It seems about time for my yearly post. I get so busy "doing" that I forget to share. I am a bad blogger, but that is okay, no one reads it but me anyway.
Last year we accomplished a lot on the land. We planted a garden, 8 fruit trees (5 died through various means), and we planted 300 Afghan Pine Christmas Trees (the cows subsequently ate all but 3 throughout the year). Note to self: the electric fence is not strong enough, I think we need a stronger solar charger.
We moved the work shed back to the barn and reconfigured everything to run our new business (PH lost his job due to the "plandemic") from the barn for the physical work, and the front portion of the shipping container has been turned into our farm office. We do LOTS of things. Signed up with Angie's List to get business (bad mistake). We do primarily wrought iron work, fencing & handyman services. We have managed to support ourselves throughout the past year, so Praise God!
A lot of trash was burned or tossed out, broken down vehicles sold and towed off, food processed, house re-arranged, wood cut and more.
We did manage to survive the Snow Pocalypse in February. I would say we thrived, or my family did, I was out delivering a baby and got stuck at the client's home for 6 days due to ice and snow. No heat, or water. It really was horrible. At home, they had the woodstove, generator, fuel, food, stored water, etc. (thanks Mom you are awesome! No, no one thanked me for saving their lives.)
PD#2 is applying to the College of the Ozarks and we completed a school tour in April, and visited our property in the Ozarks, and we made final plans to purchase a cabin to place on the land, it arrives end of August/First of September. The kids and I will be transitioning (slowly) to living in the Ozarks, completing the cabin, and getting everything situated. I am sure we will be back and forth (PS#2 and I anyway) to the land here, several times during the year.
We have been cleaning (primarily PD#2 has been) while I have worked out of town and out of state to make extra money, been busy working 3 jobs plus helping to run the family business.
We also purchased a registered Duroc Sow to breed for 4H piglet sales. We also have Kune Kune, and some odd ball mixes (given to us) of pigs that we have sold to pay land taxes, and butchered to eat.
PD#2 was able to go hunting quite often this past winter, and harvested 5 deer (1 buck and 4 does I believe), plus she went on a Nilgai hunt. She was able to bring back quite a bit of meat this year. She has signed up for a bear hunt this year as well, but it is on a lottery system so we will see what happens with that...
**While we lived off grid in the shipping container (our cabin-tainer) when we first moved here, we transitioned to our 24 X 32 house that my husband and I built (more him than me, but I operated the forklift to help with the roof, held up my end of boards, and pulled wire through the house).
This next adventure will be to live full-time off grid in our cabin in the Ozark Hills.
There is zero way to get grid power there, and I am excited to get back to off grid living, as it was always my favorite to do (it stresses out my friend(s) and confuses my mother, but oh well).
Back to the cleaning, and packing. Sorting through what will work in the cabin, and what will stay in the main house (for now). Thankfully, we have so many items still that we won't have to purchase the, since my main purchases will be insulation, bead board for the walls and parts to install our spare woodstove.
I plan to share the progress along the way, and my 12 yo son is dying for his own You Tube channel to document his life "off grid". It will be called "Shady Ridge Off Grid". He is a loon sometimes.
I will promise it won't be so long in the documenting. It is exciting and a little scary going off into new adventures. Check back for pictures!
