A former college professor, I retired in 2006 due to medical problems. My focus was sociology, but I find colonial and early American history has become my primary interest. I have been pulled in that direction I suppose because of my interest in finding my own ancestors and understanding who they were and why they settled where they did. I have written two books focusing on the families and the places they lived. If my health holds up I have at least two others planned--in fact I have already started one of them.
Although I have lived at least half of my adult life in different cities in the eastern U.S., "home" has always been southcentral Tennessee. So it was that I returned home in 2006 and live some 15 miles from where I was reared. The photo at right is the creek near where I grew up. This is a recent photo--the creek looked much wider and deeper when I was a girl.
I live in a 1930s bungalow (right, during the most recent renovation) that my mother and/I have owned since 1987. I've put the house and lawn through pretty major renovation twice, and this last time I think I got it. It's a pretty contented place to live--can a house be contented?
The photo at right shows my rose garden during its infancy. I have since moved it and had a pergola built in that spot. I still have to have a roof or something put over the pergola, so right now I have daylilies growing under the pergola.
One of the changes I had made during the last remodeling was the addition of a new screened back porch. The photo at left lets you catch just a glimpse of it. The hanging petunia baskets set off the corner nicely.
The Greenhouse
I also added a greenhouse this last go-around--that really is why I did the entire project. After we put up the fence, it was clear that this corner needed a major focal point. I bought a kit from Poly-Tex and my friend Jeff and I put the greenhouse together on that spot. Since I am the once taking pictures it makes it look as though Jeff did all the work. He may have done most of it but not all.
The kit arrived on pallets delivered by a tractor trailer truck. It looked something like a huge set of Legos. Fortunately, Jeff is well organized--and patient about doing it--so we got started on the right foot.
I now work most of the time in my gardens or greenhouse; at least that is what I do during three seasons of the year. Although I still tend my tender plants in the greenhouse and do some plant propogation in winter, cold weather usually finds me in the house researching and writing as well as working with my collection of vintage glassware and pottery.
