The "eye issue"

 Went to the eye clinic again yesterday.Came away feeling better! 

Dr McClure from Retina Consultants came down and spent quite a long time with me. I got a lot of good information from him on exctly what is going on with both eyes

What it boils down to is partially genetic  and 72 years of life!

The blood vessels that are under the retina are just, basically, getting kind of "brittle", cracking a bit and allowing that blood to seep out under the retina. Which in turn is raising the retina up from the back of the eye. He was surprised at just how fast it had occured, but this has been known to happen this quickly.

For me, the good news was/is that "I am fixable!"  LOL! It will require surgery and some recovery. It is "Day Surgery". They will go into the eye, remove the blood that has entered behind the retina, make sure it is back in place as it should be. What all is entailed with this I honestly do not know.  But my main take-away is....I'm fixable!!

Now back to daily life, and my cabin!

As you can see I'm making progress with the inside of the cabin. I'm really happy with the bed! Was not very expensive and I have not slept on a "real" bed in quite a few years. And mattresses have come a LONG WAY in the past decade or so! It is an 8" mattress that is heavenly!! And as you can see it meets Rosie requirements.  

 

It was very easy to set up and so comfortable. I still get tickled at how they are packaged. The mattress is in a plastic bag, which is what they use to suck ALL the air out of the thing! Itis  then roll in about 5 layers of plastic sheet so it will stay rolled up apparently. Then it goes into a box that fits like a glove around it. 

 I have decided to just paint the floor later and use an area rug and some small runners and doormats. It is just what makes sense. Have you looked lately at the cost of wood flooring?? It has gotten stupid expensive! I'm starting to look at our poor old barn that a storm took down a couple of years ago and think..."hmmm...those boards would make a nice wall, and the roofing could be..."!!  Time will tell how my cabin and tiny mini-homestead will turn out!!

And my little 5K air conditioner is  worth it's weight in gold! The heat index here for the past 2+ weeks has been averaging between 98-107 degrees. It has been just HOT daily, and night temps have not dropped below 73* but 1 time.

So this pretty well brings you up to date with the TwF Settling Down saga. It is all coming together quite well. The rest of the outside work will be done in stages...as it hopefully cools down some. Still working on caulking, hope to get roof painted in next week or so. And...still have my 10x10 outdoor screen room to get up...as soon as I can clear rhe spot out for it!!  LOL!

I know I've been saying something about being "prepared" and I really hope you have been listening and may have taken a few steps towards being prepared for whatever might try to interrupt our daily lives. If not mess up life in general. The groups that track where oil oil supply is, both public and gov't group,s are starting, finally to sound the warning. Our stockpile is very close to "tank bottom", which means...we're out of fuel, the refineries can't make gas without oil...so are you ready for a very possible  change of lifestyle??  I hope so.

So enough for now. Until next update, Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go To The Woods when you can and...Live in a Preparedness Mindset .

C'ya.....Frog🐸 & Rosie🐶 

Hi from rather WARM Alabama!!

Hi from a quite warm Alabama. It has been pretty warm for the  past several weeks. The daily temps have been low to mid 90's. Which is not all that bad until you figure in the humidity here. This is why I have never gotten it used to summers here after several years out West. West Texas, New Mexico...even 3 years in Alaska, all those areas are low humidity compared to here. So humidity figured in, the "feels like" (Heat Index) for us it has been averaging 100-105 degrees for the past coule of weeks.

Enough about the weather! A bit of news about the cabin. It is built and I'm slowly making progress on the things necessary to be able to move in. Have gotten a little caulking done. If the rains allow, tomorrow should be able to get one window installed and the air conditioner mounted. 

 If we do succeed in getting the a/c setup....I'm just liable to put my camp chair with stool in there, throw Rosie's bed on the floor....and sleep in there. Give it a test drive!!  LOL!

The main thing I accomplished today was to get the "screen door" installed. Don't remember if I mentioned that I am not putting in a "normal" front door right now. Main reasons...pennies getting tight and try to find a 5' front door! LOL! So the left sliding door is blocked off and will use the right door for the time being. 

 Once I figured out where to mount it (you can tell from the black gorilla tape) it took me a while to decide the way to mount it. Because it is not a normal door frame to work with, two handles that stick out somewhat, it was a rather trial and error process to get the sreen halves to come together and match up and hook up to almost totally correctly.

Once I got that figured out I then had to decide where to cut the bottom off. The door height is 50", the screen height is about 70". And I am not too proud to tell you that if I put 2 dots on a sheet of paper, draw a straigt line with a ruler between them....I will still not cut a straight line!! Soooo the cut is not pretty but it hits right except for one spot, but still goes to the threshold and closes the space very well. The screen was just $9, so in a few months, if needed, I'll get another. But this time I'll know exactly how long to cut it!

 This pretty well brings the situation here up to date. So keep thinking good thoughts that we'll be able to get the window and a/c unit installed tomorrow. I will be a very happy camper if that does come to fruition!!

Make sure you stay in a preparedness state of mind for the coming days, weeks, months. I hope we get thru all the global issues that are brewing all around the globe without getting hammered with any not so good things. But just in case, keep your vehicle toppd off, put back supplies to take care of the family if things do go sideways and we're not able to run to the store when we want or when we do go, the shelves could be sparce. Just stay prepared!

Until next update....Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go to the Woods if possible and Keep living in a Preparedness Mode!!

C'ya     Frog🐸 & Rosie🐶 

 

 

 

 

Happy 4th!!

 Happy 4th of July to everyone! I hope the weekend is great for all! 

Meet my Great Granddaughter - Sofia !! 😃👶

 

 

Sofia is now 3 months into a life!!

This is the proud Dad, my grandson, Lakeland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 And this is the proud Mom, Adrianna!

 

 

 

 

 Very proud of these two "kids"!!! 

But I'll be totally up front and say...."Damn, I'm almost starting to feel my age!!" 

 

Have a great Fourth of July and Happy 250th USA!

C'ya  Frog🐸 & Rosie 🐶

 

 

When the Day gets you down....

 

 When the day seems to just drag you down, take a minute and watch this... Life is more precious than we think! 

Cabin coming along & Eye doctor visit

Yesterday was a full day! Don't remember if I mentioned that I woke up last... Friday, Saturday??.... and almost couldn't see out of left eye. By Sunday morning it was totally "dark".  So I guess between getting started on the cabin and not seeing out of left eye...very interesting past few days!

I didn't get to help a whole lot! My eldest daughter "abducted" me and off to Birmingham I went! And after a 4+ hour visit to the Callahan Eye Clinic ER I know that I have some version of "Retinitis Pigmentosa". As the doctor said, "it's sorta a 3rd cousin to Macular Degeneration but starts around the outside edges and moves in?! Anyway, what I have is a separation of the retina from the wall of the eye. But it is not detached, it is still attached to the eye, but is "floating" on fluid under the retina, mine caused by a seepage of blood.

Got a shot on the eye, good possibility it will not do much. But there is still the possibility that my body will reabsorb the blood,etc and some vision could possibly come back. Dr Rowsey spent a long time with me looking at the eye. In fact, had 3 doctors looking in my eye. Rowsey told me in his time practicing he had only seen this type of...."edition?"...less than 10 times. And when I asked if it was unusual to happen overnight he said no, but this was a rather extreme result. 

Soooo....got new glasses ordered yesterday...now for both eyes but really just the right! LOL! They should be here in a week...and of course I am going from reading glasses to bifocals!!  😂😉

Now back to the cabin!! I am so excited to see it go up. The floor base got 2 full coats of deck paint so as to make sure if it did rain it would be sealed.  The panels and framing for the cabin have been surprisingly accurate in their cutting and placement of holes. Even Cary was surprised, and quite happy with those two things!

Cary is so worried I won't be pleased with this once it is up and I'm in it. The side walls are maybe an inch shorter than I am tall (gravity keeps pulling me down!  Heheheh). But at least 3/4 of the space between

the walls, which is where I will be standing and walking, are I think an over average of 3-4 inches taller than I am. And after living in Lily for 4 years it already has the feel of "spaciousness" that I have not lived in for, actually, a long time! Even my little motorhomes did not have a very "open" feeling about them! 

This will be an ongoing project for several months but that is good! It will keep me occupied and will ease the "discomfort" of not being on the road on a daily basis!  😀  I have to be honest...I miss the road! I've been on the road for soooo many years that it has almost become a part of my "being"! But...as the years click by and I slowly wear out...it is a good thing to have a place to lay my head down and know it will be there each night!!

It has basically turned into a family project. The kids seem to be having a blast helping dad with it and it is a good experience for them. You need to know that a person can be self-sufficient in today's world and that it really needs to be an imperative that we can do things for ourselves. And helping others is a reward in itself!

 I'm not a lot of help with the cabin going up, I'm slowly learning (admitting?) what age does to & on us and helping with what I'm able. So I am in the process of starting the plans for my area and how to lay it out. Cabin first, make sure it is sealed, then get solar figured out and installed. Then bed, kitchen, shower, water! LOL! Have to shore up where the little wood burning stove will go. Also have to make final decisions on windows (at least a couple), the A/C for cooling, couple of tiny ceiling fans, etc,etc!!

I am still hopeful that the World and us will settle down, but it is not looking to good! Our "leaders" are...well...I won't go into that right now. Let me just say like I always do...I just do not have a lot of hope for our society in it's current condition and direction. So please be in a preparedness mode ALL the time and think about what you will do IF the SHTF! What will you do if in 5-8 weeks there is no fuel for the cars and trucks? What would you be able to do if you got hit by a flood, tornado, etc.?? Always be prepared!

Until next update and/or next video update.....Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go to the Woods often if possible....and live the preparedness mode!!

C'ya - Frog🐸 & Rosie🐶 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rain, rain go away!!

 

We succeeded in getting a pretty good coat of paint on the floor. I still had deck paint left over from when I painted the back porch on Lily. It "might" have  been just a little past its prime!  LOL!  But it is on just to protect the floor from all the rain we keep having pass through here on almost a daily basis for the past few weeks! But we had to unload the building box from truck and tarp it so it will be ready for use by tomorrow...hopefully!

The good thing is...it is looking like we will have very small chances of rain over the next couple of weeks. The downside to that statement is temperatures here, in a couple of days and going for a couple of weeks, from the forecast as of now, our Hi's are going to be bouncing in the Lo to Mid 90's. 😕 

So I'm still hopeful to be in the cabin working on the interior within a couple of weeks. I might still be sleeping in Lily but I'll be "settling in" to my tiny mini-homestead cabin!! I'm going to do a video this weekend, or so I plan on it, about what we've accomplished so far. And in the video I'll explain some of the changes I will be making from my "original" plans on the interior. 😉

 All that being said, this life changing experience is coming together quite well. Maybe not as quickly as expected...well...definitely not as fast as wanted! LOL! But they say patience is next to something! Forget what, but I'm being given a very large dose of learning patience...especially when it comes to MY timetable!!  Heheheheh

That covers things for the moment here at "Frog's Tiny Mini-homestead" project and life changing event!!

Hope everyone is still doing well. I really hope you guys are taking the time to prepare yourselves and you families for some rocky times coming at us possibly sooner than most expect. Please try your best to live in a mode of preparedness!!

Til my next update...Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go to the Woods Often.....and Live the Prearedness Mode!!

C'ya - Frog🐸 & Rosie🐶

And away we go!!

 

 

 

And away we go! The cabin is now officially on the way! Today the cabin is now a project that is in motion!

 

 

 

 

 

The floor is now down...and level....and solid...and I'm so happy!! 😃  Now it took a few hours, on Father's Day, after too big a lunch meal (that was extremely good), which called for a nap (which I didn't take)!

 

 

 And of course the floor had to go through a very tough testing session to ensure that it was solid, no weak spots, easy to slide around on! 

So I feel very good! We're on the way! Of course, now we get to put the building together, and the instructions are not exactly what would would be called very detailed. Lots of drawings, not so much explanations about what you are looking at!  LOL! 

Oh, have discovered a new breed of chicken....a "chicple"!  LOL! It's what you get when a cat goes after a chik, the kids rescue it and it spends the first few months in the house healing. It now doesn't know if it's a chicken, cat, dog or person! 😂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So it spends a lot of the day trying to keep up with the humans it is used to!

 

 

 So life on the homestead and the soon to be mini-homestead continues to pick up speed!

 

Remember to continue in a preparedness mode so you are not caught off guard with whatever circumstances happen to overtake you. We will always be our best bet at weathering whatever happens to be thrown at us! 

 

 

 

Until next update...Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go To The Woods often....Live the Preparedness Mode!!

C'ya, Frog🐸 & Rosie🐶

In case you haven"t noticed.....

Folks, I have spent a lot of time working at being...shall we say - realatively non-abrasive when it comes to politics and government. That time has just about expired with and in me. Our government at this present time (maybe since I was able to vote) the most lackadaisical, money hungry, non-caring, social media addicted group of....humans....that I never thought I would run into. But my "try to be positive" attitude has been body slammed so many times that I have lost count. 

So I have mentally relagated myself to trying to get through to those that I either care for, or feel a sense of "pity or sadness" for, because the time has almost passed us by where "we" can prepare ourselves both mentally and physically for the rough road that IS coming.  

Now, on with the real reason for this post.... 

I just wanted to drop a quick note to all...in case you haven't kept up with, the crap going on in the Middle East. It is getting very dicey for us here. That being said, a couple of things to look at.

    - I watch the daily swings of the price of crude oil, especially WTI (West Texas Intermidiate) which I believe some call "sweet sour" oil. It has been up and down like a bungee cord. Yesterday it hit around $68/bbl, this morning it was/is at +/- $76/bbl. The price of gas here locally was at an avg of $3.43/gal yesterday. These prices make no sense right now when the storage numbers for crude oil and refined fuels, etc are showing numbers that look to put us at "empty" in 45-65 days, in all categories. Just so you know, I'm getting these numbers from CNN, CBS, Bloomberg, GoldmanSacs...even from our gov't agencies. So it is not just my own "pessimistic" outlook on current society driving what I'm saying.

 This photo shows Cushing, Ok, the place where all our pipelines meet and the oil is then stored & redirected to where needed for refining.Storage capacity=90Million bbls. Yesterday it was down to 20-21.6mbbls. (photo by CNN)Folks no matter how you twist or add up the numbers....we are in for a very rough ride over the next few months. I just hope most of you have been watching. Even if the ships start moving TODAY in our direction with crude in them, from the Persian Gulf to the East/Gulf/West coast ports, from there to the refineries and ultimately to the gas pumps and our vehicles...we're looking at an elapsed time of up to 90+ days. Folks, right now by numbers from "those in the know"....we have at best 55-60 days left. Are you prepared for just in case???

    - Apparently there has been signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" between Iran & the US. It calls for a lot of things I won't go into right now, but the opening of the Hormuz Strait and a ceasing of military actions in all areas. But it seems that there are some who, it almost looks like to me, want to contnue this "not real smart" path currently on......

         Itamar Ben-Gvir (Minister of National Security): Following a proposed U.S.-Iran deal, he stated: "Trump's agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation! … My position is clear: We are not partners to this agreement [with Iran] that does not ensure our security, and it does not bind us in any way." (from...Democracy Now)

             Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister): Amidst tensions regarding weapons deliveries and military operations in Rafah, Netanyahu declared: "If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails."  (from...PBS)

             Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime Minister) - From a "leaked" video in 2001...."I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won't get in our way.   (from...The Atlantic)

 As of now, we here around TwF are working at keeping life at it's normal franetic pace, looking around to see what else we need to do in preparing ourselves for what could possibly become a very stressful time. 

 

 As we look around, do you ever get to feelig this way? As for myself, the world I grew up in 50-60 years ago seems to currently look like this in so many areas of our lives.

And I can't help but think that the reason we are in the mess we're currently in is due to the fact that, in general, we put too much trust in what people have said over the years instead of looking at the "fruits" of their labors and the end results of those labors.

In other words, the way things are currently are the direct result of not wanting to do without all those things we have fallen into believeing are necessary to have a happy and "fulfilled" life! 

 

The above is what I'm seeing as the main issue that has grown up in these past few generations......

                                                                                  

 

 

            This is what I'm wondering is the point we are coming down to......

 

And my personal favorite meme... 

Covers my current mindset!!! Completely!!  🐸 

 

 

 

This pretty well brings me up to speed on life at TwF - Tiny Mini-Homestead in the making!! 😉 I hope this finds everyone well and having a great day and week!

Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go To The Woods Often if possible....and be sure to live in a Preparedness Mode!!

 

C'ya   Frog🐸  & Rosie🐶 

 

 

 

It Seems Summer Is Here!!

 It seems that Summer has gotten here with a vengeance! Today was 91* with a heat index of about 99-100. Now I know some of you out West are going "what are you crying about!?"  LOL!  Been there and done that also! The difference is when it gets to this point temperature wise....and...the humidity is 91-95%....well, you don't seem to sweat because it just sits on your skin! It is just a bit miserable! 😐

 For those of you that don't know, I grew up in central Texas where it is just about as bad. Then moved to GA and NC, which are still humid areas of the country. Then, in 1974, I joined the Army and spent the next 21 mnths on the East coast. Nothing better than 8 weeks of Basic Training in May/June at Ft Jackson, SC! Talk about losing some weight...it took it off!!  LOL!

BUT....the next 9 plus years were.....total of 6 years in the desert of New Mexico and a 3 year "break" assigned to Ft Wainwright, Alaska! I didn't expect Alaska to be a low humidity place, but it actually is! AND....I learned a whole new meaning to the word "cold"! The first winter up there the "HIGH" temperature for the month of February was -21 degrees! NEGATIVE TWENTY-ONE!! It was so cold and the air is so dry that to make a snowball you have to melt the outside of the "snowball" so it will stay together! Have you ever been hit by an ice cube thrown at you?? Think about a 4-6 inch "snowball", the outside of it very well frozen to keep it together!?  NOT a fun game! LOL!

On the other hand, you were able to build a little dike around smeone's vehicle in the parking lot, at nite, with snow. It only had to be 4 or so inches high....then fill it with water. At -25 or even down to -65, in about 1-2 hours....that vehicle will not move!  LOL! There were some folks that got attitude adjustments the hard way!! It takes a while to chip your way oit of it!  LMAO!! 

But at -30 and below there is a great thing to do for the kids...all ages of kids...and all it takes is a pot of boiling water, some food color and a good mug.  Dip mug in water, add color and get outside and throw water in air!!! You can hear the steaming water freeze and it falls across the yard as colored ice crystals! So Cool!  It was easy to tell which quarters had kids or new arrivals to an Alaska WINTER!!!

 

As I shared last post, cabin is here,,,,still in it's box! But it is here! I'm going to get the lumber for the floor in a couple of days and I'll be taking pics and video of the "raising of the cabin"! Still have some rearrainging of trailers and Lily and canopy to do, plus the clearing of the area where the cabin will be sitting. Have to try to get ahead of the hens due to the fact that there seem to be a lot of really good bugs in the dirt around where the cabin is going in!  LOL!

And the hens and the chicks seem to just gravitate to my area! LOL! And I don't mind them. But the roosters that sit under my open windows at 0545 in the mornngs....well, let's just say that it is now at the point that when I HOLLER  shut-up and git...if they haven't trundled off by the time I come out the door...they are on the run as soon as my feet hit the ground!! LOL!

That pretty well sums up the current situation at the "TwF Tiny Mini-Homestead" for this week! Things are slowly progressing even with the heat and the rains.

I hope this finds everyone healthy and being prepared! Cool weather will be here again before we know it!!

Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go To The Woods Often and Live the Preparedness Life!

C'ya - Frog 🐸 & Rosie 🐶

 

 

 

 

 

My Cabin is Here!! 😉🐸

Well I just wanted to let you see my cabin!!!!

How do you like it??  LMAO!  Well, we do still have to put it together! I use the Royal "We" when I say that! I will be present and doing what I'm able, but Cary will be doing the most of getting the floor laid and the cabin up!!  😉

 Tiffany came over yesterday and said "Look at this, Daddy". Think you might be interested?

 And I must say that I was quite interested in it! Especially for the price that it was on sale for! 

In fact, by the time I get the lumber for the floor, the 4x8's for floor....It will actually save me quite a bit in cost. And I do not have to worry about too much maintenance to keep it up.  

 In fact the options of what all can be done are quite numerous! Will still need to find a front door (there's one in the barn but not sure it will work).
I try to be a re-user/repurposer, but there are two windows in the barn that were to be used in a VW van camper. But....if they still operate properly....well....they will be mounted in the cabin! 

They are the louvered type of windows and I think they will look pretty cool! Big enough to let some decent light in, pretty good air flow and being louvered they will be able to stay open more when raining!!

Now...I doubt very seriously that my cabin will look like this when done....

I mean...yeah....it's "purty"....but I don't think it is quite what I would be able to live with!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is just a bit to upscale "cabiny"! If you get my drift!!  LOL!

 I figure when I'm done I will be in a rather "left over, rather reused style" of cabin!!

I mean, what else would you expect from Frog???

Heheheh!! 

 

So that brings me about up to date. I'm still working on my "cookbook" and Part 2 of my first book. And I have literally started 3 different videos that I will try to finish by this coming weekend! Really!! 😀

 So til next time...Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go To The Woods When You Can....and live in the Preparedness Mode!!

C'ya   Frog🐸 & Rosie🐶 

 

 

Looking Back In Time

 Hi gang! I spent a large part of the day downloading pictures from my past travels, both  during my trucking days and "retirement" days that have passed so far! And I was actually rather surprised at the number of places over the past 5-6 years. And the number of camp sites I have had the pleasure of occupying!

 If I'm totally honest...I really do miss the desert! I like it so much...during the winter months!  LOL!

These pics do not follow any timeline! LOL! And I have to think about locations and dates...which is kind of a lost cause!  😏😉

Abbie was always just amazed at the big dogs we kept seeing. LOL

The sunsets are awesome out West.

Bisbee was a cool town.

There is just so much to see! The mine outside of Bisbe was a little bit overwhelming

I don't remember exactly, but the hole left by th mine is, I think something like, as least, over 300 feet deep! Now that is a hole!!

 

The Saguaro cactus are just amazing!

The thing about being out West driving the backroads...the number of people you run into is really small! And the quiet is really amazing.

Wide open land and skies and lots of miles between gas stops.

The one thing that you have to be sure of is to make sure that you do not let your gas tank get below half!!

 

 

 

 

 I just wanted to take a few minutes and share a few pics with you. I'll be loading up more as time goes along.

I hope you are preparing for the upcoming months. From what I heard and saw today, we might have only 4-6 weeks to tank bottom here on the US. And apparently we are hitting targets in Iran again today and tonight. So we'll see what hits the news tomorrow. 

I hope you are well and planning! Keep looking up!!

Til later,,,,C'ya, Frog 🐸 & Rosie 🐶