OMG: Things are different in Tennessee. Part 3.

​We've settled in our new home. The initial move-in didn't take long. The mover arrived on Saturday morning, July 2, unloaded between 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and the unpacking frenzy started. I prepared a meager dinner that night in our new kitchen, and we slept in our own bed for the first time since December. It was glorious.

​When I posted the initial pictures on Facebook, someone asked, in jest, if I was on speed. I replied in sensible mode, saying we'd had six months to decide where everything went—trust me, there isn't a lot to do in the winter while watching a house get built. Later I thought that I should have said, "Well, we are in Tennessee, you know."
 
I felt instantly comfortable here. Part of that, I'm sure, is our furniture fits like it was designed for the place. But, it also looks and feels like our home. 

​Unlike living in suburbia, window coverings are optional. We've ordered some for the bedrooms and bathrooms for light control and to keep the critters (see below) from becoming voyeurs. We do have three windows that face the street, and there is a car or truck passing by a couple of times a day. We also see our share of walkers—two or three people a day at least.
 
Our house in Coral Springs was built in 1973, and finding places for stuff was always a challenge. Here we have three—really—three linen closets, one of which is adjacent to the dining room. Of course, there are things I thought I had, but apparently threw out or forgot to pack. I have half empty shelves, excess hanging space, and a garage to myself and my Little Blue Mini Car.
 
The dogs took immediately to their old sofas, and months of bickering for position on the futon in the rented little house vanished. The doggie door, deck, yard, and walking in the evening have been different matters. After three weeks, Rex—the challenged one—has finally learned that he can go both out and in the doggie door. They also are not comfortable with the noises outside at night—which is good because they aren't allowed to go out alone at night and be coyote food. The ten steps to the yard have been challenging. After a few days of bribing them with treats, they seem to have the hang of it. Old dogs . . . new tricks. However, yesterday, Max fell down a few steps when he was in a hurry and now we seem to be starting over.

Though the wildlife stays hidden for the most part, there is a variety. Yesterday we saw a doe with two fawns and a wild turkey hen with two chicks. There is a bear living somewhere in the Cove. When our friend Mike visited last week, he spotted a red fox slipping into the woods, and on delivery day, our mover saw a bobcat about a mile from our house. We know there are coyote, raccoon, squirrels, moles, mice, a variety of snakes (some poisonous), and a plethora of insects and spiders. The house, however, is not overrun with critters and, in fact, we rarely spot anything on our property, though I'm sure they live back in the trees.
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Later.

GEB
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PS. Eric, here is the writing space. :-) I use the MAC that's sitting on the table on the left side of the picture.