Finding the snow this morning . .

Got warm here yesterday (in the 40s F) and rained. All snow washed away. It's unusual for this area near Christmas to be snow free (but it's snowing right now).

My and my little kid took a walk this morning and spotted snow up the nearby hill. That road is "seasonal" and usually covered with deep ice and snow this time of year. Now all is just mud so we took a ride up past the old farmhouse - to find the snow line. That house hasn't been lived in for maybe 80 years? Our's was the same until we bought it and moved in full-time. Took some photos on the way up . .

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Nice photos. Nice country.
We got a dusting this morning otherwise no snow anywhere. I can't remember the last time we didn't have snow for Christmas.
Unusual.

I find it fascinating that the long vacant house hasn't fallen down from neglect, or been vandalized and burned down, or both.

Does anyone maintain it? It doesn't seem to be "drooping" or "listing" to starboard.

LJD,

Thanks for the pictures. I've often thought that if I had lots of money or lots of time to organize a movement, I'd try to obtain abandoned houses and repopulate them with people who had no permanent housing.

There are a fair number of abandoned houses and mobile homes in our area of Middle Tennessee that could be candidates for renovation and use.

Of course, they all belong to someone and the owners have every right to do with them as they please, but it just seems a shame to me see places disintegrate.

Maybe in another life I'll be able to do something about them.

Tom in TN

very beautiful country - thanks for sharing!

Supposedly a biker-gang owns it. One of them inherited it and they use it to shoot guns in the summer. Sometimes two days straight, night and day.

My house is on the next hill-top over. Our place also sat empty since 1930. When we bought it, all the sills were rotted out. Also never had plumbing or heat except for one pot belly coal stove.

30 years ago there were houses like that all this area. Some in the middle of the woods. Most have fallen down. I only know of 5 or 6 left in this area.

Here's photos of house taken in 1940 when it had already been long vacant. It was worse when we got it.

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I added a big addition on the back and still have the original dug well - now inside the new kitchen. I built it myself and it's the last I will ever do. Too much work for one person, especially at my age. The fireplace has a wood bake oven and and a Rumford cooking hearth.

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You have mare dam talent than one man deserves....
I'm jealous

Gotta admit I was happy when "the renaissance man" of ytmag came back on board. As my dad used to put it, "He's forgot more about (xxx) than I'll ever know."

Your insights are appreciated, LJD. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

really nice! I enjoy seeing pictures of your homestead,you have done things that most of us can only dream about, Some day I would like to visit your area,just as a weekend road trip, I had an uncle that lived in ny state,near corning ny,he died and his children sold the farm. We live in cenral nj ,and have a farm in pa,but we both work in nj so only visit the farm, I have read your posts in the past and greatly admired all the things you have done, Could you post another picture of planting corn with your case and 309 ford corn planter? I really liked that one! ,,, Merry Christmas ,,,Larry