Rural Living at Laughing Fox Farm in Middle Tennessee

The Equine Picture at LFF Has Changed!

2012-01-31T14:41:00.000-08:00

Well, my brother said, "I wouldn't have believed that I would live long enough to see you without a horse." That's not entirely an accurate statement. Lucy needed a home where someone can work with her daily, and I am not that person. So to that end, I took her to Jennifer Ohmes in AL to sell her. She is doing well there, and has some interested parties. So when Nancy was put down, that left Lucy alone. She had a gelding friend who was a loaner from my friend, Betsy. So when I found out about a free burro named Theodore, he became her new best friend. But when I took her to be sold, Theo was alone. Another friend of mine told me about another burro who needed a new home, so off I went on another adventure, complete with a trip across the Cumberland River on a ferry with trailer in tow to pick up my second burro, who's name then was Nick. That name does not fit him, so since he is rosy in color and my other burro was named Theodore, Nick has become Roosevelt! Laughing Fox Farm is now "braying burro farm" (not really, but it works given the situation)! Introducing (drum roll please)...Roosevelt!

The LFF Menagerie

2012-01-02T13:38:00.000-08:00

The current menagerie at LFF: Gracie, Trio, Theodore, Duchess and Lucy.

Theodore the Burro

2012-01-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

This is Theodore the Burro. My friend, Lynne and I picked him and her new mini horse up last Wednesday. He is considered a mini (about 36" at the withers), and is so sweet. Lucy has become totally attached to him, ought to be interesting when I take her trail riding. He's a cutie and very entertaining. Welcome Theodore!

Nancy's Angel

2012-01-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

It's bound to happen that when we have pets we usually outlive them, but having to have Nancy euthanized on December 8, 2011 was more painful that I had imagined. Thank you, Nancy for teaching me how to hunt, patience, compassion, and disipline. You were my partner in hunting and there will never be another you.

Nancy's Angel
1989 - 2011

The Iron Maiden

2011-09-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

After surviving a horrible accident with a severe head injury that has left vets, equine consultants and horse friends amazed, Nancy is improving daily. I think it has been the power of prayer and good nursing. She was standing at the wall of our stone barn waiting to be brought in for feeding. Lucy, as is usual, came around the corner, spooked Nancy (which was odd as Nancy would usually simply move), Nancy spun, hit her head on the stone wall and was knocked out cold. She was out for an hour and a half. The vet came in about 20 minutes and she was still unconscious. He treated her with IV steroids and a sedative, stayed with us for about 45 minutes and she was still out when he left. She "paddled" while unconscious, and her near fore leg was stiff. She had "ragged" breathing, and at one point stopped breathing. I didn't know what to do so I kicked her in the area where her lungs are, and she started breathing again, may have been conincendential. Her gums became blue, her pupils were dialated. I placed hay bales around her to protect her if she regained consciousness. I made an agreement with the vet that if she had not regained herself by 6:00, I would call him to euthanize her. She awoke, thrashed about and somehow landed with her backside inside of the opening of the barn with her head facing out. She remained in a lying position and I could tell she was not completely responsive. I placed more hay bales around her, and in about 10-15 minutes, after trying three times, she got to her feet. She was very unsteady, so I quickly placed a halter on her with a lead rope and with little encouragement, she followed me outside. I took the halter off, and left her outside alone as by this time I had placed Lucy in her stall. I placed food and water near her, but she was so disoriented that she did not know what to do with them, she was still very unstable on her feet. By this time it was getting dark, and I left her. I checked on her every 3-4 hours during the night and she was till alive and walking, albeit very unsteadily. The next morning the vet came before I checked on her that morning and gave her another IV of banamine and I think steroids, he said she was in terrible pain. Her face looked like she had gone several rounds with Mike Tyson with a hematoma above her right eye, and she was covered in cuts and scapes all over her legs and side where she landed. I slipped a halter on her, by this time she had walked to the far side of the pasture and appeared disoriented. She seemed to have forgotten how to lead, but with gentle encouragement, she lead, but could not seem to rate herself and walked very fast. It took a lot of tugging on my part to slow her down enough to get her into her stall. By this time Lucy was suffering from cabin fever, so I turned her out. I placed water and food into Nancy's stall along with hay, and she spent the night in her stall. Two days prior to the incident I had noticed that her near hind pastern was swollen. She gets abscesses in her hooves easily so I thought that was the case this time and I had been cold hosing the site for the two days before she was knocked out.The next day, I placed Lucy back into her stall, and lead Nancy outside. She was trying to graze, but seemed to have forgotten how, and also could not sort out how to eat her feed. (due to her history of bolting her food, I had been soaking it for many years to prevent choking). She was drinking water just fine. During the time she was outside her swollen rear leg had broken open and to my chagrin she had very clearly been bitten by a venomous snake as the fang marks were clearly apparent. I had no idea until that point that she did not have an abscess. It drained copious amounts of infection. The vet placed her on antibiotics right away. I was giving her banamine IM every 5-6 hours to control her pain, so the antibiotic shot was another needle for her. She took the shots like a trooper. She was still not eating her grain, she wanted to, and she was also having trouble grazing. It was as though she had forgotten how. After five days of her not eating grain, she had started grazing by pullin gup grass by the roots as if she was not sure how to graze properly. At that point I decided to stop soaking her grain, and it worked, she could manage to eat it as is she were grazing, eating with rather a bobbing motion.I suspect that she had lost her depth perception. Over time she figured out how to eat, graze and her pain shots were gradually transitioned to oral butazoladine, 2 grams twice a day, a lot of bute. Over time that was decreased to a half a gram twice a day, but the snake wound was not healing. We subsequently treated her with another rouns of antibiotics. I asked the vet to culture the wound and sure enough, it was growing out an organism that was resistant to the antibiotics. We started her on the appropriate meds, she responded initially, but then she reinfected (all during this time I was cleaning the would and dressing it). I took her to the vet, and asked him to open the would so that it would drain more. He did and it blew out an enormous amount of infected material as well as fibrinogin, the clotting mechanism of the blood. It was almost impossible to drain the wound effectively. I took her home (by this time it was well into November), and started irrigating the wound that the vet had opened. I used hydrogen peroxide and cleaned it with water. The infection was not clearing still, so I asked the vet to give me a culture tube and I cultured it again the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the results are STILL not back (inexcusable). I am continuing to irrigate the opening (the original wound is granulating) and now another site has opened to the bottom of the original wound, and still no culture results. I am irrigating the sites twice a day with a darge bore cannula, and 20 ml of peroxide and betadine. The leg is horribly swollen and she is finding it more and more difficult to walk. I now have her back on banamine 10 ml IM every morning and bute, one gram by mouth at night. I don't know if she will survive this especially without the proper antibiotics. I called the vet and he has talked with the lab (in Murfreesboro, TN) and is as confused and frustrated as I because he can't get an answer either. In the meantime, he wants to give her an IM shot of a very broad spectrum antibiotic that is only given every 4 days and hopefully by then the inept lab will have an answer (and hopefully it will be accurate). Lucy has been out with ther 24/7, Nancy's appetite has not slowed, but the is tired and is starting to loose weight. With winter coming, I don't know if she will survive, but I am marginally hopeful. She is truly the iron maiden.

The Family Graveyard

2011-06-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

These are photos that I took of the Sowell-Dobbins Family Graveyard. It is located at the farm next door and in the winter can be seen from our farm. It is said that it was also the final resting place for the family servants, but no graves of that sort are marked. However there is a rather large area to the right of the gate that appears to have graves in it. The last family members were buried there in the early 20th century if I am remembering correctly. We have a goal of making a Tate family cemetery here at Laughing Fox. It takes going through some hoops with the local zoning commission, but I think that we will pass muster, just have to get to it!

The Graveyard

2011-05-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

As you may have read in much earlier posts, Laughing Fox Farm had been in the same family line for over 150 years until we bought it in 1999. The family, the Sowell's and the Dobbin's family graveyard is situated between our farm and the farm next door, and is located on that farm owned now by Bob and Alexa Doyle (formerly the Russell Farm). Andy, my sister, Carol and I visited the grave site a month or so ago and I took a couple of pictures of the head stones. (However, the Blogger Photo Uploader is Down, so will post later...gotta love cyberspace)

Why I Haven't Posted for so Long! (Andy and Lucy)

2011-05-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Gosh, has it been since February that I wrote? Well, I have two good excuses. Andy had been in Tulsa, OK with his police supply company since August of last year and came home in February! Also, I bought a new field hunter in March. So between the two, I have just now slowed down enough to return to my old friend, the Laughing Fox Farm blog.

The spring has been fabulous, albeit WET! The Duck River has not flooded like last year, thank goodness, but it has been high enough to see from our second floor window. It is beautiful, but am glad that it is far enough from our home to not be a threat. Our flowers have been beautiful, and even now I am looking out our kitchen window at yellow, lavender and peach colored Irises. The Peonies have borne big, fat white and fuchsia flowers and I have been able to cut many of them for the church's altar, and the table in our foyer. They smell like heaven!

It is green, green, green here, but those lovely Cow Weed yellow flowers that the mares will not touch have invaded my front pasture, so I spent yesterday cutting, pulling and spraying like a mad woman. Andy said I won't eradicate them this year, but to be diligent and they should meet their Waterloo next year. I am a Dead Eye Dick with the Roundup sprayer!

I am so glad that Andy is finally home and he promised me that he would never again bid on a project that would keep him away from home that long again. I enjoyed my independence to a point, and did get a lot done (all of the out buildings are cleaned out, and the old fence row in the back yard is gone), but I like his being here more than I like my independence.

I spent the entire hunt season without a hunter. I had looked for a year and upon my ninth attempt, found my field hunter. I bought her from Carrdian Farms in Monticello, FL and had her shipped up four weeks ago today. Her name is Lucy, she is a solid Chestnut American Paint with a perfectly formed diamond on her forehead (did I hear someone singing, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamond", no s) and a near hind sock. She is a bit tall for me, I refuse to believe that she could get over 16 hands tall, so will not put a stick to her - lol. She is 5, so very young and learning quickly. She can be a red headed mare at times, but over all she has a very sweet disposition, AND Nancy LOVES her. I have attached her "head shot". I have started lessons with her under Meg Hilly, she does trails like a superstar, I hunted her with the Live Oak hunt, and was very impressed with her interest in hunting.

I sold Molly to a most wonderful young lady, Marlena Jenkins. They are a perfect fit! Lucy loves to show and so does Marlena. As a matter of fact they are at a show now! She went to a wonderful home.

I will close this entry now. I have more to tell under another topic later.

Spring Has Arrived at Laughing Fox!

2011-02-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

The first Daffodil has arrived at Laughing Fox. We will be covered with them in less than a month. What a joy to see nature at work!

The 2010 Floods at LFF and How the Dogs Reacted to it

2011-01-31T09:20:00.000-08:00

This is a video that I took from our backyard on May 2, 2010 at Laughing Fox during the floods in middle TN that May. It was quite the experience. The water never threatened our farm, but we were trapped for two days because of flooding at both ends of the road off of which our road runs. It was said this flood was considered a 500 year flood. OK with me if it doesn't happen in another 500 years...but the dogs did not mind at all which you will see in the video!

Clarice and Nancy Last Wed. Hunt of 2010

2011-01-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

This video is bitter sweet. It was the last time I was able to hunt my dear Nancy. She has been diagnosed with Cushings Disease which has rendered her unable to hunt. She has earned her retirement, though and is now comfortably living at our farm with her friend, Molly. Nancy was the best hunt mare I have ever ridden. I love her very much, and miss hunting her more than anything.

Calm on the Farm

2011-01-23T08:17:00.001-08:00

Gracie and Duchess enjoying the outdoors at LFF.

Winter at LFF

2011-01-05T08:13:00.001-08:00

Good morning! It has been sleeting and raining most of the morning but the "Middle Tennessee Smoky Mountains" (the hills around Laughing Fox Farm) are just beautiful. I've never understood why people find winter not as lovely as the other three seasons, because here there is something to see all the time. The colors are muted, but beautiful, dove grays, charcoal, heathers, hunter greens, whites, wheat, silvers, russet, terracotta, cerulean, periwinkle, just spectacular. It is a little foggy, but that puts me in the mind of early mornings in Britain. Middle TN looks much like parts of the British Isles.

The birds are feeding. Titmice, Cardinals, several pairs of those, a Red Headed Woodpecker, Purple and Yellow Finches, Chickadees, Wrens, all fat and seemingly content are all hovering around the feeders. "Homer", as Andy calls him was our resident suicidal Cardinal last year. He would see his reflection in our windows and flog himself until he was exhausted. I tried pulling the curtains, placing things in the window that I thought would scare him, but he was tenacious. He has since gotten the message and the eternal/infernal flogging has stopped...or he's croaked. We also have a Great Horned Owl in the neighborhood. I saw her a couple of nights ago, and she is magnificent!! After I die, I want to come back as a hawk. We have several of those, too.

Many years ago when we did not live here, our then home burned completely. There was nothing recognizable. Once day when I was rummaging through the debris, I kicked something with my foot, and here you will find a photo of what I found. I saved it, and bring it out every Christmas holiday to remind us that we are always being watched over and blessed everyday, even through adversity.

Have a wonderful winter! Keep in touch and keep reading for more comments from Laughing Fox Farm.

Snow in December

2010-12-12T15:43:00.001-08:00

I took this photo today through the window from the breakfast nook. It has been snowing for most of the day and accumulation started about mid afternoon. That is not so unusual, but the wind is terrific!! It blows in sudden gusts and the wind chill is -10. I have put both mares in the barn for the night and will probably do the same for tomorrow night. It is expected to be even colder then. Needless to say the doggies are snug inside. I think that the weather is becoming more like it was in this area when I was a child back in the sixties...just gave away my age:).

I am babysitting my husband's business partners dog...well actually I think "Junior" is a small horse in disguise. He's gigantic: 1/2 Great Dane, 1/4 Labrador, 1/4 Australian Shepard. He is so sweet, but likes chasing Molly. She thinks its a game and so does he, but when she's had enough, she charges at him with her ears back and her teeth brayed...oh gosh the lights are flickering. I'll post a photo of him later.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving with our family at Laughing Fox Farm. We are grateful for one another, the blessings we have received and pray for those who find themselves in difficult circumstances.

Molly Did Very Well at Her Show

2010-10-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

This blog is also about life on a farm, and a big part of my life at Laughing Fox is my horses. Molly has decided that fox hunting is not what she wants to do. So, Lily Wray-Davis and I took her to her first show in five years. She competed in the Hunter Under Saddle Over 2' Jumps Division and, out of 10 riders, came in second!!! An outstanding showing. She's for sale as a show horse (I like to say she's my "Show Girl")and will only get better. Thanks to Lily for making her look so good and to Heather Mullan Ransom for getting her in show condition!!

As Soon As I Get My Laptop, I'll Post More Photos

2010-09-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

I had the APTA sign installed in the front yard last week. It looks very nice, and I will post a photo as soon as Andy gets my laptop to me:)!

I had a very hard worker come to the farm and clean out all of the out buildings (Summer Kitchen, Smokehouse, chicken coop),so when we are ready we may start restoration on any of them...don't hold your breath! I guess you have to play the lottery to win the lottery, right??

The same man has cleaned out old fence rows, taken out saplings, and generally is getting the yard into some semblance of order.

Oh, and did I say that I am looking for a new fox hunter? Life is always lively on the farm!

Good Golly Miss Molly Jumping

2010-08-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

This is the video that I took of Molly jumping in front of her stable in July, 2010. My young friend, Heather is riding her.

Gardening...Lessons Learned..Some Tongue in Cheek Observations

2010-07-04T08:37:00.001-07:00

I have never had a vegetable/herb garden, never had the sun for it...until this year. Here is what I have learned...

If you think you have planted your plants far enough apart...go further...unless you enjoy the jungle look...much like the one my garden has.

Place aluminum foil around the base of your tomato plants unless you want Cutworms to do what their name implies...

Organic gardening is impossible for me...I succumbed to Sevin Dust when worms ate the leaves and blooms off of my squash plant...notice that I used squash in the singular...

Squash plants grow as big as a breakfast table...and produce a LOT!!!

Those upside down planter things advertised on TV aren't so great...should have realized this when they were on 50% off sale at Wal-Mart...

Horses will try to eat anything in the garden...and the cat thinks she is helping with the fertilizing aspect of gardening...

Lavender gets big...if you give it room. Mine look like Lilliputian Lavender plants...

Basil and Mint will take over...

Weeding is NOT for sissies. I am, therefore not doing it...can't tell the weeds from the mint...smell is a clue...and speaking of smells...

Cilantro smells just awful...

I have learned to make lost of dishes using mint, basil, squash and tomatoes all together...makes for a bust of color, not so sure about the flavor...

Mint in iced tea is a given, but try Basil in iced tea; it's really good!

Just because it looks good does not mean Andy will eat squash...

Mosquitoes do not respect the gardener...except for their need for food in the form of the gardener...

It's HOT in the summer!

will have photos next year...it's too embarrassing to post what my garden looks like this year!...but at least it's producing!!

I will do it again next year!

I would appreciate any and all gardening suggestions...and I promise to post photos of our next restoration project on the farm.

Day Lilies

2010-06-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

Andy really likes flowers (getting in touch with his female side) and wanted me to post these Day Lilies...they're everywhere...anyone want some??

The Barn at the end of the Rainbow

2010-06-16T15:04:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures yesterday. We had a double rainbow, look closely to see thye faint top rainbow.

The Master Bath

2010-05-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

These are photos of our finished bath. The white wall paint and trim paint is Dover White, the greenish blue wall color is Rainwashed, both are Duration Home paint by Sherwin Williams I am so glad to have a master bath on the main floor right next to the master bedroom! I'm not sure if we've ever had the two on the main floor together...

Aerial Photo of LFF and the Duck River

2010-05-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

This is an aerial photo taken by our neighbors, Max and Dianne Hegler. Our farm is in the upper center to left of the photo. The house and horse pasture are surrounded by white fence to give you some perspective. Meteorologists were estimating that this was the worst flooding of the Duck River and all rivers in middle Tennessee in over 500 years. We are grateful that it did not come near the structures of Laughing Fox. It seems that people of the 19th century knew how and where to build to stay out of harms way. Thank you, Heglers for sharing this shot.

A Sad Day

2010-04-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to have to post a sad piece of news, but know many of you would want to know. Emma, Andy's precious Golden Retriever had to be put down Monday. She had cancer and was such a soldier for a year. She will be missed.

You Can Have Dogs or You Can Have Things

2010-04-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

I was once told that I could have dogs, or I could have things. When you see the attached photo, you'll see that we have dogs and they're leaving their marks on our things...but we still love them and wouldn't have it any other way!

Flowers With Faces

2010-04-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

Back last year I wrote a post on trees with faces. Today I noticed that this Pansy looked like a man with a mustache. The photo is a little blurred, but you'll get the idea...

Spring Is Here!!

2010-04-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my sweet little yellow dog, Gracie who is the not so sweet mole hunter and destroyer, I have tulips!!! I'm so excited...yellow ones, white ones, fuchsia ones, red ones, wow-weeeee (OK I'm over the top...what can I say?)

Spring

2010-03-20T18:45:00.001-07:00

Andy loves Spring and took these photos at LFF, enjoy!

Companies and Individuals That We Used

2010-03-14T14:54:00.001-07:00

I thought that making a list of the companies and individuals that we used to help restore the house might be helpful to those reading the blog and who may be considering restoration or currently restoring an old house.

Contractor: Innovative Designs, Chris Gill, Lyles, TN
This company charges by the hour, when restoring an old house this is the only way to charge for that sort of project. They did demolition,insulation,installation of new windows, carpentry that included building doors, replacing flooring sections (this involved matching the existing flooring), restoring the original windows and shutters, exterior column sections, some chair rail, adding a bathroom and a bedroom to the second floor, building screen doors, exterior painting, restoration of the banister, roofing, subcontracting having the chimneys rebuilt, subcontracting having the dry wall done, refinishing floors, and leveling the house. Chris also taught my husband and nephew how to hang tongue and groove oak planks for the stable and how to "cut in" interior paint in the house.

Plumber and Electrician: Frank Jones, Williamsport, TN
This company did an excellent job with rough-in wiring and plumbing and made sure that we were adequately wired in both the house and stable. However, this company is VERY POOR in following up on work that needs to be corrected. The entire guest bedroom's electrical supply failed, and it took the electrician over a month to come by. He stated that "I no longer do this." He said that the breaker was bad "they're no good breakers" (so why did he use them to begin with?? He was not able to stop the smoke detector from alarming, and literally left while I was asking him how to repair it. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY IF YOU ARE EXPECTING FOLLOW-UP ON ANY WORK DONE.
Decorator: Jane Cherry, Columbia, TN
This decorator helped me with colors mainly but also with the foyer wall paper, cabinet builder, drawer knobs and pulls, and interior stone choices. She is very experienced and easy to work with.

Stone Masons: Middle TN Stone, Nashville, TN
This company did an outstanding job with the stable stone work and were very reasonably priced. I hope to use them to lay a walkway.

Interior Painting: My husband and nephew. They are not for hire:)

Movers: Jet Moving, Columbia, TN
This company was great! They took fantastic care of our furniture, were very mindful of protecting the walls in both houses, were efficient and professional.

Cabinetry: S.C. Brown, Nashville, TN
This company did an outstanding job with the cabinets, see photos on this blog. Seth was very mindful of making the cabinets blend with the Shaker influences found in the original cabinetry.

Drapes: Sharon Adam, Smyrna, TN.
She was very easy to work with, did a wonderful job and is reasonably priced.

Stone Fabrication, Kitchen and Master Bath: Eagle Fabricators, Nashville, TN

Geothermal Heating and Cooling Choice Construction, Nashville, TN

Iron WorkGeneral Machine, Columbia, TN,
This company did the restoration of the front door lock and the post and sign surround for the APTA sign

APTA Sign B's Tee's, Columbia, TN
This company did the actual sign and was very easy to work with and reasonably priced. They do anything that has letters on it.

Furniture Reupholstery: David Smith, Columbia Reupholstery, Columbia TN
This company did an excellent job with my sofa, chairs, ottoman, foot rest.

Where I found Things Needed for this Project:Paint: Duration Brand at Sherwin Williams, Dickson, TN
Toliets: Nashville Winnelson (Toto brand)
Plumbing Fixtures and Kitchen Farm Sink: e-Faucets.com
Cabinet Knobs and Pulls: Top Knobs found at a hardware store that Seth Brown recommended in Nashville, TN
Wallpaper for Foyer: The Wallpaper Warehouse, Nashville, TN
Wallpaper for Guest Bath: A wallpaper company in New York (can't remember right now)
Tongue and Groove Oak for Stable: Fox Lumber, Leipers Fork, TN
Drapes and Reupholstering Fabric: The Fabric House and The Fabric Gallery, Nashville, TN
Antiques and Decorative Objects: Westbury House, Columbia, TN
TV Armoire: Bradford's, Nashville, TN
Guest Room Vanity Top: Dickson Cultured Marble, Lyles, TN
Roofing/Windows/Guest Bath Tub/Ceiling Fans: Lowes, We chose a roofing that is guaranteed to last the lifetime of the house...we'll see
Master Bath Tub/Whirlpool, Including the Faucets: San Siro, Baths of Distinction, Tampa, FL
Gas Logs: Hearth and Grill, Nashville, TN
Sideboard Restoration: Randall Grace, Nashville, TN
Period Door Knobs and Latches: Restoration Station, Nashville, TN

Challenges:
Getting door knobs replaced (we still have some doors without them)
Getting the kinks out of the geothermal unit. It seems to be working fine now.
Finding a local propane company, may have to go to a Nashville company
Weather
People not showing up
Stolen 4 wheeler, air compressor, inside a/c unit
Getting furniture inside without clobbering the walls (Jet Movers did a great job!)
Andy trying to decorate:)
My impatience

Restoration is an on going process, stay tuned for more!

Farm Snow Video

2010-01-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

This was shot from the road in front of the house...

Snow at LFF in Jan 2010

2010-01-29T16:01:00.000-08:00

This is a video that I took today of Andy and the canines walking down our road in the beautiful snow that we got today. It was so much fun!

How to Find Photos of the Early Stages of Restoration

2010-01-07T15:34:00.000-08:00

I have been asked how to find photos of the early restoration progress. On the Home Page of the Blog go to the right side of the page, scroll down and find "Blog Archives." Each month has photos showing the early stages with torn out walls, missing roof portions, and so on.

The "Original" Lamp

2010-01-02T18:39:00.000-08:00

This light originally hung in the foyer. It had been wired for electricity, but we wanted to return it to an oil burning hanging lamp. So I took it to a restorationist in Nashville, TN who specializes in restoring lights. It now hangs in the Dining Room and is a decorative piece. It is dated somewhere between 1860 and 1880.

Ms. Charlotte's Salt Cellars

2010-01-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Andy has a client in the north east, and Charlotte, the client's mom, who I think is in her 80's very generously sent us a part of her Salt Cellar collection. They are such beautiful and delicate things and each one is truly a work of art. One would have been placed at each diner's place, would have had a tiny spoon,like one you see here and would have been used to personally spoon onto one's food, salt. These are late 19th century and early 20th century pieces, and will have pride of place in, of course, our Dining Room. Thank you, Ms. Charlotte!!

Christmas At LFF

2010-01-02T14:08:00.001-08:00

Andy in the Dining Room before Christmas 2009 says good-bye, the mantles in the Master Bed Room and the Living Room.

Christmas Dining Room Table 2009

2009-12-28T16:50:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of shots taken of the dining room table ready for Christmas dinner with our family.

Merry Christmas from LFF

2009-12-28T16:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots of the front of Four Flues Over the Cuckoos Nest at Laughing Fox Farm during the Christmas holidays.

Listed With the APTA

2009-12-28T16:36:00.001-08:00

Our home has been listed with the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. Here is a photo of the sign that will be placed in the yard. Thank you, APTA for recognizing the importance of our Tennessee treasures!

Light Thrower 2000

2009-11-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

This is an Arte de Mexico cast iron light/pot hanger with farm animals around the periphery that finally got hung last week. It took two men to hang it, Andy was one of them, there was a lot of grunting going on. He's not convenienced that it's the safest thing in the world (he's being facetious). It weighs 81# and when he's irritated with me, he tells me to go work under the light...I think he's looking for the guillotine effect:). He has named it the "Light Thrower 2000". Percival O. Possum shows up on it from time to time...

Living Room Updates

2009-11-22T10:15:00.001-08:00

This is the Living Room with Andy's childhood piano. He was very excited to finally have a place to have it (after 35 years). My sister, Carol kept it at her house for her son, Michael to take lessons on. He plays very well, and hopefully will play for us during the holidays...Michael are you reading this??

Updated Photos

2009-11-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Here are photos of the foyer and the dining room. The light fixture shade is the original light that we had returned to its original oil burning status...as you can see it hasn't been hung. I plan to have it hung in the dining room.

Just For Fun

2009-10-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Trees With Faces

2009-10-24T10:58:00.000-07:00

Can you tell which one we call "The Smoking Tree" and the one that we call the "Where's Waldo?" tree?

It's Been Almost a Month

2009-10-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I look back at the old posts, I realize how much progress we have made! The drapes for the living room are being made, final electrical inspection is due in a week or so, so we are down to the tiny details that make a house a home.

We feel so blessed to have Laughing Fox. It truly feels like home and where we are meant to be. We are stewards of this property, here for just a while and leaving it better than we found it, and hopefully that will be a long while from now!

We are planning on having family and friends over for Thanksgiving, so it will be a real country "over the river and through the woods" holiday celebration. It was Michael's idea to have Thanksgiving here, and it is a good one!! I know that having an artificial center piece for the dining table is not the best choice, but I had one done by Liz Blalock at The Tulip Tree in Nashville and here is it's picture, complete with the turkey that will survive the holidays for more to come:)

Here are some fun pictures: Andy removing a boat-load of stick tights (see the collection on the floor?) from Gracie our intrepid hunter...she should have been named Diana or Artemis. Here is the turkey center piece and the pine boughs that Andy brought in this morning. They make the kitchen smell soooo good!!!

Raining...STILL!!!

2009-09-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Everything here is wet, everything squishes, I think I'm molding, but Andy and his beloved Emma found the best use for another rainy day and spent the morning on the front porch. I got this shot through the screen door. Gracie, our foundling chose to stay inside and sleep on her pilow. Duchess, the Foxhound is hiding in the smoke house:)

Decorative Tile in the Guest Bath

2009-09-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

I hope this image shows clearly. I found a company on E-bay that makes decorative tile and she had images of ladies and gentlemen fox hunting...well, I couldn't resist, so Luther Bolden, our tile guy put them in. They look really nicely with the Laughing Fox logo on the door done by Class Glass in Nashville and the hunting scene wallpaper that Andy (yes, Andy) choose. I bought five sets, but should have bought six, one to go over the shower head, but had to make my best guess.

Andy Makes Closets Useable

2009-09-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

Andy installed shelving in the hall, guest bath, and washer and dryer closets. He did a great job! Our washer and dryer barely fit into the closet (it will be awful when we have to get new ones), but that's just part of fitting into an old house. I got the doors at a salvage yard our builder, Chris told us about in Nashville called Haley's Salvage. Andy said they look like they should open into a saloon...well, who knows? someday maybe:)

Thanks, Andy, you're the best!!!!

View Outside the Kitchen

2009-09-25T10:26:00.001-07:00

Taken through the screens, but you get the idea...pretty nice, huh?

We Have a Refirgerator!!!!

2009-09-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Because I refused to go into the cellar after I found a very much alive but now not alive rat!!! poor Andy had to go down there to the ancillary refrigerator to get food that would not fit in the dorm size 'frig that we had to use until the real one came. It came last night!!! We're so happy, especially Andy, no more trips to Rat City, Rat Cellar, Rat's Nest (by the way no more have taken up residence...I need a snake!)But the real story is WE HAVE A REFRIGERATOR!!!!

The Sideboard and Dining Room Drapes

2009-09-25T09:56:00.000-07:00

10 years ago when we bought the farm and the home on it, in the cellar there was a very worn out period sideboard. We had Randall Grace in Nashville restore and preserve the piece and it took him a year. It has been at our real home ever since until Andy and I moved it back to its original home here at Laughing Fox. Here is the photo of it and our first set of drapes!!! They're in the Dining Room.

We're Here!...sort of

2009-09-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

I have been living at Laughing Fox for two weeks now, Andy is going back and forth to Averill, so life is hectic! There is so much to do, that how anyone could possibly get bored on a farm is beyond me. I have made new friends here and we have been to one party at our neighbors, the Cains and I have been to a girl's night out party already at our neighbours, The Heglers...I'm gonna love it here!

For you restorationists, if you have any questions about the process, please let me know.

For you equine people, if you want to know how life is taking care of your own equines, please ask and I will respond...so far, so good! Molly and Nancy are loving it here, too!

For you canine people, Duchess the Fox Hound, Gracie, our Who Knows What, and Emma our Queen, the Golden Retriever are in heaven. Lots of room to play, sleep, roam, torture the mares (we're working on discipline there), they are doing great!!

I will post more photos when I have the time to take them. That will hopefully be soon, but in the meantime,here are some moving in pictures...thank goodness for family!

Andy and I moved that very heavy period sideboard from Averill to the truck by ourselves. That is the sideboard that I found in this house's basement and had it restored by Randall Grace in Nashville about nine years ago. It has come back home and has pride of place in the dining room. The Nashville Tennessean did a story on it at the time. What a lovely piece of furniture.

Kitchen Granite Counter Tops

2009-08-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

The granite counter tops in the kitchen were installed yesterday by Eagle Fabricators in Nashville, TN. The granite is called "Golden Fantasy", and it is golden (you think?), with gray and cranberry veins. It was installed without seams and it took about five hours. They also installed the white marble called "Espirito Bianco" onto a vanity. It looks great on the white vanity. I will get pictures of it when the installation of the vanity is complete.

The geothermal is done, the yard still needs to be smoothed out, the propane was connected to the range and to two of the gas log sets. Lindsey Propane in Williamsport, TN did that. They were very efficient, professional and diligent in getting copper pipes gently through old foundations and fireplaces.

Now mostly we have a boat load of details to take care of such as the front door that sticks so hard that one has to push it with full body force or pull it with both hands...not a pleasant task. We also have two or three interior door knobs that have to be installed. The problem there is that the doors require old style latches as they are solid and not cut for today's door knobs and locks...a trip to Preservation Station and hopefully they will have what we need...I could go on, but that's boring. Most everything is coming together well, we have even moved in some furniture pieces! Stay tuned for more posts!

Thank You!

2009-08-12T20:26:00.001-07:00

To everyone who is reading the blog and making such kind comments, thank you! If there is anything that you would like to know or pictures that you would like to see, make a comment on the blog and I will do my best to answer your questions or post the photos that you would like to see.

Work is continuing, the template for the granite in the kitchen was done today, the cornice was added to the cabinets, more tweaking to the doors soon, master closet to be installed by Closets By Design in Franklin to be done this Friday.

Kitchen Cabinets Have Doors

2009-08-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the photos of the kitchen cabinets with doors, pulls and knobs. They're coming along, still need some tweaking to the doors so that they will close properly. The drawers appear to be perfect, and the cabinet people are to come back and add a cornice to match the Shaker cornices that are original to the house so that they go well together.

The Wallpaper's Up

2009-08-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Doug Haley Wallpaper hung the wallpaper last Tuesday and it is beautifully done! I would recommend him and Michael, his partner to do any one's wallpaper, they are truly masters of the art. Here are some photos of the foyer, border in the Living Room and the Guest Bath.Older posts have pictures of the unpapered walls. I have also included a shot of the decorative tile in the guest bath. It is not yet grouted.

Duchess, Read Her Post

2009-08-08T19:47:00.001-07:00

She disappeared...see her post on this blog under the July section!

Where are the Old Pictures?

2009-07-31T17:46:00.001-07:00

Some people have asked me how to find the older posts. Just go to the right of the blog screen and click on the "Blog Archive" section. It will give you an idea of how the project has progressed.

I am sorry that I do not have some very old fashioned shots to show that were made before digital (yes, about 10 years ago), but if you ever visit us in person, you may see them then...I promise not to torture you with making you look at them if you don't want:)

Kitchen Cabinets with Pulls and Knobs

2009-07-31T16:41:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos that I took today of the kitchen cabinets with their doors, knobs, and pulls. The doors still need to be adjusted which will happen next week now that our Geothermal is working properly (HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!) The cabinet installers redid the sofit so now the cabinets on that side are centered with both the wall and the sofit...GO SC Cabinets! I plan to call the stone fabricators Monday to set a time and date to do the template and do installation of the granite!

Also, as an aside the wall papering will start next week! Doug Haley will be doing the job and I hear he is fabulous!!!

Laughing Fox Farm, here we come!

Kitchen Cabinets

2009-07-22T15:23:00.001-07:00

This is a photo of the cabinets with doors located above where the stove will go. As you can see the knobs and pulls still need to be added and the cabinets may need to be moved slightly. They have been placed off center from the sofit because the sofit is too close to a door leading into the dining room and it would make the cabinets too close to the door. That's just one of those remodeling/restoration bumps in the road. But possibly between some paint camouflage and the cornice that needs to be added to the top of the cabinets, moving them can be avoided. That will ultimately be decided by Andy as it troubles him more than me...I am so ready to be done and in!!

Exterior Photos of the Stable with Exterior Lights

2009-07-22T15:18:00.001-07:00

Duchess, the Royal Foxhound

2009-07-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Every farm needs a "hound dog" and what a more perfect one for Laughing Fox Farm than an American Crossbred Foxhound? Her name is Duchess and she must think that she really is one, because the entire time that she lived in the hunting kennels, she wouldn't stop talking! I think she was saying, "I am royalty, and hunting is not in my blue blood!" Needless to say she didn't make the hunting cut and was "drafted" out to Andy and me. She fits right in with Gracie and usually with our Alpha, Emma. She is sweet, shy as becomes her breed, but is integrating herself just fine. I hope that she will have a long and happy life with us!

An update: Duchess was spayed Monday and is doing very well so far. I am keeping close tabs on her and not allowing her to "run" with Gracie and Emma for a few more days until her wound is well healed. Gracie goes to he surgeon next (don't tell her, but because she's a party girl it's for her own good...and mine):)!

Well, it has been both a sad and a very happy week. From the farm,Duchess went out to hunt with our other canines, Emma and Gracie, but did not return when they did on Monday evening. Andy and I were devastated. But there is a great end to the story. I notified all of the neighbours that I could, and got a call from Byrd Cain today saying that Alan Lancaster discovered her in his back yard this morning. Lorie, is sweet wife fed her and kept her safe until Andy and I could pick her up this afternoon. Other than being very thin and having a few ticks, she is unscathed. A BIG THANK YOU to the Williamsport Pet Pipeline and everyone who had a hand in rescuing Duchess. Of note, when we headed toward the truck to leave today, Duchess was the first one in! Again, thank you everyone!!!!!!

Some Tack Room Shots

2009-07-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of the interior of the tack room with the bridle shelf, and back door. Andy, you are the greatest!!

Kitchen Cabinets Installed No Doors or Drawers Yet

2009-07-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

These are the photos that I took today of the kitchen cabinets that Seth Brown and his crew of S.C. Brown Cabinets in Nashville installed. The doors and drawers along with pulls and knobs will be installed tomorrow. The wood is Cherry and Sycamore, it is beautiful and painted Sherwin Williams Duration Home Satin Jersey Cream. They look fantastically against the cocoa walls and walnut stained c. 1940 floors.

Geothermal Installation Continues

2009-07-05T19:45:00.000-07:00

The trenches for the geothermal units are being dug. There are four, 300' long, 30" around trenches that are 5' in the ground. They run from the house to a pasture about 100' behind the house. It took a day and a half to dig the trenches, run the tubes that will run the water and alcohol through them to heat and cool the house. It is being installed by Choice Mechanical, Nashville, TN Emma, our Alpha supervises the work...

Refinished Floors

2009-07-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

the refinished floors are beautiful. The crew with Innovative Designs, Lyes, TN did a wonderful job. I have included the upstairs room and guest bedroom before pictures, too.

Gracie, Our Rescue (That's Her in the Background of the First Picture Looking Like a Fox, Emma is in the Foreground)

2009-06-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

We rescued a female canine. She was almost starved to death (could feel every bone in her little body) and she had 49 ticks on her head alone! I want to think that she was a victim of the war and/or the economy, but whatever the case neglecting an animal like that is awful. No kill humane shelters or animal rescue organizations are wonderful places. Dropping an animal off to fend for itself is the wrong choice! But Gracie is one of the FEW lucky ones. We have had her now for nine days and have decided to keep her.

She is an answer to prayer. Andy's precious Golden Retriever, Emma has cancer. When we realized it in April, I said a prayer that asked God to send us the right canine to get along with Emma during her last months and one that would fit in with our life style. We were on our way to the farm when I spotted her and two other very thin dogs running across the highway. I whipped into a driveway where I saw a person (scared Andy half to death). I asked the man living there if he knew her, and he did not know the animal. He said that she had been a stray there for sometime, foraging for food in the trash. During the time that I was talking with him, she ran away, so I got back into the car and drove away thinking that she was not the one we were meant to have. Then I happened to look into a field to my left, and there she was loping along trying to keep up with the other two. In the time that it took me to turn quickly into the field (again a cardiac event for Andy), the other two were no where to be found, but she was in plain view. I got down on my haunches, clapped by hands and called out, "Here, girl!"; I had decided that she was female. She responded by running like crazy toward me, she approached me readily, smelled my hand, took the position that said she was submitting, and with caution I petted her. She wagged her tail, I lifted her up with one arm around her chest and the other around her backside. She was willing to be put into the car (fleas, ticks and all). We took her to the farm where she allowed a bath, eagerly ate cat food (it's all we had there), and went home with us that night.

She weighed 30 pounds, and now is up to 34. She is so cute! She looks like a miniature Golden Retriever, with the blue tongue of a Chow and the head and neck of a Daschund. She has the sweetest disposition. Andy has named her "Grace" because she found unmerited favor and we call her "Gracie". She's started coming to her name already. She loves to play ball! I treated her for ticks and fleas with Frontline and have wormed her. As soon as she gains some more weight (she has no where to stick for vaccines) I will take her for a vet visit. I hope that she is with us for a long time to come. We believe that she was meant to be ours. Say a little prayer for the two that I could not catch.

Photos:
Emma watching Gracie acting like a fox
Gracie
Gracie with her ball

An addendum: Gracie has gained more weight! She's now up to about 39 lbs., so I took her for her shots, worm exam (she had whip worms, so have treated them), and a check for heart worms (negative). She's a hoot and is stubborn!!!! We are working on coming back to me readily when she doesn't want to do that...obedience school may be in her future! In the meantime, she and Emma just love each other, they play and play, which is where they are right now...in the middle of the living room floor "face fighting". It's hilarious to see Emma who weighs 95lbs. being held at bay by Gracie the lightweight. Duchess, the Royal Fox Hound doesn't know what to do with them. I think she finds them amusing.

Geothermal

2009-06-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

Let the digging begin! The trenches (and I do mean trenches) are to be started tomorrow. There will be three, 300' long, 5' deep trenches for the unit that will be housed in one side of the basement. Boy, will THAT be a mess, but worth it!! Hope I can remember to make pictures of THAT!

The First Hillsboro Hounds Trail Ride at Laughing Fox

2009-06-25T14:22:00.001-07:00

We had our first trail ride yesterday! And wouldn't you know it? I didn't take any pictures!!! Andy worked so hard to get the grass mown, and as much of the construction debris moved as he could. Thank you, Ben, our nephew for his hard work Sunday and Monday. Also thanks, Chris, our builder for getting the cabinets and bridle shelf hung in the tack room.

It was an all girl trail ride: Stephanie Saveskie, Lelani Hrisko, Jennifer Walker Emily McAlister, Sarah Engish, and me. We rode Guinness, Ruffy, Tabasco, Chance, Nancy's Angel and Molly respectively. What a perfect group! We rode over about 1/2 of the farm and our sweet neighbours, Anne and Byrd Cain invited us to ride over their farm as well. We rode 2 hours and had so much fun!! We had the tail gate in the stable center aisle with wonderful COLD food.

Thank you everyone who came and had a part in making the first Hillsboro Hounds trail ride so much fun! We'll do it again!

Lighting

2009-06-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

While I had it on my pea brain I wanted to list the lighting suppliers. I will post pictures later:

Arte de Mexico - California
Kitchen Island Light

Averill (our current home)
Dining Room (took chandelier out of our current foyer)

www.ebay.com:
Foyer Light

Expo Designs - Nashville, TN (now out of business)
Sconce above Foyer Stairs
Front Porch

www.faucets.com:
Master Bath
Guest Bath
Guest Bedroom
Tack Room

Farm House
Original Light from Foyer to be used in Diningroom

Frank Jones - Electrician
Foyer Closet
Master Bedroom Closet
Upstairs Office
Recessed Lighting above all Fireplaces

Innovative Designs - Lyles, TN
Stable Center Asile

Lowes - Nashville, TN Master Bedroom
Living Room
Master Bath
Guest Bedroom #2 (Peach Room)
Back Porch
Outside Stable Lights

Sarai Lighting formerly Todd's Lighting - Columbia, TN
Breakfast Nook

Guest Bath Vanity

2009-06-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is the guest bath vanity. The wood is Cherry stained Mahogany, and the workmanship from S.C. Cabinet Company in Nashville is outstanding. It is beautiful, the hardware is on order and will be brass. The vanity top is cultured marble done by Dickson Marble. The Danze faucets came from Faucets.com and are brass. It is so exciting to have a vanity with water and a toilet!!!!

Uncovered Floors

2009-06-16T20:35:00.001-07:00

The floors are in remarkable shape. Chris Gill owner of Innovative Designs in Lyles, TN sanded the floors and filled in the very bad places that had water damage. Today he and his crew started cleaning them and will start finishing them tomorrow. Andy picked out the stain and I will get the name of the stain tomorrow. Pictures to follow...

The above pictures are as follows:

Foyer, Ash and in remarkable condition
Large Upstairs Room floor, Heart of Poplar with repairs, these floors were in fair condition
Master Bath floor, Heart of Poplar finishing with Ash, much water damage
Master Bedroom floor,Heart of Poplar with repairs, in pretty good shape
Living room floor, Heart of Poplar,these floors were refinished about 15-20 years ago when Mrs. Olive Hamilton Dobbins lived there and are in excellent condition
Foyer stairs without the banisters, Chestnut and beautiful

Andy's First Installed Stall Door

2009-06-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Here is Andy in front of his first installed stall door! He looks like he's been working hard. We left the farm that day, June 14 at 11:30p.m.; we were pooped! The stall fronts including the doors are from Ramm Stalls. They are a great company and I would highly recommend them. The quality is exceptional and the installation instructions are easy to read!

Stable Interior is Making Continued Progress

2009-06-13T12:23:00.001-07:00

Here are the pictures: the first one shows how I get the work to progress! The remainder of the photos show the interior progress through yesterday. Almost all of it was done by Andy and Michael; I helped to get the wood placed inside the last two doors and helped get the first door runner up.

Stable Pictures Coming

2009-06-09T16:38:00.001-07:00

I just realized that I don't have a photo of the finished stable on the recent posts. So here it is! The exterior lights are not in yet, and the shutters are not on, but you get the idea. The interior is to the point now that the stalls are going up (so exciting), but the bad news is that Michael leaves for DC Friday...We will miss him SO MUCH!

They've Started the Cabinets!

2009-06-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

met with Seth and Jessica Brown of S.C. Brown Cabinet Company in Nashville last Friday morning. I have signed off on the plans and the cabinets will look beautiful. They are making all the cabinets in the entire house which includes the kitchen, master bath and guest bath. All wood will be Cherry and the kitchen cabinets will be painted with Sherwin Williams Jersey Cream. The master bath vanity will be Dover White and the guest bath vanity is stained a rich Mahogany color. I have picked out the pulls and knobs from HGH Hardware in Nashville for all the cabinetry. I ordered them this morning. Did I mention hardware is costly?!!!! The cabinets should be ready in about 3-4 weeks. Eagle Fabricators in Nashville have my marble and granite and are awaiting notification from Brown's to fabricate. pictures to follow!

Stable Progress - Center Aisle

2009-05-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures of the progress made ending yesterday. The tongue and groove are going up very nicely, the ceiling tomorrow! That's Andy's childhood saddle; we'll hang it in the tack room, Emma is supervising the work.

Stable Interior - Tack Room

2009-05-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

These pictures show the interior of the tack room. The walls are almost finished with Michael Jones, our nephew who has been invaluable with this project, on the scaffolding. The tongue and groove wood is oak. Andy and Michael have laboured endlessly in getting this done. They will be continuing and hopefully finishing the stalls area next. Chris Gill, our builder showed them how to finish the hard parts and did some of it himself.

The Painting Is Done!

2009-05-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

We have finished the painting inside the house! (well,except for a second coat on the main room upstairs) Photos starting from the bottom: the kitchen with Sherwin Williams' Van Dyke Brown paint and the nearly floor to ceiling windows, the second photo is a shot taken from the kitchen through the dining room to the living room showing the Van Dyke, Antique Red of the dining room and the Santorini Blue of the living room located on the left front of the house, third is a shot of Andy and Michael in the foyer painting the shutters which will be hung on the outside front of the house...more on the shutters below, the forth photo is of Michael painting the new upstairs bedroom in Certain Peach,and the top photo is of Andy and Michael painting the guest bedroom Pressed Flower. This room is part of the original house. Andy picked out the color to go with the Davis Cabinet's Lillian Russell furniture that will go in there, he has a pretty good eye for a straight guy:)

Michael and Andy renamed all of the colors to reflect their character (they said it was to reflect the character of the farm, but I don't know)...Santorini Blue is now Williamsport Blue, Antique Red is now Tomato Soup Red, Van Dyke Brown is now Hershey Bar Chocolate, Certain Peach is Farm Raised Salmon, Pressed Flower is now Simply Mauvealous, Halcyon Green is now Old Money Green,and Rainwashed is Public Bathroom Blue, and Ivorie, is, well, Ivorie. Oh, Michael has decided that when they greet each other they are to say, "How are you?" The other responds, "Peachy King, how are you?" "Simply Mauvealous"...they're spending WAY too much time together! Michael really needs to hurry to DC!

Now about the shutters: I found these shutters in an outbuilding on the farm and the markings on them perfectly match the markings on the inside of the front window frames. They appear to have been originally made for the front windows before the smaller windows to the left and right of the front two windows were added. We do not know how old they are, but judging from the wood, weight, dryness, and the old paint, they may have very well been a part of the original house. Originally they were meant to close over the front windows. So far they have taken one coat of primer and three coats of Hunter Green paint with no real end in sight. We will hang them on the front of the house on either side of the front windows. There are two sets of them.

In the upstairs Peach painted room I had the stained glass placed. I found the stained glass with the profile of a 1920's lady in a hat a number of years ago in an antique store. I bought it because it reminded me of a photo that I had seen as a child of my paternal grandmother, Emma Bloodworth Jones in the 1920's. She, in the stained glass, now watches over the farm and is facing where the mares will live. My grandmother loved horses and I have a photo of her with her horse "Billy". He was black and of indeterminate origin; he looked like a, well actually I don't know what he looked like!...a nice guy I guess.

Next steps...

Our builder must get all of the door knobs and locks attached to the doors and make sure that all the doors close and latch. The floors are ready to be finished.

meeting with the cabinet builders in one week to finalize them! Seth Brown of Brown Cabinets has brought the vanity for the guest bath and it is so beautiful! I will photograph it, but he does not want to add the doors until the hardware comes, and of course those are on back order. maybe next week?

hope we have a toilet installed by next week early, the folks at the Williamsport Market and Deli have been great about letting me use their "facilities" Thanks, Ms. Virginia! I must get a photo of the market and the ladies who work there!

Stay tuned!

The Exterior of Four Flues Over the Cukoo's Nest at Laughing Fox Farm

2009-05-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Progress Continues May, 2009

2009-05-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we have started painting the interior of the house. All of the paint came from Sherwin Williams, all have a satin finish except the trim, mantles, and doors which are Dover White in a flat finish. The living room is Santorini Blue, the foyer under the chair rail is Ivorie, toile paper will be above, the Master Bedroom is Halcyon Green, the Master Bath is Rainwashed Blue, the Dining room is Antique Red!We have not started painting the second floor...

The exterior painting is done. The yellow is from Sherwin Williams and called Lilly, the white is Ibis White. The gutters were hung two weeks ago, and that's great as it has been continually raining since! The builder, Chris Gill, Innovative Designs, is working on the restoration of the exterior shutters that will hang on the front. The old windows continue to be a challenge, but Chris is working on them.

Our nephew, Michael Jones is moving to Washington DC, and has taken a few weeks to help us out with our project. He is painting, and both he and Andy are working on the tongue and grove paneling inside the stable. It is going to be beautiful!

Frank Jones, our electrician and plumber has started hanging the house interior lights.

S. C. Brown Cabinets in Nashville have almost finished the guest bath vanity. Andy wants it to be just like the one we have here at Averill, right down to the finish and brass fixtures. I am looking for those now. It looks like we will have the top done as culture marble probably from Dickson Marble, Lyles, TN.

Our kitchen island light/pan rack arrived and it's going to take Sampson to hang it! Thanks to Ann Cain for helping me find it! It will be perfect for the house with all of its farm animals on the border.

I have picked out the granite for the kitchen. It is primarily gold and white with cranberry veins, a lot of movement. It is with the fabricators, Eagle fabricators awaiting the cabinets.

The master bath vanity will have a marble top. And did I mention that vessel sinks and all their various parts have been a real hoot to get together, but I think I have done it. I ordered the vessel sink on line with a company called "Bathroom Furniture". It is by St. Thomas Collections and is white. The faucet, a Price Pfister is coming from faucets.com and one has to order a drain with the correct with or without overflow and plug. I hope it comes together.

Our Irises are so beautiful this year and the pink dogwood is so vibrant.

I wish someone would come and dig up all of our grass and replace it with grass that only grows 3" tall! We are beginning to look like a jungle!

Various Miscellaneous Photos

2009-04-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

The Exterior of the Stable is Done!

2009-04-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

The upper border around all four sides of the stable was finished Friday. The stable is Andy's pride and joy at Laughing Fox. I plan to take pictures this weekend and will post them. The cornerstone was layed and completed the day before. Here are a couple of pictures of that.

Tennessee Stone Company in Nashville, TN owned by Larry Mashburn did the stone work. We would highly recommend them for stone work. They were conscientious, hard-working, dependable and did everything that we asked for them to do. Thanks, TN Stone!

Also here is a photo of the stained glass above the front door of Four Flues. So far this is my favorite part of the house...of course it's no where near done!

The Time Capsule

2009-04-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

April 14, 2009: Andy and I are going to Laughing Fox today to have the cornerstone placed at the stable. We are going to have our time capsule ready that includes this blog and other hard pictures that we have. It will be placed behind the cornerstone. We hope that the stable will not come to grief, but if it does hopefully someone will find this time capsule, find it interesting and use it to their advantage.

What is left to do:

Finish the interior of the stable
Finish restoring and hanging the interior doors at Four Flues
Finish restoring and hanging the windows and shutters
Interior painting, refinishing the floors, reworking the fireplaces, hang the banister, hang lighting, hang wall paper in the foyer, move in!!!

Thank you for visiting and hopefully following our blog!

Clarice and Andy

Restoration Stages

2009-04-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

These photos are of various restoration stages that were taken about September,2008, just bout the time we started the project

Progress Continues

2009-04-10T21:02:00.001-07:00

Andy and Michael have been working on the stable this week along with the stonemasons. The outside is almost done and it looks fantastically!!! The inside has the board walls hung almost completely around where the stalls will be. When it is finished, I will post the good and the "could be improved" comments.

The wallpaper came for the foyer of the house. It is beautiful and I can't wait to see it hung! Doug, I promise as soon as Andy gives me the go ahead, I'll call you! I also picked up the paint for the kitchen, getting ready to order the vent for above the stove, and Jess and Seth Brown are working on the drawings for the cabinets and the vanities. What I have learned here is that there are about a million range vents!

The wind was so hard today that it bent the hinges on the gates going into where the stable is...it's always something!! But the upside is that we can clearly see the Duck River from the house, what a beautiful site!

2009-04-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Stable progress

Restoration and History of Laughing Fox Farm, Williamsport, TN

2009-03-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Hello, everyone!

This begins the story about the restoration of the home at Laughing Fox Farm in Williamsport, Tennessee. Our friends know that we have had this farm for 10 years now. It has truly been a journey full of surprises (like the period sideboard found in the cellar of the house), excitement and quandaries. We hope to make this blog not only about the progress and life at Laughing Fox, but hopefully it will be a place to come for answers regarding the restoration of old (and I do mean old...like 165 years worth of old house) structures, building of a small equine stable, fencing, and farming (mostly we refer those questions to the farmers who take care of our farm...we are more like Oliver and Lisa Douglas for those of you who remember the old "Green Acres" sitcom) and topics of general interest in Williamsport, TN.

A little history...

Our farm is historically documented by that branch of the federal government that documents historic dwellings. It was in the same family, the Sowells and the Dobbins since its inception in 1843 or there abouts. The last Dobbins, Mrs. John Bills Dobbins (Olive Hamilton) died in the house in October, 1998 and we bought the farm from her nieces, Janice Mashburn and Sally Granger currently of Nashville, TN who are sisters in March, 1999. It is 200+ acres bordered on the back by the Duck River, on the southwest side by the Doyle farm, formerly the Russell farm, and on the east side by the Cain farm, formerly the Cheek farm. It sits on the terminus of Dobbins Lane. It is secluded but not too far away from "civilization". It is to the east of the Natchez Trace and Nashville can be reached in about 45-50 minutes. We bought the farm with investment in mind and with plans to move there someday. It has been continually farmed since the 1840's. It is usually planted with soybeans and corn and until three years ago we had up to 72 head of Black Baldie cattle on the farm.

Since 1999 the main house has undergone extensive renovation. After consulting a restorationist and a lot of people who said, "yes, we can do that" and we learned they couldn't, we started working on the house ourselves. Then my husband, Andy bought businesses that began taking his time and there was no time for the farm. During that time I lived there for two summers with my mare, Nancy. The farmers, the Kelleys, farmed the place and generally took care of it. Andy would come down for the weekends, but progress was SLOW!!!

Fast forward to 2008...

Andy decided that it was time to get going on restoring the house and building a small stable for the mares, Nancy's Angel and Good Golly, Miss Molly. He found a man at our church who has a company called Innovative Designs, and work started in diligence in August. Work on the stable also started about that time.

The "bones" of the house were great as it had an intact roof, and a strong stone foundation. The wiring and plumbing were at least from the 1940's if not older. Of interest, the outbuildings, even the slave quarter had been electrically wired at some point. The heating consisted of two gas floor furnaces in the master bedroom and the kitchen. There were also old gas Heat-O-Laters in all four of the fireplaces, but did not appear to be in working order. There was one window unit air conditioner in the master bedroom. The original floors, mantels, doors and door surrounds, stairs and banister were in outstanding shape considering the age that was by this time about 165 years. Mrs. Dobbins lived in the right side of the house during the later years of her life, so the floors were a little tired and there was evidence of water damage at some point. But overall they too were in reasonable condition. There were also "closets" that were original to the house and followed the Shaker design. One room was presumably a dining room. It originally came off of the back porch that lead to the summer kitchen. The original dining room has a wall of built-in cabinetry that surrounds a fireplace. And there is a very shallow but tall (ceiling to floor) closet in what was perhaps a parlor or living room. Five very old and possibly original windows with bubbled glass that had been covered with aluminum storm windows and doors were still intact.The original mud and livestock hair walls were still inside. They were covered with wallpaper that dated to about the 1970's. I tried very hard to find at least a tiny bit of the original wall paper but to no avail. But in the kitchen that was added in the 1940's I took off five layers of paper and I have kept samples of all paper removed from the house. Some of it is very colorful leading me to think that dear Mrs. Dobbins had a love of color just like me!

The house is of the Greek Revival style with four square columns on the front porch, a center foyer and two rooms on either side of the foyer. The floors in the foyer appear to be either Ash or Chestnut. The stairs to the half story upstairs are Chestnut. The floors in the other rooms are the original Heart of Poplar. Interestingly the room that was probably a dining room was floored in Poplar, but they must have run out and it was finished with Chestnut...would love to know the story on that! The upstairs floors are also Heart of Poplar, and the basement floor is bricked and has stone walls. The nieces from whom we bought the farm said they remember eating there and retreating to the basement during hot summer days. All of the framing is Chestnut and Poplar still holding the old square head nails and wooden pegs to provide even more structural integrity. I personally removed more nails than I could count when we took out the furring behind the mud walls.The house is so solid that it doesn't give hardly anywhere even the stairway! An attestment to wonderful workmanship and design!

Now each room's story including the outside of the house:

The House's Exterior:

The house still had the original or near original Heart of Poplar clapboard. It was in poor condition. We replaced the sides and back of the house's clapboard with Hardy Plank and have chosen to keep the original wood on the front. Historically it is correct to paint this era home a light gray, white or a pale yellow. Did I mention that I love color? Guess which we chose? I found a pair of very old wooden shutters in one of the out buildings and plan to have them restored, painted dark green, and hung on either side of the two front windows. We were able to save four of the five old windows. The front porch is now concrete, but from a photograph that Janice Mashburn, one of the Dobbins nieces from whom we bought the house, gave us we saw that it was wooden planking. The four square columns were in OK condition. We have had to have the bottoms of three of them replaced but have been able to save the remainder of the columns. The pediment above the front porch had to be essentially replaced. The front door is original and all doors are wide enough to accommodate Hoop Skirts popular during the era. The roof was in good condition, but we chose to replace it with a product called "Duration Roofing" that is guaranteed for the life of the house...maybe another 165 years? We did not go with tin. We have experienced a house fire and asking for another was not what we wanted to chance. The chimneys were in good condition. We have had them rebuilt and they will be regrouted soon. They appear to be in working condition, but the fireplaces, except for one are piped for gas, so we will follow suit and use gas logs...again that house fire thing. The back of the house has a very unattractive "patio" that amounts to a walkway from the kitchen back porch that is also really ugly. We are currently considering what to do there. Any suggestions?? We added a section to the second floor on the back of the house that looks very pretty from the back yard, a little Seaside-esk look, non intentional, but unexpectedly pleasant. I asked the builder to incorporate a space above the second floor window to place a stained glass window. It is a profile of a 1920's lady's face that reminded me when I bought it of my paternal grandmother, Emma Mae Bloodworth Jones. She now watches over the farm.

The Kitchen and Bathroom:

The house remained as it was originally built in the 1840's for 100 years until a kitchen and bath were added along with a little back hallway and closet, yes! a closet!! All of this was added roughly in the area where the back porch was originally. The kitchen was a nice size, but the bathroom was a hoot!! It was so small that when the door was opened, it hit the toilet, but the plumbing worked quite well, surprisingly. The kitchen had plumbing for a washer, a sink, wiring for a stove, refrigerator and lighting that at some point had gotten water in the fixture...a little scary when turning on a light and you see water sloshing around...we stopped using that light! It also had a pretty impressive exhaust fan on the wall above the stove that filtered smoke to the outside of the house. The kitchen had an indoor/outdoor thermometer! There were two windows that were fairly small on the end wall and one window above the sink. The floors were covered in vinyl that appeared to be from the 1970's that covered presumably the original oak flooring which we have saved. I took five wallpaper layers off of the walls and saved samples of them.These rooms have been completely gutted, the hall has been captured in what will be a master closet, that wall is closed to allow as much space as will be possible for the kitchen. The working end of the kitchen will be on the end opposite of the breakfast nook, in other words the end away from the end windows. That will look out ceiling to wall windows on three walls allowing for a beautiful view of the Duck River and sunsets. We have hired Seth Brown of S.C. Brown Cabinets in Nashville to design and build the kitchen cabinets. He is so into historic restoration that we look forward to his work! They will be painted a butter cream color and the walls will be a very dark cocoa. With all of the windows at the end of the room it should be a very inviting place to cook and eat.

The Foyer:

It is beautiful! Original Ash or Chestnut flooring, original stairs (Chestnut), original banister, original doors and door surrounds. I removed the wall paper, no original wallpaper could be found unfortunately, and all of the original livestock hair and mud walls and ceiling were taken down. They were about to all fall in. The original light fixture was still in the foyer and wired in a most unattractive fashion. I took it down and had it restored to its original condition as an oil burning lamp. I will hang it as an accessory light in the dining room. The original livestock hair and mud walls have been replaced with drywall (well, if it's good enough for Mt. Vernon...). We had a restorationist look at the house and he immediately said that if we didn't tear out the walls that they would end up on our heads...so out they came throughout the entire house. We plan to have the foyer papered in a hunting toile that my wonderful decorator, Jane Cherry of Columbia, TN helped me pick out from the Wall Paper Warehouse in Nashville. It is a very dark green on a taupe background, so looks neutral and works well when entering the foyer and looking into the kitchen. When the house was built, above the front door were five sections of glass, non-working windows. We had the glass removed with the intention of saving them, but they were so brittle, they all broke into a million shards. So, and not in keeping with historic accuracy, I designed a fox hunting scene comprised of five sections, each with a different hunting scene. My friends and current neighbours, Susan and David Alsobrooks of Alsobrooks Stained Glass Studios in Burns, TN drew the design, put the glass together and voile! It is spectacular! It is in keeping with the name and theme of our wonderful farm.

The four main original rooms on the lower level:

All of the walls have been replaced with drywall, I saved samples of all of the wallpaper that I removed. We have been able to save all of the doors, door surrounds, mantles and, as earlier mentioned, four of the five original windows. The fireplaces are very used as would be expected in a house of this age. Three of the four fireplaces are piped for gas logs. We will cover the hearths and edges of the fireplaces with marble that my husband loves that we have in our home now. It is of a gray background with cranberry and white veins. The room that was apparently originally a dining room will be the master bath! How fun to already have built-in cabinets for linens. The plumbing has been reworked by our neighbour who is a plumber and electrician, Frank Jones,and we plan to have Seth Brown build the vanity, we have a lovely tub in mind that has a double wall that hides a whirlpool. The floors in the two rooms to the right of the foyer have been sanded by our builder and will be refinished when the painting is done. The front right room will be the master bedroom and it will be painted a soft greenish-blue and the room behind it, the master bath has had beaded board installed to about the four feet mark and will be painted a coordinating color with the color in the master bedroom. The front room to the left of the foyer will be the living room and will be painted a soft dark blue with a wide fox hunting border near the ceiling, the back room will be the dining room and will be painted red!! that color thing again!

Upstairs:

At some point plaster was done on the walls and ceilings, but had fallen into poor condition so was replaced with drywall. The floors are Heart of Poplar and have been sanded and will be refinished. The a/c unit will be placed in the eves and our builder built an access door that matches an original access door in the same room. An addition was built on the second floor to allow for a closet come third bedroom. There is a guest room upstairs and in the house was an old wardrobe that our builder is restoring and we will use it as a closet in that room. Andy's office will be upstairs and he plans to put his pool table there, too. He has a great view of the south side of the farm.

The Cellar:

It is so wonderful!! The bricked floor will stay that way and we have a nephew, William Michael Jones who is determined that it should be a wine cellar...we'll see.

So today, March 30, 2009...

It seems that every time we are ready to do something new, something else inhibited that plan. For example, the weather would turn badly, storms, not just rain. These storms blew down two trees that were over 150 years old, but, thankfully they did no damage, but unfortunately to themselves. Then the cold came. The heating unit was stolen right out of the house (why do some people think they can take someone else' s things??...would be a bad idea to try that now on the farm, we have interesting security) So work on the house stopped for the winter.

Currently...

Right now we are waiting for the stonemasons to grout the chimneys, and while we are waiting on that, they are stoning the outside of the stable...more on the stable later. After the chimneys are finished, it will be warm enough to finish the exterior painting that had been started.

Some interesting tidbits...

About that sideboard that we found in the cellar. It was almost gone, but I saw potential. We found a furniture restorationist, Randall Grace in Nashville who picked up the pieces, kept it for one year and completely restored it. We will place it in the dining room. It is truly beautiful, a solid cherry top that oozed grease when Randall worked on it, crotch Mahogany veneer, and Heart of Poplar. It has four columns on the front, one was missing. I remembered seeing it nailed to something in the attic, so I retrieved it and Randall was able to use it. I can't wait to have it in the dining room, back in it's place of pride.

I broke my back during a fox hunt 10 years ago, so moving just after that time was awful. But we had just bought the farm,and I was still exploring the house. In the attic I found a hand carved frame that surrounded a print that is in poor condition of a buck, doe and fawn. The frame is about four feet by 3 feet and I will use it on something in the house.

The Summer Kitchen:

Still standing, but barely. We hope to restore it. It would make a great office for Andy

The Smoke House:

In good condition. The salt trough is still there. Andy cleaned it out a number of years ago and that it what I used for a tack room and grooming area for Nancy. It is now holding various things that will be used in the barn. Andy and I want to make it a chapel.

The Sharecroppers Residence:

This little building is behind and to the right of the summer kitchen. The nieces from whom we bought the farm said that they remember "Aunt Cornelia" a family dependent who lived in this structure when they were children which would have been in the 1950's-60's. It is two rooms with a center fireplace, a wonderful house with beaded board walls.

The Slave Quarter:

It is falling in now, but still very identifiable down by the original barn that is about 100 feet from the Duck River. It has a stone fireplace made with hand struck stone as are all of the fireplaces and chimneys in the out buildings.

The Original Barn:

Gone, flat like a pancake

The New Stable:

Now, how many men do you know who have no interest whatsoever in equine activities who would build a stone, stable for their wife? Andy has. It is so cute. It is 36'x36' with three stalls, a cemented center asile, a washroom and a tack/feed room all with cemented floors. It has a second story large enough to be converted into an apartment. The stone is Tennessee limestone and laid in a way called dry stack, and we had a cornerstone laid etched with the logo of the farm, the name of the farm and the date of the farm's founding. The logo is a fox, laughing dressed in formal hunt attire. Laughing Fox Farm is written above the fox and the date below. Hopefully this structure will last forever, Andy's mark on the farm.

We are so blessed to have this farm. I hope this is of interest to you. I plan to print this off and place in into a time capsule and have it sealed behind the cornerstone in the stable.