Settling In

The neighborhood

I moved to the hills of east Tennessee from coastal Virginia in July of 2011 - almost a year and a half ago. That seems like a long time, and the move wasn't all that far geographically, but I still have a bit of settling in to do. While much here is more or less like it was  there, a new place always requires a certain amount of learning, I think. But I like to experience new things. That's half the fun of going somewhere new - the newness of it. So maybe I don't really want to be all that settled in just yet. The truth is, I hope to never run short of things to discover about this place. So far, the little plot of hillside around my home has provided enough to keep me observing and adjusting. And I'm still noticing new stuff every day. The trees are a little different from what I'm used to. The birds don't sound quite the same. And there are wild things in the woods that I haven't seen before (both critter-wise and plant-wise). Oh, and there's the steepness of it all. As a girl who grew up in the very flattest parts of the flat part of Virginia, the hilliness of the hills takes some getting used to.

As I wander up and down those hills, I plan on sharing my adventures here. Some may be true adventures of the get-out-there-and-explore-stuff variety, while many will probably be quieter outings that don't stray too far afield. All will be my effort to slow down, look around and learn about this new place I call home.