Autumn Decorations --Part II

Last week,  I posted  our inside Autumn Decorations here at our home.  If you missed that post,  you can see it by clicking HERE.   Today I will share some of what Autumn looks like outside in our yard.  Above is a picture of our home --taken from the street.   You can see one of our pumpkins --and a little decoration on the front porch.  Below are more.

Here is a close-up of our little Miss Autumn sitting on our front porch . She has been with us for several years ---and truly needs a complete make-over.. BUT--when I think about replacing her,  she cries and begs to stay with us for at least one more year.....  

This is Miss Autumn's brother,  Billy Bob... He also has been with us for many years ---and even though he is faded and held together with some safety pins,  he also begs to stay in our yard another year...   He loves to relax on the flagpole.  Think he'll make it one more year??????  I hope so!!!!

We don't have too much Fall color yet --although it seems to get a little prettier everyday.   Here is a picture of the Sumac near our home.   I love the REDS of Autumn.. This one is pretty!

Another pretty tree in our yard is our Pink Dogwood.  It just seems to get more gorgeous every day.  I love the red berries.

Here is a picture of our front yard  taken on Oct. 5.   Now you need to note the picture below.  We are beginning to get some color now!!!! On Oct. 5, you can see very little color in the big trees behind the house --but thankfully,  we will continue to get more colorful, as we go through this next week or two.  The roses are still blooming --and other than some cool nights,  it still feels alot like Summer here.   AND--might I add that it has been extremely DRY.

I will finish with a picture taken by George on Saturday,  Oct. 9,  of the big trees behind our house... You can tell when comparing this picture to the picture above that the trees are beginning to change colors here.  Yeah!!!!!


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Hope you had a good weekend.  We spent most of the weekend working in the yard.   I must have raked up and picked up a million (or more) Chestnut Oak nuts in our front yard... AND--they are still pouring down!!!!   (Feels really 'good' when one of those nuts hits me on the head!!!!! Yipes!)


IF the old statement that a large mast crop means a harsh winter is TRUE,  we will have a doozy of a winter here...  I cannot tell you how many nuts there are --but the ground is COVERED.   As I said,  the 'nuts' are winning---and I don't mean this ole' female Nut..... Tee Hee!!


Hugs,

Cable Mill Historic Area, Cades Cove, TN --Part II

Today concludes my posts from Cades Cove.   I hope you have enjoyed all of them.   If you didn't see yesterday's post,  click HERE.   You can see on the map on that post where the Cable Mill is.   Today I will share more information and pictures from that area of Cades Cove.  


Above is the Corn Crib.  Corn was the most important crop in the cove.  People ground it into meal for making bread and for some of the them to make moonshine.   They fed it to the mules,  horses,  hogs and chickens.  


Hogs grew fat on chestnuts and acorns in the fall.  But their owners usually brought them in and fed them corn the final two weeks before butchering them.  They said that the corn made the meat less greasy.  


The place to store corn is a corn crib with cracks between the logs to allow air circulation  to dry the corn.  Some farmers shucked corn before storing it in the crib;   others stored it with the shucks on.  Corn shuckings sometimes were social events,  where a fellow finding a red ear got to kiss a girl!!!

This is the Mill Flume.  Starting near where the wooden flume dumps its load of water onto the top of the mill wheel,  you can follow the path beside the flume to the earthen ditch and then continue beside the ditch to the milldam and the millpond behind the dam.  A watergate at the dam is opened to send water down the millrace to the wheel.

This is the John P. Cable Mill, specifically the waterwheel.  John P. Cable bought land in the 1860's.  He built a water-powered grist mill and sawmill in about 1870.  The same wheel provided power for both mills. 


John Cable was a farmer in addition to being a miller.  A son,  James V. Cable, inherited the mill and operated it well into the 20th century.  The park now operates the mill these days as a grist mill --so it is a great learning experience for those who visit this area.  

Cantilever is a new word for me.  This is the other barn on the property.  It is the LeQuire Cantilever Barn.  Large bars were common in the Cove where farmers neede shelter in the cold months for the livestock they grazed in the mountains during the warm season.  The over-hang in cantilever barns such as this one provided shelter for animals, as well as storage space for farm equipment.  Cantilever construction (counterweighted over-hanging beams)  originated centuries ago in Europe.

The old lady takes a little 'rest' along the way.  It was very warm that day --but we had a wonderful time.

Finally,  I just have to show you one more of the different fences found in Cades Cove.  There are many split-rail fences --but they  also had this kind.... Do you like that little bench????   Let's go back --and we can 'sit a spell'....


Hope you enjoyed seeing more of Cades Cove...  We may get back over that way when the leave change colors--but getting through the cove is hard in October due to the traffic.   


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I did today's post using the NEW EDITOR....   I've been experimenting this week --so decided to try it...  I find that it is easier to put all of the words in first and then insert the photos,  one by one --where I want them.  I'm still having trouble trying to keep the words from wrapping around the picture --which I do NOT like.   


I've also got much more blank space between things --which I need to work on.  I think the hard-returns must be double-spaced from what I'm used to.  I also had to change the photo sizes to get them to fit into my template.  And some of my pictures are centered and some are to the left (just to fit).   But--with more effort,  it worked...  


I truly don't see that much improvement from the old editor--but maybe I was just accustomed to the old one...   I would appreciate any tips or thoughts on this --if you use the new editor and like it.  Thanks!


Hope you have a great weekend.  George and I will be working in the yard --since there are OODLES and OODLES of nuts/acorns falling from our trees.  I try to keep them out of the flowerbeds --but right now,  they are winning the battle!!!! ha.....   See you Monday morning!!!


Hugs,