I had a pigeon build a nest in an empty planter on my balcony. Didn't make too much of a mess except directly around the planter. No more than a bird feeder does. Hatched her two babies there and watched them grow up and take off. Mom never came back to use the nest again. Was hoping she would because it was so fun to watch. Having read the other comments, I wonder if trying to get rid of the nest and/or eggs right away causes them to try again there? Just a thought. I looked at it as a gift. And because you are asking for advice to begin without already destroying the nest, I think you might have a hard time destroying the eggs if all you cared about was the mess they might cause. My teacher at vet tech school at the time who grew up in South Africa said that when a bird builds a nest on your house, it is considered to be a blessing from God.means you're considered a worthy soul to be chosen for such an honor. Thought that was pretty cool - esp. When a couple months later a pair of goldfinches made their nest in my hanging Chinese lantern on the same deck.h

I hate that there is such a devestating fire. Firefighters lives at stake and property destroyed. A friend and I were talking about the fire today. The developers have destroyed a lot of what E. Tennesse had to offer.... beautiful mountain scenery where they have denuded the area of beautiful forests and replaced it with cracker box cabins, crammed so close together that you can almost reach your hand out the window and touch your neighbor's. It's all about the dollar, but what they have destroyed can never be replaced. Enough ranting from a native East Tennessean. jude

Update: We had Anderson Hickory Forge installed in Hammer Glow almost a year ago. It has been unbelievably durable!! We have two 70 lb golden retrievers who like to chase each other in the house - and the floors look as flawless as the day we installed them. Not a scratch from the dogs whatsoever. Also, the top half of the shutters on our bedroom window came crashing down from about 8 foot up. The paint marked the floor, but I got that up with a magic eraser and it didn't leave a scratch. Unbelievable! The floors at our old house were demolished within a year. It's also held up perfectly fine in the kitchen despite our negligence at cleaning up splashed water. My favorite thing is how forgiving the finish is. In our old house we had a more satin finish on the wood flooring, and it would show every paw print and drool mark. You had to use the Bona Kemi spray daily or it just looked filthy. With the matte finish on the Anderson flooring, all I have to do is sweep and it looks good as new! I've only used the Bona Kemi spray maybe three times. Granted, the Hickory Forge flooring doesn't have the wow factor of a more shiny floor, but if you have children or dogs, it seems like an easy trade. So, this post is for anyone in the future who is trying to decide whether to purchase Anderson Hickory Forge flooring. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the durability and easy-care nature of this flooring is outstanding.

I'm not sure if you've ever been to Gatlinburg before, but if you haven't then you should probably expect to spend a day there. There are a lot of local shops plus that's where the aquarium is and you could ride the tram to go figure skating as well. You might even need more time depending on how much your kids and husband tolerate looking in the shops. I've gone to the area almost every year since I was a little girl. When I was younger, I wanted to stay in Pigeon Forge and ride go-carts and go to the arcades (that's where most of these type activities are), but my parents always wanted to spend time in Gatlinburg. Now as an adult, my husband and I like to spend most of our time in Gatlinburg, and maybe go to Pigeon Forge/Sevierville for a day. There are numerous things to do in both. You can take a scenic helicopter tour if you want (never done this myself). We like to take some time to drive through the Smokies on 441. You can drive up to Clingman's Dome and then hike the last little bit (maybe a mile-I can't remember) to the highest point in TN. It's a great view on a nice clear day. Also along 441, there are a lot of great pull outs to park and take some pics. Of course, as a child I used to hate these long car rides with my parents. For breakfast or lunch one day, you might want to try the Applebarn/Applewood? in Pigeon Forge/Sevierville. I think it is actually Sevierville, but the two really kind of run together. It has some little round donut type things that come with apple butter that are excellent. They come with most of the meals I think, but we always order an extra bag to take with us for the next day. In Pigeon Forge, there is the Dixie Stampede which is a show and dinner I think, but I've never been, so that's pretty much all I know about it. And then of course there's Dollywood. I don't know much about Cosby other than I've drove through it. I think it has some small shops and maybe a couple of places to sight see but I'm really not sure. If your family likes to hike, then there are a lot of trails to check out. It's good for some piece and quiet from all of the shops.