Turkeys and deer and snakes—oh my!

Not long after moving to Norris, we were driving around town and saw a rafter (or gang, if you prefer) of wild turkeys walking through a field. As a newcomer to the area, I did a double take—were we really seeing turkeys?? I’ve seen them again on several occasions and while it doesn’t come as much of a surprise anymore, it’s fun to spot them and their distinctive walk.

Norris is home to all kinds of wildlife; the city and the Norris Watershed area are considered a wildlife sanctuary (see map). An aerial view of the city shows how much green space there is throughout the town; this remnant of early city design provides space for animal habitats to coexist with the people who live here. We’ve noticed at the house that as the grasses are filling in and the garden is growing, there are more butterflies, dragonflies, and bees in the backyard.

many trees and green spaces in the city of Norris

In addition to the wild turkeys, we’ve seen deer, rabbits, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, hawks, bats, snakes, and vultures. We’ve smelled skunks, and have heard frogs, crickets, cicadas, and many songbirds. This is only a small sampling of area wildlife; the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Watchable Wildlife Information site has links to different wildlife types, wildlife programs, species lists, and publications.

eastern bluebird (source)

The trees around the house are full of birds that start their singing early in the morning and continue until the evening. The time of day could be tracked by the singing and chirping of the birds alone. The early hours are bursting with song, midday is a quieter yet constant chatter, and late afternoon the cawing of crows almost drowns out anything else. From the kitchen window, I’ve seen Eastern bluebirds (they have the most brilliant blue coloring), cardinals, blue jays, robins, hawks, crows, house finches, pileated woodpeckers, sparrows, and wrens. This list is short since it’s limited to the birds I can identify; there are many more species in the area.

hawk with snake, seen from kitchen window

The Norris Dam recreation area is close by and a good spot for watching birds or wildlife. Because the Clinch River flows through here, different types of birds and wildlife live in the area; you might see herons, ducks, kingfishers, trout, and turtles. The 2.5 mile Songbird Trail follows the river, and is a good place for an easy and peaceful walk close to many birds. We’ve always enjoyed the trail on the walks we’ve taken there; it’s a bonus to have a protected area like it practically in our backyard.

Sponsor Spotlight: Room and Board

We've been looking for the perfect chairs to make the gravel plinth more inviting, and we finally found them! 

Thanks to our gracious sponsors at Room and Board, we are getting two Emmet Lounge Chairs! These chairs are made in America by Loll Designs. The chairs are 100 percent recycled high-density plastic, making them a perfect fit for the sustainable goals we strive for at the New Norris House. Check back soon for pictures of the chairs in use!

For more than 30 years, Room & Board has focused on the simple idea that good design should be beautiful, affordable and long-lasting. We work closely with American artisans to offer furniture and accessories-even custom pieces-that fit the needs of modern life. We're proud that more than 90 percent of the products we sell are handcrafted in the U.S. to give customers the best combination of quality and price. www.roomandboard.com

How does your garden grow?

The garden was planted a little over a month ago, and I’m amazed at how fast things have grown. Since this is the first garden I’ve ever had, I don’t have a point of reference for plant growth patterns; I suppose they’re growing at typical rates that just seem fast to me.

The arugula is ready for harvesting, so last week we had a peppery arugula salad with pear, prosciutto, goat cheese, olive oil, and honey. It was great to be able to pick a few dollars worth of produce that started out from a $2.00 seed packet.

The red cabbage and cauliflower leaves are as big as my hand; they’re in the front of the first box. Carrots and rainbow chard, also in the first box, will probably be ready in two to three weeks.

There are five tomato plants, and one has about six tomatoes growing on it. The others are starting to bud and should be bearing fruit soon. One of my favorite scents is a tomato plant (or a tomato fresh off the vine); I find myself lingering by the tomatoes when I water the garden, and will rub one of the leaves to help release the scent.

I’m excited about the fennel. A single organic bulb is around $4.00 at the grocery store, so growing it in the garden saves money. The fronds look like a miniature forest right now.

The cucumber plants are flowering, and one of the pepper plants has flowers and the start of a promised mammoth jalapeno, according to the plant name tag.

The zinnias are getting taller, and are even more vibrant than ever.

I use a watering can and water from the cistern at the bottom of the raised beds to water the plants. Reusing rainwater in the garden means less fresh water is used outside (as long as the cistern contains water; the hose has been used as backup a couple times). I’ve come to enjoy being outside watering and tending to the garden--it’s calming and has made me pay attention to the soil, the progress of plant growth and the condition of leaves/vegetables, and insects that inhabit the raised beds. It's a whole new ecosystem to learn about and explore!

Meadow Planting Day and landscape photos

This weekend we planted the first half of our native grass meadow. The plan goes like this: 1) to suppress weeds, spread cardboard and staple to the ground with landscape staples 2) mark the plant locations on 2' centers 3) dig, dig, dig 4) plant, water and wait.

This is a slightly experimental meadow project. We are in a residential area, so the typical preparation of burning the plot of land to be planted with meadow grass seeds was out of the question. We will keep you posted on the (hopeful) success of this project!

Digging through the cardboard. It rained that morning which helped make the cardboard easier to cut through.

We are planting the meadow on the steeper parts of the site to help control erosion.

The volunteers are making great progress installing River Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) in the shadier parts of the site. Isn't the cabbage getting big?

River Oats planted along the shady plinth edge.

Before leaving for the day we made sure to water everything, including the vegetable garden we planted a few weeks ago. Phil is using harvested rainwater to fill up the watering can.

The tomatoes in the raised vegetable beds are doing great.

The plants in the greywater bed are HUGE and it is only May. I think they must be happy.

Thank you so much to all the volunteers that came out to help this weekend! We planted over 400 plants and couldn't have done it with out you!