
Author: Spence's Girl
Sunrise, Sunset Repeat
There is something magical about Tennessee that draws me back year after year. With the Great Smoky Mountains as a backdrop and overlooking Wears Valley, the view from my cabin is ever-changing. Rising early to watch the sunrise – this year with a rooster cock-a-doodle-doing in the valley and enjoying a glass of wine while witnessing every sunset is a priority for me. It’s a perfect way to bookend a day in Tennessee and never disappoints.
Tennessee Travels
Road trip 2021, arrived on Memorial Day hours early for my Wears Valley cabin check-in. Already in nearby Townsend it was time to let my vacation begin, starting with an impromptu wine tasting at Cades Cove Cellars, stocking up on wine…. since I was there anyway. Next on to drive Cades Cove Loop, 11 miles, one lane/one way road. The 11 miles is leisurely and slow-moving easily 2-3 hours which lined up with my check-in and a perfect choice as this place is everything I love about Tennessee. My #1 Tennessee trip goal is to see a black bear every trip – hopefully more than one. Photos never truly capture the majestic mountains, abundant meadows and that sky above… what I’d imagine heaven looks like.Â
And on this first vacay day, I had my first bear sighting, check!

Painting on a gloomy Sunday
Today has been a mix of light rain, cloudy with infrequent bursts of sunshine and hovering in the 60’s. Â Add to that a grueling day of yard work yesterday and I decided to give my back and shoulders a much needed break…. and paint.
While I completed my first wine bottle tree in recent weeks, I’ve purchased another and have been drinking wines in clear bottles so I could complete and display it in Summer 2021. I admit to making sacrifices for my artistic endeavors.
That said, I also had several garden items that desperately needed a facelift as well as a set of canisters that I’ve been dying to paint. Â Here are the results of a fun, albeit messy day of painting.
A Freaking Supernova
In a few hours I mark my 65th birthday, the second during the pandemic. I saw this quote today and it resonated.

My weird, fun, twisty, happy and quirky life in a sentence.
Tulips, in the garden




In the garden on the last day of April
A walkabout in my garden on the last day of April, finds signs of life everywhere, from bulbs to perennials to sprouting cilantro from last years wind-blown seeds.Â
In the garden
Today was sunny, a perfect day to spend outdoors working in the yard. I noticed these blooms and grabbed my phone to capture these beautiful images. Then I picked a bouquet….
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Bluebells over oregano -
Hyacinths -
Tulips -
Daffodils -
Ruffled Daffodil -
Grape Hyacinth -
Tulip -
Daffodils -
Ruffled Daffodil -
From my garden oasis
Reo, life as the little sister in my own words

to see outside because he’s so tall.


My name is Reo and my mom helped me with this blog post, she’s best kitten mom ever.
In the garden
- Michigan is having the warmest and sunniest Spring in years and because of this I need to take a stroll each day to see what’s coming up. Â
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Hyacinth Hyacinth Petite Tulips Hyacinth Hyacinth Daffodil