Moving plans have shifted gears!

[Lizbeth]

Wow that looks so much neater! Makes my back tired just to look at it.

I'm glad it seems to have not gotten worse while sitting empty.

[April Wilcox]

It is shapping up. Inch by inch it's a cinch! WOW! I noticed the iris's already up and green! We have 6 inches of snow still!

We passed up some snow on the way in, but it was not on the property. The iris's are all over the property, his great aunt used to have a flower bed full of them, I guess they spread around over time. I also noticed them growing wild along the highway and in other people's property. Our backs were pretty sore, but it was very satisfying getting so much done in just a few days.

[pjanits]

The after picture shows you have a little project with the back porch stairs.
I still envy you, It looks like it's going to be a really nice place. Have you met any neighbors yet?
Did you get any attitude from them or are they as friendly as they are in Grainger county?

[April Wilcox]

The closest neighbors are very nice, and knew Kirk's great aunt Jewel when she was alive living in the house, and also have met us before on our last visit in '06. The other people across the street are new and we did not meet them on this visit. There are other neighbors around but we didn't see any of them either. Most of the people around there that we came in contact with were friendly to us. It is a small town, and I am sure we will get along well enough.

Yeah, the back porch has to come down. We want to build a nice deck that has a roof and is screened in, down the back and maybe wrap around the side. That will be a big project to take on, after we get most of the other more important repairs done.

[Roger C H]

You spoke of living rent free. Au contraire mon ami. You will be 'renting' your house from the government through the payment of property taxes!

Our septic man says that since there is just the two of us and considering the size of the tank, we don't need to pump every year. We find every six years to be about right. We don't have a garbage disposal. And as far as 'additives', forget it. There are enough active bacteria in the natural material that goes into a tank.

Good luck on your adventure. I assume you have work that is easily transferrable to Tennessee. We enjoyed touring the Jack Daniel's Distillery in a dry county no less, so we couldn't get a sample, but the JD sundae at the local ice cream parlor was delicious.

Also you are among lots of history, especially from the Civil War. We enjoyed our visit to Stone's River Battlefield. Not to mention Nashville, The Grand Ol' Oprey and Opreyland. Then there is the General Jackson river/dinner boat, if it still is operating. Discovering a new area is both thrilling and interesting.


Here sing "Yankee Doodle" and "The Bonney Blue Flag."

Finally, another plus, since you are from Texas, you won't be "Yankees".

[April Wilcox]

"You will be 'renting' your house from the government through the payment of property taxes! "

True, but they are only $350 a year... so what is that...about $30/mo??

[Brenda Ferrell]

Welcome to TN. I live in Old Hickory about 30-45 minutes from Gallatin. You have a great state park there-Bledsoe Creek and a really nice COE campground in KY-Bailey's Point, maybe 30 min. from Gallatin. I'm familar with Gallatin, working in the school system and doing home health therapy there for many years. It's a beautiful little city and area. You are going to love it there. I'm guessing your aunt had planted many flowers that are coming up or blooming now. I hope you enjoyed the 80 degree weather we had a couple of days ago and the sleet and cold weather we are having now. That's TN weather in the spring.;.) Hopefully, we'll meet at a campground this spring or summer. Good luck renovating. The house looks like a great little cotttage with many possibilities. Take care.

[Coach George Jessup]

"You will be 'renting' your house from the government through the payment of property taxes! "

True, but they are only $350 a year... so what is that...about $30/mo??

Lucky dog. it is $12,000 per year for the property I rent for my biz. My lease requires me to pay Prop. Tax. not that it matters.. my rent rate would go up to cover it if I didn't pay it sepertately so it would still be same total cost per month.

[SherryNPaul]

April, I'm sure you'll enjoy living in friendly Tennessee. The taxes to be concerned about are not property taxes, but the regressive sales taxes. You're young, so we won't talk about inheritance taxes, etc. Every state has to get its revenue from somewhere.... TN is no different. Here in Florida, we're struggling with the rocketing property taxes (after so many years of low taxes...) and insurance costs.
I think you have some wonderful years ahead in TN. It's a beautiful state, with great state parks, and amazing, varied scenery. Have the time of your life, and enjoy the work of rebuilding the cottage.

[ronsmith100]

April, I'm sure you'll enjoy living in friendly Tennessee. The taxes to be concerned about are not property taxes, but the regressive sales taxes. You're young, so we won't talk about inheritance taxes, etc. Every state has to get its revenue from somewhere.... TN is no different. Here in Florida, we're struggling with the rocketing property taxes (after so many years of low taxes...) and insurance costs.
I think you have some wonderful years ahead in TN. It's a beautiful state, with great state parks, and amazing, varied scenery. Have the time of your life, and enjoy the work of rebuilding the cottage.

I will not own any property soon. I will sell all of my property and rent. I am considering four months renting in Costa Rica, Oregon, and Nevada (with Nevada being my base and paying no state income tax). I'll rent furnished and ship just the basics to each abode. I'll keep my egg state side.

[SherryNPaul]

For the fulltimer, Nevada has a lot to offer as a home base. Enjoy your travels, Ron, and keep posting those amazing photos!

[Pete Dumbleton]

April, isn't it downright nice to have a home on wheels on-site to live in while you are getting your work done?

In a former life, I was doing something similar, cearing space on some acreage in Lutz FL where we eventually built a nice house -- We had a looong Dodge van that had apparently been a delivery van for a florist, so I got to start with a blank slate -- Put down good carpet, then a bench seat behind the front buckets -- In back, built a 6' x 6' bed that was also two benches and a drop-down table, just like the rear of my Scamp except the table had two tapered legs that made a tight, sturdy fit. Used thick, denim-covered foam pads as upholstery and mattress. Nice feature was that a tired driver could catch some zzzzzz's on one 6' bench while the kids used the table for games, etc. If I were doing it again, I'd have installed seat belts on the bench.

From JCWhitney, I got two clever passive (no fan) roof vents of the kind that you can raise the front OR the back edge (Or both) to 'catch' the wind -- Surprisingly effective, esp when set so wind blew in one vent and out other. Also added skeeter screens on windows and bought nifty snap-on screen that fit the entire sliding door opening, with a zip down the middle, also from JCW.

The body was long enough that there was sufficient room between the front regular bench seat and the rear raised platform (Also like back of Scamp, now that I think of it) for a 'dry sink' that my wife bought in Helen GA on our way to Ticonderoga NY by way of Maine one year, towing my 16'3" classic Montauk Boston Whaler.

So on weekends, we would throw our camping gear in the van, hook up the little covered tool trailer and head for Lutz to work and yet relax.

[Donna D.]

And there's a gathering going on in Tennessee. You moved there just in time! Squeeze it in among all the other things you're trying to get done, but everyone knows all work and no play makes egg owners very dull people...
2nd Annual SE Spring Eggscursion April 23-26, 2009 - Townsend, TN, 17th Annual Townsend in the Smokies Spring Festival & Old Timers Day

[April Wilcox]

Well, we are not living up there yet. That was just our first visit in over 3 years to access the damage, clear some of the overgrowth and figure out what repairs to focus on the next time we go up in the summer. I am hoping to actually move out there by next spring (2010). One good reason is my drivers license will expire in april of 10, so what better time to move and change it to TN...