Lookout, Pest Control Man!

Further Adventures in Restoring the Cabin

The Lookout Pest Control man came today to spray the cabin for powder post beetle (which I in my senility keep calling "powder puff.")  Well, there was a Powder Puff Derby, all right, but not the ususal kind.  This one was all the "girls" checking out this guy and his noisy contraption (which pumps the chemical through his hose as he sprays it onto the wood).

Eventually the pest man finished spraying inside and had to venture out of the cabin and around front to spray the outside.  If you look closely, you can see him behind the tree, and you can even see the spray highlighted against the dark part of the roof overhang.  Why is he behind the tree?  If you can't guess, look at the picture of Sara in the previous post!

You can tell the pest man is getting ready to move his truck--look at where all the girls are!

The pest man's brake lights are on, his window is open as he's waving his hand at Brandy, and there he sits . . . and sits . . . and sits.  They like having company and see no reason to move!  Sorry, no photos, but picture me at the other end of the lens, up on the back porch, laughing my head off!  Picture Herb snarfing down the last of his cereal as fast as he can . . .

. . . so he can run to the guy's rescue!  Too bad for the poor pest man that it's 0.2 of a mile down there, so he just keeps on sitting and sitting.

"Hey, mom!  Should I let him go now?"  Brandy apparently got the idea when she saw Herb running down the road, and she moved just enough for the pest man to turn his truck.

And now it's Sara's turn!  I bet the poor pest man was having a few choice words to say about then!  I'm sure he was wondering just exactly what pests he was supposed to be getting rid of!

Finally, as Herb came through the gate, even Sara realized the game was up and moved out of the way.  Herb stayed until the pest man finished spraying the back of the cabin.  It was a good thing he did, because he had to call Hero back twice from chasing Sara.  Talk about pests!  We have them in spades here!

If: A Cure for Cabin Fever

If all the winter past was cold and gray,
If your plans to build a fence have gone astray,
If your post-hole-digger-hauling beast broke down
If it's still awaiting repairs across town;
If another's disregard of traffic caused a wreck,
If your wife's left useless with a hurt back;
If the sun is shining on you bright and fair,
If you want to enjoy spring and get out there,
If your wife's been nagging you without relent,
If she fears the junk just might hide a serpent--
Then, although a man, work like a beaver,
And you, my son, will find a cure for cabin fever!

Worthless wives are good for one thing--they know the difference between trash and treasure!  This, by the way, is treasure!  (Funny that the brand name is Warm Morning.  Almost--it sure is a warm afternoon!)

A random thought from life on a farm: Appearances can be deceiving.  These beautiful Bradford pear trees are completely useless, bearing no fruit whatsoever--and on top of that, they smell like something rotting!

They do make a nice backdrop for a picture of a big boy playing with his tractor!

And what a glorious playground!  He deserves to go out and play after working hard cleaning out the cabin!  Unlike the Bradford pears, which are purely ornamental, his "play" was really productive!  Nice neat bush-hogged fields ready to take off with spring grass.  And when we finally get a vehicle that can fetch a PTO-driven post-hole digger, the next game he's going to play is called "Fences!"

Well, somebody has to work while Herb is playing!  Hero and Zephyr enjoy the afternoon sun while supervising Herb.

Thank you, Lord, for a beautiful day!

Beautiful End to Thursday

A beautiful mist crept over the farm late Thursday afternoon. I grabbed my camera and climbed to the far end of the back pasture to see the whole farm laid out below me. God's creation never ceases to amaze me! The most mundane scene becomes a work of art when He paints it with a misty brush!

On the way I snapped this picture which I call "The Mists of Time."

"Sara in the Mist."  (Note that she is still sporting the rope halter around her neck!)

Eureka!

Today started out to be a terrible day.  :(  Here's how it went:
1)  I wanted to go out for breakfast in Chickamauga.  The restaurant was closed.
2)  I found a place open on Rt. 27 heading towards Lafayette.  I ate breakfast.  I'm still suffering heartburn!
3)  I went to the Lafayette (Walker Co.) library to do genealogical research.  The only lady who knows anything about how to use the resources doesn't work on Mondays.
4)  I stopped in the Walker County Messenger office on the way home, thinking I could at least check the obituaries.  All the archives are in the library.  See 3)!
5)  I stopped at an antique store that said "Open."  As I got closer, I could see that they're only open Thurs. - Sun.
6)  I crossed the road to a metal barn fabrication place to get information on potential improvements to our structures.  They don't install any longer--strictly manufacturing.
7)  I finally headed to the Chickamauga Public Library, wondering if they might have a genealogical section so I could redeem my lost day.  EUREKA!  Two hours later, here's what I had found out about Mattie Norman Ayers, the woman our road is named after who used to own our property:
She was born on March 3, 1889 in Tennesse, to parents both born in Tennessee.  She was married at age 15 (c. 1904).  I have not been able to find out whether Norman was her maiden name or her married name. She had 3 children:  Maggie, born c. 1906; Aaron, born c. 1907; and Hugh Lee, born c. 1910.  By 1920 she was living in Chattanooga, divorced and the head of her household, although she shared a house with a family of 3 and a lodger.  On October 15, 1924, she was married in Bradley County, Tennessee (north of Chattanooga) to Jim Ayers.  The marriage record was marked "Do not publish."  Was it a secret marriage in a different county because she had been divorced?    By 1930, James and Mattie Ayers lived on Lafayette Road in Rossville, Georgia (just over the border from Tennessee).  That census reveals that James and Mattie were both 41 at the time, but that he was 38 at his first marriage (presumably to Mattie).  Also listed as "Ayers" were:  Maggie, age 24, married at 17 (c. 1923), and widowed; Aaron, age 23 and single; Hugh Lee, age 20 and single; and Betty Ann, grand-daughter, age 3 4/12 (born c. 1927).  James owned his home and was a farm laborer.  Mattie did not work.  Maggie was a waitress in a cafeteria.  Aaron was the proprietor of an ice company, and Hugh Lee worked for him.  Mattie died June 24, 1987 in Walker County, Georgia.  Her age is listed as 88, but she really would have been 98!

I already knew that our property was sold in March of 1988 by Maggie Guyton and Betty Ann Hopp, executors of Mattie Ayers' estate whom I assume to be Mattie's daughter and grand-daughter.  I also know that Maggie Guyton is deceased, but Betty Ann apparently still lives in MD--next trail for Susan the bloodhound to follow!  I know that Mattie bought our property in 1952 when she would have been 63 years old!  Since James' name is not on the deed, I'm assuming he was deceased by then, but that's another trail to follow.

I still don't have a clue who built or lived in the old cabin in the back pasture.  I know that Mattie lived in an old house up on the hill where our current house is, so it wasn't her.  Those old pineapple pear trees are ancient, so they and the cabin must have been there for a long, long time.

It's a beautiful setting and must have been a lovely place to live, if you didn't mind having no indoor plumbing, living in two rooms with a loft, and getting your water from the creek!

It's evidently been a while since the cabin had any TLC, and it's definitely the worse for cattle having sheltered on the front stoop!

The inside is obviously another project waiting to be tackled!  But I have several requirements for that job:
1) Cold weather, before snakes come out of hibernation!
2) Heavy boots and gloves!
3) Herb's help!
But while I'm waiting, it's fun to see what I can find out.  Will Susan the bloodhound be able to track down this cabin's long lost owners?  Will busy bees Herb and Susan be able to save it from ruin?  Stay tuned . . .