Leslie searcy and shana smith

I forgot what it’s like living in a small Southern town. 

Nick and I are escaping the craziness and claustrophobia of Los Angeles by spending January at his parent’s house in Sylva, North Carolina.

We couldn’t take being cooped up in our house in Burbank with our son and our dogs, so when the latest set of Covid restrictions were announced, enforcing indefinite shutdowns in Los Angeles County, we bought plane tickets to the beautiful Smoky Mountains.

Nick’s parents, Marie and Jim have taken off to spend the month at their second home near his sister, Mitzi in Raleigh, so Nick and I have the place to ourselves.

Part of the plan is helping his mom and dad take care of some deferred maintenance around the place.

Leslie searcy and shana smith ocala

While Marie and Jim are hard-working 80-something-year-olds, their 13-acre property and 4000 square foot seventies-era Spanish ranch is a lot to maintain. It takes the both of them three days on two riding mowers to mow the seven acre lawn.

Even though Jim has