always has stories to tell about them.  All he has to do , is walk up to the gate and call them and they all come running.  Some of them are friendly and some aren't.  The baby kids are the cutest!!  Makes ya want to bring one home with ya.  ...just thinking about it.  Maybe some day down the road, I'll be walking a baby goat around Brambly Pines. 

Spring Planting

Tilling

raking



watering after planting



Genavive planting beans



Aunt Shell is helping



the end of a day in the garden

The last day that the girls were here, we spent it in the garden.  What a huge help they were!  Shell tilled, raked, planted and watered the corn patch.  Genavive helped me weed and pull the dead vines off of the fences.  Then she planted almost all of the rows and after that, she made all the sticks that go at the end of the rows so we know what is where.   The corn that Shell planted is up and some of the seeds that Genavive planted.  I don't understand why I'm having a problem with getting the seeds to come up this year.  I have replanted a lot of them, for the third time now.  Maybe since we have gotten some rain, they will sprout up for me.  Might be running to Walmart in a few days and just buying some veggies that are already plants.  That's the easy way out.  

Sweets for the Sweet!

One morning, we got up early and started making "Oona's famous truffles". ( actually they are Andrea's famous truffles since she taught me how to make them) We made two different kinds.  Peanut butter and mint.  The peanut butter ones turned out wonderful but we had a hard time getting the mint ones to stick together.  After a trip for Papa to Walmart to get another bag of Oreos, we finally got them to work.  Yes, some went home in the girl's suit cases and had plenty left over. 

Another lesson



A wonderful lunch!



Good ole country cooking!



The Red Rooster



A pretty Amish girl?...minus the jewelry.





A close up look.



Recess at School. 



Notice the laundry on the line all the way to the top of the barn



We had another history lesson from Aunt Shell's phone as we drove home from seeing the Amish.  It's interesting learning about them in a book but seeing them in person makes it all real.  We got to see their buggy and horse up close, their houses, their schools, how they dress and work.  There are signs by their mailboxes saying what they sale at their house.  We stopped at a few of their houses and bought several things.  ...butter, eggs, a birdhouse, candy, pickled okra, laundry soap, a handmade broom and some hand lotion.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at "The Red Rooster", where they serve the best country food ever!!!  I think this will be one of the Alabama Memories that Genavive will remember for a life time. 

King of the Wild Frontier



Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier



When you go see the Amish in Tennessee, of course you have to stop and see Davy Crockett. We had a short history discussion about him in the explorer and we learned a lot about Davy when Shell looked him up on the internet, on her phone.  Lawrenceburg is a cute little town with a pretty square in the center.  We walked around for awhile, enjoying the gazebo and picking a handful of wild flowers for a bouquet in the explorer. 

Baby Chicks Again



the tub of red pullets



the tub of white pullets



Suzannah, Sister, Scarlet, Shellby Lynn, Georgia Brown, Pollyanna,
Daisy May and Ginny Lynn



Welcome to Brambly Pines little peeps!  It was " chick days" at Tractor Supply while Shell and Genavive were here, so that means it was time to go pick out our new baby peeps.  They had tubs of red pullets, white pullets and then there were a tub of assorted with black on them.  We ended up getting three whites, three reds and two of the assorted black.  This way we have a good chance of getting at least six hens.  I am hoping all eight of them are hens, but I guess it will be a little while before we find this out.  Right now they are all living in the barn, in the wash tub with the heat lamp on.  In a couple more weeks, they will move into the mansion but won't be able to go out into the yard because they will fit through the wire of the fence.  Chuck has put burglar bars up ( it's really only heavy wire) over the windows to keep this group of "girls" safer.  Here's to hoping by July, we will be gathering eggs again, and yes... they are all named.

Short Hike

A Hiking we go!



Shell in all the dogwood





Lots of down trees to rest on



Playing in the yucky, creepy water



Papa's girl



Papa comes to the rescue.



After our morning on the lake, we decided to take Shell and Genavive to the "Goal Post Tree" on the way home.  It's a short but wet hike.  Good thing we all had on our crocs from being at the lake.  Genavive didn't like walking through the water and muck.  Well, there were some little fuzzy worms in the water so it was kinda creepy.  It was well worth the walk once we got to the tree.  Along the way, there were several different wild flowers blooming and beautiful dogwood trees.  From all the storms we have had, there were lots of trees down in the area.  Papa came to the rescue and carried Genavive through the mucky, creepy water on the way back.  What a great day we had in nature.