Clearing has begun - In earnest!!

We have begun the clearing of the property here in earnest. It helps when you can get someone to being equipment that really helps to make a dent in the project at hand!!

 

April '26 Newsletter

 I do not remember if I sent this newsletter out....so here it is! I'm slowly getting my act back together!!

 

It's Clearing Time!!

Hi Gang!

This was the view looking into the "orchard" area of the property about a week ago. The clear area is what I was able to get to/thru with the little tractor mower we have here. And it was quite a bit of work to get that far! But it was a start.

 

But this is the same view now! And I don't hesitate to say that most of that
land you now see has not seen the sun for several decades!! There is still a lot to get cleared but it is a very good start!!

 

 

And when I say we have a ways to go yet, I'm very serious!! One of the main
projects that comes with clearing land is being able to burn the brush!

 

 

 That is the big pile that is next to the area that is where I will be building my cabin! And that pile is just growing each week it seems! The other side of the area is where the last tree went down in a storm. I've been working slowly on getting the area cleared, the wood cut to "stove" lengths and a "brush pile" going on that side of the area! 

 

The real issue right now, besides being in the way and a mosquito heaven and maybe attraction to yellow jackets and other not wanted critters...we are under a burn ban from now through October 31st!! So we can't burn anything until November 1st!! But...it does look like the chipper that was in the little metal storage building that the tree fell on has survived! Except for a bit of denting on the top of the feed chute it looks like it has not damaged on the bottom where the engine and chipping blades are! So I'm very hopeful that it will run and I can "chip" my way through a lot of these brush piles!

 

 

Just a couple of short videos of end of the day for two days! One the work done with the excavator and one of a tired me in Lily!!  LOL!

                                                                                                     (ooppsss,,,forgot that I had the mic clipped on!!)

 

A lot of the "dirt" here has not seen the sun for several decades!! And hopefully we will have a lot of "dirt" uncovered over the next few months!!

 

That's about all for today. It has been a full week and quite a bit has gotten done. We are supposedly going to have rain the coming week...maybe 3-5 days of it on and off. And we really do need rain this year! The whole state of Alabama is in drought basically. So we hope for some decent rain amounts                                             ...but not flood levels!

 

I hope this finds everyone well. So....

Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go To The Woods & Stay in Preparedness Mode!!

 

C'ya.... Ray🐸  &  Rosie 🐶

Still clearing stuff!

 The tree is officially down all the way!

And it has given a lot of firewood already....

 

But there still quite a bit of clearing & stacking to be done....

 

Not to mention the amount of splitting that will have to be done!! But the worst of it is over with and now comes the "ugh" part of the job! 

And my little handheld chainsaw have been hard at it the past 2 days. And the little saw has been a real trooper!

 

The next part of the job is more clearing and stacking...And....burning the brush piles I keep making! Lol 

So that covers the past 2 days! Oh.....

Today was also Rosie's spa day! 

She is all clean,

smells purty, and, 

looks almost like the terrier she is! 🐶

 

 

Tomorrow more of the same! I went and priced wood today....That was an eyeopener for me! It has been quite a few years since I last bought lumber.....Good Lord! It is ridiculous! Soooo....It might be a couple of months before I get to settle into my cabin! 🙁

But it will happen all in good time!

Hope this finds everybody healthy & living in the Preparedness Mode!

Until our next visit....

Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go To The Woods (At least a little bit) & Keep In Preparedness Mode Always!!

C'ya, Frog🐸 & Rosie🐶

 

And so.....

As of Tuesday end of the day...... 

   As of Wednesday when I got up.....

 

 

 

 

 

Folks, the "pessimistic realist" in me is really telling me that worse things are coming as far as our being able to afford to "live relatively comfortably". 

I am just taking each day as they come...and usually end up saying "Wow, isn't that just amazing!"  I mean how can you not be just amazed and overjoyed when you see this...... Cease Fire in Middle East

And then you run across this news breaking headline.....  "Frog Embryo Smuggling"! I mean, hell, THAT will change the outlook of the whole of society! Of which I really do not have a lot of hope for!

Anyway....Good Morning Gang! Was 47* here this morning. Fairly blue skies. Low 70's for a high and back into the mid 80's by next week. AND...no rain in the forecast pretty much for the rest of April! Does not bode well for this summer and what I think is looking like a very dry, hot and drought ridden summer! Maybe we will get our rain in May!!

I hope everyone has a great day and is healthy!

                                                Frog 🐸 & Rosie 🐶

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are YOU in preparedness mode?? Might want to think about it!

 

 

Have you been listening to the news...if you are able to find TRUTH in news reporting anywhere now-a-days. Folks, there is a major happening going on right now, and it is only getting deeper!

If you are not up to speed with all that is happening in the "Iran Conflict" you might want to think about maybe trying to get some honest information and....putting something back for what could be a very trying few months. If not longer than just a few months. 

WTI (West Texas Intermediate) oil hit $115/bbl today. As I write this it has dropped back down to $96.78. The real issue is that with all the infrastructure damage done to the oil production capabilities of that area, it will/can take weeks or even months to actually get the oil flowing out of the area!

And so the price of fuel keeps going up...for the time being at least. Today, in N Alabama, as I drove around, gas here is $3.79-3.99 per gallon. Diesel is much higher...and trucks that being all the goodies and groceries to the stores....run on diesel. And as the price goes up, so do our prices at the register. And there are so many countries that are actually running out of fuel, mandating odd/even driving days, the amount of gas that you can buy, cutting work days/hours, remote working, etc, etc.

 

Have you put back gas for your generator? Hopefully you have at least a small one.

 

And do not forget that it takes approximately 1 gal minimum daily for each person for water needed by the body.

 

 

Do you have extra propane for just in case you need to cook outdoors if the grid does take a big hit and the power goes on the fritz?

 

Folks, for years I have told folks when asked where my political/emotional stance is...my response is.....

I am a pessimistic realist 

I am a very strongly committed person to try to look at what is all happening in today's world...or country with hopefully open eyes and that I'm ready to do my best to make sure my family has a chance to come thru all the issues of the day. 

I just had the feeling that I needed to put out some thoughts on today. And I'm sure that there will be folks that will drop off the follower list. And so be it. But folks, everyone needs to look around and see what is going on.  If you look below the smoke screen being propagated in the media....what you see will not be "fun". It will be scary. 

Be Safe, Travel Easy, Go To The Woods....and Be In Preparedness Mode!

 Ray 🐸 & Rosie 🐶

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Weather is just Nuts!

Good morning from the "Lilypad Homestead in Progress"! 😉🐸🐶

The temperatures here have been on a bungee cord basically! The lo temps have bounced from mid-forties to high's in the upper 70s to low's 80s. Between the temp swings and the pollen in the air....my sinuses and seemingly Rosie's....have been in an uproar for the past  +/- 2 weeks! 

 

 I have "completely" settled on my plans for a cabin that is 10'X10'. Have just about gotten the concrete area cleared for the beginning of putting a floor down.

 

I found a guy on YouTube that I have actually started to follow. He apparently was in the home construction business and has started a "channel" where he shares his skills and ideas. The series I'm watching right now makes me feel like I could very possibly construct  the cabin myself! And that is just short of a miracle in itself!! 😜 When you have a chance and think you want to do some "building" yourself, check him out....

@JessedoesDIY  

His main tools are a circular saw, a power drill, level, tape! It is really amazing! So check him out sometime!

 

This week I will be working on a couple of videos for those of you that follow me. Nothing real fancy...but hopefully of interest to you. They are of interest to me and I want to share some things with you.

We as humans will rarely if ever agree on everything. That is just a fact that has to be accepted. And I know there are folks that will probably hear one thing that I talk about and promptly "uncheck" me from their list of links to take looks at! And so be it! It will disappoint me, but that is just a fact of life!

 

About time to get out of the house and get to doing something. And the WiFi connection seems to either be SLOW or just messed up, so I'm hoping that this will save and also upload sometime soon! Going to let it sit here and see if after a while it will "update" and save!! Oh, how I have such a gigantic "love/hate relationship" with technology!! 

 

So for now, I hope you have a great day and stay healthy and in a preparedness mode!!

 

C'ya - Frog 🐸 & Rosie 🐶