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Our New Favorite Place to Sit a Spell

May 28, 2026

view from inside a shed

Late of an evening you can often find us sitting in the shed. Sometimes we’re joined by Paul, Austin, and Corie.

The shade from the sun is nice and the boys love to sit on the tractor or four-wheeler and pretend they’re driving like Papaw.

Woodrow and Ira also love to go behind the shed. There’s not really anything back there, but they like walking the little trail around the edge and throwing rocks down the hill once they’re in the back. I’m sure when they’re bigger the area will make a dandy hideout—not too far away from the houses, but isolated enough to make them feel like they are hidden.

I’ve done several videos behind the shed to hide from the midday sun and enjoyed the peaceful place myself.

The new shed has been so handy for storing tools and other things that I don’t know how we managed without it. Well I do know, we had most of the stuff like the lawn mowers and weedeaters crammed in the basement where they barely fit and were always in the way.

I enjoy seeing the red tin when I wash dishes. I know there’ll come a day in a few years that I won’t hardly be able to remember what the area looked like before the shed was there. It will always be part of Ira and Woodrow’s memories. Someday I’ll have to tell them it only took Papaw and Mamaw 30 years to build it šŸ™‚

Last night’s video: We Had To Buy Tomato Plants.

Tipper

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41 Comments

  1. Prayers for all in need. Love the ā€œFamily in the Shedā€. It’s precious what things build memories for all that are participating in building them. I love how peaceful and relaxing it is for y’all. When I sit on our back deck, the sun going down on the front of our house, I feel so relaxed and prayerful. Not getting to do this very often now, I get my quiet and solitude, late at night, sitting on my sofa, when my husband and daughter are sleeping and I can finally relax. God is so good to me, I think that is because I’m a night owl. I’m getting ready to fix dinner, thinking I’ll make a lasagna for the family. Our son has come to see his dad and sister, to visit with them, since Jack has gotten sick and it’s been about a year and a half since we saw him. I’m so happy to see him and that we are all together in our home. Thanks for praying for all of us and please continue praying. We certainly need them. Hope everyone has a pleasant weekend and upcoming week. Love and prayers to all and continue enjoying all life’s pleasures and bounty. God bless all today, tomorrow and always. J

  2. When everyone is there, might be a good place for some pickin’ and grinin’ time!!

  3. That looks like a delightful gathering place to sit and visit a while. I love that view… šŸ™‚

  4. Don’t know if ‘skeeters’ are a problem in Cherokee County (they are big as buzzards here in Texas ): ), but if they are I suggest you look for a couple of the old “smudge pots” like the ones used to light up highway construction in pre-war days when you stop in thrift stores and salvage yards. I think they are also called “flare pots”. New ones that are not globe-shaped are found on Amazon.

    A decade or more ago we found some new ones in stainless steel at Sam’s. We put citronella oil in them and light them when we sit on the patio. They work great.

  5. I really like the shed and i am happy you all got it built. We are back at the hospital after waiting 5 hours last week for nothing. But they are fixing to shock Moms heart as they kicked me out of the room.
    please pray that it goes well and will help her temporarily till they do a bigger procedure in 2 months.

  6. Hi Tipper and Acorns. What a glorious view. I’m so glad that this came to y’all in this time of your life. If you had gotten it earlier on you would have been too busy to enjoy it like this. GOD gave it to you at just the right time. Such a sweet Blessing. TY for sharing it with us. I hope that everything y’all did in the garden cured it. I hope that you are blessed with a bountiful tomato crop for your fresh eating and your canning. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Hollow in my prayers. TY all for your prayers for Ed and me. He did a little better again today. He was out of the bed and up to the recliner for breakfast till lunch. He’s eating some better too. It is sad that he now weighs just 153, down from 210 in January. I’m going to get him a couple of pairs of pajama shorts and regular shorts next week. All of his are large and extra-large and they just won’t stay up anymore. He just so skinny and hardly any meat on his bones anymore. I love y’all.

  7. It is nice to have a special spot to clear your mind and relax. Depending on the season there are a few her where we live. Now, as of this morning is the front porch watching the hummingbirds. When I have a heavy heart and need to walk, I go to the barn and walk around the back. Where there is a small clearing of a field. The trees has grown so much you can’t see the view of the lake. As we live upon a hill. It’s beautiful here is the fall. It’s my husband childhood home. Surrounded by woods. Our road is getting to be a grand central station because of the lake. It’s not as quite as it use to be.
    I feel a quite moment in God’s beauty of nature is a great way to get closer to Him.
    I just love you Homestead. God has blessed you & your family so much.
    And making wonderful memories with your grandsons is a great blessing. I have one of my grandson with me right now. I sure feel blessed!

  8. i’ve been wondering if my garden is going to be boom or bust this year. It took forever for my beans to come up. They are full of blossoms, but with the heavy rain these past few weeks here in Gilmer county, a lot of the blooms are getting knocked off.
    i’ve had to replant lettuce twice, still no signs of germination. This time last year I was on my second run of harvesting all the lettuce I could want.
    With all the rain which we desperately needed, and the heat, I also have mushrooms growing throughout my raised vego beds. I have never had that happen before. I get my soil from a place that makes its own and get it tested every year and it was good this year.
    Everything I have read about the big food corporations taking over, fake manufactured food, and then watching your video on how herbicides sneak into your soil, I can’t help but getting my conspiracy theory hat on, thinking ā€œtheyā€ are trying to prevent us from growing our own food to be self-sufficient. okay, I will stop now. =)

  9. This shed will have wonderful memories for Ira and Woodrow! And of course it’s a wonderful hangout place!

  10. Sheds, camp cabins, and even pole barns draw me to them. Whether old and abandoned or with shiny nail heads and the smell of fresh lumber, it doesn’t matter. I want a close look. Many times I have taken shelter in a delapidated house in the woods when a storm caught me. I think about who might have lived there, and when. But something built and used by family is special because of our knowledge of the sacrifices and sweat that put it there.

    1. Gene I have stepped inside abandoned falling down share cropper homes when out hunting and often wondered about the people that once lived in them. My father told me of him and his friend getting caught out one night in a very cold rain and sleet storm while coon hunting when they came to an old falling down abandon home. They went inside, tore some old wood off the walls and tried to start a fire in a fire place to get warm. The only thing they could find in the old home to help start the fire was an old ragged Bible. He said the man with him was not very religious but told him I will freeze and die before I use a paper page from that Bible to start a fire.

  11. I don’t have an open shed to relax in, but my carport serves the same purpose. It was built to store a pontoon underneath and was three feet too short. It quickly became a place for my picnic table and grill, but most importantly, an evening hangout that’s almost as relaxing as sitting by the creek. My creek is 5.5′ deep after some areas received 9″ of rain in a few days. My friend took measurements with his body after he tried to cross in his side-by-side that flooded out, causing him to make some quick movements.

    Debbie, praise the Lord for the miracle that is happening with B. I stopped and prayed for her after reading your post.

  12. I bet you didn’t realize at the time that while building the shed that you also were building a place for relaxing, for finding quietness, peaceful reflections, a space for making new memories, and even solitude in the space behind it. Lovely serenity in the picture, of counting blessings at days end and feeling the love of family surrounding you in your little Holler.

  13. We also live out in the ‘bush’ where all we hear is the birds singing, so beautiful! My favorite spot is on the back deck looking at my flower, seeing the clothes on the line, and reading my Bible, it’s a small part of heaven to me! My grandson was out yesterday helping me do some yard work and he spotted a robins nest on a tree branch. She made the nest so close to the ground it was easy to take a peek. We spotted a newly hatched bird and two more eggs not yet hatched. Robins eggs are such a beautiful blue color, I just hope my cats don’t see them!
    Debbie, that’s good news about little B! We’ll continue to pray as she recovers from her radiation therapy. Have a great day everyone!

  14. Each of y’all will have those precious “shed memories” to look back on. We all need a place like that to just be able to sit & reflect on our past, present & future. Mine is sitting on my back porch. It’s so peaceful & calm there & gives me time to just think or not think. Your family is truly blessed.

  15. The 30 Years in Building Shed seems like a good title for a children’s book. It would make a good place to write about delayed gratification because of other more important things getting in the way. Isn’t it wonderful the blanket of prayers and caring the Lord has partnered with you to create? He didn’t stop creating on Day 7, He just kept creating in different ways. He leads to odd places by odd means sometimes that both turn out to be perfect.

  16. Tipper, in the context of the boys, who is Papaw? Is it Matt or is it his dad, whom I have fond memories of meeting several years ago along with you and the girls ? Hopefully, you will pardon this ignorant question when I explain that in eastern North Carolina, we don’t have the expressions “Mamaw” and “Papaw”–at least I have never heard them down here and I’ve lived here all my life except for two years in east Tennessee, two years in east Virginia, roughly two years combined in the Morganton and Asheville areas and the better part of a year in the Russian Federation (teaching English). Never heard of “Mamaw” and “Papaw” in any of these places. I’m guessing these are terms for grandmas and grandpas, is that right? Speaking of Matt’s father, who I believe is named Tony, a day or two ago, there was some indication that he is having health problems. Please give him my best and tell him I am praying for him.

    1. David, Papaw and Mamaw are common names for grandparents in the mountains of Appalachia šŸ™‚ Both Matt and his Daddy are called Papaw.

  17. A sittin’ spot!!! Everyone needs a place like thatā™” Also, there’s nothing like the sound of a gentle rain on a tin roof. I love that your family (every generation) is enjoying this shed that ONLY took 30 years to come to fruition. Prayers to Papaw Tony & all who are in need of them. What a wonderful report about Little B. Bless her heart for being such a trooper. I spent many hours with my oldest granddaughter and her beautiful 11 month old daughter yesterday as we baked a birthday cake for my only grandson who is 24 today. As I drove the cake to town last night(her car was full of baby, baby items for visiting and fresh laundry) I dropped off farm fresh eggs from a neighbor to my youngest granddaughter. A day with my family is the best day ever and I went to bed last night with a full & happy heart. Anxiously awaiting results from my scan and looking forward to lunch with a friend. I’m truly blessed and filled with gratitude. I’m also soooo happy Matt found some Cherokee “reds” but I felt so bad for you guys having to search and buy tomatoes. I could feel your disappointment through the video. Hoping and praying for a bountiful harvest and that first mater sandwich of 2026!!

      1. Tipper, it’s not the news I was hoping to read but I’m not going to get all worked up. I’ll see my nurse practitioner in charge of my chemo on the 4th and she can explain the results in simpler terms and will already have formulated the plan going forward with my oncologist. I’m in good hands, good health and have a ton of wonderful support ā™” Thank you for keeping me in your prayers.

  18. We all need a place to find peace and quiet and to meditate. When we bought our cottage off of 129 the one thing I really liked other than being in the woods was the small patch of river cane. While living in Hawaii I loved walking through the cane forests while hiking. I made a small alcove in the cane and put a metal bench there to sit and meditate. So peaceful. At today’s prayer meeting in Hayesville I will lift up Tony and your entire family and my brother for healing.

  19. As kids my folks would have supper in our garage. As kids we thought it was cool for something different.

  20. Your special spot has a beautiful view and looks so cozy. It doesn’t take much to make children feel happy…like a place to play and throw rocks behind the shed. Yesterday afternoon, between rains, my two youngest granddaughters and I took a little walk in the yard and woods to pick some wildflowers. After we checked the mailbox, we noticed the water was running swiftly down the little ditch in front of our house. They decided to toss some leaves from my forsythia in the water and watch them float away. Then we tried dandelion blooms and buttercups. They had so much fun watching their little ā€œboatsā€. Before we knew it, we had spent an hour playing. The thunder and rain returned, and we headed back inside…refreshed and happy after spending time outdoors on a rainy rainy day.

    1. You sound like the most delightful Grandma, Brenda! Your grandkids will always cherish the special memories of time spent with you. No greater gift!

  21. There ain’t nuthin’ like a shed for sitting and thinking, hiding from the sun, or just looking at your world from a different perspective. I like the fact you can look right up the hill to your pretty house and yard and really appreciate and see all the work you’ve put into the driveway, etc. Then you factor in the toddlers liking paw paw’s tractor and riding mower and tools and doo dads to occupy a tyke, you’ve got a total winning proposition and location in my expert loafing opinion. I took a quick watch at your garden video from last night and let’s just say I’m not surprised by the poisoning and potting soil just ain’t what it used to be anyway. It’s full of wood stems and bark, not to mention tufts of what looks like sun bleached hair from the departed…truth is crazier than fiction so that’s just my take and everybody is welcome to their own opinions cause we all have them just like haunches to get us around. You must know your enemy to understand your enemy and one cannot know what he’s not been through. I love beauty because of the Army and all the ugliness I witnessed. PTSD is the gift that keeps on giving so I’m thankful for it. Have a good day yall while it’s raining yet more…got hungry hawks doing ā€œdrive by’sā€ on my chickens waging aerial assault… the hubby’s already doing better, thank the good Lord above!!! This life is certainly a T TOTAL TRIP!!! I see stuff and think stuff every day I never thought I’d see in this life. It’s interesting for certain. God bless you all as you head out to to get new plants… it just stinks to have to throw good money after bad…

  22. Seems like the shed is more than just a place to store all the outdoor equipment and tools. It’s also a family gathering space too. The boys will make the best memories there with family and later with friends.

  23. Such a beautiful view! I’d sit there too!

    Well, still no garden for us. We’ve had 8.5″ of rain in 6 days. 2.5″ came yesterday in 3 hours. Everything is under water around here and I believe we will lose our potato patch and the few tomatoes we have out. We’ve had no septic since Saturday past due to extreme flooding and ponding water. There is nowhere to leach. We are living like 100 years ago and making the best of it. The Lord brings you to it He’ll bring you through it. They will be installing new field perimeter drains once it dries out so this doesn’t happen again. Praying for dry weather.

    Update on B.
    Her mamaw sent me a picture of B and a post her momma had made. She walked for the first in time in months yesterday!!! There are so many tears of gratefulness! Tomorrow is her last day of radiation and she will have her scan on June 26th. We are praying those steps are her first ones to a greater miracle. Her mamaw wants you all to know how grateful she is for the prays. She tells B about y’all praying and that there is an army behind her. God is so good! We continue to pray for a great miracle!

    1. Lord Jesus Christ please continue to bless, thank you for this blessing Lord, continue to bless this child of yours in Jesus name , God bless you and your family in Jesus name, God bless those you love and care about your friends and family in Jesus name,

    2. Debbie, thank you for the update on B. That is good hopeful news. We too have had 8 inches of rain since the weekend, but it has not caused any problems for me. It did cause some flooding in some other areas. I talked with my sweet potato friend yesterday, he is like me, he is afraid this year will be like some of the last few years, we get all of this rain by Memorial Day and very little during the hot months of June, July and August.

    3. Debbie, Thanks for the update on little B. ā¤ļø I’m sorry for the troubles the excessive rain has given you!

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