Getting Ready for Friends to Visit

Posted on by Julia

June 22, 2026

On June 13 and 14, Bruce and I focused on getting Blackberry Homestead ready for our friends to see. Jeanne from ajeanneinthekitchen.com and her husband, Larry were coming all the way from Westminster, Colorado to visit. We were meeting them in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, June 15. After seeing some famous spots in Nashville, Jeanne and Larry planned to follow us down to Muscle Shoals on Tuesday, June 16.

Bruce spent several hours moving tools from the Odd Room to the garage. He put the tools in their appropriate new spot as he moved them. Not everything in the Odd Room was Bruce’s stuff, so I had to decide where my stuff went or help determine where our stuff went.

From the dining room, I moved my gardening table and all related items to the garden shed. I had planned to do this for a while. Putting the gardening items into the very short shed almost convinced me that Bruce’s idea of a new barn with a garden section would be ideal. I would even be happy to replace the current shed with a new shed. I digress.

With the Odd Room no longer full of a jumble of random moving boxes spread around the room, it feels surprisingly large.

On June 13, we took a break to walk around the property. I only took one picture. Some of the currents have yellowing leaves. Iron deficiency? Leaf spot?

On June 14, while Bruce mowed, I finished up the last of the house cleaning.

Watch the Head!

Once Bruce washed up, he, with my help, hung my lion drawings on a wall in our bedroom. The same size drawing of a lioness and cub is on the opposite side of the window.

We did found it relaxing to sit outside on the porch, watching the sunset, fireflies, planets, and stars. Venus is on the upper left, with Jupiter below it slightly right. Off to the right is one of the stars in the Gemini constellation.

Bruce says we should thank Larry and Jeanne for providing a kick in the pants to get the Odd Room cleaned up. So, thanks Jeanne and Larry!

20 thoughts on “Getting Ready for Friends to Visit”

  1. Actually, having company is an impetus for many of us to get things done! The next time we head to Gulf State Park, I will plan for us to visit you in Muscle Shoals. I would love to see your place and explore the area. Enjoy your visit with Larry and Jeanne!

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    1. That would be lovely! I really hope you can visit. If you like, you could dry camp in our driveway. I think your RV is small enough to make the turn onto our driveway. I believe your old one could fit easily. You could set up in the loop. We have water and a standard electric plug you could use.

      There is Alloys Park that is 3.5 miles away. If you want to stay at a state park, Joe Wheeler State is 22 miles. McFarland Park is directly on the Tennessee, but is closed for now due to flooding. If it is open, it is 11 miles away. There are several commercial RV parks in the area as well.

      We had a great time with Larry and Jeanne!

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      1. I am glad you had a great time with Larry and Jeanne! Our original plans to stay in AZ after the Grand Canyon changed. So, we are still making plans for after January. We may be heading south then. We could stop on our way or our way back, probably depending on what you’d prefer. In any case, I will keep you informed once our plans firm up. I appreciate your offer to have us stay in your driveway, but we’d likely pick one of the other places. We would love to see you both again!

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  2. Inviting guests on a regular schedule does help keep one’s house in order! NO ONE with a real and interesting collection of pastimes doesn’t have something bleeding over into the more organized parts of their lives!

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  4. Visits are a good way to get things rearranged/organized. My sis from Texas was here recently and I scurried around like a crazy person getting everything ready for their short visit. I only regret we didn’t have more time. Glad you were able to enjoy your friends from Colorado in Nashville.

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    1. That was me and Bruce! Since I had a few weeks recovering from surgery, the house was messier than it normally is.

      We had a great time in Nashville and in Muscle Shoals, AL (our home town).

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      2. I wasn’t keeping up with the housework while recovering from surgery. I did overdo in the garden since that was way more fun than housework😁.

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  6. Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba. Sithi uhm ingonyama.

    Sorry, I saw lions and had to break out my Lion King song. I could have gone for the obligatory Lion Sleeps Tonight reference but didn’t know how to spell oweeba wa oweeba wa.

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Published by Julia

I am a retired software solutions architect. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for over forty years. We went full-time RVing for 3.5 years and saw much of the United States. We bought a ranch house on a hill in the middle of five acres. We are working on creating our homestead. I love cooking and enjoy sharing recipes. I am also an artist and I’ll share my current projects. Reading is my favorite hobby.