My first three months in Knoxville were so miserable that even the sun decided to take a break for the winter.  Now that the seasons have changed, it's a completely different story, and it's as though clouds never existed.  There is a beautiful intensity to the landscape of East Tennessee, and after hearing about its glory from my husband for the last seven years, I'm glad I finally get to experience it for myself. 

Now that we've been pardoned from the despair of winter, things are really starting to move quickly at the farm (which is the moniker we've given to the family homestead).  The excavators have been making quick work of the mountain, and now we finally have a level little spot behind the garage for our secret garden.

The main entrance is shaping up - the privet is history!

 

And this is slightly embarrassing, and I'm sure more than a little annoying for the person behind the wheel, but I love watching the excavator at work.  I sat on the porch of the main house for over an hour watching Mr. Excavator dude remove piles of dirt and debris from the yard.

 

And things are happening upstairs, too!  The skeleton upstairs is taking shape, and at this moment the contractors are framing the window above the toilet.  In order to pull as much heat from the wood stove downstairs, we've elected to leave the flue exposed as it travels through the floor on its ascent through the roof.  Hence that void between the bathroom wall and the closet.

And to wrap up our tour today, here is the piece de resistance, a new closet!  Because the depth maxes out at 18", it will be the perfect repository for all things, as long as those things are not on hangers.  One of my first lessons in design school - closets must always be 2'-0"D.  Sometimes it's fun to break the rules.