June bugs and Cicadas-- or crazy bugs that live in Tennessee

So, I thought it would be a great idea to take the kids to the Rec Center pool... I had been avoiding going there assuming that it would be super crowded on a hot day.
Well, turns out not to be the case  because
a) there are more sunny days in TN than in WA so the pool isn't as big of a deal, and
b) many people have neighborhood pools, so it was mostly empty.

Most importantly I am thinking-- the lack of people was due to a preponderance of green June beetles, or June bugs. I have never seen these at my house, or anywhere else other than this pool.

At first I thought it was crazy carpenter bees dive-bombing my head, over and over...making a loud buzzing noise. All I could think of  is 'what the heck has come over these bees?! They have never done that before..' Then I got a good look at what it was, and it wasn't a carpenter bee... *shudder*

Rowan getting a little too close for comfort to me with this fellow...

Getting ready to land on Dylan's forehead..

These crazy bugs run into EVERYTHING. Your head. Your ear. Your body. Walls. They get stuck in your hair.  They are the most ridiculous, clumsy beetles I have ever seen.  After running into something, they get stuck on their backs on the ground, only to finally get up and do it all over again, and they are loud! Not only is their buzzing loud, but when they run into things, they do so with a loud "Thwack" or "Ping" depending on what they run into. I hit one with my magazine and it made a loud "ker-ping!" as I batted that thing to far right field.

As the kids were going down the slides, they were swarming around and landing on kids' heads. Dylan was running around trying to catch them and naming them. (of course.) Rowan was trying to fling them on me (I know, shocking) 

Meanwhile, I was doing my own interpretive dance in the sun chair, waving my arms wildly as 2 June bugs and a rogue butterfly carried out their attack.

I have never seen these bugs anywhere but at this pool.  Next time I think I need to bring a tennis racket. PING!

Our next runner up in the creepy bug pageant  is the Cicada. I have never heard this noise before. It sounds almost like a rattle snake in the trees. We first heard it when we went to Atlanta for the 4th of July. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWWyC-7AeDs

They totally creep me out... I haven't seen on yet, but you can hear them in the trees, and if one ever comes near me, it  will be pulverized- YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED CICADAS!

 There are not too many at my house, but there are other places around town that they are more prevalent and noisy. 

 the sounds of crickets complete the sultry Southern summer nights--but we  know why people have screened in porches.... 

SNAKENADO

 Poisonous Snakes. Tornadoes.
These are the two things that concerned me the most  in moving to the South.
In the early weeks, I was pretty paranoid working in the yard, worried there were legions of deadly snakes lurking in every pile of leaves I encountered.
We have been here a few months now, and I haven't seen a single snake. Until now.  I had become rather complacent in working in the yard, weeding, trimming plants and tidying up.

Last week, we had new friends from Lampo over for a BBQ-- I was sitting outside and realized something smelled really bad. First thing I thought of was that the garbage can was open-- it has been warm ( mid to high 80's)  lately, and having the can open could possibly be the issue. It was closed. There was some picnic garbage nearby, which I took care of, and it seemed to be better.
Fast forward about an hour, and while some of us were chatting in the house, Dylan and a friend burst through the door screaming "THERE'S A DEAD SNAKE IN THE BUSHES!" Now, anyone that knows this girl knows that she does tend to step over the 'drama' line just a teensy bit... We kind of poo poo-ed it, but when we went outside, we found this--- a FIVE FOOT LONG DEAD COPPERHEAD SNAKE, that stunk to high heaven.

The next day, while the kids were playing, they watched a man run over a 5 ft long  rat snake with his truck, on our street. It didn't kill it, so it was dispatched with a shovel in the neighbors yard, bagged and chucked in the garbage. We own 2 snakes, so this was disturbing to us. It wasn't poisonous ( like the copperhead) but we are learning that folks in South don't take chances, and it is better to be safe than sorry. We still feel sad, but I am sure with time we will get over it. Last week, a  friend caught a snake eating a bird in their yard, someone else had a snake stuck in their garden netting, and we have seen lots of dead ones on the roads. Apparently it is snake season here in Middle Tennessee.

A few weeks ago, there was some severe weather going through our area. I joined twitter so that I could follow this guy-- @nashseverewx, he also has a website. (www.nashseverewx.com) He lives about a mile away and is an amateur meteorologist, and along with some meteorologist interns do a really good job of tweeting the weather-- down to the neighborhood.
I was a nervous wreck watching the forecast which called for possible Tornadoes, golf ball sized hail, winds, and buckets, no GALLONS of rain.  We didn't get any tornadoes ( Pray for OK, AR, and MS  who are still recovering.) We did get 3 inches of rain in about 2 hours. It. Was. Crazy.  WA rain has nothing on 'Southern Rain'.

People in this area are pretty nonchalant when it comes to the 'severe weather'. Right now we are on 'watch' for severe weather potential tonight/early in the AM. It is likened to storm lottery-- if it happens to land on you, bad, but who knows where it will land. We have had "watches" in the past and had the sun shine all day with nary a cloud in the sky. Today is set to be 90 degrees, with a heat index of 93, but no rain until late tonight.  "Watch" means it may or may not happen.. and "warning"  means it is imminent, or likely to happen and you need to take cover.

The Nashville area sits in a bowl in the middle north of the state. Tennessee is  divided into three regions- West, Middle and East. We live in Middle Tennessee. Tennessee has 95 (!) counties. The weather reports will call watches and warnings by county as storms move through. We live in the CITY of Franklin, but the COUNTY of Williamson.

 this is from www.tnhistoryforkids.com

Here, where Rutherford County meets Coffee County, the Central Basin begins to climb into the Highland Rim.

* Highland Rim and Central Basin.

Middle Tennessee is divided into two regions. The outer ring of Middle Tennessee is called the Highland Rim. It is dominated by rolling hills and valleys. Some of the hills are gradual, while some are quite steep.

The Central Basin is lower than and completely surrounded by the Highland Rim. You might think of the Central Basin as a bowl, surrounded by the Highland Rim.

In this era of the interstate superhighway, it can be hard to distinguish between the Central Basin and the Highland Rim. But it you look for it, you'll notice the change. The next time you ride southeast on Interstate 24 (from Nashville to Chattanooga), notice how flat it is in Rutherford County. But when you get to Coffee County you go slightly uphill for a few miles. That, you see, is where the Central Basin becomes the Highland Rim.

If you look up the elevations of cities that are in the Central Basin and those that are in the Highland Rim, you will notice a slight difference. Nashville (600 feet), Franklin (650 feet) and Murfreesboro (620 feet) are in the Central Basin. Lawrenceburg (900 feet), Manchester (1,060 feet) and Cookeville (1,140 feet) are in the Highland Rim.

West Tennessee's proximity to  the Gulf Coastal States, makes it more susceptible to remnants of tropical storms and hurricanes which collide with the colder air from the North, causing severe weather. Our being in a 'bowl'  protects us somewhat from the more serious weather many times.

It doesn't mean that we wont see any severe weather or Tornadoes in Middle Tennessee, however this information hopefully will ease your minds...

The Franklin Trolley

I keep seeing these Trolleys around town. I have even seen them drive down my street. I assumed that they

were some sort of tourist attraction to see the city, but wondered why it would be on my street, as there isn't access to the Plantation.

Well, it turns out this is Franklin's public transportation. 

For $1 for Adults/Kids over 5 ( kids under 5 are 50 cents, and kids 2 and under are free)  you can travel all over Franklin from the Factory to Main Street, and even the Historical sites such as Carnton Plantation, Carter House and Lotz House. You can take it into Cool Springs, where you can stop at the Galleria Mall, Whole Foods, the Goodwill, Publix, Walmart and a myriad of other convenient stops. A Fast pass can be purchased for $25 for 31 rides.

The coolest feature of this service is TODD- or "Transit on Demand".

You can call up TMA, and for $4, requested 24 hours in advance, they will supply  curb-to-curb pick-up and drop-off service that also provides all-day, same-day access to Franklin’s Fixed Route Service. I have heard of one family hiring the Trolley to pick a group kids up from co-op and take them to pizza for a birthday party, and delivering them back again.

http://www.tmagroup.org/franklin-transit/

 The Trolley's operate 6 days a week, and make stops every hour at each stop. We are looking forward to catching it at Carnton and taking it into town. 

12 things you would never see in WA state.

We absolutely love living in Middle Tennessee,  one of the things we enjoy is the 'compare and contrast' to the PNW



1. bible eggs. I bought these eggs at Aldi, they were $1.79, no hormone, natural eggs. It was a nice surprise, and yes, today IS the day the Lord has made!

2. Runaway truck ramp
We saw this on our way to Chattanooga, as we came down Monteagle Mountain. Apparently it is the highest point between Chicago and Miami at 2000 feet above sea level. In contrast, Snoqualmie Pass is 3,022 feet above sea level..** post edit- apparently these do exist in WA state, however I have never seen one.

3. Gun billboards
These are everywhere. On the way to Chattanooga there were about 10, each one 'showcasing' a different gun, and advertising gun ranges, or gun stores. Go 'Murica!

4. Everything Weapons
to go along with the theme of being all American, check out this store about 10 minutes from my house.

5. Bible Billboards
This is one of the things that kept surprising me on our way across the country, the farther south we got, the more prevalent. I am still not used to them!

6. Ethanol free gas. Having gasoline without ethanol is illegal in WA state.

7. Pro- Life license plates. Tennessee is one of only 16 states in the country that allows these license plates.

8. those backwards cement trucks still bother me...

9.  Tennessee/Alabama fireworks. Saw these all along hwy 41 on our way to Chattanooga. Fireworks are legal year round here. What more could you ask for? Beer, Pizza, and Fireworks all under the same roof!

10.  Southern Food. I really enjoy exploring each and every aisle in the grocery store and seeing the different regional foods. Haven't had instant grits yet, but have had goat cheese grits at Gray's on Main and they were good. We have also tried boiled peanuts, Pimento cheese, Moon Pies, Meat and Three and of course sweet tea.

11. Carpenter bees.
These are crazy. The first time I saw one, it cast a shadow next to me in the driveway. I did freak out. ( am sure we keep the neighbors entertained..)  They are like big black flying, fuzzy walnuts. HUGE. I thought it was a beetle at first, as I wasn't too keen to get a closer look! The males are all black and do not have a stinger, the females have a little bit of yellow near their heads. They are basically like gigantic bumblebees and will not sting unless necessary.

12. blue recycle bags. My happiest day of the work week  is Wednesday when I put as many of these babies out at the curb as I want, along with any yard waste bags and piles of sticks/brush. They all disappear like magic. Every. Single. Week.
*sigh*

Chattanooga

We had a great time meeting our friends from home in Chattanooga this last week. They moved to Atlanta last summer, and it was the first time we have seen them since they moved. Chattanooga was the perfect destination, as it is pretty near exactly in the middle for each of us-- around 2 hours.

We met at a great little hot dog joint called "Good Dog" -- excellent food, fun, friendly atmosphere. Would definately go back again.

                                                            http://www.eatatgooddog.com/

We had tickets to go on the Duck, but the reservation ended up not being until later in the afternoon, giving us plenty of time to eat, and explore some of Downtown. We decided to walk down to see the "Chattanooga Choo-Choo".  Everytime I see that name, I instantly think of the Glen Miller Orchestra song and can't seem to get it out of my head.. Well, much to my surprise, the Chattanooga Choo Choo was an actual train, and it is there in the refurbished  train terminal /Hotel. Maybe that is where we need to stay next time we go, because we MUST go back, there is so much more to explore!

"Pardon me, boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo-Choo?"

"Track 29!"

"Boy, you can give me a shine."

 

This train ran from  1880 ran between Cinncinnati and Chattanooga. This wood burning 'choo choo' was the first to provide non-stop service.

After we sated ourselves on ice cream and cupcakes, we boarded the "Duck" for a tour of the city.

 we had the opportunity to see a Duck go into the water just after us- SPLASH!

Captain Gavin.

The Hunter Art Museum overlooking the River.

These two got wet after we splashed down into the water.

The tour was excellent, through the city and down the river we learned many interesting facts about Chattanooga. I think the most interesting was that until  21 years ago, it was practically a Ghost Town. In the late 60's, Chattanooga was declared one of the most polluted cities in America. They had over 90 Factories in town, and the pollution was not regulated. When the EPA instituted the Clean Air/Water acts in the early 70's, to avoid fines for their excessive pollution the factories needed to cut back on production. Cutting back on production meant loss of jobs, and many people left Chattanooga to find work. It wasn't until the mid eighties that citizens began to come up with a plan to save their town. The Tennessee Aquarium was built in 1992  and was the beginning of the rebirth of the city. Today it is a vibrant, busy, but quaint town that I look forward to exploring more!

River boat view from Pedestrian Bridge crossing the Tennessee River

Dunn/Light kids, April  2014

   

Frothy Monkey

One of the things we love about our location is the proximity to Downtown Franklin.
I have been daydreaming of getting a Schwinn cruiser with a little basket on the front and taking the kids for a ride to Franklin on a lovely spring day.....

Well, today we decided to walk the 1.3 miles to Frothy Monkey, the local coffee shop in Franklin.
Trouble is, we had to walk about a half mile along a busy two lane road with barely a shoulder before we could get to any sidewalks-- sadly, my basket toting Schwinn daydreams evaporated pretty quickly...

Josh did buy me a moped, but that is for another day....


We did enjoy admiring all of the historic homes on our route. Many of them have plaques out front with the names of the original owner and when they were built. The oldest we saw was the Mordecai-Puryear home which was built in 1830 and badly damaged during the civil war.. a couple are currently going through renovations, two have additions in progress, and another is an ornate Victorian which is being stripped by hand, and will be repainted. It is going to be gorgeous when done. Can't imagine how much it must cost to have people hand sanding down this house.

This beauty could be yours---


for only $890,000..

http://www.franklintnhomesforsaleonline.com/property/1463826/

This was our destination-




The food is not your usual coffee shop fare.

you can check out more about it here-
http://frothymonkey.com/press/the-latest-outpost-of-the-frothy-monkey-is-turning-franklinites-into-believers-southern-exposure/



  Gavin and Dylan had waffles with the best locally sourced sausage and bacon, Rowan had an amazing Reuben, and I had a cheese plate with local cheeses, including ( one of my fave Southern treats) Pimento cheese, figs, and new to us- boiled peanuts. Of course this was washed down with some good ol' sweet tea...

We took a stroll down Main Street and went to our new favorite toy store, and found some fun new treasures- a  french knitting spool for Dylan,  some caps for Rowan's Winchester cap gun, Confederate Kepi's, a toy revolver,and a stunt knife. They had a great time stabbing each other on the way home.


When we were about 1/4 mile from home, we stopped  to look at a civil war monument. A SUV drove up and I thought they were lost. They rolled down the window and asked me about Carnton Plantation. I thought they were asking where it was-- well, turns out they were thinking that *we* were walking to Carnton and they were concerned that we had walked all the way from the other historic homes that were battle sites  in the area ( they are about 2 miles from Carnton) and they were offering us a ride. Apparently people try and walk between the historic sites, assuming that they are closer than they are-- and  the main road that turns into Lewisburg Pike is not well suited for walking.

We came to learn that they actually live about 5 houses down from us, and have kids that are similar ages.
  I love the South!

Ice Cream

Josh and I ran into Cool Springs the other night to get some supplies to fix the noisy fans in our upstairs bathrooms. The fan in the kids bath doesn't work at all, and the fan in the Master bath sounds like a shrieking banshee fighting with a wounded seal before it finally decides to actually turn on. It is horrible.

After looking both at Lowe's and the Depot, we were unable to find new fans to fit, but were able to find one Josh could dismantle and re-figure to fix the  noisy fan.

On our way home, I decided that ice cream sounded good. (note*** this is unusual for me, Josh is the ice cream guy....)
Josh said, "sure, do you want to stop at Baskin Robbins or the store?"  Well, I had a hankering for something like a peanut buster parfait, so I voted Dairy Queen. Well, the closest ( and only) DQ was in Nashville, 20 minutes away from where we were. *sigh*

So we decided to go back home and get the kids and go to "Sweet Ce Ce's" frozen yogurt in Downtown Franklin.
I had heard this was the 'place to go', but I kind of poo poo'ed it thinking it is just another yogurt place, what's the big deal?! Well... it is well worth the trip- the yogurt was very tasty, with many fun flavors to choose from- blackberry pie, cupcake batter, chocolate malt, carrot cake, and 60+ other rotating gourmet flavors.






sweet Ce Ce's, Main Street, Franklin, TN

the inside



Well, we walked in, and were greeted by a number of people, not to mention there was a gentleman playing LIVE music-- and he was really good!
He was full of fun, and had all the kids engaged, teaching them how to beat box  ( boots and cats, boots and cats... really fast) and how to scratch ( say Eric really fast over and over again)

Much to our surprise ( these things still blow us away- getting used to being in the Bible belt ) He was openly talking about his relationship with Jesus Christ, and all of his songs were Christian songs! Rowan leaned over and said, "Um, Mom.. I think he might be a Christian...."

He is from Ohio originally, and waiting for his big break here in Nashville.
Check him out--
Richard Jordan

We were so thankful that the Lord had orchestrated this fun, spontaneous outing, on a Tuesday night-- what a blessing! He plays Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays- we will be back!

Spring day in Middle Tennessee

Yesterday was a beautiful warm day, so we decided to take a trip to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere.  We met some new friends from Lampo, and they helped show us around a bit. 

The drive was nice, and it was only about 30 minutes away, easy to find and had ample parking.  This was a very nice zoo. I would say it is on par with the Point Defiance Zoo, however a bit smaller.

This guy has the right idea.... 73 degree day, lounging in the sunshine in March-my kind of day!
 After about 4 hours  the kids however felt it was much  too hot, and were complaining,
                                              this is going to be interesting come August! 

Our favorite spot was where you can meet and greet kangaroos and cockatiel.

.                                                   If the Kangaroo is on the path, you can pet it.



This is the historic Croft  house at the zoo-- the zoo was relocated to this farm, and they have preserved the building, and it's grounds and made it into a historic house museum, with costumed re-enactors and guided tours.  The Master Gardeners of Davidson County have adopted the farm and have restored the gardens, livestock barn, pastures, chicken coop  and machine shed. 
They have daily tours starting in spring and special events hosted here throughout the year.

Here is a little blurb about this beautiful gem- 

The home was built by Col. Michael C. Dunn and was completed around 1810, making it the second oldest residence in Davidson County that is open to the public. It was built in the Federal style, or without the ornate front and back porches it has now. Michael Dunn's son-in-law, Lee Shute, purchased the farm for $10,000 in 1846. Several years later, Lee sold the 346-acre property to his son, William Dickson Shute, for the sum of $5, as "a loving gift" to William and his new bride, Lavinia.

I wonder if we could be related...

Is it spring yet?

Apparently, we are less than 2 weeks away from spring break here in Middle Tennessee. You wouldn't know it by the snow on the ground, and the 19 degree daytime temperature however.

Unlike WA state which has children and parents alike on tenterhooks of anticipation whether or not school will be closed that morning, Williamson County makes the decision to close schools the night before- sometimes even the day before.

Despite warnings from TDOT, and Williamson County law enforcement to not go to work ( or anywhere) during these times, Josh hasn't had any problems commuting. Yesterday Lewisburg Pike at Carnton Lane ( where we live) was closed due to flooding of the Harpeth River, yet Josh didn't encounter any of it, so it must have been only temporarily closed. The Galleria Mall across the street from Lampo even closed 4 hours early...

We started back to school yesterday, a bit of a slow go, as Gavin's math book somehow got misplaced in the move. The printer wasn't hooked up so I had to hand copy the lesson from Rowan's book.  Unpacked more stuff, and still haven't found it ( it was in the Ark-V so it has to be here somewhere...) . Fortunately, Josh was able to set the printer up this AM before he left for work so I was able to copy out the pages.

Despite the cold temperatures, the kids love to play outside in our large yard, and were out multiple times playing catch, and throwing the balls for the dogs.
 We are looking forward to more spring temperatures that welcomed us our first weekend in Tennessee!

 our backyard swing..

view of our street from front porch

this little critter-- an Eastern Phoebe ( previously misidentified as a mockingbird)  was sitting on the porch eating seeds. I walked by and he was only a few inches from the side door window- we love our new bird friends!

5 things I have learned my first week in Tennessee.

1. The weather is crazy. We can go from 65 degrees to the 20's in a single day. This happened today. When we arrived to church this AM, it was too warm for me to wear my wool coat. When we came out of church a couple of hours later, I needed that coat as it was around 35 degrees. Tonight will be in the low 20's with a 'wintry' mix.. whatever that is. If there is any kind of 'crazy' weather coming down the pike, everyone freaks out and every loaf of bread,  dozen eggs, and gallon of milk will be sold out in stores. Not kidding.


2. Coming from WA state where recycling is a religion, it has been interesting to say the least how Tennessee deals with their garbage/recycling. When I called to ask about it, I didn't have to go through a menu, I spoke to a live person, and I am allowed to put out as much garbage/recycling as I want for the first 2 weeks for free since we just moved in. After that, I need to go buy a tag to put on any extra bags of garbage, and that costs $1 per bag. Also, there are no recycling bins. Or yard waste bins. Or schedules for either. I had to buy 'blue' bags from the store, which are for recycling.( 30 gallon hefty bags that are BLUE)  I can put as many 'blue' bags out as I want each Wednesday and they will pick them up. Same for yard waste, I can put out as many paper yard waste bags as I want and they will pick them ALL up on Wednesdays. If things do not fit in the paper yard waste bags, we are to just stack them by the curb, no maximum limb size, or bundles required. However, they do not take glass in the 'blue' bags.. you have to drive them to a glass drop off site. (?!)

3. Tennessee has backwards cement trucks. These bother me.

4. Everyone is your friend. I love going anywhere-- random people strike up conversations and give advice etc. wherever you go. I love it. I have met some really neat people in just the week I have been here.

5. So many BIRDS! I wake up each morning to the birds singing in the trees and the sun shining. It has been  exciting seeing all  new species of birds in our yard. Since most trees in Tennessee are deciduous, we can see all of the birds nests in the trees. In our yard alone we have counted 5 nests!  Our family loves the Cardinals and the Grackles the best. We are looking forward to summer time when we get an even larger assortment of birds.

Our new house

We had a whirlwind first week in Tennessee, we are so grateful for Bill and Donnetta traveling with us across the country and staying with us the first week helping us get settled into our new home.

Donnetta helped me organize and decorate, and painted my kitchen for me. Here are some pics of our new home!

The "Breakfast" room, "bible study Poppy " not included...

 Sitting area in Breakfast room, we have loved having a real fireplace-- we have had 2 fires already!
We bought the letters at William Powell Co. in Downtown Franklin, and they asked me to send them this pic, and they posted it on their Facebook page-- yay!

 The kitchen... Lucky Shamrock by Glidden.

 The Breakfast room, opposite wall

Washington Hillbillies...

So we loaded up our family of 5 with 3 cats, 2 dogs, a rabbit and two snakes, and drove from Maple Valley, WA to Franklin Tennessee in this. Seriously. We called it the "Ark-V"

Box o'cats..

10 lb rabbit...

Snakes....

Everyone traveled surprisingly well. 

Our itinerary-

Maple Valley to Pendleton, Oregon

We had a private showing of the Lego Movie in the Pendleton Theater.

Pendleton to Mountain Home Idaho

Mountain Home Idaho to Las Vegas NV

We rode some roller coasters at Circus Circus ( our KOA was right next to it) and we went to the strip to see the Bellagio Fountain. Kids asked to never go back... I think I am ok with that.

Las Vegas NV to Albuquerque NM

We arrived in Albuquerque to 28 degrees and a dust storm.

Albuquerque to Oklahoma City OK

We were planning on stopping in Little Rock AR, for our last leg but decided to push through 10 hours to get to Franklin 1 day earlier. We are thankful we did!

Some highlights- the boys ( and cats) all loved being in the cab over bed.

 playing mad libs/travel games
Nan put together little treat bags for each day with fun snacks and games.

 Milhouse my travel companion... Each cat took turns lounging around the Ark-V while we traveled, looking out the windows.

 My Starbucks mugs from our travels! They don't make Idaho, Arkansas, Oklahoma... and no Wyoming either. I got Vegas, New Mexico and Arizona.