There is something mesmerizing about a waterwheel at work. They are fascinating pieces of machinery that date back to at least the 1st century B.C. These wheels were probably the first method of creating mechanical energy that replaced humans and animals. Waterwheels were used for crop irrigation, grinding grains, and supplying drinking water to villages and later to drive various kinds of mills. (A waterwheel and mill combination is called a watermill.)  Now they are sometimes used to generate electricity.

Waterwheels today are a kind of preservation of the past. The love of these old mills has sparked many mill renovation and reconstruction projects as well as the creation of organizations dedicated to promoting interest in the mills. These organizations, such as the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills, provide matching grants to mill preservation projects, publish periodicals, sponsor meetings, and provide libraries for study of their history, uses, types, and construction. (Check out http://www.spoom.org/)

A water wheel is a relatively simple machine. It consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface. For most types of water wheels, a channel is created for the water to follow while flowing to or from the wheel. In the operation of a waterwheel, the force of the water's movement moves the blades of the wheel which turns an axle that drives the mill's other machinery. In the United States, most waterwheels are one of three kinds: undershot, overshot and breastshot.

The undershot is a large vertical waterwheel placed in a stream and turned by the river's motion. The undershot wheel is tremendously inefficient because the wheel itself, entering the water behind the main thrust of the flow driving the wheel, followed by the lift of the wheel out of the water ahead of the main thrust, actually impedes its own operation. The overshot wheel solves this problem by directing the flow of the water to the top of the wheel.

In the overshot or pitchback waterwheel, water flows down from a channel above and the gravity of the water turns the wheel. The water fills buckets built into the wheel. As the buckets fill, the weight of the water starts to turn the wheel. The water spills out of the bucket on the down side into a spillway leading back to river. Since the wheel itself is set above the spillway, the water never slows down the speed of the wheel. Overshot wheels require the construction of a dam (mill pond) on the river above the mill.

With the breastshot waterwheel, the water flows onto the wheel from about half way up and flows out with the rotation of the wheel. An apron, or breast, fitted tightly to these wheels helps prevent water from leaving the buckets too soon, increasing the effect of gravity upon the wheel. Since water flows from the upstream side of the wheel near the middle (not above like the overshot), much greater wheel diameters can be used which provide more power.

Today, water wheels are becoming popular in landscaping – in either natural or manmade water settings. The sound and the motion of the wheel churning in a stream or garden pond can often relax even the most jangled nerves. And they are also very aesthetically appealing – casting an ambiance of times long ago.

Middle Tennessee, with its plentiful supply of creeks and streams, is a great place to find that choice spot to set a water wheel in motion.

Imagine living today in the United States without electricity, a telephone, an automobile.  It seems virtually impossible, doesn’t it?   But that’s life as usual for the Amish.

The motivations for this unique way of life are widely misunderstood by the “English” (Amish term for outsiders). Many mistakenly believe the Amish have a religious conviction against modern conveniences themselves.  But in fact, the Amish simply believe their lifestyle – which emphasizes humility, simplicity, sharing, and sacrifice – cannot be preserved with the distractions of modern life.  An Amish man will go to a phone booth and make a call, but will not have the phone in his house.  He will take a ride in a car, but will just not own one.
Although the largest Amish populations are found in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, more than twenty other states are home to these unique communities.  They can be found as far south as Lawrence County, Tennessee where it is commonplace to see horse-drawn buggies along the roads and highways. In town, you will see merchants offering areas for buggy parking equipped with huge water barrels for watering the horses.  Other familiar sights, especially in the spring and summer, are buggies parked on the side of roads and highways where the Amish owners, in their usual traditional clothing, display their farm fresh produce for sale.

The Amish trace their roots to the Anabaptist movement in Switzerland in 1525 at the time of the Protestant Reformation. The Anabaptists emphasized voluntary adult baptism. Because most had been baptized as infants, they were nicknamed rebaptizers or Anabaptists.  They also called for a church that was free from state control. This infuriated Catholic and Protestant leaders and brought severe persecution on the Anabaptists. The Amish were part of this movement until 1693 when they formed their own group in Switzerland and the Alsatian region of present-day France. Their first leader was Jakob Ammann; hence, they became known as Amish.

Amman administered a very strict discipline in his congregations.  He also advocated shunning excommunicated members. This issue drove a divisive wedge between his followers and other Anabaptists living in Switzerland and Alsace.

The first Amish sailed for American in 1727. Migrations continued on and off until the Civil War. The original Amish immigrants settled in southeastern Pennsylvania. Later some moved westward to into Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa.  Today they live in nearly 400 different geographical settlements in 27 states and the Canadian province of Ontario.  None remain in Europe.

The persecution that the Amish experienced in the group’s early days reinforced the biblical teaching of the separation between the church and the larger society.  They also subscribe to the biblical teaching of helping each other in times of difficulty or disaster.  Because of this, they don’t participate in government sponsored Social Security (The US Congress exempted them in 1965) or commercial insurance coverage which they view as undermining their faith in God and dependence on the church community. They pay all the taxes—income, property, sales, estate, corporate, school—that other people do. In fact many of them pay school taxes twice—for both public and private Amish schools.

Simple church services are held in members’ homes on a rotational basis. The two important rituals are baptism and communion.  Baptism is taken very seriously.  Once the commitment is made, they are expected to be accountable to the church for the rest of their lives.  Submission to the authority of the church is a core value in Amish culture. Straying from the Baptismal vows with a refusal to confess their sins results in temporary probation.  A continuance of this refusal will lead to excommunication.  Shunning follows with the hopes that it will remind the errant members of their sins and bring them back to the fold.   The Amish consider the welfare of the community more important than individual rights and choices.

They are taught to obey those with authority over them. They abhor pride and discourage it by disallowing jewelry and personal photographs.  Humility is a virtue that is taught and expected.
The Amish support education in a broad sense, but they think that beyond elementary school, vocational training is sufficient for success in their society.  The Supreme Court supported their educational plan in 1972 in a case known as Wisconsin vs. Yoder.

Scripture reading and recitation of the Lord’s Prayer opens each school day, but religion is not formally taught in the school. The classroom revolves around cooperative activity, obedience, respect, diligence, kindness, and the natural world. Little attention is given to independent thinking and critical analysis, the values of public education.
Schools play an important role in passing on Amish values, developing friendships, limiting exposure to the outside world, and preserving Amish culture across the generations.  This Amish culture is what makes them an anomaly in the contemporary world and the gentle, respectful people that they are.

While driving through a large tract of undeveloped property in the Rockdale area of Lewis County last week, I became aware of some movement in the brush.  Very curious to see what this might be, I slowed down to get a better look. Just as I did, a bobcat sprang out, bounded across the road, and then high-tailed it into the forest on the other side.

Initially I was startled, then thrilled! That was a first for me – seeing a bobcat.  I couldn’t help but feel honored that I caught a glimpse of the wildlife that typically remains out of the reach of civilized eyes.   This experience made me wonder what I might see in the forest if I sat silently on a rock all day and evening to watch.  So I did a little research.

I was surprised to find out that Tennessee is considered the most biologically diverse inland state in the country. On the Highland Rim, an abundance of raw land with hardwood forests, limestone rock formations with caves, barrens (grasslands), creeks and rivers provide an ideal habitat for the wealth of wildlife that makes Middle Tennessee its home. While birds and gray squirrels are a common sight, many of the other inhabitants of the land aren’t. They are either asleep during the day or wisely keeping a low profile. In the wilderness, you may see evidence of them, but you won’t often see them.

What are some of the animals in Middle Tennessee whose sudden emergence would inspire a frantic grab for the camera?

Bobcat
If you want to see a bobcat, you had better be in the forest late in the afternoon or early in the morning. It is generally most active at twilight and at dawn. It keeps on the move from three hours before sunset until about midnight, then again from before dawn until three hours after sunrise
Nature gives the bobcat a beautiful camouflage with black streaks on its gray to brown coat. It has dark bars on the forelegs and tail and black-tipped, pointed ears with short black tufts. The face appears wide due to ruffs of extended hair beneath the ears. The bobcat is about twice as large as the domestic cat. Males can weigh up to 30 lbs. and females, 20. It is a muscular cat with its hind legs longer than its front legs, giving it a bobbing gait. Bobcat tracks show four toes without claws (claws are retractable).

Coyote

Since coyotes are primarily nocturnal, they are only occasionally seen in the daylight hours. They aren’t indigenous to the Middle Tennessee area, but have expanded their home range from the desert southwest for habitat availability.

You’ll probably hear a coyote long before you see one. They are very vocal animals and communicate through a series of yips, barks, and howls.

The average weight of a coyote is 20 – 40 pounds.  It has erect, pointed ears, a slender muzzle with a black nose, and a bushy tail. The tail is carried down as opposed to domestic dog’s tail which is carried in the air. Its fur is long, coarse and heavy, varying in color from gray or brown to reddish-gray with buff under-parts.  A gray-black band of longer hair runs down the mid-back and forms a shoulder saddle or mane. The eyes are typically yellow or amber. Their tracks are oval in shape and the toenail marks tend to hook inwards.

Fox

The red fox is the most common and widespread species of fox and can be distinguished by the white tip on its tail. It has moderately long legs that are typically black. Its coat is a light orange-red and can have a silver or black tint. Its average weight is 7.5 to 15 pounds.

It prefers a mixture of forest and open country for its habitat and likes to hunt at the edge of the open areas.

Armadillo

Armadillos are a relative newcomer to Tennessee. They are nocturnal in summer but shift their activity to daytime or evening in winter. Armadillos are built to dig. They have short, strong legs that are well suited to rapid digging, either for food or for shelter. It can smell beetles, larvae and ants six inches underground, and it spends its waking hours eating them. It digs, pushes its nose into loosened soil, shoots out its sticky tongue to collect a meal and immediately digs another hole.

All armadillos have shells, made of true bone, that cover their backs. They rely on speed or their digging ability to escape danger.

The nine-banded armadillo is the only species of armadillo that is increasing. It has moved as far north as Illinois, with occasional sightings even farther north. Cold weather will eventually stop the spread of the armadillo. They cannot tolerate even relatively short periods of extreme cold as they don’t have large fat reserves to help insulate their bodies.

Northern River Otter

Northern river otter is the largest semi-aquatic predator found in Tennessee. They are expert swimmers and divers and may remain underwater for several minutes if necessary. While on land, they appear clumsy and will use their tail for balance. They are highly intelligent and extremely curious but very shy and are rarely seen.

They have long cylindrical bodies with blunt heads characterized by short snout with bulbous nose.  Their fur is short and very dense, ranging in color from dark chocolate brown to light brown.

Their dens are typically located near waterways under tree roots, rock piles, logs or thickets.  Restocking efforts have restored river otter populations in most areas of the state.

Raccoon

Everyone knows what a raccoon looks like…with that little bandit mask.  Most raccoons tip the scales at between 12 and 22 pounds. They have excellent hearing and night vision -- both very useful for locating small quarry such as beetles, grasshoppers and crickets.
The ideal raccoon habitat is an area with small stands of timber bordering corn and vegetable fields, and with water close by. Raccoons do not construct their own den sites and are quite flexible and eclectic in their housing choices. While hollow trees are a common nesting location, so too are barns, attics, old squirrel nests, large forks in tree limbs, crawl spaces under houses and sheds, abandoned cars, brush piles, rock clefts, and groundhog holes.
Raccoons are the most common carriers of rabies in the United States, especially in the east. Stay away from animals that are walking around in daylight, especially those that seem either fearless or lethargic.

Beaver

The beaver is rarely seen. It is the largest rodent found in all of North America and is primarily nocturnal. Its preferred food is the water-lily which bears a resemblance to a cabbage-stalk, and grows at the bottom of lakes and rivers.
Beaver build their dams as a protection against predators, such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and to provide easy access to food during winter. Beavers always work at night and are prolific builders, carrying mud and stones with their fore-paws and timber between their teeth.
They are known for their "danger signal:” when startled or frightened, a swimming beaver will rapidly dive while forcefully slapping the water with its broad tail. This creates a loud "slap", audible over large distances above and below water.

Deer

These brown and white deer can be seen most often in the early morning and early evening hours. Males’ weight can range from 75-400 pounds and females’ from 50-250 pounds. A large white flag wagging back and forth and disappearing into the woods indicates a whitetail deer on the move. Their coats are reddish in summer and blue-gray in winter.

A loud whistling snort from the woods, in morning or evening, means a deer has scented you. The deer eats twigs, shrubs, fungi, acorns, and grass and herbs in season

They live in groups up to 25 or more in winter, but singly or 2-3 (doe and fawns) in summer and fall. Their home range is rarely more than 1 mi. across.
IF you are lucky enough to see any of these or other wildlife members in person, please view them at a distance. Remember, they are wild animals. Just keep snapping those pictures!

Anyone who has a river or creek nearby has the potential to supply their own clean, efficient electricity.  And in this day and age, an opportunity to create your own power is an enviable position to be in. Streams offer a renewable natural source of energy that, if done right, can have little or no impact on the environment.  Micro-hydro power, which is hydro power for home-based systems, is probably the least known of the off-grid energy systems, but it has the potential to produce the most power.  Also, with the right site, flowing water can be more reliable than wind or sun – especially in remote wooded areas (our specialty!).

Hydro power is based on simple concepts. Moving water turns a turbine, the turbine spins a generator and electricity is produced.  The amount of power that can be produced is dependant on two factors: the stream flow (how much water runs through) and the drop (head) which provides the pressure behind the flow. There are varying opinions on how much water needs to flow to operate a successful micro-hydro system, but it seems that at least 2 gallons per minute of flowing water and a good drop; or at least 2 feet of drop and 500 gallons per minute of water flow are needed. (See links at end of article on how to measure the water-volume flow rates.)

Micro-hydro systems function much like the old grist mills. They run alongside a river or stream, diverting a small amount of water into 2”- 4” plastic pipe which then jets through a nozzle and spins a turbine. The water is then returned to the source. These cause much less eco-damage than dams because they don’t interrupt the entire water flow or create a pool of water in a reservoir. They are built with simple technology, making it possible for people with basic training to maintain their own power systems.

In planning a micro hydro system, accurate site assessment is vital because it not only determines the micro hydro energy potential but also helps determine the perfect location for the apparatus to be installed.  The terrain surrounding the stream must be suitable for running a length of pipe from the proposed intake structure to the powerhouse location. It also requires access for construction and maintenance.  (See links at end of article.)

There is an abundant supply of streams that criss-cross Middle Tennessee making micro-hydro power very feasible.  You can take just about any creek, spring, pond, or river and turn it into clean, efficient electricity. Of course, it’s best to have a site with year-round running water, such as Factory Falls to the left or Canyon Falls below, but isn’t that exactly the sort of place we’d like to live in anyway? And if the site doesn’t have a consistent flow, that’s okay, in areas with high rainfalls in the winter and plenty of sun in the summers, such as Middle Tennessee, hydropower combines naturally with solar for year-round self-sufficiency.