Mower Pickup

We needed to go to Glasgow today to pickup the John Deere riding mower at the JD dealership. They had been doing a fall tune-up and fixing a front wheel bearing that had torn up. I had taken it over there last Thursday. We left home after talking with Brent and he was going to go to lunch with us. It was about 9 AM when we left and foggy. We decided to go the parkway as there would be less problems with traffic in the fog. We stopped for gas in Columbia and watched as 3 policemen had two women in a pickup truck stopped in the gas station lot. They were giving one of the women a sobriety test and she wasn't doing it correctly. He gave her two chances at walking a straight line and also had her stand on one foot with the other in the air. It was a problem. I finished pumping our gas and went in and paid. As I came back to the truck he had the women turn around and he was handcuffing her. She obviously didn't want to be arrested and wasn't going along with the procedure completely. He got her cuffed and placed in the back of his car as we drove off the lot and headed to the parkway.
I pulled into the JD dealers parking lot and went inside. The secretary for the service manager greeted me and started my checkout as I wrote the check. The service manager spoke to me saying, "You're going to be real happy with your mower." I asked why's that? He told me they had dropped my mower off of the lift and busted the hood on the front of it and replaced it with a brand new one. I said, "Really?" We went to look at it, and I couldn't believe it was my old mower. It looked like a new one. If the seat hadn't been torn, I would not have thought it was the same mower I took to them. It was hard to believe. They had cleaned the entire mower, wheels, tires, seat, everything looked like it was new except my seat. I finished paying while they loaded the mower in the back of the truck. Linda got out and looked at it when I told her what had happened. She thought it looked like a new one too.
After picking up the mower we headed to Edmonson County to meet Brent for lunch. I thought it would be a good trip and nice for Stacey to eat lunch with her brother. We let Brent show us the Laura's Hilltop Diner. The food was good and when we finished, we headed back to Brent's office at the school. Lamar came in and we talked with him and Brent for a while and then headed back to Burkesville. Linda suggested we stop at the Kawasaki dealer to get a tail light lens for one of our four wheeler that had been broke in a slight collision earlier in the year. So we stopped and ordered one.

Stacey Spent Her Birthday in the Hospital

About 10 PM on Wednesday, Linda rushed in and said Stacey was having problems. I went to the bedroom and Stacey was starting to 'twitch', which are signs that she was about to have a seizure. I immediately gave her a Diazapham tablet and continued to watch her movements. Linda had put some clothes on her and I put her house shoes on her and we started to move towards the bedroom door. She told me to turn off the TV and she turned the light off and then had a seizure in the doorway to the bedroom. After that was over, Linda and I carried her to the truck and drove to the hospital. They admitted her and started monitoring her actions. Fortunately, Dr Rice was on duty, and knew of Stacey's condition, so that saved a lot of problems. He gave Stacey a shot of IV Valium as she was about to have another seizure. That stopped it before Stacey lost control. Linda stayed the night and I returned at 5 AM to sit with Stacey. She ate breakfast and we walked around the hospital several times. About 8 AM I called the nurse and she observed Stacey and gave her another shot of Valium to help control her possible seizure activity. It caused Stacey to settle down without having a seizure. That was the last time that Stacey had any problems. During the day, several of the nurses and hospital staff came in and told Stacey to have a 'Happy Birthday!'. About 6:30 PM Dr. Rice stopped back in and let us take Stacey home. Stacey was in a big hurry to get out of the hospital and get home. The reason, the Pacer game was coming on at 7 PM. It was the first game of the season that we were able to watch on TV. The Pacers beat Miami 105-102.

A Mule for Sister Stacey

Because of the hospital visit, I didn't get a chance to write about us buying a Kawasaki Mule as a birthday gift for Stacey.

The other day when we were at the Kawasaki dealership getting the tailight ordered, we looked at a Mule that had all the options Linda and I had talked about. We were not planning on getting one, but it was setting there and had the options we wanted, so we decided to get it for Stacey's birthday present. She can't drive a car, so we thought she would like driving the Mule in the fields and on some of the trails on the farm. We were right, Stacey has been smiling about it whenever she drives it around the farm. We have made several 'training' trips around the place and up and down the fields to get her aquainted with the ins and outs of driving a vehicle with a steering wheel and 'gas and brake' pedals. It was a little crazy at first, as with any new driver, but the more 'seat time' Stacey has, the better she has become. Linda and I were talking about when I taught Nana to drive in the Pendleton School parking lot. Nana always reminds me of how I made her stop and buy gas. She didn't want to stop at the gas station, but I said she couldn't drive very far without buying gas, so she might as well learn how from the begining. She pulled in and at that time, the attendant came out, she said, "Fill it up!" and he did. She paid and away we went. She realized that wasn't that hard and she has been driving ever since. Now, back to Stacey. She is doing well and has learned to back up while looking where she is backing. She can go down the hills using the brake to slow down and has made trips to the mailbox with me riding along. We haven't let her venture out alone yet, she still needs more practice.

Thunder and Lightning

Brent came over Saturday morning and brought Pico and Poco. The weather was beautiful and we took the dogs walking around the farm. Poco is getting big enough to run and play on the way around. We went into town and ate at the Corner, then took a ride thru the country in Linda's Mustang with the top down. The leaves are falling and you can see thru the trees farther than in the summer. We were 'slow riding' along a ridge south of town. We came back to the farm and watched the ducks and dogs playing in the yard while we were sitting on the back porch. It was too nice to go inside. After dark, we began watching a Pacer game, but lost interest, Brent went to bed and so did I. Stacey and Linda watched the entire game and the Pacers lost to Philly.
Brent has been putting Poco in a cage during the nights, but he forgot to bring the cage, so Poco slept with Brent and Pico. We were all woke up about 4 AM with strong thunderstorms rolling through. There was lightning flashing and no rain for about 20 minutes, then the rain came as a downpour. It rained about 15 minutes and then it was over. By the time daylight arrived the clouds were gone and the sun was shinning. Around 9 AM we walked the dogs and when we were done with that Brent and I took the tractor back up on the hill and pulled a couple of trees that had broke off out of the woods and shoved them into the gulley. It wasn't damage done lately, they had been laying there for a month or two. Then we loaded the chainsaw into the Mule and went down by the creek to clear up another trail. Tree tops had broken and fell across the trail running alongside the creek during the summer. It took us about a half hour, mostly because I had to sharpen the chainsaw. We finished that job and took a ride around the field, then back to the house, where Linda had fixed us a dinner of 'chicken poppers', mashed potatoes, corn and biscuits. Brent and his dogs left for home just as the NASCAR race was about to start.

Sea Ray Work

I called Davidson's Marine and got the OK to take the Sea Ray out there. It is located south of Burkesville on 61 almost to the turn for Hendrick's Creek Marina. Linda was working, so Stacey and I hooked up the boat, but had to bring it up to the house and fill the tire with air before towing the boat to Davidson's. It took about 15 minutes to get there and then I unhooked the trailer and went inside to give them my phone number. I stood there a few minutes and talked to Joe, the owner. I told him I wanted the oil, oil filter, sparkplugs, and gas filter changed. I said I also wanted the boat winterized. He wrote it down along with my number and said it would be a couple days and he would call when it was finished. We continued to talk about how low the lake was getting, how there wasn't as many boaters this year and about the size of some of the houseboats. We both had heard there was talk about passing a rule regarding the size of houseboats. Stacey and I headed home.
Once home, I took Stacey and hooked the black trailer behind the Mule and we put the lawnmower on the trailer and took it to the opening back in the holler behind the trailer. I used the mower to trim the grass around the 50 trees we had planted there earlier in the summer. I ended up mowing the entire opening. We put the mower back on the trailer and towed it back to the hay shed and unloaded. We put the trailer up and then it was time for another driving lesson for Stacey. A couple laps around the hay fields and then back to the house. I also put the cover on the back of the CK pickup.

Boat Comes Back

Stacey, Linda and I loaded up the Christmas Stockings we had made and took them to the civic center in town. Edith and some of the Homemaker Club members were also there making stockings. We went in and gave the 32 stockings we made to Edith and spoke to the rest of the ladies. Edith insisted that we all stand together for a picture and hold some of the stockings we made. She usually takes the pictures to the Cumberland County News and it will end up in the paper. After all that, we went home and had lunch. About 3 PM, the phone rang, Linda answered and it was Joe Davidson, saying the boat was finished. She said thanks and I went to get it. He had changed the spark plugs, the oil, oil filter, gas filter, lubed the lower unit and put in antifreeze. After paying $134.14 for the service, I hooked the boat up and headed home. His work has always been well done, and cheaper than any other marina I have ever used. After towing home, Linda and Stacey happened to be in the Mule and helped me back the boat into the shed. Linda then went to a Homemaker meeting for a different club to show them how to make a Santa Clause face using an old bleach bottle.
 

Picking Up Mowers

Linda was looking for something to do, so she called Brent to find out if he was going to be home. He didn't answer, so she left a message. He called back about a half hour later and told her he was home and for us to come on over. We hooked up the red trailer and headed to Smith's Grove. Along the way we decided to eat, so we dropped Linda off at McDonalds in Glasgow to pick up drinks and fries. Stacey and I went to Arby's for the 5 for $5.95 sandwich deal. We drove through, got the sandwiches and went back to pick up Linda. She came out and we drove towards our old trailer in Smith's Grove while eating. We loaded the John Deere 235 mower, 4 tires and wheels for the S-10, and the pressure washer into the red trailer. Stacey found the nuts and caps for the wheels and we took them too. On the way to Pauline and Brent's house, we noticed that a new section of highway 101 that goes up the hill had been opened. It used to be a dangerous stretch of road, but the redone section really made it safer and easier to drive. I backed the trailer into the driveway and Brent came out to meet us. He had been working on the Mustang in the garage. We went inside for a little bit to play with the dogs and talk about the fish tank Brent had setup. Pauline was working and wasn't home. We went into the garage and looked at the work Brent had done on the floorboard of the Mustang. He had covered some bad spots with sheet metal and epoxied it together. We cut a hole after placing the carpet in the correct position and got the seatbelt bolt started. Then we loaded Brent's riding mower in the trailer and put the top to the Triump in the back of the truck. About 4 PM we headed back to Burkesville.

Wild Weather

Stacey and I went to town and rented two DVDs and ate at Subway. The NWS had been predicting severe weather in our area all day, so when we came home, I put the S-10 pickup in the lower barn. Then I parked the CK truck in the upper barn and also put the 4-wheelers in there too. Linda came home from working at the school and told us that the school had canceled activities for the evening. A little before dark, the Weather Channel started telling about tornado warnings in western Tennessee and Kentucky. I started using the computer to monitor where the storms were located. As a tornado was forecast near Bowling Green, Linda was using Skype to chat with Brent. I called him on the cell phone and told him to go to the school where he works. He said Linda had just told him the same thing and he was heading out. Once he was at the school he told us he had called Pauline and she was on her way there too. She made it a few minutes later. There were reports of damage near the town of Smith's Grove and Brownsville, close to where our old trailer and their house was located. They stayed at the school for about an hour until the weather lightned up. Finally, they headed home and said all was ok when they made it home.
Linda had called Regina and told her of the severe weather, so she came up to our house. They stayed in the study, listening to the radio and watching the radar on the PC. We planned on going to the cellar under the smokehouse if things got rough. It took a couple of hours for the band of storms to move from the Bowling Green area to Burkesville. During that time the intensity of the storms decreased and the weather service wasn't predicting tornado activity in our area. We stayed in the house with lightning and thunder crashing around the farm.


In the picture above the lightning was still to the west of us, thus the shadow on the side of the hills closest to the camera.

 
As the storm reached our location, the shadows dissappeared and the entire farm was 'lit up'.


 

The storm lasted over an hour with rain continuing. There was apparently no damage around this area.

Girls Return

Linda and Stacey went to P&B's house Thursday and things had been quiet here for a few days. Missy was left behind to keep me company. The girls returned home today about 11 AM and brought the 'boys' (Pico & Poco) with them. It's wasn't long before Regina came over to see what had been going on with the girls. They went to the smokehouse to get 2 wooden reindeer and ended up picking up pecans down by the creek.

Trip to Somerset

We decided to go to Somerset this morning for some shopping. We stopped and filled up the Mustang with gas in Columbia, got some chicken and onion rings at Sonic and hit the parkway towards Somerset. The first place we went was Paul's Place. It is a sporting goods, clothing, hardware, craft shop. I found some stuff and Linda picked out a few things too. Then we went to Big Lots and bought a few items. Linda was after a candle that was available at Bath and Body Works with a coupon. We found that at the Somerset Mall and shopped a little longer while we were there. After that we crossed the highway and parked at Aldi's. Stacey put her quarter in and pulled out the cart and we loaded it up. After checking out we packed the stuff in the trunk of the Mustang and took off for home. About an hour later we pulled into the garage and I unloaded the trunk full of boxes and put the stuff in the pantry as Linda took off for a Homemaker meeting and Stacey fed Pico, Poco and Missy chicken nuggets.

We Had A Nice Thanksgiving

Linda, on Wednesday, had fixed a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving Dinner. Pauline and Brent came over early this morning. We worked on some other dishes for the dinner and then called Regina and asked her to eat with us. We ate about noon and continued to eat for a while. Pauline was feeling like she was getting a cold, so she was ready for a nap. The next thing Brent and I noticed, Stacey was taking a nap also, so we decided to go outside and pull two trees out of the woods that had been knocked down by the wind. They were broke off about 20 feet above the ground, so we cut them down and pulled the trunks to a clearing with the tractor. I cut one of the trunks with the chainsaw while Brent took the Mule and hooked up the trailer and brought it up on the hill where we had left the trees. I finished the sawing, and we started loading the trailer. Brent cut the other tree into pieces while I finished picking up the pieces he was cutting. I drove the tractor back to the barn and Brent took the Mule with the load of wood to the hay shed. We unhooked the trailer and I went and hooked up the log splitter and pulled it over to the hay shed. We messed around for about 10 minutes to get the splitter started and then Brent split the wood while I stacked up pieces for him. We finished and rolled the splitter to the back of the shed and headed inside. We went inside and Pauline had woke up, but Linda's lights were out. Stacey was watching TV with Pauline. We all watched an old movie on TV while waiting for the Pacer game.

We hope ya'll had a
Happy Thanksgiving.

Picking Up Limbs

Friday was cold and we stayed inside almost all day. Pauline and Brent were still here and we all watched a couple of movies and cracked pecans that Linda had picked off the ground. They left for home about 7 PM and Stacey started watching a Pacer game on TV.
Saturday the weather was warmer, in fact it was nice outside, and I decided to go back out and cut some limbs that had fallen on the edge of the hay field. I took the Mule and trailer across the creek and used the chainsaw to cut up the limbs and then tossed the wood on the trailer and pitched the brush that was left into the woods. It took about 2 hours to finish the limbs and then I pulled the load into the hay shed and unhooked the trailer. I went to the house and put the ducks inside.

Cookeville Shopping Trip

Stacey, Linda and I decided to go to Cookeville for some shopping. I used the laptop with the GPS to find my way there and around town. I remembered where the Hobby Lobby store was and while Linda was inside, I was able to figure out where a few other places were located using the DeLorme Street Atlas USA program. Stacey and Linda said they were hungry as they got out to shop at Kirklands, so I looked for a place to eat on the laptop. I found several places and when they returned to the truck, we decided to eat at Fazoli's. We followed the map laid out by the laptop and drove right to the restaurant After eating, Linda had a few other places she wanted to shop at, so we trucked to them. We started for home and along the way, we drove down to Horse Creek Marina on the south side of Dale Hollow Lake. We had heard that the lake was low, so we wanted to check it out ourselves. It was less than a quarter of a mile off the highway, so it only took about 10 minutes to drive down, take a look and get back on the way home. The lake looks to be down about 20 feet below summer pool. The ramp used to launch boats did not reach the water and boats in the docks look like they are unable to leave the docks due to shallow water. The boats are still floating, but not able to get to deeper water. We stopped at the grocery in Burkesville and then continued on home arriving just before dark.