Wild Hogs

The trusty lawn-mower / Bush-hog!


Near the picnic table the hog sign is amply evident!


Near the out-house it looks like someone is
trying to plant a garden.

Wild hogs keep tearing up the yard - Bad!
You think I may be able to shoot one?

Yesterday I mowed the grass here at the cabin. When I arrived, I found ample evidence that wild hogs have been rooting up my backyard. The problem is that water collects here and doesn't drain properly. It's near the out-house (toilet for you who don't know what an out-house is) and seems to me that when it rains and makes a temporary "bog", the odor of the wet spot attracts the pigs. I keep thinking that I'll get some time to stay here for three or four nights and in the process can get the opportunity to kill one. That meat would be mighty tasty next time we have a cold winter's morning.

Also I threw a belt on the lawn-mower, so must get it to the shop and have the belt re-installed and tightened a bit. I know. I know. You don't have to tell me I should not use the lawn-mower as a bush-hog, but ... I was trying to follow the suggestion put out by that famous cable guy, "Git 'er done!" I had lopped off some limbs that kept knocking my hat off and was trying to mulch them with the lawn-mower. Put a smiley face right here!

A New Water Tank

This is the OLD Tank.

Saturday while I was out, Kenny Key (my neighbor here in the mountains) called Frances to say that he had at last come into possession of an empty detergent tank that holds 275 gallons. I had almost given up hope of getting a new one and was considering ways to go about modifying the old tank I had and make it usable. Kenny had promised to get me one "next time they throw one away" at his work but that was last fall and still not tank. These are commercial/industrial cleaning detergent containers that the company he works for uses in maintenance. They are very sturdily made - of heavy gauge plastic, and enclosed by a frame of aluminum metal bars that are 1/2 to 3/4" square. (My old tank was encased in heavy duty wire.) When the detergent is all used up they have no further use for the tanks, so they have become popular among our community of "deer shack" owners. They are ideal water tanks, to which we attach a water hose and 12volt pump to make water available in the kitchen sink and in the bathroom.


Mom talking with Dr. Wendy, her audiologist.

So - after taking Mom to Chattanooga this morning to have her hearing aids worked on - I hooked up the little trailer and went to load the empty tank and take it to the cabin. I called three different men that I thought might help me load the tank since it is a bit on the heavy side...plus it's awkward to move it by one's self. However, since all the men were busy or out of pocket - I decided to tackle the project alone. I packed an apple, an orange, two boiled eggs, three slices of bread and off I went. After fighting off the pack of dogs Kenny has at his home, I was able to drag, lift, pull and push until I had the tank on my trailer.


This is the NEW tank - halfway across the porch. You can see the trailer attached to the truck in the background.

Heading out to the cabin, I ran into a heavy shower of rain - and just decided to go back home and wait until tomorrow. By the time I was back home, the rain had moved on out - so - with Frances' encouragement I loaded up again and headed for the cabin. This time the weather cooperated and I was able to offload the tank and drag it across the front porch and out back where WE will install it later. ☻ I dared not drive the pickup through the yard! Since I was alone I did not want to have to walk that mile to the top of the mountain to call and say I was now stuck in the mud!


This was the raincloud I was facing! Does that make you want to go home? It did me!!!

Now all I have to do is find time and energy to repair the water leaks under the house caused by my negligence during the winter. I failed to take the hose that feeds the house loose from the tank, then the PVC pipes froze and burst. It's really not that bad - but I promise you - I will drain the pipes and put anti-freeze into the toilet bowl before the next freeze.

Turkey Season is Over

So all you turkey's can come out of hiding now. It's been said by many hunters in one way or another - The wild game can read and they subscribe to the Tennessee Hunter magazine. Therefore they know all the starting dates and ending dates of legal hunts. When you go scouting a few days before the hunt begins you will see plenty of available game. But from day one they take vacation and don't come back until the day after the season closes! It's a joke, I know - but I'm almost a believer now.

On the other hand, it may be that I'm more interested in the scenery than I am in the hunt itself. Just being out here gives me an indescribable sense of pleasure. I went up Thursday and spent the night after hunting for a couple of hours. I moved to the back porch of the cabin - and since I remembered I had a new pair of anvil loppers - I decided to cut back a few pieces of brush that were blocking my view into the forest behind the cabin. So - here was some of the results of my work.

I picked up a book I had bought a couple of years back called "Trees of the Carolinas". From it I decided that this is a wild cucumber tree. It has a beautiful bloom on it.

The above two shots show a wild cucumber tree. The blooms are beautiful white, similar to a magnolia tree. Both pictures are of the same tree.


This is a picture of a young plant just coming up out of the ground. These are very near to the back porch. There was a huge one just off the front porch but, alas, this year's rains have washed it down stream.

I also decided that we have several varieties of beech trees around the cabin. One is called the "Blue Beech" or locally called "Musclewood" or "Ironwood". We have beautiful flowering mountain laurel as well. The are just ready to burst into full bloom. Sorry but no pictures of the "Musclewood". Next time.



It was a lovely day in the mountains, so I pulled up an old rough table, pulled out my laptop and the "Truck Bible" for a good two hours study session. Each morning I always spend time reading the Bible and praying. For several years I read 12 chapters each day and 20 on Sunday. Following that discipline I was able to read the Bible through four times in a year. Nowadays, I'm back to reading 3 chapters per day - and 5 on Sunday. At this rate I will read the Bible through in one year. How long does it take? I'm an average reader and it takes me fifteen minutes to read three chapters. Of course some are longer than others - but we're talking averages here. If you have never read the Bible through, I highly recommend it. If you have the self-discipline that it takes, it will be an exciting adventure. I'm still learning something each time I go through.

May I give you a couple of hints? One thing, don't worry about pronouncing every word correctly. Most people have that problem. Secondly, when you are reading along and suddenly realize that you are not understanding what you are reading, do not fall to the temptation to go back and try to get the sense of your reading. Just focus on where you are at that moment and go forward. A good slogan that works in my mind is: Ever forward; Never backward! Thirdly, you will need to keep a record of where you are. There are many printed froms available for checking each chapter as you read them. You can start your own record. I keep my "Bible Reading record now on my laptop. I simply type in the passage I've read today - and insert the date beside it.


This is the view from the woods, looking at the back porch. Since my friends Jack and Sherry Darnell were here I have opened up more of the woods behind the cabin.



This is the view looking away from the cabin. After an hour of reading and studying I got up and walked this trail around the perimeter of the property. What a wonderful place God has given me to rest. Thanks for letting me share it with you.